Book Description
With "The Prague Orgy," a new novella-length epilogue which takes the novelist Nathan Zuckerman on a quixotic journey to Prague to rescue from oblivion the stories of an unknown Jewish writer, Philip Roth concludes one of his major works of literature.
Customer Reviews:
Not quite three stars ( from a MAJOR Philip Roth fan).......2004-10-20
I have read eight other books by Roth, and would give them all four or five stars each. I kept each one, because I always keep books I loved.
"ZB" is the only Roth book I gave away after finishing. I just did not care for this trilogy and epilogue. If you have never read anything by Roth, do not start here -- you will get the wrong impression of this author. Read "Portnoy's Complaint," and "Goodbye Columbus" if you've never read anything by Roth. If you've already read "PC" and "GC," then I can also wholeheartedly recommend "The Professor of Desire," "Operation Shylock," "The Facts" (non-fiction), "When She Was Good," "The Counterlife," and "Deception."
Terrific.......2000-07-12
When I was a teenager (around 1970 or so), I read a couple of P Roth novels (Portnoy's Complaint and Goodbye Columbus, I think). They didn't make a huge impression (unlike, e.g., Tolkein's Lord of the Rings), except that I remember them as enjoyable. Roth was then off my radar for almost 30 years.
At some point, I bought his "trilogy & epilogue" from a remainder table ($2.98, according to the sticker still affixed), and eventually got to it. Here's all you need to kmow about my recommendation: halfway through this book, I was trolling through Amazon, trying to decide which Roth book to pick up next. Why I dropped him in 1970, I don't know -- it must have been the ... oh, never mind.
I found "Zuckerman Unbound" and "The Anatomy Lesson" to be the strongest of the 4 components (any can be read alone, but they're best read in sequence). I found "Prague Orgy" to be a little bizarre, and never saw how it fit in. I guess that's the only reason for the 4 rather than 5 stars.
Book Description
For the last half century, the novels of Philip Roth have re-energized American fiction and redefined its possibilities, leading the critic Harold Bloom to proclaim Roth "our foremost novelist since Faulkner." Roth's comic genius, his imaginative daring, his courage in exploring uncomfortable truths, and his assault on political, cultural, and sexual orthodoxies have made him one of the essential writers of our time. By special arrangement with the author, The Library of America continues the definitive edition of Roth's collected works.
This fourth volume presents the trilogy and epilogue that constitute Zuckerman Bound (1985), Roth's wholly original investigation into the unforeseen consequences of art-mainly in libertarian America and then, by contrast, in Soviet-suppressed Eastern Europe-during the latter half of the twentieth century. The Ghost Writer (1979) introduces Nathan Zuckerman in the 1950s, a budding writer infatuated with the Great Books, discovering the contradictory claims of literature and experience while an overnight guest in the secluded New England farmhouse of his literary idol, E. I. Lonoff. Zuckerman Unbound (1981) finds him far from Lonoff's domain-the scene is Manhattan as the sensationalizing 1960s are coming to an end. Zuckerman, in his mid-thirties, is suffering the immediate aftershock of literary celebrity. The high-minded protŽgŽ of E. I. Lonoff has become a notorious superstar. The Anatomy Lesson (1984) takes place largely in the hospital isolation ward that Zuckerman has made of his Upper East Side apartment. It is Watergate time, 1973, and to Zuckerman the only other American who seems to be in as much trouble as himself is Richard Nixon. Zuckerman, at forty, is beset with crippling and unexplained physical pain; he wonders if the cause might not be his own inflammatory work. In The Prague Orgy (1985), entries from Zuckerman's notebooks describing his 1976 sojourn among the outcast artists of Soviet-occupied Czechoslovakia reveal the major theme of Zuckerman Bound from a new perspective that provides the stinging conclusion to this richly ironic and intricately designed magnum opus. As an added feature, this volume publishes for the first time Roth's unproduced television screenplay for The Prague Orgy, featuring new characters and scenes that do not appear in the novella.
Book Description
Now in his mid-thirties, Nathan Zuckerman, a would-be recluse despite his newfound fame as a bestselling author, ventures onto the streets of Manhattan in the final year of the turbulent sixties. Not only is he assumed by his fans to be his own fictional satyr, Gilbert Carnovsky ("Hey, you do all that stuff in that book?"), but he also finds himself the target of admonishers, advisers, and sidewalk literary critics. The recent murders of Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr., lead an unsettled Zuckerman to wonder if "target" may be more than a figure of speech.
In
Zuckerman Unbound—the second volume of the trilogy and epilogue Zuckerman Bound—the notorious novelist Nathan Zuckerman retreats from his oldest friends, breaks his marriage to a virtuous woman, and damages, perhaps irreparably, his affectionate connection to his younger brother...and all because of his great good fortune!
Customer Reviews:
Roth's 'Zuckerman Trilogy:' Part 2........2007-06-29
Zuckerman Unbound (1981) resumes the story of Nathan Zuckerman that Philip Roth (1933) initiated in his previous novel, The Ghost Writer (1979). It is the second of nine novels to enlist Zuckerman as Roth's fictional alter ego. Zuckerman also appears as the narrator or protagonist in The Ghost Writer, The Anatomy Lesson (1983)--which constitute "the Zuckerman trilogy," The Prague Orgy (1985), The Counterlife (1986), American Pastoral (1997), I Married a Communist (1998), The Human Stain (2000), and Exit Ghost (expected 2007). Set in 1969, Zuckerman Unbound finds Zuckerman, now a bestselling writer in his mid-thirties, twice divorced, separated from his third wife, Laura, and at odds with his younger brother, Henry, adjusting to the fame, wild notoriety, and unwanted attention resulting from his sexual bildungsroman, "Carnovsky" (which critics compare to "Portnoy's Complaint"). His readers refuse to differentiate between Zuckerman, the celebrity writer, and Gilbert Carnovsky, his fictional creation. While success has put Zuckerman on the cover of Life magazine, he continues to ride the bus, eat in cheap delis, and walk the sidewalks of Manhattan, where he is constantly approached by both fans and kooks alike. In light of the recent murders of Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr., Zuckerman wonders if he, too, is a target, and if he wouldn't be better off living a more reclusive lifestyle.
G. Merritt
Roth's version of Misery..........2006-10-05
This is Philip Roth's own bitter take on the price of fame. Woody Allen has Stardust Memories, Stephen King has Misery, and Philip Roth has Zuckerman Unbound. This novel finds Nathan Zuckerman at the end of the sixties, suddenly thrust into the limelight by the success of his new book. Now, he cannot even ride the bus without being harangued for his cheapness. But the people who don't like him are no match for Alvin Pepler, his number-one-fan. (Use your memories of the movie Quiz Show to appreciate this character). One of Roth's best.
More Zuckerman zaniness.......2005-04-22
In this installment of the Zuckerman story, we observe a writer who has reached the pinnacle of American celebrity recognition - a front cover on Life magazine. After publication of "Carnovsky" his polarizing, provocative, entirely sixties novel, he is now recognized in buses, deli's and on the street. He is the envy of millions, the target of others, and an object of desire among women. All he could have ever wanted, but here we see an ordinary man thrust reluctantly into the spotlight and deeply conflicted about his place there. His newfound wealth fits like an oversized suit, and he gets accosted by strangers on a regular basis.
Ultimately, this book is one of realization that despite his new status as a millionaire celebrity writer, he has lost his connection with his family and his past in Newark. While romanticizing Newark, or at least revealing it to the masses, and stoking the imagination of those who believe "Carnovsky" to be autobiographical and about his family, he has lost the respect of his father and brother.
Roth pokes fun at those who equate a fictional character with its author, causing us to resist the temptation to compare Nathan Zuckerman with Roth. That is too irresistible a conclusion, and probably too obvious. Roth appeals to the voyeur within us, while leaving us wondering about the lines between fact and fiction.
Another highly entertaining, funny and readable work by MR Roth.
The novelist as celebrity.......2005-01-06
Many writers base their work on their own lives, but with Philip Roth the practice borders on narcissism. In "Zuckerman Unbound," which takes place in Manhattan in 1969, Nathan Zuckerman, a simulacrum of Roth himself, is an author who has just published a commercially and critically successful novel called "Carnovsky," which seems very similar to "Portnoy's Complaint." Hesitant to adjust to his new life as a millionaire, he continues to live like a schlub, riding the bus and eating in cheap delicatessens, even though his face has been on the cover of Life magazine and people recognize him in public.
Fame has its disadvantages; Zuckerman is besieged by letters and solicitations from fans, freaks, and creeps, especially the thug who keeps phoning him threatening to kidnap his mother for ransom. One day he meets a fellow Newark native named Alvin Pepler, a burly but obsequious and tirelessly garrulous man who is trying to write a book about his unlucky involvement in a quiz show scandal in the fifties and seeks Zuckerman's help in getting it published and advice about writing in general. The nonchalant but slightly amused manner in which Zuckerman reacts to the possibly psychopathic Pepler, who quickly becomes defensive after he asks for (and receives) criticism, is one of the novel's enjoyable subtleties.
Zuckerman's love life is an aching echo of his fictional Carnovsky's. His marital record is extremely shaky; he is twice divorced and currently separated from his wife Laura, a lawyer who defends draft dodgers evading Vietnam. His fame allows him an otherwise improbable consort--the voluptuous but aging Irish actress Caesara O'Shea, who is growing bored with all the attention she gets even while her star is slowly fading. "I feel like the out-of-focus signpost in a news photo of a head-on collision," he tells her, acknowledging the meagerness of his appearance juxtaposed with her radiance.
One important thing Zuckerman must face is the psychological effect of the notoriety of his erotic novel on his family, particularly when he and his younger brother Henry fly down to the retirement community in Florida where their parents now live to be at the bedside of their dying father. Zuckerman's mother worships him and thinks he can do no wrong; it is Henry who decides to slap him with guilt when they return home. Henry, after all, was the "good son," the sensible one who became a dentist, married a nice girl he didn't really love, and despite his clandestine extramarital affairs would never write a book like "Carnvosky" filled with sexual depravity and Jewish self-ridicule.
I suppose there was a time (say, in Charles Dickens's day) when novelists enjoyed the same kind of celebrity as movie stars do today, but this notion seems quaint by Zuckermanian standards. An author must write a "Carnovsky/Portnoy's Complaint" to be noticed because in this age a "Pride and Prejudice" or a "Wuthering Heights" doesn't have quite the same visual impact. "Zuckerman Unbound" reveals a Philip Roth who perhaps is wistful about a cultural consciousness which books play a more prominent role in shaping.
Like a breath of fresh air.......2003-12-04
I loved this book. Unlike other Philip Roth novels, this one was very user friendly, the story was a straight forward account of Nathan Zuckerman, the alter ego of Roth. In this story Nathan has published his PORTNOY like novel, and how he deals with the success of such a novel. We are shown how his life is affected and how it affects others. Whether it be groupies, kidnappers, ex-lovers, angry fans and adoring celebrities. I thought the story was fun, light and a great joy to get through. Check it out.
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Zuckerman Unbound
Rh Value Publishing
Manufacturer: Random House Value Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0517403870
Release Date: 1988-12-12 |
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Zuckerman Unbound.
Philip. Roth
Manufacturer: Farrar, Straus & Giroux,
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NRKT6K |
Average customer rating:
- It is what it is
- Predictable Prose
- Awful book - don't bother
- A return to the world of the Forgotten Realms
- Captivating
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The Thousand Orcs (Forgotten Realms: The Hunter's Blades Trilogy, Book 1)
R. A. Salvatore
Manufacturer: Wizards of the Coast
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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ASIN: 0786929804
Release Date: 2003-07-01 |
Amazon.com
The Thousand Orcs opens a new trilogy starring R.A. Salvatore's popular dark elf Drizzt Do'Urden and his loyal friends Wulfgar, Catti-Brie, Bruenor, and Regis. The band returns from Icewind Dale in the company of the dwarves of Mithril Hall, who are escorting King Bruenor back to reluctantly assume his throne. But, as always, old enemies and new emerge from the shadows to threaten our heroes. Emboldened by a dark alliance with the deadly frost giants, an orcish horde is massing quietly, waiting with uncharacteristic patience to move against dwarves, elves, and humans alike. Meanwhile, Bruenor, sensing that his adventures will come to an end once he takes the throne, coaxes his friends back onto the road, all the while unaware of the powerful forces gathering strength by the roadside.
Salvatore is obviously in his comfort zone with his favorite characters, and fans of the series will no doubt enjoy another bloody romp into danger with Drizzt and company. He even throws in a few mind-blowing surprises for the faithful. However, newcomers to the Forgotten Realms shouldn't start here, as familiarity with Salvatore's brave companions is a necessity despite Salvatore's attempt to provide a skeletal backstory for the uninitiated. Start with The Icewind Dale Trilogy and get to know the gang. --Jeremy Pugh
Book Description
The latest New York Times best-seller from R.A. Salvatore, now in paperback!
The Thousand Orcs is yet another top release from premiere
Forgotten Realms author R.A. Salvatore. This mass market reprint focuses primarily on his signature character, Drizzt Doourden, who has been the subject of most of Salvatore's best-selling titles for Wizards of the Coast, Inc. This title includes a sample chapter from the author's next hardcover, The Lone Drow.
One Dark Elf.
Two Enchanted Blades.
One Unknown Enemy.
And a Horde of Invaders.
When a blood-thirsty band of orcs led by an as-yet-unseen enemy comes rampaging out of the Spine of the World, it lays waste to everything in its path. Dark elf ranger Drizzt Do’Urden and his most trusted friends find themselves in the path of destruction. As blades slash and feet trample, even the heroes may not survive a desperate stand.
Customer Reviews:
It is what it is.......2007-08-03
I'm surprised by all of the 1- and 2-star reviews for this book. You should know what to expect when you pick up one of RAS's FR novels. If you're looking for high-brow literary masterpieces, stay away. If you're looking for quick, easy, and fun adventure with characters you know and love, this is for you. In my opinion, 'The Thousand Orcs' is no better or worse than the close to twenty other FR novels by Salvatore, and while it shouldn't be considered on the par with the best fantasy out there, it is what it is. Even though I know there are many other books that would outshine these books (and not near enough time to read them all), I still find myself coming back time and again for a little adventure with Drizzt and Co.
'The Thousand Orcs' picks up right where 'Sea of Swords' left off. The companions are reunited (with the addition of Delly Curtie and baby Colsen), and Bruenor and the gang are setting off for Mithril Hall where Bruenor will take up the kingship. Unbeknownst to them, a powerful leader has emerged in the orc tribes of the Spine of the World, uniting the orcs and allying with a band of frost giants and renegade drow. As Drizzt and Co. travel to Mithril Hall they encounter many signs of heavy orc activity and decide to patrol the region and warn its inhabitants of the danger. They also make a stop at Mirabar, a rival of Mithril Hall, to stir up trouble and remind Mirabar's dwarves of their heritage. I'm sure that story will progress further in the rest of the trilogy. The Bouldershoulder brothers play a prominent role in this book, as they go through some pretty random-seeming adventures on their way to witness the coronation of King Bruenor. The whole book comes down to a desperate situation with the Companions being trapped in the town of Shallows during a siege of overwhelming strength. The final battle takes up the majority of the second half of the book and is quite intense.
This book didn't really do too much to further the overall storyline of Drizzt and friends, except for getting Bruenor closer to accepting his role as King of Mithril Hall. The relationship between Drizzt and Catie-Brie is getting rather old and moving nowhere, Regis has had some sort of epiphany about his role in life, and Wulfgar has essentially returned to his old self but with more maturity.
So, if you like the previous Drizzt novels, you'll probably like this one too. Don't let the cover fool you however, this one isn't any darker or more mature (other than using the word 'bitch' a couple of times) than the others.
Predictable Prose.......2007-08-02
RA Salvatore's writing is very pedestrian in style and seems more like a play by play commentary of some D&D game than anything resembling a novel. This book is only recommended for 14 year old fanboys who judge a book's quality by the numbers of magic items carried by the heroes.
Awful book - don't bother.......2007-07-29
I read a lot of d&d novels back in the 1990s when I was a teenager and didn't know any better. I remember Salvatore being one of my favorites. Before reading The Thousand Orcs, I hadn't read anything of his in probably 10 years or more. When I picked it up, I knew I would be getting a trashy fantasy novel. I just didn't realize HOW trashy a fantasy novel it would turn out to be.
To sum up my reaction: Salvatore's prose in this book is incredibly heavy-handed, repeatedly bombarding us with explicitly-spelled out details that we, as the reader, should already know because he's already told us, as if we were three years old, many times before.
This book also drags along incredibly slowly. Most of its 300+ pages is spent assuring us that Drizzt and co are old friends and yet, despite supposedly knowing each other better than they know the backs of their own hands, they still stumble awkwardly through their dialogue as if they had only just met moments before.
Nothing very exciting really happens in this book. It comes across as more of a disgustingly bloated prologue than a novel in its own right.
The worst parts of the book involve the bumbling and annoying Bouldershoulder brothers, originally from Salvatore's other FR series. He appears to be attempting to mesh his two series together but it fails miserably. And enough with the awful stereotypical "old-timey/country bumpkin" dwarf accents already!
In closing, it is quite clear that Salvatore, like JK Rowling, no longer has an editor. The Thousand Orcs could very easily have been edited down to a short story, if not a handful of chapters. Perhaps the entire trilogy could have been shortened to just one book. I haven't read the other two in the series, and I'm not sure I want to ...
That's all from me.
A return to the world of the Forgotten Realms.......2007-04-11
R.A. Salvatore brings us back to the world of the Forgotten Realms, the story brings us back to the life of Drizzt Do'Urden a renegade Dark Elf that has turned his back on his evil heritage and walks the path of a hero.
The Orc king Obould Many Arrows has bounced back from his previous defeat at the hands of the Dwarves. Under the manipulation of the Drow (Dark Elves), Obould has allied with the Queen of the Frost Giants, Gerti. They have started mounting small scale raids against the Dwarves, killing several small bands.
At the same time Bruenor, the new Dwarven King of Mithral Hall, is travelling home with Drizzt and his heroic companions. They stop by the rival city of Mirabar and are rebuffed by the human leaders. This is an affront to Mirabar's Dwarven population and sows the seed of rebellion which will lead to further strife.
King Bruenor continues his travels home, to find the last two survivors of the Orcs raid on a dwarven trade caravan. Bruenor quickly gives them shelter and orders an all out search for the raiding Orcs. The battle that insues is very one sided, even with the Orc's Giant allies.
Queen Gerti orders that the killers of her Giant kin must be destroyed, a command that leads to the momentous events of the climax. The Orc King leads his people in an overwhelming attack against the Dwarven host.
The Dwarves are eventually driven to the small human outpost of Shallows. Shallows is ruled by a wizard who has built its walls high and strong, but they were not designed to take on an army of Orcs and Giants. The battle brings Elves, Dwarves, and Men together to defend Shallows from the forces of evil.
The story and characters are well written. Even though it is the first book in the trilogy, the characters have a long background in the other books that the author has written in this world, so I would not recommend reading this book out of order with the rest. It is a fast, gritty and entrancing tale of swords, sorcery and intrigue. The action and adventure is very good. For fans of the fantasy genre it is a must read.
Captivating.......2007-02-05
As always I was captivated by R. A. Salvatore's excellent writing. He did a great job at bringing into play new characters and merged them well into the lives of the already well-known characters I love.
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The Thousand Orcs-8 Copy Display
R. A. Salvatore
Manufacturer: Wizards of the Coast
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0786928654 |
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The Thousand Orcs
R. A. Salvatore
Manufacturer: Wizards of the Coast
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000JE3DRE |
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- A more pressing problem
- A Butterfly Flaps Its Wings...
- How NOT to write alternate history
- Neat idea, no research....at all
- This is the only really dreadful thing Harrison has ever written
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Stars & Stripes Forever: A Novel of Alternate History (Stars & Stripes Trilogy)
Harry Harrison
Manufacturer: Del Rey
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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1901
ASIN: 0345409345
Release Date: 1999-10-05 |
Book Description
On November 8, 1861, a U.S. navy warship stopped a British packet and seized two Confederate emissaries on their way to England to seek backing for their cause. England responded with rage, calling for a war of vengeance. The looming crisis was defused by the peace-minded Prince Albert. But imagine how Albert's absence during this critical moment might have changed everything. For lacking Albert's calm voice of reason, Britain now seizes the opportunity to attack and conquer a crippled, war-torn America.
Ulysses S. Grant is poised for an attack that could smash open the South's defenses. In Washington, Abraham Lincoln sees a first glimmer of hope that this bloody war might soon end. But then disaster strikes: English troops have invaded from Canada. With most of the Northern troops withdrawn to fight the new enemy, General William Tecumseh Sherman and his weakened army stand alone against the Confederates. Can a divided, bloodied America defeat England, or will the United States cease to exist for all time?
Customer Reviews:
A more pressing problem.......2007-09-07
Most of what can be said about this book has been said already. It has an interesting premise, and terrible execution. The characters are wooden, the dialogue painfully trite, and it relies entirely too much on coincidence. The British are the most inept gaggle of ninnies ever assembled under one flag. The presto-chango reconciliation is appalling. As for Harrison's inexplicable habit of using sentence fragments, I'm not sure whether this is an indication of poor editing or a lame attempt at an experimental writing style. It amply demonstrates that there is only one Harry to read for alternative history, and Mr. Harrison is not him.
But it's hardly the only bad Civil War novel. Jeff Shaara has made cranking them out into a cottage industry, and he's not the first, either. What is truly disturbing, especially for an established author like Mr. Harrison, is plagarism. Theft of intellectual property cannot be tolerated. So when Harrison uses John Stuart Mill to discuss the social and economic situation of Europe with Abraham Lincoln, he should not lift nearly two whole pages from Robert Heilbroner's book The Worldly Philosophers. Check out Heilbroner, the beginning of chapter 6. Numerous phrases inexplicably find their way into Stars and Stripes Forever. This shameful behavior, if made common knowledge, could very well end Mr. Harrison's literary career.
A Butterfly Flaps Its Wings..........2006-12-18
I'm going to be a bit more charitable to Harry Harrison than other reviewers of "Stars and Stripes Forever". A single second passes and becomes history, immutable, and we are all swept up in it, from events both large and small. It is easy to recollect a single instant in our own lives, question our actions, and wish that we had made a different decision, a decision that would have led to a vastly different outcome. Transfer this sentiment to a larger historical canvas and a cascade of events can ripple out from a single, seemingly innocuous focal point--in the case of the American Civil War, the death of Albert, the Queen's consort, a few weeks earlier than history records. What could have come from this, Harrison asks?
Harrison's transition of Union and Confederacy from antagonists to allies is clumsy, but by no means implausible. All of the triggers were there: the pragmatic assessment of the Confederacy's position in which the tea leaves did not necessarily predict a favorable outcome; horror at the deaths of tens of thousands of soldiers who spoke the same language, worshipped the same god, and shared the same Revolutionary heroes; the necessity-of-war driven arrival of new weapons such as the breach-loading rifle and iron clad ships; an arrogant and effete British Empire. Harrison could have spent another hundred pages or so developing in greater depth the reunification of Union and Confederacy, but these pages were simply not necessary: just one small change to the historical sequence of events could certainly have led to a cascade of all of these triggers, with the unleashing of chaos and the instinctive human drive to restore order and put the cork back in the bottle.
"Stars and Stripes Forever" also serves as a feel-good piece during our era of political polarization. The Civil War is now too far in the past; too few remember that Americans have also experienced brutal war at home, seen American cities burned, civilians deprived and killed. These stark lessons seem to have faded, but many older Americans will remember a grandparent or great grandparent who fought in that war; a 19th century bible with Confederate money marking the pages; a tin-type photograph of a soldier whose features vaguely resemble our own; trees in the wooded lot out back that still yield minnie balls to Civil War buffs using metal detectors.
I found "Stars and Stripes Forever" to be a fun read. It is not high literature and does not claim to be anything more than what it is: a good, quick story to sate the curiosity of those of us who, as children, were fascinated by ships like the Monitor and Virginia (Merrimack), who wondered why the repeating rifle wasn't pushed into production much sooner--who wonder: What if things had been just a little different?
How NOT to write alternate history.......2006-08-15
When you're writing an alternate-history story, the correct thing to do is to set up your point of divergence and then let events develop naturally from there so that you and your readers can see at least one way things might otherwise have turned out. Harry Harrison does just the opposite in his "Stars and Stripes Forever" trilogy; he's set up a desired outcome and turned just about everything after his POD (the British go to war with the United States over the _Trent_ affair - to be fair, as another reviewer has noted, that part is well done) to achieve that desired end.
That's the root cause, to use a much-overused nonce phrase, of everything that's wrong with these three books. Harrison goes wrong as soon as he has the British fire on the Confederate town of Biloxi, Mississippi, in a friendly-fire incident as they try to find the Union forces they're supposed to attack. Actually, that's plausible enough, but what happens immediately thereafter is NOT plausible (especially if you consider the fact that we're talking about the British army, one of the best-disciplined in the world at any time in the last couple of centuries) and the absurdities just begin to pile up from there. As I said, Harrison has a predetermined objective in mind and he'll get there, come hell, high water, or counterfactual believability. The only real value these books have is as a sterling example of how NOT to write an alternate-history epic.
Neat idea, no research....at all.......2006-07-11
I love books like this, if they are well done and at least on some level believable. Unfortunately, this one is neither. The author obviously has not bothered to research the period at all and most of the action frankly makes no sense. Is it possible the North and South would have joined together? I suppose so. In fact I commend Mr. Harrison for not portraying the Confederates as one dimensional, evil villains as so much other fiction does. That said, it does not seem plausible. Especially considering that they joined forces after the British ACCIDENTALY attacked the South. The most powerful Navy in the world can't tell Mississippi from an island? Apparently in Harrison's world the British are all buffoons and the unbreakable Union could defeat anyone simply because they are American. Overall, the book is a disappointment. I give it 1.5 stars, mainly for the idea.
This is the only really dreadful thing Harrison has ever written .......2006-06-21
I enjoyed everything else I have read from Harry Harrison, and am fascinated by alternative history, so I expected to like this book. I didn't.
I think it does credit to the American reviewers who have criticised this book that it went down nearly as badly with them as it did with Brits. They have demonstrated that one comment by a British reviewer - that this book provides an insight into the American mind - is unfair to most Americans.
The starting premise - Britain blundering into war with the North in the American civil war - is horrifying plausible, which is not surprising as this very nearly happened. The first part of the book, up to that stage, is well done.
However, the author then abandons any attempt at either a realistic attempt to work through what might have happened, or to look sympathically at how the situation might have developed from the viewpoint of all sides. Instead, looking for a way to turn both the USA and CSA into heroes, he casts the Brits as utterly incompetent and evil cretins who both sides can unite against.
Although it isn't a positive for me to read a book in which my country is shown in a bad light, this doesn't usually make it impossible for me to enjoy a work of fiction. Heaven only knows Britain has had it's share of reverses and like every other country in the world has been responsible for some stupid or wicked mistakes. However, the increasingly implausible idiocy through which this book has the British blundering into war against both parties in the American civil war is way over the top. The idea that a Commander in Chief of any civilised nation could simultaneously be moronic enough to commit the acts attributed to the Duke of Cambridge in this book, and clever enough to prevent his own government finding out what he had done and sacking him, is ludicrous beyond belief.
Harry Harrison is almost the last writer on earth I would have expected to prostitute his enormous talents with such chauvinistic rubbish. One-sided nationalism is not usually his style at all, and he has written another book about a set of events which might have changed the course of the US Civil War/War between the States - "Rebel in Time" - which is far superior to this.
The market for this book is people who like America, hate the British, and are not too bothered about historical plausibility. So it may sell some copies in the USA, and probably a few in Ireland (though as I'm married to an Irish catholic girl I think I'm qualified to say that not everyone in Ireland falls into these categories.) In the rest of the world most of those who don't like the Brits don't like the USA either, and would be even less sympathetic to the CSA.
For anyone who is looking for a good account of how the American Civil war might have gone wrong, try Harry Turtledove's "The Guns of the South," or "How Few Remain" and the "Great War" and "American Empire" trilogies which follow it. Or indeed Harry Harrison's "Rebel in Time".
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- Wonderful Illustrated Story
- Heavenly
- Wonderful illustrations & story tell the meaning of Christmas
- Beautifully written, very moving Christmas story
- Ruth Bell Graham on the true meaning of Christmas
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One Wintry Night
Ruth Bell Graham
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A Legacy of Faith: Things I Learned from My Father
ASIN: 0801038480
Release Date: 1995-08-01 |
Book Description
Share the history of God's redeeming love, from creation to the resurrection. Illustrated with stunning, full-color art that will make this a family holiday keepsake.
Customer Reviews:
Wonderful Illustrated Story.......2007-02-02
This book is a wonderful keepsake. I feel it should be made a "classic". I want all my family to have it. I have started getting it for everyone special in my family as a keepsake for their children. It is a beautifully illustrated story about creation and will be loved by all ages. We display it in our home every year during the Christmas season. A must have for new babies!!!
Heavenly.......2006-11-04
I found my way to this book by accident in the form of a box of Christmas cards. I was shopping one Christmas season in a Christian bookstore I believe and came upon the most beautiful Christmas card I had ever seen in my life. The illustration was done by Richard Jesse Watson, and it happened to be of a shepherd boy bathed in the moonlight gazing at the sky. (entitled "O Holy Night") The detail was so realistic that it seemed as if I could reach out feel the roughness of his woven garments or pet the little lambs gathered around his bare feet. I felt as if I was there with him and all I had to do was look over my shoulder to actually see what he was looking at. It to this day takes my breath away. I bought the box with the intention of giving them to only the most special people in my life and saving a couple just to look at every Christmas.
After purchasing the cards and getting ready to send them out I noticed the caption on it saying that it was an illustration from this very book. I immediately headed back out the door to find it. I'm not sure what I expected the storyline to be of (not that it made a difference) because the cover art was so different from the card I'd bought, but once I saw it was written by Ruth Graham I knew I couldn't pass it up. The story about a boy who ended up having to stay at an elderly lady's home after getting stranded by a blizzard was sweet and endearing and I read most of it there in the store. The book, which depicts stories from the bible, meshes with the lush illustrations to turn out this highly acclaimed, award winning book.
I ended up purchasing at least 4 of them to give as Christmas gifts with strict orders to open immediately once the house is decorated for the season. All of the nativity (along with the other) illustrations make this book a pure slice of heaven. The richness and striking mood of every single picture is wondrous and fills me with more Christmas spirit than my heart can hold sometimes. I guess that's why I bought so many copies of it so I can share it with everyone I care about. Almost every Christmas I scan some of the illustrations to create my own Christmas cards for my friends making sure I tell them where the artwork comes from so they can pass this Christmas treasure on as well to their loved ones.
Wonderful illustrations & story tell the meaning of Christmas.......2006-01-06
This is a great Christmas read that gives an overview of the gospel, from creation to Christ's resurrection. A boy is injured and must seek refuge with an older widow during a snowstorm. As he recuperates and waits for the storm to settle down, she tells him the story of man's fall and redemption through Christ Jesus.
This book does a good job of sticking to the true facts of the Bible without a lot of added fluff. I've read this aloud to my children a couple of times. It takes us a few sittings as it is fairly lengthy but it keeps them engaged.
The best part of the book is the illustrations. They are gorgeous! These are some of the most believable Biblical portrayals I have seen - not the stylized Italian sort or the comical characters which abound in Christian books for children. For instance, Adam and Eve are not lily white but look as if they could truly be the father and mother of us all. The portrait of Goliath is my favorite as he looks like a giant warrior might. His thighs are massive! And David is a young man, not a child, as Scripture would suppport.
I would only take issue with the picture of the angel guarding the garden of Eden. First, according to Genesis, there are angels (plural) placed at the gate. Secondly, although the American Indian woman is lovely, angels are only described as men and never as women in the Bible. Moreover, they always seem to invite dread (first words from angels are typically, "Don't be afraid") so I think a pretty angel lady is somewhat unlikely.
I highly recommend this book as a lavish picture book to be read at Christmas, or any time of the year. It helps children understand why the birth of Christ matters to them.
Beautifully written, very moving Christmas story.......2003-11-20
This charming Christmas story will warm your heart -- Ruth Bell Graham teams with Richard Jesse Watson to tell the story of a young boy away from home at Christmas. I love this book.
Ruth Bell Graham on the true meaning of Christmas.......2003-03-28
Zeb is a young mountain boy who is caught alone in a sudden snowstorm. He ends up taking refuge at a cabin his grandfather had helped to build many years before. The old woman living there shelters Zeb, who has a badly swollen ankle, while they are snowbound. To pass the time she offers to tell him the Christmas story. Such is the simple premise of "One Wintry Night," but Ruth Bell Graham tells about much more than the story of the nativity of Jesus.
I find it meaningful that before the story begins we read the first eleven verses of the gospel according to Luke. These are, of course, essentially the same versus that Linus recites in "A Charlie Brown Christmas," which certainly makes it one of the most recognizable Bible verses for young children. It ends with the declaration of the angel of the birth of a savior, and it is ultimately that aspect which Graham is trying to explain. After all, the whole point of the recitation by Linus was to explain to Charlie Brown what Christmas is all about, and this proves to be Graham's goal as well.
Consequently, the old woman in this story begins the tale with the creation of the universe, and she spends more time talking about the story of Adam and Eve than the story of Jesus, which is told from the perspective of a boy named Aaron and his little sister Anna. Zeb is used to underscore the lesson by asking questions that set up each part of the old woman's narrative.
Richard Jesse Watson provides the illustrations, which are beautiful but sort of unnecessary to the story being told (I actually found myself ignoring them the first time through the book simply because I was caught up in the story Graham was telling; but they are some nice illustrations here). The story has in-text citations for scriptural references, including one from the book of Micah, which is usually a good sign. "One Wintry Night" does a nice job of putting the Christmas story in a larger scriptural context, which should certainly be appealing to some parents looking for something along these lines for their children.
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One Wintry Night
Manufacturer: Readers Digest Young Readers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Graham, Ruth Bell
| ( G )
| Authors, A-Z
| Religion & Spirituality
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: B000HAXGH2 |
Book Description
Christmas on the vast American plains holds little appeal for four women struggling to find a warm place to belong. Estelle is paralzed by grief over a fallen soldier and balks at holiday preparations - Kathleen thinks she made a mistake accepting a teaching position away from home - Ivy abhors the Nebraska town she and family now call home and longs to flee back to East, to the security of the familiar - Lucinda mourns the loss of her home to the great Chicago fire and her reputation to lies. The holidays aren't going as planned for any of these four women. Can they each take a moment to discover the blessing of Christmas romance? Let these four tales of frozen hearts warming up to holiday love give you the gifts of inspiration and joy this Christmas.
Customer Reviews:
A Charming story with a meaninful message.......2005-01-21
I found A Prairie Christmas to be totally engaging, drawing me back into the 1800s with vivid scenes and dialogue. Author Pamela Griffin convincingly sets the stage with her novella One Winter Night,a nice mix of adventure and romance. Maryn Langer then delivers with The Christmas Necklace a charming story full of suspense. Though I never doubted a happy ending for a moment, I didn't count on the impact of the manger scene-well done and meaningful. I recommend A Prairie Christmas for all those wanting a well-crafted glance back at a poignant period of our country's history.
A PRAIRIE CHRISTMAS is a romance perfect for the holiday!.......2004-11-24
Ivy Leander sticks out like a sore thumb in the small town of Leaning Tree, Nebraska. Originally from Boston, she dresses in finery and acts like a woman of society. Though Ivy projects an attitude of being better than others, local blacksmith, Craig Watson is unperturbed. And, he vows to marry her before another year passes.
Ivy was forced to move from Boston when her mother married farmer Gavin Morgan. She's upset that she has had to leave behind her rich life and move into the harsh prairie lands of Nebraska. Will Ivy ever be able to embrace her new life and maybe even be able to start a romance with the handsome blacksmith?
ONE WINTRY NIGHT, Pamela Griffin's novella in A PRAIRIE CHRISTMAS, is a heartwarming love story that will grace anyone's keeper shelf and, it's perfect to add to your holiday reading list. Pamela Griffin has given her readers a wonderfully written tale of finding love and a home in an unexpected place. The characters are endearing and enjoyable, and the Nebraska setting is the perfect place for this Christmas romance. I enjoyed every minute of ONE WINTRY NIGHT, and I look forward to discovering more adventures from this talented author!
Product Description
Beautiful book with four romance stories full of Christmas nostalgia.
Average customer rating:
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One Wintry Night
Ruth Bell Graham
Manufacturer: Baker Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Graham, Ruth Bell
| ( G )
| Authors, A-Z
| Religion & Spirituality
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: B000QA39KC |
Average customer rating:
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One Wintry Night
Ruth Bell Graham
Manufacturer: Baker Pub Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Graham, Ruth Bell
| ( G )
| Authors, A-Z
| Religion & Spirituality
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: B000NPLGLY |
Average customer rating:
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One Wintry Night
Ruth Bell Graham
Manufacturer: Baker Audio
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette
Graham, Ruth Bell
| ( G )
| Authors, A-Z
| Religion & Spirituality
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: B000B3NU44 |
Product Description
A beautiful limited edition volume containing four romance stories full of Christmas nostalgia.
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- Atala / Rene
- Back in No Time: The Brion Gysin Reader
- Being Mrs. Alcott
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