Book Description
Amid the chaos and horror of the French Revolution, Blanche de la Force, daughter of a smug unbeliever, enters a Carmelite convent. Blanche is so timorous that she seems unsuited to the rigors of religious life even at the best of times - and horribly misplaced as the Reign of Terror begins to stain France with the blood of a new generation of Christian martyrs.
Sister Marie, one of the leading nuns in the convent, receives with joy the death threats of a ham-handed revolutionary: the sisters are going to be awarded the crown of Christian martyrdom! Sister Marie prepares the other nuns for this fearsome sacrifice, all the while harboring doubts about Blanche's ability and willingness to join them in giving up their lives for Christ.
Blanche's life thereafter and the story of the nuns take more than one unexpected twist, leaving you not only with the inspiring, true example of their martyrdom, but also with a penetrating insight into the nature of holiness. The spiritual acuity and deep compassion of author Gertrud von Le Fort make The Song at the Scaffold a unique meditation - as well as a powerfully moving novel, written with unusual dramatic force. It will make your soul surge with renewed and fervent love for God!
Customer Reviews:
A good story with a dated translation.......2000-02-19
The story of 16 Carmelite nuns guillotined during the Reign of Terror of the French Revolution. Olga Marx's 1933 translation does not hold up well to the passage of time making the book less accessible to the modern reader. A fine, but one-sided, portrayal of the nuns' story, their motivation, and faith. Interesting use of a fictional character, the nun Blanche, to contrast the fear an average person would feel in this situation with the conviction and courage of these historical martyrs.
Romantic and spiritual review of the story of Compiègne nuns.......1999-07-06
Probably the best book never created about the Compiègne nuns. Far above from the Bernanos interpretation.
A book about the nature of courage and fear.......1998-06-07
The true story of the Carmelite nuns beheaded during the last few days of the French Revolution. The heroine, Blanche, is the only fictional member of the history. The story questions the nature of extreme sensitivity and morbid fear in the face of the French Revolution and questions whether such fear is a matter of shame or a gift from God.
Customer Reviews:
Great book!.......2005-03-04
A wonderful novel in the Cowboy's by the Dozen Series. Ms. Leonard's heroine, Kelly Stone is fiesty lady who throws her hero for a loop. The hero is a sexy alpha male who the reader can't help but love.
Fannin Jefferson is my favorite hero in the series. As I read the novel, the way he loved his lady touched my heart.
Cowboys, cowboys! Never go wrong with a cowboy!.......2004-06-09
Howdy & m'aam are some of his favorite words,
Opening the door is no chore,
Breaking hearts is what he does best...
Until he finds that one special girl that extinguishes the rest.
Cowboys by the dozen - the best series ever! Keep them comin', Tina!
Book Description
The fire and rescue squad from Los Angeles County’s Fire Department Station Twenty-seven’s “C-Shift” was a rock-solid team. The camaraderie among them was only made stronger by the fact that they were all minority. But when their unit becomes the prey of a perverse trickster, their loyalties to one another are deepened to the core.
Someone on the inside is trying to sabotage C-Shift, and Jerome White and his longtime mentor, Capt. Lloyd Frederickson, are certain it’s racially motivated. When the Fire Department chief balks at an internal investigation, Lloyd and Jerome have no choice but to take matters into their own hands.
Jerome and Lloyd’s personal problems further complicate their lives. After thirty years of marriage, Lloyd’s wife, Nellie, wants a divorce, even though their sex life is still deliciously hot. And while Jerome and Nicolle are deeply in love, Mychel Hernandez, a Hispanic bombshell at the station, has set her sights on Jerome. But his attentions soon turn to a horrific car accident involving Nicolle. As Jerome is thrown headfirst into this nightmare, he must face life as a single father, a critically ill spouse, Mychel turning up the heat with her advances, and an overwhelming sense of fear and apprehension about where the menace will next strike.
From the #1 bestselling author Parry “EbonySatin” Brown comes her anticipated hardcover debut—a fast-paced, multilayered story of extraordinary characters grappling with issues of race, family, love, and deceit. In Fannin’ the Flames, she brings readers to the forefront of the lives of our most revered men—and the women they love.
From the Hardcover edition.
Customer Reviews:
"Hot Like Fire".......2006-09-13
This book was a joy to read because it was fast-paced, the characters were interesting, and I liked the storyline,although the ending was a disappointment. I also enjoy Ms. Brown's style of writing. AT LAST!!!female characters with meat on their bones. I'm glad when I can say that so and so has been added to my list of favorite authors. Well Ms. Brown you have been added.
I felt I was let down.......2005-02-05
This book was very easy to read for me because I kept thinking all of this juicy stuff was going to happen. The storyline I expected to materialize never did. The ending was a big let down for me. I understand the author needed to glorify fireman but it seems like she could have done that and added a little spice to the storyline. I am really disappointed; although I must say the writing was very good.
Experience the power of "Fannin The Flames".......2004-10-01
How elegant and powerful the words flow. How passionate the meaning of life becomes through the words written in this magnificent novel of God's merciful grace and that wonderful undeniable unseen strength we call faith! I found courage through this novel to "Fan the Flames" when life throws me a curve! Your words are absolutely beautiful and intoxicating through visual consumption as you leave the reader craving each word. I've read all of Parry's books to date and I have not been disappointed yet.
Much Respect, Linda Washington-Johnson,
Jackson Mississippi Readers Club Reviewer
Emotional.......2004-09-30
This was one emotional ride!
Between the dangerous pranks that kept happening on the "C' shift and the emotional ride into the lives of Jerome, Lloyd and Andrew I was holding my breath! I never knew what was coming next and the thought of any of the characters dying left me on the edge of my seat. I found it very emotional when Jerome's wife got hurt. The letters from the Firefighters in the back of the book were touching. This story is snappy and full of wit. It was well balanced between emotions and spice.
Fannin' the Flames was a 4 alarm fire of emotions. Captivating.
This Book Was On Fire !!!!!!!!!!.......2004-08-24
This is a book that every avid AA reader should have on their bookshelf.This book made me go through all different types of emotions. The relationship between Nicolle and Jerome was a beautiful one that was definitely joined by GOD. They reminded me of my husband and I. I really felt like these characters were real. I felt like I was lost and also EbonySatin taught me a few things about firefighters that you never really think about. Like for one they are not fighting three alarm fires all the time but are mostly taking car accident calls as well as health calls. Even though I work in health care I never really thought about it. I learned other very important facts and history as well. But GO BUY THIS BOOK AND SEE WHAT PARRY BROWN IS UP TO.....I see why Parry Brown is a motivational speaker because she has motivated me with each book that she has written.
Book Description
"The book communicates with an informed conscience and consciousness, hard-earned from years of classroom teaching and administration. The encouraging tone renews teachers with a sense of hope for authentic connection with their students. The authors have provided an informed pathway out of the bewilderment."
Carol Gulley, Director of AccessAbility Program
Imagination Stage, Bethesda, MD
"Gleaned from decades of practice, this is a harvest of wisdom, gathered from the intuition and invention of three gifted teachers. Their jargon-free collection of lessons will serve educators at all stages of professional development. Their suggestions restore human thought and communication to the educative process."
Frances Monteverde, Lecturer
The University of Texas, Austin, TX
This is the one clear handbook for K-6 educators—it covers virtually all the curricular areas in the elementary grades.
Now K-6 teachers have a single resource that addresses the best teaching practices and methods available today. The easy handbook format allows you to use single chapters to concentrate on a particular subject area, or you can use the entire book as a professional development tool to renew, re-energize, and reinvigorate your instructional practice.
Using national standards, this valuable guide covers one essential topic in each chapter, including: language, mathematics, science, social studies, technology, the library media center, and the arts. Assessment tips are included for everything from class participation to composition, as well as examples on how to integrate and assess various subjects in one lesson plan.
Average customer rating:
|
FANNIN THE FLAMES
PARRY BROWN
Manufacturer: One World/Ballantine
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OWEW8U |
Book Description
'Super-Size Memeets Soylent Green.' -ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY I n Thinner Than Thou, Reverend Earl preaches the heaven of the Afterfat, where everyone looks like a Greek god. In the convents of the Dedicated Sisters, anorexic, bulimic, and morbidly obese teenagers are imprisoned until they learn the 'right' way to eat and think.Annie, an anorexic, and her massive friend Kelly are imprisoned by the 'Deds.' Determined to maintain control over their weight and their lives, the girls vow to escape or die trying. Jeremy, an overweight businessman, discovers that the promises of a luxury spa's brochures conceal a concentration camp run by Rev. Earl. Searching for Annie, her young twin siblings and her boyfriend travel a bizarre landscape of competitive eating and obesestrippers, and learn of the Rev.'s ultimate solution to the problem of old age.
Customer Reviews:
This book is the poster child for huge potential not met........2006-04-09
I was tremendously conflicted trying to decide on a rating for this book--in part, because the potential of this story was so great and, in part, because the story was told so inconsistently. There were times (the last 50 pages, especially) where I was so disgusted and disappointed with the author for throwing away the potential of this story that I could barely keep reading. There were other times (through the middle of the book, mostly) when I found the story and writing quite compelling and I was drawn along wanting to know what would happen.
I can't think of another book I've read where the story had such potential to be profound (and profoundly impacting) and yet where so much of the book was devoted to lightweight storytelling, characters and dialogue. I kept thinking "Why write this book...why attempt this story...if you're not going to go all the way?" By the end of the book, I was actually angry with the author for wasting this opportunity.
As a person who has struggled with weight issues almost her whole life, I can't say I was quite so offended as some at the stereotypes, though perhaps it was because, as a writer, I was so busy being offended that this story wasn't what it could have been. Certainly, the fat people are all stereotypical cariacatures of weak people who can't ever pass up an opportunity for food. I guess I was willing to give the author that if the point had been made well. It was at times but, mostly, it wasn't. The end, particularly, was horribly over-preachy.
Still, despite what it sounds like from my review, there were elements that I enjoyed and, for me, the fact that I read the whole book means I had to have been hoping for something to improve. Usually, with a book I can't get into or am not enjoying, I'll just put it down and never pick it up again. So I guess I was intrigued enough (or hopeful enough) that I kept plugging away at this, hoping for it to get better. What it did instead, in the last 50 pages, was get hopelessly worse. How sad.
Skinny Statements.......2005-12-19
This dark novel has an excellent premise – a dysfunctional near-future society in which our current obsessions with beauty reach destructive and murderous levels. Kit Reed is tackling many different issues here, especially body image, eating disorders, family relations, discrimination, fetishes, corporate control, mass media, and even religion. These are great things to tackle in a speculative fiction story. The problem though is that Reed builds most of the story around a continuous tirade of cultural criticism, with little actual plot to really chew on. In essence, this is a book full of BIG STATEMENTS, and Reed can't stop cramming them down your throat, via the narrator or the internal thoughts of the characters. This writing style is coarse, preachy, and even condescending, to the point where the reader says, "all right, I get the point already." As you fight your way through the BIG STATEMENTS on how people with less-than-ideal body images feel about themselves and how they're oppressed by the demands of society, you find a plotline that is disarmingly thin and predictable.
First of all, notwithstanding her somewhat effective projections of current social behavior, Reed has not created a very believable future society. The most glaring problem is the way all the major religions of the world, which have survived for millennia, have all somehow collapsed and been forced underground, sometime in the very near future. Governmental and legal structures are also conveniently absent. Meanwhile, the plot often moves forward with incredible coincidences, with characters coming together at just the right opportune moments. (In one major example, watch for the "dramatic" reunion of several main characters, who had been traveling on very different paths, but miraculously find themselves together right when the drama starts.) And the climax of the story offers an unacceptably easy wrap-up of the action, complete with characters suddenly answering all of each other's questions, along with contrived intrigue, conspiracy theories, and yet another round of BIG STATEMENTS from the narrator and the characters. This novel had real potential as a powerhouse of social observations about a crucial modern problem, but the reader is mostly force-fed a heaping helping of invective and proselytizing. [~doomsdayer520~]
somewhat conflicted.......2005-12-08
This book left me with very mixed feelings. To begin with, I got into the plot fairly quickly, which says a lot, seeing as how i am afflicted with ADD. Anyway, the most important thing to me, what i was expecting and hoping for, was a thought-provoking story. That, I got. I had to put the book down every five or so pages and think on it for a minute. Not too many books do that, so i was impressed. However, i never go to the point in this book where it made me see something new, a different perspective, or a point i'd never considered. Perhaps i had my hopes up too high, but the author's intent seems to be to show the reader just how absurd our society's stress upon looks is, but all she really does is point out the obvious.
This is a well-written, entertaining book that needed to be done, but i think Kit Reed could have pushed the envelope more. She is definately capable.
An effective subject matter that ultimately loses its grip........2005-06-18
Thinner Than Thou is one of those books you want to appreciate for so many reasons. The subject matter is a very enticing part of what gave the book such potential: a future where the body and outer beauty has become the religion of society, and those not conforming are subject to inquisition. This is what sold me on buying and reading the book, and it follows through on being very effective for much of the book.
However, the story and its philosophy fall apart in the last third. Coincidences bring together all the main characters -- who had been all over the USA -- at the same time in an underexplained and thus wholly unbelievable manner. The ability of the main characters to go on the offensive in the end is so loose that the reader would have to have a great leap of faith to accept it in any way. The introduction of "Solutions" -- a thinly veiled Final Solution of sorts that appears out of nowhere as if written as an afterthought -- is also so undeveloped and obvious that it is entirely ineffective.
The subject matter also turns away from discussing what is wrong with society in regards to the demands on people to be a certain way and becomes a silly "conspiracy of the thin" that wallows in the idea that demands on the obese not to be gluttonous are nothing more than some kind of power-trip by the thin.
The ending is without a doubt the biggest let-down and worst written endings I have ever read. Like a film with no third act, the book takes an easy way out that gives it the feel of one of those after-school specials on TV designed for teenagers. One can simply understand how badly written it is by reading the last sentence of the novel. Had the book not fallen apart in the end, I would have easily recommended it. But, with its cheap conclusion and the defeatist, conspiratorial mindset it adopts in the end, I find no reason to recommend it to anybody who has more than just a curiousity in the book.
swift-paced biting satire .......2005-06-03
Reverend Earl began his preaching as infomercials, but quickly resonated with a population struggling with eating disorders. He simply offered his followers opportunities to be thin without the risks of anorexia, bulimia and constant fad diets by joining his Crossed Triceps health clubs. Soon organized religion fades bowing to the new God of Thinness. Earl's Dedicated Sisters become zealots spreading more than the word on thinness; they are rumored to abduct problem teens taking them inside the sanctuary for cleansing.
Though their parents hint they know what happened to their daughter anorexic Annie Abercrombie who has disappeared from her home, they tell nothing to their twin sons Betz and Danny. Upset, the two brothers and Annie's boyfriend Dave assume the frightening local chapter of the Dedicated Sisters kidnapped Annie. They plan to free her. Their mom has second thoughts that she blew it when she turned in her daughter to the dread Deds and joins in the quest to free her leaving her selfish spouse behind. Annie teams up with obese Kelly in an attempt to break out of the Deds incarceration.
This biting satire rips into the religious obsessive fervor to be thin at all costs including health. The story line takes no prisoners with its popular obese strippers, health clubs taking over religious edifices and bringing in many more patrons, Afterfat heaven where you can divinely dine on anything and everything but remain thin, and the final solution for the elderly amongst other acerbic shots at the me society. Mindful of Swift's A Modest Proposal, readers who appreciate a cutting edge nightmarish future that applies hyperbole to the present reality will join the Reverend's THINNER THAN THOU movement.
Harriet Klausner
Average customer rating:
- it just runs out of gas the more it goes on
- Kernyi's Dionysos
- A true Ariadne's Thread
- A work of art, both the book, and its subject.
|
Dionysos: Archetypal Image of Indestructible Life
Carl Kerenyi
Manufacturer: Princeton University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 General
| Ancient
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Folklore & Mythology
| Social Sciences
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Religion & Spirituality
| Subjects
| Books
Greek & Roman
| Mythology
| World Literature
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Mythology
| World Literature
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Fairy Tales
| Genre Fiction
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
All Titles
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Literature & Fiction
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Nonfiction
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Religion & Spirituality
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Similar Items:
-
Dionysus: Myth and Cult
-
Eleusis: Archetypal Image of Mother and Daughter
-
Prometheus: Archetypal Image of Human Existence
-
Gods of the Greeks
-
Orpheus and Greek Religion (Mythos Books)
ASIN: 0691029156 |
Book Description
No other god of the Greeks is as widely present in the monuments and nature of Greece and Italy, in the sensuous tradition of antiquity, as Dionysos. In myth and image, in visionary experience and ritual representation, the Greeks possessed a complete expression of indestructible life, the essence of Dionysos. In this work, the noted mythologist and historian of religion Carl Kerényi presents a historical account of the religion of Dionysos from its beginnings in the Minoan culture down to its transition to a cosmic and cosmopolitan religion of late antiquity under the Roman Empire. From the wealth of Greek literary, epigraphic, and monumental traditions, Kerényi constructs a picture of Dionysian worship, always underlining the constitutive element of myth.
Included in this study are the secret cult scenes of the women's mysteries both within and beyond Attica, the mystic sacrificial rite at Delphi, and the great public Dionysian festivals at Athens. The way in which the Athenian people received and assimilated tragedy in its immanent connection with Dionysos is seen as the greatest miracle in all cultural history. Tragedy and New Comedy are seen as high spiritual forms of the Dionysian religion, and the Dionysian element itself is seen as a chapter in the religious history of Europe.
Customer Reviews:
it just runs out of gas the more it goes on.......2006-04-16
I'm sure that this book is invaluable to the specialist but P.U.P. has put it out with a full color cover and a "cross-over" imprint, Mythos. My edition seems to be missing a number of pages because the blurry illustrations skip from # 105 to # 141 just about 70 or so pages after Kerenyi's argument has devolved from a proper book into a mere catalog of details and descriptions. This "book" is long on information(unfortunately mostly descriptive information pertaining to artifacts as the book progresses)but very short on synthesis. There is nearly endless presentation with very little summation. Kerenyi has always been a murky writer who hints rather than nails things down, and here he is at the apex of that fault.
p.s. There may be more validity to the method but the closing argument depends fairly heavily on the 20-odd missing illustrations missing from my edition. Since Kerenyi refuses to summarize after his presentation (depending heavily on the reader's recognition after viewing the blurry pictures in the text)it is nearly impossible to fully make sense of his argument without the illustrations.
In short both the author and the publisher fail to give the reader the experience promised.
Kernyi's Dionysos.......2006-01-20
This is one of the most fascinating books on ancient myths I have ever read. If you're into ancient pagan religions, you won't be able to put this book down once you pick it up. It's a bit of a tome --lots of scholarly details --but well worth journey.
A true Ariadne's Thread.......2003-02-27
I first encountered Karl Kerenyi by way of another of his books, _Eleusis_, a study of the mysteries of Demeter and Persephone. Let me tell you, I love the way that man's mind worked. In the case of Eleusis, and also in the case of Dionysos, there are secrets that the celebrants of the rites took to their graves. But rather than just say "we'll never know what really went on", Kerenyi leaves no stone unturned in an attempt to figure it out. Using myths, art, and "urban legends" from ancient times, which often dance around secret subjects, Kerenyi puts together a more coherent picture of the religions of these ancient deities. The myths and art may dance around the real mysteries, but if you "dance" around enough and see the material from enough different angles, you can get a pretty good idea of what isn't being said.
Dionysos originated on the island of Crete, where he was considered to be the same deity as Zeus, and was a dying and resurrected god who presided over mead and the mysteries of death and rebirth. From there, his cult was taken all over the Mediterranean world, and changed along the way. His rites changed, too, and Kerenyi shows us all of the different ways he was worshipped, from the bull-sacrifice on Crete (with a great chapter on the god's notorious wife Ariadne) to the roving maenads of rural Greece, to the sacred tragedies and comedies of classical Athens. Then we see Dionysos again on the walls of the Villa dei Misteri in Pompeii.
In a way, _Dionysos_ is differently focused than _Eleusis_, where the author was trying to reconstruct what happened on one particular night. This book is more protean, following the thread of the Dionysus cult throughout distance and time as it changes. Recommended to anyone who loves mythology.
A work of art, both the book, and its subject........2000-05-19
Karl Kerenyi has a way about him. A way to touch the reader with word of clinical precision that none the less convey emotion and power to the reader that is probably as much to do with translator Ralph Manheim as the departed author himself.
The subject of Dionysos and the startling workings of his ancient religion are given thorough study, and one is left with a feeling of having experienced the god himself through the writings of the author to whom the subject is so dear. Read this book as an insight into a bygone era, an insight into the human need for religion, an insight into Dinoysos the God, and most especially, an insight into your own mind.
Book Description
No other god of the Greeks is as widely present in the monuments and nature of Greece and Italy, in the sensuous tradition of antiquity, as Dionysos. In myth and image, in visionary experience and ritual representation, the Greeks possessed a complete expression of indestructible life, the essence of Dionysos. In this work, the noted mythologist and historian of religion Carl Kernyi presents a historical account of the religion of Dionysos from its beginnings in the Minoan culture down to its transition to a cosmic and cosmopolitan religion of late antiquity under the Roman Empire. From the wealth of Greek literary, epigraphic, and monumental traditions, Kernyi constructs a picture of Dionysian worship, always underlining the constitutive element of myth. Included in this study are the secret cult scenes of the women's mysteries both within and beyond Attica, the mystic sacrificial rite at Delphi, and the great public Dionysian festivals at Athens. The way in which the Athenian people received and assimilated tragedy in its immanent connection with Dionysos is seen as the greatest miracle in all cultural history. Tragedy and New Comedy are seen as high spiritual forms of the Dionysian religion, and the Dionysian element itself is seen as a chapter in the religious history of Europe.
Books:
- The Third Life of Grange Copeland
- The Unknown Errors of Our Lives: Stories
- The Villagers: A Novel of Greenwich Village
- The Vintner's Luck: A Novel
- The Wedding Date
- Three Novels of Ancient Egypt: Khufu's Wisdom, Rhadopis of Nubia, Thebes at War (Everyman's Library)
- Under the Red Flag: Stories
- Walking Through Shadows: A Novel
- WINDOWS ON THE WORLD
- Woman Destroyed (Pantheon Modern Writers)
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- America's Wilderness: The Photographs of Ansel Adams
- The Essential EatingWell Cookbook: Good Carbs, Good Fats, Great Flavors
- Perma Red
- Murder of a Botoxed Blonde
- Paper Dreams: The Lost Art Of Hollywood Still Photography
- String Theory and M-Theory: A Modern Introduction
- Seedfolks
- State Tax Actions 2000: Special Fiscal Report
- Personal Best: 1001 Great Ideas for Achieving Success in Your Career
- 2002 Directory of Nebraska Businesses
To Quell the Terror: The Mystery of the Vocation of the Sixteen Carmelites of Compiegne Guillotined July 17, 1794
Poulenc - Dialogues of the Carmelites / Bonynge, Sutherland, Buchanan, Begg, Opera Australia
Guillotine & The Cross
Poulenc - Dialogues des Carmélites / Marthe Keller · Jan Latham-Koenig · N. Denize · P. Petibon · L'Opéra National du Rhin
The Apostles
