The Hunger Moon: A Novel (Ballantine Reader's Circle)

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three female protagonists confront loneliness, family loss

Believeable characterizations, enjoyable read

Strong Characters, Story Needs Some Umph

Thoroughly enjoyed this book!

Good Writing, Poor Story Line

The Hunger Moon: A Novel (Ballantine Reader's Circle)
Suzanne Matson
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0345425537
Release Date: 1999-04-06

Book Description

A waitress and now a single mother, Renata wants only to give her baby boy, Charlie, a better start. So she packs up her spare life, leaves her boyfriend behind, and heads across the country in search of a new place to begin. Settling in Boston, her life is suddenly changed by the chance meeting of two unlikely women: Eleanor, a seventy-eight year old widow who is stripping away the layers of her past, and June, an ambitious dance student who relies on a psychic to help manage her estranged relationships--all the while keeping a shocking secret.

As these three resilient women of different backgrounds and ages face their own particular demons, Charlie becomes their shared center. Drawing strength from each other and the maternal bond that unites them, they soon discover that the lives they have run from just may be their saving grace. . . .

Customer Reviews:

three female protagonists confront loneliness, family loss.......2004-03-30

Of all the curses afflicting us, loneliness and lack of family are two of the most painful. They cause us to examine the nature of our selves, to catalogue our strengths and reflect on what could have been. Suzanne Matson's compassionate and true debut novel, "The Hunger Moon," explores the impact of isolation and family loss through the intertwined lives of three female protagonists. Despite their differences in class, age and experience, the three women discover meaning, vision and strength through their growing interdependence. This connectedness gives "The Hunger Moon" both its poignancy and urgency.

Renata is the most complicated of the three characters. A seemingly nondescript single mother of an endearing infant son, Renata has chosen to hit the road, leaving her child's father ignorant of his fatherhood. Renata discovers that her freeom is illusory; instead of liberating her, her eventual choice of Boston as her home finds her rootless, unmoored not only from her west-coast heritage, but without the comforting safety net of caring friends. While struggling with the practical aspects of economic survival and motherhood, Renata must also come to grips with the impact of her decision to remove her son Charlie from his unknown father, Bryan. In turn, she must question herself as to her convoluted, ill-defined feelings about love, commitment and marriage.

As she grapples with the moral dilemma her life choices has engendered, Renata slowly develops a relationship with the newly reclusive Eleanor, a successful jurist whose recent widow status has resulted in her literally stripping away the veneer of her past family life. Now living in a starkly barren apartment, Eleanor finds a delighted surprise in bonding with her freshly-discovered neighbor Renata.

Joining this mix is the conflicted June. Bulimic and ravaged by constant academic and artistic disappointments (she is a flop as a student and troubled by her lack of success as a dancer), June receives no solace from her parents -- a distant, indifferent father and a mother reeling from the pressures of compelled personal reinvention. June satisfies her hunger for connection through caretaking and babysitting, two services which reintroduce her to her own humanity.

It is the elemental reawakening -- to possibility, to hope, to humanity -- which invests "The Hunger Moon" with such dignity. Matson's sensitive exploration of the nature of family ties, the difficult choices women face in offering themselves to others in love and the impact of personal responsibility in times of emotional duress gives her writing an urgeny and an elegance rare in debut novels. The author interweaves her characters' lives with the same skill as she develops their distinct personalities.

"The Hunger Moon" satisfies as story and as fable. Eleanor, June and Renata develop qualities which sustain and broaden; their personal stories become illustrative of what we can become once we shed the restrictive walls which shut us off not only from others, but from our true inner selves.

Believeable characterizations, enjoyable read.......2001-06-26

Not a book that you will want to read again, but an enjoyable few hours.

Strong Characters, Story Needs Some Umph.......2001-03-13

I loved the characters in the book. They were endearingly imperfect and easy to relate too. I loved the relationships between these three women and how they loved one another without completely understanding each other. The premise of the story is fine but I am not always crazy about some of the author's choices for outcome, especially in the story's climax whic almost ruined the whole book for me. I found it a little unrealistic that a woman who barely spent a moment alone from her baby would act with such neglect or that any compassionate woman would leave a baby in the hands of an elderly woman who's mind is failing. I also found the ending to be a bit rushed.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book!.......1999-12-04

This was an incredibly quick and enjoyable read. I really cared about the characters and their lives. Matson's style reminded me of Anne Tyler's. I wish the book was longer--I didn't want it to end.

Good Writing, Poor Story Line.......1999-09-15

I like Suzanne Matson's style of writing...but i thought that the story line left something to be desired. I do hope she writes more though. If you are considering buying this book...I think its worth it...it's pretty touching...But it wont be one of your all time favorites.

Average customer rating:

Again??!!

A review

This was the book that made me stop reading Goodkind

Do I Have to Give This Mess A Star?

Oh God, Save Me
Naked Empire (Sword of Truth, Book 8)
Terry Goodkind
Manufacturer: Tor Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Leather Bound

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ASIN: 0765307332

Book Description

"You knew they were there, didn't you?" Kahlan asked in a hushed tone as she leaned closer.Against the darkening sky, she could just make out the shapes of three black-tipped races taking to wing, beginning their nightly hunt. That was why he'd stopped. That was what he'd been watching as the rest of them waited in uneasy silence."Yes," Richard said. He gestured over his shoulder without turning to look. "There are two more, back there."Kahlan briefly scanned the dark jumble of rock, but she didn't see any others.Lightly grasping the silver pommel with two fingers, Richard lifted his sword a few inches, checking that it was clear in its scabbard. A last, fleeting glimmer of amber light played across his golden cape as he let the sword drop back in place. In the gathering gloom of dusk, his familiar, tall, powerful contour seemed as if it were no more than an apparition made of shadows.Just then, two more of the huge birds shot by right overhead. One, wings stretched wide, let out a piercing scream as it banked into a tight gliding turn, circling once more in assessment of the five people below before stroking its powerful wings to catch its departing comrades in their swift journey west.This night they would find ample food.

Customer Reviews:

Again??!!.......2007-10-03

I do like this series but, he seems to be re-using the same old plot line over and over... They start together then, they are split up because of some foe, then one of them looses the ability to use their power then,.....AND What happened to the wizards rules?? Do they just stop at four?? Also, We all know that Kaylan loves Richard and Richard loves Kaylan. Can we move on?? I like charictor devlopment but, they are not going anywhere... Just in love... We are not learning any more about them just how very very...VERY much in love they are. It is cool to have a sub-story to off set the blood and gutts but, this is not supposed to be a love novel...I don't think... A little less talk and alot more action please. Really those are the only problems i see. I still enjoy the books very much. Thanks Terry!!

A review.......2007-09-18

After reading the 8th novel in Mr. Goodkind's Sword of Truth series. Being an avid fan of the previous novels I've noticed that he is summarizing too many events from the past. That on its own is rather dull but I suppose it let's people who haven't read the first four books get up to date. In this novel we see Richard and Kahlan thrown into a pit of danger and a threat against their lives. To me this novel was a bit too preachy about society. I found myself skimming a lot of it but above all it is a good book but not as good as the first four.

This was the book that made me stop reading Goodkind.......2007-06-20

I had already thought about stopping after reading "Pillars of Creation", which was overall a rather nice book, until Jenssen suddenly has that Richard-clone speach at the end. However, after having read 7 books of this series I still wished to give the 8th one a try. After 6 chapters I stopped reading, and this is why: for 7 books, Goodkind was able to get the action started and the main chars in life-threating danger by the end of chapter 2. In this book, all that happens in the first 6 chapters is the chars walking around, talking and exlaining all the greatness of Richard and his view to Jenssen, and two obnoxious baby goats getting killed by some predator birds. Also no Zedd in these chapters. :(

Do I Have to Give This Mess A Star?.......2007-06-09

This book is definitely not worth 1 star. Goodkind ran out of ideas about 4 books back. He has tried different tactics to keep the series going. He has totally side-tracked the series with a couple of books (Soul of the Fire and Pillars of Creation) that did not add anything to the storyline. Then he wasted page after page with a political debate in Faith of the Fallen. With this book he uses 2 methods to fill pages with useless verbiage: First he tries to engage us in a meaningless philosophical debate, and second he re-tells all of the other books of the series in this one. Here is an example: Kahlan is being attacked by a brute from the Order who is 2 steps away from reaching her. During his first step Kahlan recalls what it means to be a Mother Confessor, and how all the other confessors have been brutally killed. She recalls her best friend dying in her arms, and how she never expected to have a true love. She remembers how she touched Richard with her power and how he was able to survive and return her love (all this takes about 15 pages to describe). During the brutes next step Kahlan remembers all the times that she and Richard have been through, and just how much she loves him. She recalls his tender touch, and remembers their passionate love making. There is also a long discussion about how the Confessor's power works (all this takes another 15 pages. Finally the brute reaches Kahlan and she subdues him. Total time lapse in story = 2 seconds, total pages used in book = 30.

There is no doubt that Goodkind must have been smoking some very strong illegal substances when he wrote this book. Take a look at his photo on the back cover and tell me that this guy doesn't have a bong collection in his closet right next to his S&M sex toys.

The guy responsible for editing this book must have taken the day off to go fishing. The actual story would have taken no more than 100 pages. The rest is a re-hash of everything that has been written before, or some of the most useless philosophical mumbo-jumbo I have every read.

DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK! Borrow from the library if you must indulge.

Oh God, Save Me.......2007-02-06

If you read any other book in the series, then you have already this one. The first few books in the series were fairly good, definitely not a series that will be loved for years to come, but an ok read. Terry is definitely not of the same par of writer as Robert Jordan or George Martin. His big downfall is that he rambles on and on about the same worthless stuff through every book.

The main characters, Lord Richard Rahl and Kahlan are by far some of the most unlovable characters you will ever meet. People follow these two blindly, yet they have no leadership skills whatsoever. They only are focused on one another. Their people are dying by the 1000s while they run around the world trying to save each other.

This is the only series I have ever had to give up on because it is so god awful boring.

Save yourself alot of trouble and buy something good.

The Foundation Trilogy: Foundation, Foundation and Empire; Second Foundation - The Stars, Like Dust, The Naked Sun, I Robot -

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Fabulous REAL-FICTION stories

The Foundation Trilogy: Foundation, Foundation and Empire; Second Foundation - The Stars, Like Dust, The Naked Sun, I Robot -
Isaac Asimov
Manufacturer: Heinemann Octopus
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian (Conan of Cimmeria, Book 1)

ASIN: 0905712617

Customer Reviews:

Fabulous REAL-FICTION stories.......2004-06-17

Asimov did a hell of a job gathering all his stories in a series of books. In The Complete Stories Vol. 1 his handwrittings from the 1940's just up to 1967 are printed in a wonderful science-fiction masterpiece. Asimov is well reknowned as the father of SciFi, and this stories demonstrate how he can write about politics, medicine, science, anthropology, or even sexuality. This book gives you down-to-earth, really involving stories, that will surely catch your attention. You'll find stories about the gigantic Multivac predicting electorial votes from just one person; a robot flirtering his bosses' wife; a super-intelligent computer who wants to comit suicide; and lots of different stories in a wide variety of topics, but all related to SciFi.

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Smart Fiction

Naked Empire
Terry Goodkind
Manufacturer: Voyager
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

ASIN: 0007145594

Customer Reviews:

Smart Fiction .......2005-12-12

I appreciate that Goodkind takes on politically sensitive social issues in the venue of his fantasy. I felt he conveyed well the dangers of pacifism, and the morally repugnant nature of strict non-violence when injustice is present and can only be quelled by violent means. By contrast, the nature of righteous/just retribution and aggression was well portrayed. I laud smart fiction, and this moves well beyond the standard fantasy fare.

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Naked Empire

Manufacturer: Tor Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000HLOOJA

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Naked Heart
Nicholas Smith
Manufacturer: Trafford Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1412034191
Release Date: 2006-07-06

Book Description

After inheriting an old Pennsylvania farm, Daniel Clements, a failed entrepreneur, begins to recall memories from a previous life. After discovering an Impressionist painting in a closet, he finds that his Civil War era relative led a fascinating life. Known to his family as 'The General,' Dan finds that his great relative spoke German, traveled throughout Europe, and met a Russian emigr

Naked Tropics: Essays on Empire and Other Rogues (New World in the Atlantic World)

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Naked Tropics: Essays on Empire and Other Rogues (New World in the Atlantic World)
Kenneth Maxwell
Manufacturer: Routledge
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Portugal | Europe | History | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0415945771

Book Description

In this volume distinguished historian Kenneth Maxwell collects some of his most significant writings, following Portugal's imperial journey from the Atlantic to the Indian Ocean and from the coast of Asia to the mouth of the Red Sea. Maxwell takes the reader on a lively journey from Macao to the Amazon forests-each piece in the collection is a reflection of the authors driving passions. Major themes he examines are: the peopling of the Americas, the shaking up of continents, the spirit that took a "precocious" Portugal into its imperial venture, the play between Portugal's' extensive imperial reach into Africa and Asia and the Americas, and the rise of Brazil and its tumultuous history.

ROBOTS - Lije Baley and R. Daneel Loivaw: I, Robot; The Rest of the Robots; The Caves of Steel; The Naked Sun; The Robots of Dawn; Robots and Empire - with ROBOT VISIONS

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ROBOTS - Lije Baley and R. Daneel Loivaw: I, Robot; The Rest of the Robots; The Caves of Steel; The Naked Sun; The Robots of Dawn; Robots and Empire - with ROBOT VISIONS
Isaac Asimov
Manufacturer: Bantam Spectra; Del Rey Ballantine; Granada Books; Roc - Penguin Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000NRYWLS

Terry Goodkind - Sword of Truth, Hardcover Set 3, Books 7-9: The Pillars of Creation, Naked Empire, Chainfire (Sword of Truth, 7-9)

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Terry Goodkind - Sword of Truth, Hardcover Set 3, Books 7-9: The Pillars of Creation, Naked Empire, Chainfire (Sword of Truth, 7-9)
Terry Goodkind
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Product Description

Set of 3 hardcovers, books 7 thur 9, in Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth series: The Pillars of Creation, Naked Empire, Chainfire.

Foundation, Foundation and Empire, Second Foundation, The Stars Like Dust, The Naked Sun, I Robot

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Foundation, Foundation and Empire, Second Foundation, The Stars Like Dust, The Naked Sun, I Robot

Manufacturer: Peerage Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Leather Bound
ASIN: B000FPIVRO

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Naked Empire (Sword of Truth, Book 8)
Terry Goodkind
Manufacturer: Voyager
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000O8U742

Book Description

In a novel that challenges our expectations at every turn, acclaimed author Wil McCarthy sweeps us into the future as only he can imagine it. Here is a thrilling odyssey of discovery and adventure aboard a ship of exiled rebels coming of age in an eternity that may be a lot shorter than anyone ever guessed.

Brash and idealistic, they were rebels without a cause in a world governed by science, reason...and immortality. Banished for their troubles to the starship Newhope, they now face a bold future: to settle the worlds of Barnard’s Star. Now King Bascal Edward de Towaji Lutui, former prince of the Queendom of Sol, together with Captain Xiomara “Xmary” Li Weng and her lover, first mate Conrad Mursk, face a perilous voyage with thousands of their fellow exiles. The journey will last a century, but with Queendom technology it’s no problem to step into a fax machine and “print” a fresh, youthful version of yourself. But what this crew of rebels will find is far from the paradise they seek. Before long, their optimistic young colony has started to show signs of strain. And worst of all, death itself has returned with a vengeance.

Download Description

Brash and idealistic, they were rebels without a cause in a world governed by science, reason... and immortality. Banished for their troubles to the starship Newhope, they now face a bold future: to settle the worlds of Barnard's Star. Now King Bascal Edward de Towaji Lutui, former prince of the Queendom of Sol, together with Captain Xiomara "Xmary" Li Weng and her lover, first mate Conrad Mursk, face a perilous voyage with thousands of their fellow exiles.

The journey will last a century, but with Queendom technology it's no problem to step into a fax machine and "print" a fresh, youthful version of yourself. But what this crew of rebels will find is far from the paradise they seek. Before long, their optimistic young colony has started to show signs of strain. And worst of all, death itself has returned with a vengeance.

Customer Reviews:

Inconsistently great........2007-07-14

This is the third book in McCarthy's _Queendom_of_Sol_ series, and the first I picked up (the first two in the series are not available in ebook editions!). As a standalone work, it works: the characters are vivid from the outset, so any missed characterization is unnecessary to the appreciation of this story. Moreover, it takes place in something of a discontinuity with the prior two books: the authors of the Children's Revolution are exiled to Barnard's star... so it doesn't take place in the context of Sol at all.

The Queendom of Sol series is a whimsical mix of Holy Fire (Bruce Stirling) Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars Trilogy, and Michael Moorcock's The Dancers at the End of Time. Death has been defeated by advanced technology. People can record quantum images of themselves, restore from backup, fax themselves across the solar system. It's fun stuff. But it doesn't entirely apply in this particular story about the colonization of a new planet where resources are scarce and getting scarcer, and children (and revolutionaries) are doomed to recreate the authoritarian regimes they rebelled against.

McCarthy is ambitious in this series, tackling large spans of time, historical forces, scientific speculation, and parallel stories all while attempting to keep the traditional character based story on track. The pacing is occasionally erratic, and the necessity of selecting widely disparate times and places for the individual scenes undercuts the dramatic power of interpersonal tension. Like many books attempting to explore immortality, the reader must suffer characters who are sometimes tired of dealing with life, jaded, and generally afflicted by ennui. This also contributes to problems in pacing.

One other quibble is that McCarthy, despite the virtuoso display of craft, falls victim to a surprising number of "As You Know, Bob" moments. He does so almost self-consciously, as though confessing to a small but necessary blunder. Most of the time, however, he is extraordinarily adept at conveying his background and scientific speculation, so these occasional exceptions seem rather glaring.

Overall, I found this particular story a bit less interesting than the concluding book in the series (To Crush the Moon), in part because the characters in this story simply weren't as much fun as those left behind at Sol.

All these quibbles aside, McCarthy's ambition is successfully achieved: a large-scale novel on a human-sized stage. Fans of character-centric SF will find as much to love as hard-SF readers looking for plausible, adventurous science. If you're looking for "the good stuff" in contemporary science fiction, you should be reading Wil McCarthy.

Underrated dark novel of the downside of immortality and super high tech.......2006-05-14

Lost in Transmission is the third of Wil McCarthy's novels set a few centuries in the future in the Queendom of Sol (and successor states). I have enjoyed all these novels, and I feel they are improving as the series continues. One reason for this may be the increasing dark tone -- the first novel was in some ways a Tom Swiftian tour of fun technology, while the subsequent novels have focussed increasingly on the human problems of McCarthy's future. I rank Lost in Transmission one of the best SF novels of 2004.

All three books are set in a wondrous technological future, based largely on programmable matter and on instantaneous matter transmission. Crucially, the latter wonder also leads to near immortality: one can be maintained at any desired age by filtering software in the "faxes," and one can be reinstantiated from stored copies in case of accident. In the first two novels, we saw how this bounty led to near-utopian conditions, but how human nature represented the snake in that garden. The first novel, The Collapsium, is an episodic story in which the great scientist Bruno de Towaji thrice saves the Solar System from destruction. Here the problem is human jealousy and the great power available from such high tech. In the second novel, The Wellstone, Bruno's son Bascal and his friends, frustrated by the place of youth in a world of immortals, play a number of increasingly dangerous pranks, and end up exiled to Barnard's Star.

Lost in Transmission, then, is the story of the journey to Barnard's Star and the effort to colonize one of the planets of that star. The main character, as in The Wellstone, is Bascal's close friend Conrad Mursk. Conrad is First Mate of the Newhope, their starship. His lover Xiomara Li Weng, or Xmary, is the Captain. Bascal is the leader of the expedition and will be King once the new planet is reached. Conrad himself is a rather stolid young man, though perhaps not so stolid as he seems to think. His goal is to be an architect. He often feels pushed into Bascal's shadow: the other man is much more overtly brilliant, a poet, and a more energetic leader. But this relationship evolves a great deal throughout this book.

The journey to Barnard's Star takes a number of mostly uneventful decades. Conrad and most of the others spend the bulk of their time stored in fax memory, but Bascal stays "awake" the whole way. This more or less drives him mad. Once at the new planet, the group is faced with the job of terraforming a rather un-Earthlike place. They do this in part by altering themselves, in part by changing the planet and its fauna. They also colonize (to a small extent) the star system.

Here lies the heart of the novel, for it turns out that despite the incredibly high technology at hand, the colonists are resource-limited. Over time, it becomes harder and harder to guarantee regular fax updates, or even resurrection from accidents. Class divisions arise. Some people choose to alter themselves -- to flying forms, or to centaurs, or trolls: not always with happy results. Children are "born" from fax machines into an adolescent body, also with less than always happy results. Bascal's grip on his Kingdom depends more and more on the use of force.

I thought the novel was a very effective look at real limits to a seemingly miraculous technology. I found its treatment of economic problems well thought out, and its treatment of the personal problems of people living hundreds of years is also worthwhile. (Conrad's off again, on again, relationship with Xmary, and his increasingly difficult relationship with Bascal, being especially well done.) McCarthy's writing is strong as well -- he maintains a sardonic, sometimes funny, sometimes mordant tone throughout. He has fun with altering his third person voice on occasion -- quite effectively, I thought. As I said, one of my favorite books of the year.

This novel and its predecessor are each framed with chapters set in the future of both, after Conrad, much changed and much older, has returned to the Solar System. The home planet, it is clear, has gone through some terrible times of its own, reflecting yet further complications of the Queendom's very high tech level. In the next novel, we are told, Conrad will "save the world... in a manner of speaking". I look forward eagerly to that story.

Come on people, 5 stars?.......2005-10-08

Collapsium was great. End there. Do not proceed. Warning, do not proceed, you will be bored. The first book is great. the second is ok and this one is mund numbingly boring. Yes, of course, the author is brilliant, has an astounding knowledge of physics, writes in a good hard science fashion , lays out a world/universe that makes sense....all that is nothing if the story and the characters are just not exciting. Summary of last book (wellstone)=Lord of the Flies without any killing, on a spaceship, rebelling against parents and society. They create and fly a spaceship that they spun out of a man-made planet. Big whoop. Actually it was ok. This book, those same kids grow up, try to start a society of their own, it slowly fails, and the main character runs home to mama. It was a brilliant description of a plausible future with air tight physics, but little in the way of action. In fact , none.
Collapsium was great. These last two books could've been combined into 300 pages and made a good read.
I bought the entire series after reading collapsium, I regret it.

Queendom of Sol Part Three.......2005-09-18

Here we have the penulimate chapter in McCarthy's "Queendom of Sol" series and in it McCarthy rises to become one of the best science fiction writers around.

Following on the heels of "The Wellstone", "Lost in Transmission" continues the story of Conrad Mursk and the colony of exiled 'children'.

By carefully jumping forward in time from one point to another we are treated to the entire voyage to Barnard's Star and then the entire lifespan of the colony.

If you are fond of writers like Varley, Sheffield or Anvil, this book is definitly for you.

More Technology, More Interesting People.......2005-07-16

There's more of McCarthy's physics in this novel. He's found a way to show how even the best laid plans ...

But it's an exciting, tense ride, with lots of suprising turns and science.

Read it!

"-"

Average customer rating:

Very good!
Funny, frightening, and insightful!

Lost in Transmission

Manufacturer: Random House Australia
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 1863253998

Product Description

Andalus unmasks the neglected Arab ancestry of modern Spain; of its food, language, people and culture.

Customer Reviews:

Very good!.......2007-06-21

I picked up this book at Stansted Airport and was already absorbed by the time I got to the check-in desk. Riveting account of a reporter in India, Nepal, Pakistan and Afghanistan. The author was actually in Kabul on September 11th, 2001. It was very refreshing and fascinating to learn the fears and thoughts of a war reporter on the politics leading to the 'Crusade' against 'evil-doers' and the way the press can and will manipulate images to increase ratings. Also very honest and even touching portrait of people who are so often ignored or misunderstood. The author also manages to reveal a fantastic sense of humour in the face of adversity.
Some of his accounts related to his girlfriend sounded oddly familiar, until I realised I had read her book ("Holy Cow") months ago, which deals with her adventures and quest for the meaning of life after moving to India to join him!

The Book Description on this page is wrong. Here is the correct one taken from Amazon.co.uk:

Synopsis
Jonathan Harley knew that becoming the ABC's man in South Asia at the age of only twenty-eight was a dream job. But he'd just fallen in love and wasn't so sure he really wanted it. It took a weekend of soul searching to realise that this would be the experience of a lifetime. From covering India's endearingly over-the-top response to the death of cricketing legend Don Bradman to being the only Australian journalist in Afghanistan on September 11 2001, Lost in Transmission is Harley's exciting, often moving, funny and disarmingly honest account of the three years he spent, lurching from one hair-raising misadventure to the next, reporting from one of the most exotic and, as events unfurled, alarming corners of the planet. Shifting effortlessly between the serious, the sublime and the ridiculous, this is the story of a stranger at something of a loss in an even stranger land - a young man struggling to comprehend and comment on life in a part of the world that never quite makes sense...

Funny, frightening, and insightful!.......2005-06-18

Part travelogue (with a touch of humor), part current affairs, "Lost in Transmission" has the perfect combination of intense vs. not-so-intense moments. It is enlightening about the roles of India and Pakistan in the escalation to the "War on Terror" and these countries' interaction with the Taliban. It is also, in parts, a travelogue about south Asian countries and what it is like be a reporter in remote locations. You have to be careful about reading the book in public places, however, because there are portions where the author will have you laughing out loud at the ridiculous situations and cirumstances in which he finds himself. I hope Harley writes more books because it will be a waste of a great talent if he does not.

Average customer rating:

Very good!

Lost in Transmission
Jonathan Harley
Manufacturer: Bantam Books Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0553817256

Customer Reviews:

Very good!.......2007-06-21

Lost In Transmission?: What We Can Know About the Words of Jesus

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Lost In Transmission?: What We Can Know About the Words of Jesus
Nicholas Perrin
Manufacturer: Thomas Nelson
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 084990367X

Book Description

Bart Ehrman, in his New York Times bestseller, Misquoting Jesus, claims that the New Testament cannot wholly be trusted. Cutting and probing with the tools of text criticism, Ehrman suggests that many of its episodes are nothing but legend, fabricated by those who copied or collated its pages in the intervening centuries. The result is confusion and doubt. Can we truly trust what the New Testament says?

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Snow Week, published by Thomson Gale on December 12, 2005. The length of the article is 1239 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: The lost art of simple clutch adjustments.(snowmobile maintenance)
Author: Mike Decker
Publication: Snow Week (Magazine/Journal)
Date: December 12, 2005
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 33 Issue: 6 Page: 7(1)

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Lost in transmission.(increasing severe climatic events will continue): An article from: Conservation Matters

Average customer rating:

Lost in transmission.(increasing severe climatic events will continue): An article from: Conservation Matters
Audrey Schulman
Manufacturer: Conservation Law Foundation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Conservation Matters, published by Conservation Law Foundation on March 22, 2004. The length of the article is 1769 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: Lost in transmission.(increasing severe climatic events will continue)
Author: Audrey Schulman
Publication: Conservation Matters (Magazine/Journal)
Date: March 22, 2004
Publisher: Conservation Law Foundation
Volume: 10 Issue: 2 Page: 1(3)

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Book Description

Angel Blessings is a profound transformational tool that acts as a bridge to spirit. It is a book and card set that guides the reader to experience more loving and healing connections with people, angels and with God.

Angels are God's messengers. Each angel is on a mission to share a unique quality of God's presence. Angels constantly watch for opportunities to bestow God's blessings of unique qualities of love, wisdom, and healing.

The cards represent 44 angels who are real and powerful spiritual beings watching for opportunities to help us experience the deepest parts our souls. The name of the angel, the quality of energy, a powerful masterpiece painting, and the section in the guidebook combine to create a synergistic force that can propel the reader into a personal experience or realization.

Customer Reviews:

Angel Blessings is amazing.......2007-05-14

I start each day with Angel Blessings. The pictures are beautiful and the words are so beautifully written. If you believe in angels, then you should have Angel Blessings.
CG

Angel Blessing Cards.......2007-05-14

I find that these cards are one of my favorite cards to use on a daily basis. I'd recommend them to everyone.

Cheap Cards.......2007-04-14

I can't believe how many people rated these cards a perfect score! I have several decks of Doreen Virtues that I absolutely love, with beautiful art work, gold lined edges and awesome readings. So, when I saw all the high ratings for Angel Blessings, I thought that I would give them a try. I was absolutely disappointed when I recieved them. The cards are SO cheap and the pictures are ugly. You can see on the edges of the cards where they were pulled apart from a sheet of cards in production. The pictures have no depth to them, kind of a cold and stoney look to them. I instantly felt no connection to the cards and I am returning them ASAP!!! If you are interested in cards, check out Doreen Virtue's cards. I promise that you will like them a gazillion times more!

Just wonderful!.......2007-02-15

I have been using these cards as part of my daily spiritual practise. I centre myself, ask my angels what I need to know for my highest good today and then allow 3 cards to 'jump out' and then read about each angel. Often surprising, always moving. I feel it keeps me encouraged and focussed on my personal growth.

The images are beautiful and the passages incredibly deep and loving.

Angel Blessings Wonderful and Inspiring!.......2007-02-14

I have been using the Angel Blessings cards for many years. It has been very helpful personally and is also a wonderful tool when providing spiritual counseling. Highly recommend for those working toward connecting with your higher self as well as a deeper connection to God. Blessings, Harmony & Light, Rev. Ann

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