Late and Soon: a Novel

Average customer rating:

How I used every vocabulary word in the dictionary to write my first novel

A great read - multilayered prose - compelling characters

Art, introspection and edgy romance in rich prose

highly recommended

A beautiful novel reminiscent of Henry James

Late and Soon: a Novel
Robert J. Hughes
Manufacturer: Carroll & Graf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0786718005

Book Description

In Late and Soon, a host of characters confront their confusions in love. Claire, an art specialist at Sotheby's, lives in a world of glamour and achievement — but after she runs into Toby, the young man her husband left her for five years earlier, she realizes that her broken heart never truly healed. Claire begins to question herself, her past and her future after she learns her ex-husband has also left Toby. Late and Soon chronicles Claire’s emotional course, as she puts together a sale of paintings that could make her career. She is captivated by one painting in particular that speaks to her and is taken under wing by the painting's owner, an elderly, well-to-do society matron of the old school, who’s parting with the painting for reasons that Claire finds poignant — especially regarding her own romantic longings. And the possibility of romance does indeed loom. As Claire puts together her auction, she must decide whether or not to begin a relationship with Frank, her ex-husband's brother, who has come to New York in pursuit of her for so many years.

Customer Reviews:

How I used every vocabulary word in the dictionary to write my first novel.......2006-11-25

If a writer has a good story to tell why torture nearly every sentence with such verbal complexity when it could have been written intelligently with fewer words? I'm trying to get through this book, waiting for the "good part" to kick in. The main characters are overwrought with a thought life that is dull, uninteresting and totally self-involved. And while I know a good deal about art, it isn't enough to save this book from itself.

A great read - multilayered prose - compelling characters.......2006-07-22

The kind of book you savor reading in the living room over the course of a week, rather than the kind you take on the subway or read at the beach -- the characters are at times fascinating, at times dreadful, at times pitiful, but always entertaining and contain difficult truths that we observe about others and often think to ourselves. The prose is multilayered, and rewarding, putting one in mind of the novels of Henry James and Anthony Trolloppe. Highly recommended (but not on the subway).

Art, introspection and edgy romance in rich prose.......2006-03-09

Hughes' elegant, Jamesian prose is perfect for the rarefied art world and deep introspection of his first novel. A Wall Street Journal reporter who covers the art auction market, Hughes centers his story around Claire, a 32-year-old 19th-century-art specialist at Sotheby's in New York. From Claire the third-person narrative shifts among several others: her ex-husband Peter; Toby, the man Peter left her for five years earlier, and Frank, Peter's edgy brother, a former priest.

All, except Frank, are involved in the commerce of art. Toby is a video curator; Peter an antique-furniture dealer. Claire is putting together a sale of 19th century paintings, which could make her career.

As the novel begins, she runs into Toby at a museum exhibit opening. Peter has left him for another man, a police detective, and Toby has sought her out for some kind of solace. "She waited for him to speak. She would not sympathize with his humiliation, having suffered her own, even if only indirectly through him way back when."

But over the years she has become friendly with Toby. "He'd sought her advice, he'd shown her kindness. The kindness of the vanquisher, but still."

Clearly, Claire still harbors little barbs of resentment, and unhappy Toby finally realizes she can, or will, be no comfort to him. But his distress has unsettled Claire, making her more aware of her own remoteness and social stagnation. She was often sought out as a confidante but "she was a confidante who had so little actual regard, she thought, for the essential humanness of those who chose her for verbal intimacies. She didn't know if her demeanor - a kind of hesitant acceptance of the suggestive other - led people to sense demureness that suggested depth of feeling."

In passages like these Claire seems almost ruthlessly self-aware, but Hughes does not let it sink into self-loathing. The shock of her husband's homosexuality had dealt a blow to self-confidence already undermined by an indifferent mother, but Claire loves her work and enjoys an innate confidence in her abilities. Still, she has had no romantic relationship since the break-up of her marriage.

Claire's contemplation of her social scars and reserve accompany her heartfelt work in putting together an important sale which will center around two James Tissot paintings, the best of which is called "A Widow." The painting, evocative of loss, love, memory and possibility, stirs both Claire and its elderly widowed owner deeply, forging a bond between them.

Meanwhile, Frank, now a gruff, demanding and unfulfilled professor, has come to New York, ostensibly to write a book, but essentially to seek out Claire. A serious, intense, attractive man, he frightens as much as fascinates her. Frank is not a casual man and she uses her upcoming sale to keep him at arm's length while she decides what to do.

Peter tries to connect with his difficult brother and build a relationship with his new lover. As the book progresses he sheds the flighty, possibly callous aura others have thrust on him. He's looking for family, completeness and, in his own more social fashion, is as serious as his brother.

It's poor Toby who becomes rather tiresome as the book progresses. The son of Hollywood parents, former drunks, now sober and enraptured with each other, Toby is fundamentally discontented and while Hughes does a good job of portraying this, it's not the most winning of character traits.

Hughes' book is at its best when appreciating the art. His descriptions of paintings - through Claire's eyes - are superbly visual and Claire's enjoyment is moving and infectious. There is no "rapture of the graduate student," but an interpretation of character and life and scene as well as symbol and context. Claire "sometimes found herself daydreaming the scenarios of a painting; all wrong, terribly unprofessional, a girlish preoccupation with story and escape."

The art world itself, the glitz and glamour and staid old money, comes to life as a place apart from the ordinary world. Rather, it's a place where egos clash and paintings worth "only" one or two hundred thousand accent foyers and hallways.

Hughes' contemplative story is well paced, with plenty of humor and grace and should be appreciated by anyone who enjoys being transported to a place of intellect, beauty and introspection.

--Portsmouth Herald

highly recommended.......2005-11-10

Just the kind of thing I like best -- interesting characters, with subtle analysis of their thoughts, motivations, development over time. It's set in the art world of New York City which makes an interesting backdrop. It would make for a great book-group discussion, so I'm going to suggest it to my book group.

A beautiful novel reminiscent of Henry James.......2005-10-29

Robert J. Hughes has written a beautifully layered novel that reminded me of Henry James. Set in modern-day New York, it follows the lives of four richly drawn characters and their entangled love lives. Hughes has created an empathetic protagonist in Claire and the men surrounding her are equally engaging and memorable. Best of all, Hughes casts New York as an important character as well, and illuminates the city's art and opera scene with an insider's knowledge. This is definitely for fans of Henry James and Edith Wharton -- set in modern times. A must read.

Average customer rating:

readable on a rainy afternoon

And If I Was Stabbed In The Eye With A Needle For Every Time This Happened...

Better than some folks are saying IMHO

good to a point

I love Andie
One Good Knight (Tales of the Five Hundred Kingdoms, Book 2)
Mercedes Lackey
Manufacturer: Luna
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

Fantasy, Futuristic & Ghost | Romance | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0373802609

Book Description

When a dragon storms the castle, what should a (virgin) princess do?

Why, turn to her studies, of course! But nothing practical-minded Princess Andromeda of Acadia finds gives a definitive solution. The only Traditional answer, though, is soothing the marauding dragon by a virgin sacrifice. Things are going fairly smoothly with the lottery--except for the women chosen, of course--until Princess Andromeda herself is picked!

But facing down the dragon doesn't go quite as planned, and now, with the help of her Champion, Sir George, Andromeda searches for the dragon's lair. But even--especially--in the Five Hundred Kingdoms, bucking Tradition isn't easy. It takes the strongest of wills, knowledge, quick wits and a refusal to give up, no matter what happens along the way….

Download Description

Another story sparkling with wit and humor from New York Times bestselling author Mercedes Lackey.

Traditionally, marauding dragons are soothed only by a virgin sacrifice. And so the frightened people of Acadia devise a lottery system to choose the victims. Things are going fairly smoothly - except for the women chosen, of course - until practical-minded Princess Andromeda is picked. She accepts her duty, though she would prefer to defend herself. And so Andromeda faces the dragon alone.

Until a Champion arrives to save her - sort of. Sir George doesn't quite defeat the dragon, but as Andromeda finishes rescuing herself she discovers that beneath the Good Knight's well-meaning though inexperienced heroics lies a further tale.…

Still, Andromeda can't leave her seacoast country in further jeopardy from the dragon's return, and so she and…er… George join to search for the dragon's lair. But in the Five Hundred Kingdoms, bucking Tradition isn't easy. It takes the strongest of wills, knowledge, quick wits and a refusal to give up, no matter what happens along the way.

Somehow, though, none of this was taught in princess school.…

Customer Reviews:

readable on a rainy afternoon.......2007-08-21

The three stars are mainly because this author is capable of writing much better books and has, such as the Valdemar and "Arrows" series. If it had been an author I was unfamiliar with, I probably would have bumped up the rating to four stars. Make of that what you will.

Plot: Princess Adromeda "Andie" is a plain but highly intelligent princess who longs to do more for her kingdom than simply exist as a lady of leisure. Her mother and chief advisor, Solon, out of less than admirable motives decide to let her take on some serious duties. Eventually, however, she is considered too much of a risk to their underhanded schemes, putting in motion the plan to send a dragon to the kingdom, which can only be appeased by regular offerings of virgins. When Andie sets off on a quest of her own, she discovers that things are not what they seem - and with an unlikely cast of characters, becomes determined to take over the throne for herself.

I enjoyed the book, but felt that more attention could have been given to the several main characters besides Andie. The ending was abrupt, with only a few pages devoted to the actual conquest of the kingdom. As for the cover, I can only guess that the artist read the description of another female character (who is a redhead) and took that for her model.

And If I Was Stabbed In The Eye With A Needle For Every Time This Happened..........2007-06-27

I am new to Mercedes Lackey's style of writing. I am also new to the reviewing world [HI!] so this may be extremely pointless in short, there being a ridiculous amount of reviews for this book and all...But I figured I would put my two cents in.

For one? I should've figured a book titled 'One Good Knight' would be disappointing. That and I didn't pay much attention to this being a sequel to the series [sequels tend to have a bad reputation even when the characters are not related to the first one].

In this world, we get it all. Heroes, romance [subtle amount and its more focused around an actual :gasp: plotline!], dragons [Rawr...], and other magical nonsense. What I loved the most was definitely The Tradition which is [as said] based around the tradition of fairytales and is the force of it happening. An annoyance when it is mentioned too much, but then again...it is the center of the story.

Don't count on getting off during this reading session, barely enough romance to keep me hoping for my knight in shining- ...well...not exactly KNIGHT in shining armor but when you read this you will understand IF you want to waste your time.

The book is actually very well written and great up until the ending. It was missing something, it seemed hurried, and the lovey dovey crap thrown in makes me REALLY want to laugh hysterically and then hold my hand out for the real copy. Something a true good book should always have? A good ending, otherwise it makes the reader [yeah hi me] feel like they just wasted their time.

This is the summer so I am not too upset over my time gone but I definitely do not recommend this to someone who is hoping for a romantic tale, or much satisfaction when all is said and done.

-SJR

Better than some folks are saying IMHO.......2007-06-01

I've beeen a LOONG time Lackey reader started in 1980's with her very first Valdemar series Arrows. Misty is to me a interesting writer, her books are more basic on some levels than many of her counterparts and yet I find I enjoy rereading many of her books far more than some of the more complex writers.(Robert Jordan comes to mind here!)
I tend to prefer the Valdemar series, although not ALL of them mind you, and have not really enjoyed most of her tandem books with other writers.
I picked up Fairy Godmother, the first in this series, because I like writers who play with fairy tales and I enjoyed Lackey's Firebird and Black Swan also because I had heard good things about FG. I enjoyed it emensely and was happy to see there were more 500 Kingdom books.

Unlike several of the folks who complain about the lack of strong romance like in the first book I found this book a delightful read. Lackey has always had some form of romance in most of her book and where folks got the idea the the first book was full of romance I'm not sure as that romance didn't start until more than half way through it.

I like Andie, and I liked all the other characters, Misty is a bit of a sterotype writer, not in a bad way but it can make her books predictable. I did figure several things out fairly soon but it didn't remove any of the enjoyment I had in this book and I look forward to reading the third.

good to a point.......2007-05-11

I liked this book a lot, I've been reading Mercedes Lackey for YEARS ( don't really want to discuss how many) and she's always a favorite. These new stories about the 500 kingdoms are entertaining and a nice new spin on things.

My only problem was the ending. It felt like a lot of buildup for not enough fleshed out payoff. I really wanted a more full conclusion. It felt almost as if she's spent so much time on the main part of the story that she had to finish it fast to turn it in to the editors. That's probably not the case, but it felt that way.

You will be entertained, you will enjoy it - if you like her style of fantasy- but the ending might leave you a little unfulfilled.

I love Andie.......2007-02-25

No, the book is not as good as The Fairy Godmother, one of my all-time favorites. But Andie is great.

Good intentions, complex realities.(Building Sustainable Peace)(Book Review): An article from: One Country

Average customer rating:

Good intentions, complex realities.(Building Sustainable Peace)(Book Review): An article from: One Country

Manufacturer: Baha'i International Community
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from One Country, published by Baha'i International Community on July 1, 2004. The length of the article is 1260 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Good intentions, complex realities.(Building Sustainable Peace)(Book Review)
Publication: One Country (Magazine/Journal)
Date: July 1, 2004
Publisher: Baha'i International Community
Volume: 16 Issue: 2 Page: 16(2)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Average customer rating:

One Good Knight
Mercedes Lackey
Manufacturer: Harlequin Enterprises, Limited
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000NP8874

Book Description

After a generation of warfare, the Gundam boys finally brought peace between Earth and the colonies when they helped defeat the Oz and White Fang armies. Now, out of the rubble, the surviving soldiers are re-emerging and clustering together into new factions. Heero Yuy has become a vigilante pacifist, tracking down weapons stashes and destroying them, while Relena, former Queen of the Earth Sphere, is now trying to maintain the peace politically. But an unmanned weapons factory has been discovered somewhere near Mars, and now the Gundam boys are going to have to dust off their mechs for one more battle if peace is to stand a chance of lasting. Bridging the gap between the GUNDAM WING TV series and the movie Endless Waltz, Battlefield Of Pacifists is a must-read for any Gundam fan, and is only available in manga format!

Customer Reviews:

A nice bridge, though maybe not on its own..........2005-12-05

Battlefield of Pacifists is great. If you read the Endless Waltz Manga, which I consider official, there is obvious preference to Battlefield as the true events. Mostly direct references to Vulkanus, which makes no appearance in either Blind Target or Ground Zero. At one point, Une talks about the Virgo 3s that are on Vulkanus. Also, in the Heero / Chang fight, Heero talks about losing control, which is a central focus of Battlefield of Pacifists. However, I do like how Blind Target shows the Gundams as they were seen in the show, and Ground Zero helps push the idea that they were custom refits in endless waltz. I'd like to think that Blind Target, Ground Zero, and Battlefield (respectively) culminate in Endless Waltz, as each one helps to explain different parts of the story presented by the movie.

Blind Target is better..........2004-12-29

For a Gundam Wing side story, this was pretty disappointing. The first turn-off I got was the art style. It had no similarities with the art style from the series or Blind Target. The characters look stiff and not very flexible. Another thing was the story and plot-line. I liked the concept of Vulkanus but I couldn't stomach the way they immediately progressed with the story. Instead of filling the gap of one year between the series and Endless Waltz, they only tried to create a prequel for the movie. Plus, the character development was lame. How come Relena didn't perform an important role there? Perhaps the anti-Relena squad would like that, but if you recall, Relena is one of the MAJOR characters! Whether you like it or not, there won't be any Gundam Wing without her. I was disappointed in seeing her demoted to a small role in the end. If you ask me, Blind Target is much better than Battlefield. Why? Because it takes off from where the series ended. It develops its own story and moves to a definite conclusion of its own. The Epilogue was enough to show us how Endless Waltz came about. But with Battlefield, everything happened too fast! I would've liked it better if Battlefield's timeframe was between the series and Blind Target. But instead, it had to try and go for an Endless Waltz prequel. When questioning whether it is official or not, I'd rank it with Ground Zero. It is a doujinshi that is accepted by Sunrise as part of the GW saga. (Heck, even Ground Zero is much better!) In the same ranks as the series and Endless Waltz, I'd go for Blind Target. True that it may be a manga, but it was a Radio Drama before that (making it official). To make this long review short, Battlefield was crap! If you want a much better in-betweener of the series and the movie, I advise you to view Blind Target. It is much better in story-wise and art-style.

Good story if a little awkward at the end.......2002-10-02

I really liked that it wasn't just retreading the material in the series or Endless Waltz. It actually builds on different views and emotions. It does do a little recycling of events by having Heero show up to the final battle late, but that's okay with me. I did enjoy that the bad guy wasn't a complete clone of the others, but he had his own motives and opinions. I think the best villians fall into two categories, the intelligent and the hipocrites. There is some anger in that this guy is claiming to want no weapons of any kind and demands them to give up the Gundams. But he just wants to take power from others and give it to himself. Heero's final words at the climax sets up the difference between wanting power and having power. And it goes a long way to explain what influences Quatre's, Heero's, and Chang's later in Endless Waltz. The only part I didn't like was that it seemed too much like a 'this happens here' and 'this happens because of that'. I likes the character development, but the actual story fell apart at the very end when it seemed more like a preview for Endless Waltz than telling the end to its own story. But all in all it is good.

The dialogue is reminiscient of the anime and has some wonderful moments, like Heero's meeting with Dorothy in the graveyard. And the way the Perfect Peace People talked reminded me of Zeon's chants and salutes.

The artwork is great, the characters look exactly like the show as well as the mecha. The Virgo 3 is minor but the new Scorpio design is very cool. I especially liked the Mobile Armor look, felt almost Universal Century. The extra's in the back are neat and not something that had to be included.

Overall, the story had some wierd moments, but it was solid fun that match the series. Even the title fit the tone.

Battelefield of the Pacifists.......2002-05-23

Great book, as w/all of the Tokita books I have read(?) I love the animation. The story is good, too. I wish Milliardo was in it though, typical of a Mil fan. Anyway, go ahead, get it. If you are new to Gundam Wing, you may wanna read the Gundam Wing graphic novels by Koichi Tokita, Yoshiyuki Tomino, and Hajime Yadate. I liked them a bit more. All 4 of the books are great reading.

Definitely a disappointing purchase.......2002-05-20

The plot of Battlefield of Pacifists is far too fast-paced for the reader to get a good idea of exactly what's going on. The artwork is nothing spectacular and definitely doesn't keep to the same style as the TV series; it also seems like there wasn't much effort put into keeping the characters' personalities in tune with the series itself on the author's part.

Average customer rating:

Best Religion Book of the Year

Great idea, less-than-great results

Roadside Sermons

Roadside Religion: In Search of the Sacred, the Strange, and the Substance of Faith
Timothy K. Beal
Manufacturer: Beacon Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Faith | Christian Living | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0807010626

Book Description

In the summer of 2002, Timothy K. Beal loaded his family into a twenty-nine-foot-long motor home and hit the rural highways of America in search of roadside religious attractions-sites like the World_s Largest Ten Commandments, Golgotha Fun Park, and Precious Moments Chapel. Why, he wanted to know, would someone use miniature golf to tell the story of the Creation? Or build a life-size replica of Noah_s ark in Maryland? As a scholar, Beal hoped to come to understand the meaning of these places as expressions of religious imagination and experience. But as someone who had grown up in an evangelical Christian church in which he no longer rested comfortably, Beal found himself driven by a desire to venture beyond the borders of his cynicism to encounter faith in all its awesome absurdity. And so he found himself deep in conversation with people like Bill Rice, whose Cross Garden features thousands of makeshift crosses and old air conditioners bearing the message NO ICE WATER IN HELL! FIRE HOT! Part travel narrative, part religious study, and part search for the divine madness that is faith, Roadside Religion takes the reader on a tour of the strange and often wondrous ways people have tried to give outward form to their inner religious experiences. Religion is most interesting-and most revealing-Beal shows us, where it_s least expected.

Customer Reviews:

Best Religion Book of the Year.......2006-03-26

A witty, charming, and eye-opening jaunt on the offbeat side of
religion. A great book to pack along on your next trip along the blue highways of America. Move over William Least-Heat Moon.

Great idea, less-than-great results.......2005-07-15

After hearing Dr. Beal in an interview and reading a few reviews of ROADSIDE RELIGION I was eager to read the book. What I liked best was the idea itself -- the family vacation spent visiting religious Americana in a motor home -- and Beal's curious and respectful approach to his subject matter. As he explains throughout, this was as much a trip as it was a journey of faith and rediscovery.

Although the Introduction and some of the chapters are a rambling mess, the Conclusion was insightful and inspiring. In four pages, Beal describes his rediscovery of faith as something more/other than mere belief alone: "Faith is a leap of hospitality, an opening of oneself to the other... an opening toward an unknown other....faith as vulnerability, risking relationship." Especially in a world that's divided by power and fear, this was sheer heaven to read.

My disppointments with the book are few, and mostly about the structure and omissions.

For subject matter that is as visual as it is spiritual, photos seem lacking and of poor quality: 25 in all, small scale, black and white only. Also, there are times when a simple diagram or even a primitive hand-drawn sketch whould have been far better than the dull prose trying to describe the same thing (such as the layout of Paradise Gardens). While this is not a guidebook, a simple map of the route taken to the visted sites seems like a given, but it's not. Finally, the lack of an INDEX, NOTES, or even FOR FURTHER READING represents a missed opportunity to improve the quality of the book and inspire futher exploration of the subject matter.

In the end, hearing Dr. Beal describe his journey is far more engaging than the way he wrote about it. Nonetheless, it's worth the read, and the sites themselves, worth the visit.

Roadside Sermons.......2005-06-23

Four years ago, Timothy K. Beal and his family were driving through the Appalachian Highlands of Maryland when they saw a steel girder framework for an upcoming building, incongruously set in a grassy field. A large sign said "NOAH'S ARK BEING REBUILT HERE!" They drove on by, but Beal, a professor of religion, started keeping a list of roadside religious attractions all around the country, and in the summer of 2002, the family rented a mobile home and hit the highways of the Bible Belt to get to see the Ark in progress and many other religious sites constructed out of piety, inspiration, or enterprise. In _Roadside Religion: In Search of the Sacred, the Strange, and the Substance of Faith_ (Beacon Press), Beal gives a report on what he saw, and what he thought, and especially how he felt. Skeptics like myself probably would be happier with a book that conveyed amusement and incredulity at the sights, and Beal's book does have such a tone in many places. Indeed, Beal started out with a plan of a book of "witty and wry observation," but although it is funny in many places, it is altogether more respectful, sympathetic, and understanding of these very odd shrines than he originally expected.

Near Mammoth Cave in Kentucky are plenty of roadside attractions, but on Beal's list is Golgotha Fun Park, a miniature golf course which is described in a chapter wittily titled "Stations of the Course". Bizarrely, the name comes from the Aramaic for "the skull" and is the name of the place where the gospels say the crucifixion happened. Some fun. There are some ceramic skulls on the sixteenth hole: "Although they don't pose much of a putting challenge, they _are_ rather creepy and distracting." The eighteen holes tell the story from creation to Resurrection. At hole four, Moses parts the Red Sea to let your ball pass, and on the back nine, representing the New Testament, Mary and Martha kneel prayerfully on either side of the putting green assigned to them. The eighteenth hole has a statue of the risen Christ, encouragingly looking on as golfers take their final shot, and it is the easiest hole on the course. "It's not easy to venture a theological interpretation of Golgotha Fun Park," Beal assures us, but he is compelled to try anyway, interpreting the obstacles (any good miniature golf course needs obstacles) as not only athletic, but theological - believers conquer smaller ones on the way to the big one, the belief in the risen God. Beal is content to be instructed by these roadside visions, but he is not uncritical. At the Fields of the Wood near Murphy, North Carolina, is the world's largest Ten Commandments, concrete letters five feet high on a hillside. The intent here, Beal says, is to inspire religious awe "in the face of a sacred law that is overwhelmingly, _ineffably huge_ in a most literal way." It's not what the words say, but how big they are. This is, Beal concludes, "the Word of God as image, and I dare say idol." The commandments, including the proscription against graven images has been turned into the "World's Largest" graven image.

There are plenty of others; the worldly Beal is surprisingly affected by the cutesy Precious Moments Inspiration Park in Missouri, or dismayed by the End Times ideology of The Holy Land Experience in Florida, where there is a daily crucifixion, weather permitting. Anyone who has driven America's highways has seen billboards for this sort of attraction, and many will be amused by the descriptions of what Beal has found; he has actually paid his money and gone so that the rest of us don't have to. More importantly, this is a personal book, a religious book by an intelligent thinker who has picked some seemingly unpromising subjects to describe and learn from. As he openly shares his learning and self-reflections with us, it's just the sort of generosity he admires in the makers of these strange visions.

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