Customer Reviews:
A Sadly Neglected Masterpiece.......2006-01-11
It is 1923, Julia Martin is 36 and past her prime. She has lived by her looks; kept by men. But now Mr. Mackenzie has left her. She has no money, no prospects. What will become of her? In spare prose that cuts as sharply as a laser, Jean Rhys brings to life the ghastly loneliness and hopelessness of Julia, and all those women like her who at a time when women had few opppportunities, lived by their looks, snaring husbands if they were lucky or just lovers who care for them for a time. Rhys says more in ten carefully placed words than most other writers do in ten pages. This short novel is a masterpiece of concision and stands beside Kate Chopin's, 'The Awakening' as a brilliantly perceptive look at the plight of women. Highly recommended.
My first Amazon.com review.......2004-11-19
Despite having been a user of Amazon for some years, I've never before felt impelled to write a review. I looked up "After Leaving Mr Mc'Kensie" on a whim, but having seen the reviews given it by "lily d" and "njl" I decided to finally add my five cents to the Amazon site. I'm an habitual reader and am rarely completely won over by a book, but this book won me over from page one. I read "Wide Sargasso Sea" and "Tigers are Better Looking" some year's ago; I realised then that Rhys was a writer of great control and restraint; but I was not yet won over. But having read this book, I can only agree with the reviews I mention above. Why is this book not better recognised as the masterpiece that it is? Djl, I'm pleased that you, like me, are comparing this favourably against Hemingway. I'm a Hemingway fan, and this, Jean Rhys's best work, is better, in my opinion than any of Hemingway's novels. Very occasionally I have the privilege of reading books - the Alice books, the Pickwick Papers, Decline And Fall, If This Is A Man & The Truce, etc (off the top of my head) - which I know I will, for the rest of my life, be able to open at any page and read with pleasure and wonder. Of the great books written in English in the Twentieth Century, this - the story of a woman (!) who drinks more than might be healthy - is one of the best. Quiet and moving.
Beautifully concise.......2004-02-09
Wow! I finished this book in the bathtub this evening, and was ready to sink under the water, yet of course rise again- which seems to be much of what rhys' anti-heroine julia does again & again in this marvelous book.
I agree with another reviewer who wrote that this book goes beyond the 'woman condition' into the broader range of humanties inability to connect with one another. But I would also place this book high on the list of important women's literature.
Although published in 1930, Julia's inability to function in the way society wants & expects us to- struck a resonanting chord in me. It isn't that she is rebelling; she just isn't functioning- and I admit to feeling stuck in that same, frightening place. (although I don't hit strange men up for money).
This book should be placed in the literary canon, and discussed along with the rest of the 'big boys of literature' about what it means to be lost & meandering.
Highly recommended!
Outside the Machine.......2003-01-21
After Leaving Mr. MacKenzie (1930) repeats the effective Jean Rhys formula: a broken woman of uncertain age, shattered by hypersensitivity, alcoholism, emotional abuse, vague mental illness, and other 'pathological cruelties of everyday life,' bravely attempts to face another day, suffering self-hatred and self-recrimination with each step of the way. The novel begins with anti-heroine Julia Martin in the last stages of a romantic affair with pompous, thick - skinned blowhard Mr. MacKenzie. MacKenzie has provided Julia with financial support since the termination of their dalliance, but now declines to continue to do so. Financially and emotionally destitute, Julia leaves Paris and returns to London, where, "hoping to rest," she unexpectedly discovers her extended family gathered around their dying mother.
Like Jean Genet, Rhys wrote a series of novels about permanent social outsiders and outcasts, and, like Genet, Rhys had only one dark if very human vision to express. Other novelists such as Erskine Caldwell and Muriel Spark similarly wrote novels of extremely narrow focus (Caldwell's Tobacco Road, Spark's Not To Disturb and The Driver's Seat), but were also capable of more varied, optimistic, and expansive works. The antiheroes in Genet's novels find a means of empowering and centering themselves through narcissism, violence, dominance, sexual expression, or mysticism; but Rhys' nonplussed female protagonists are perpetually at square one, never the better for their defeated plans or self-sabotaged efforts. Sadly, Julia finds relief only in brief moments of spontaneous rage or cruelty.
Rhys had an acute talent for portraying women in and under such conditions, but it's undeniable that Rhys' vision of harrowing experience, rote abandonment, and human indifference was projected outward onto every facet of her fictional landscapes. The curtains and wallpaper are always faded, the rented rooms shabby, the maids surly, the proprietresses petty and suspicious, the food tasteless, the milk rancid, relatives disdainful. In fact, Rhys created an entire universe of human desolation in each of her five novels, one from which none of the characters, young or old, male or female, wealthy or without means, are exempted; some merely play the game better and have more resources. One of the most satisfying elements in After Leaving Mr. MacKenzie is Rhys' brutal, very focused examination of those sides of human nature which Western societies prefer to privately deny and publicly avoid.
All of Rhys' anti-heroines are socially disenfranchised, emotionally wounded, needy, gullible, and financially insecure; but they are simultaneously often ill tempered, manipulative, callous, arrogant, amoral, and almost entirely self - absorbed. Julia Martin is Rhys' most hard-bitten protagonist, having none of the wisdom or humor that Sasha Jansen has in fourth novel Good Morning, Midnight, nor the innocence of Rhys' early ingénues. Somnolent and easily wounded Julia is acutely sensitive but only occasionally empathetic to the reality of others, unless, in the moment, she sees herself reflected within them. Julia is also a listless parasite and psychic vampire who lives off the emotions, energy, and money of the men with whom she has casual affairs; except for brief periods of work and a failed marriage, this is how she has provided for herself as an adult. In one grim but revelatory scene, the willful Julia indifferently tells the man she is about to lose that she can get another meal ticket any time she wishes, as she always has in the past. Is she speaking out of defensiveness, or simply telling the truth about her power and experience? For Julia, moments of happiness, enthusiasm, or pleasure are fleeting and as far away as the stars.
Readers may wonder exactly what is wrong with Julia; the answer is: almost everything. Self - hatred and clinical depression primarily, but Julia is also anxious, passive-aggressive, lonely, financially destitute, lazy, narcissistic, morbidly introverted, co - dependent, anemic, and probably suffering from borderline personality disorder. Julia 'can't be alone and can't be too close.' She is also aware and proud of her outsider status; confronting decent younger sister Norah, Julia smugly considers herself the better of the two, the one who has brazenly spit in the face of social convention and middle class morality. Sociopathically, Julia never considers that her rebellion has brought about the almost nihilistic sense of failure and low self - esteem from which she painfully suffers. Rhys, while never less than convincing, hangs so many internal and external albatrosses around Julia's neck that her unhappy existence seems almost fatally determined. Today, Julia would be receiving a maintenance course of serotonin inhibitors.
Feminists took up the Rhys cudgel early; indeed, superficially, Rhys' novels and short stories seem tailor made for the feminist cause. But Rhys' novels are no more primarily about the plight of women than Genet's were about the plight of criminal homosexual men. Rhys cast a wide net in conceiving her fictional worlds; her truths are universal truths that, for better or worse, apply to all. Readers will certainly recognize a kernel of themselves in Rhys' ambivalent, envious, bitter, forlorn, and greedy cast.
After Leaving Mr. MacKenzie ends with Julia enjoying a second Pernod in a Parisian café as twilight falls, a time of day Rhys refers to as "the hour between dog and wolf." Since Julia's life can be said to exist only between these two polarities - between the potentially threatening and the actively harmful - the metaphor is apt. Julia, both a continuous victim and a manipulator, if not an outright abuser, herself, is a creature by nature between dog and wolf. Highly recommended to those who enjoy gripping psychological fiction.
Depressing...but a Profound Literary Accomplishment.......2000-10-18
I completed this book on a flight from LA to NY on 10/11/2000. This was my first reading experience by Jean Rhys. I learned that Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis included Jean Rhys on her roster of favorite authors. That's why I bought the book. I was curious to learn what 'tickled her fancy'. At first...the book was 3 stars...but after a day or two had passed I realized that the book had quite an impact on me. I had just finished an A+ book (The Notorious Dr. August)...so, maybe that's why I didn't give this 5 stars. It explores loneliness, living on the edge, dealing with death, depression, the cheeriness of childhood, and the search for love. So, you can imagine why Jacqueline Kennedy loved this author. I felt the main character, Julia, was easily identifiable by Jackie. Mr MacKenzie was her Onassis and Mr. Horsfield was her own Mr. Tempelsman in many ways. Although, I saw Julia as a sort of prostitute "in cognito" style. I did gasp when I read 'She's gone'. 'Gone'. That was the word. It struck me because my own sister-in-law called me with those exact words when my mother passed away. And when she wrote 'Nothing matters. Nothing can be worse than how I feel now, nothing.' I gasped again because in my eulogy to my mother I started it with those two words "Nothing matters"...as that was how I felt initially. Therefore, if you know anyone dealing with grief this book should help during some trying moments. Overall, the book leaves you slightly depressed at the end. It went full circle. There were some extraordinarily good lines in this book. One favorite: Every day is a new day. Every day you are a new person.
Average customer rating:
- The Story of Nothing Minus Everything
- I see the fnords
- true, false, and meaningless... in some way...
- You'll laugh, you'll cry, you might begin to understand
- The ULTIMATE post-modern religious text
|
Principia Discordia, Or, How I Found Goddess and What I Did to Her When I Found Her: The Magnum Opiate of Malaclypse the Younger
Malaclypse ,
Robert Anton Wilson , and
Kerry W. Thornley
Manufacturer: Loompanics Unlimited
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 General | New Age | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
General | Occult | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
General | Foreign Languages | Reference | Subjects | Books
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Principia Discordia: Or How I Found Goddess, and What I Did to Her When I Found Her
ASIN: 1559500409 |
Customer Reviews:
The Story of Nothing Minus Everything.......2007-08-16
I have read every book ever written except for this one and it is my favorite. I'm not sure how this happened, but it did. As soon as I read it I'll retract this review.
I see the fnords.......2007-03-01
Satire and seriousness, parody and philosophy, reverence and irreverence in approximately equal doses. The only "religion" upon which I am willing to hang my hat. Your mileage may vary. Hail Eris!
true, false, and meaningless... in some way..........2006-08-31
Awesome book, but ya gotta read it at least 5 times to truly understand it... heck, I just ordered my 2nd copy!
gobble gobble, greyfaces!
Saint Virotik, K.S.C., P.O.E.E., Tormenter of Overly-Inebriated Greyfaces
You'll laugh, you'll cry, you might begin to understand.......2006-08-05
This is the most unique religious text I've ever read. A lot of people will ask if it's a joke or if it's serious. If you understand even the most basic points made in this text you will know that it's both.
On the side of this being a really thoughtful religious/philosophicval text, I understood that war and conflict exist because people want to impose order. If everyone accepted chaos, there would be no war.
On the side of this being a big joke, I laughed a lot while reading this, especially at the 3rd commandment. There is some really great absurdist jokes, and hilarious stories.
What you think of this book will depend entirely on how you read it. I think it would be a great gift for anyone with an interest in religion or stoner humor. You never know, they might learn something.
The ULTIMATE post-modern religious text.......2006-01-17
Simultaneously operating as a religion and a parody of religion, the Principia Discordia has acquired a cult following which I was surprised to discover is well-deserved.
The Principia's juxtaposition of seemingly incompatible elements encourages confusion on the part of the reader. For instance, religious anecdotes and revelations are absurd to the point of idiocy; the constant didacticism intentionally contradicts itself; serious concepts are riddled with toilet humor. As a whole, the text seems like a cleverly constructed joke, yet it does contain moments of compelling insight.
In short, I'm still not sure whether to take any of the Principia seriously. Even if it is possible to take seriously, it is impossible to decode.
Regardless of its intentions, the Principia comes across as an ingenious text without so much as a hint of pretentiousness. The text meaningfully addresses complicated ideas while undercutting them with humor and paradox - it's all painfully clever AND a fun read. In this age of shallow post-modern tricks, that alone is a noteworthy achievement.
NOTE: The entire text is available online. If, however, you intend to purchase a copy, buy the black-cover edition published by Steve Jackson Games - it is the most recent and contains additional content not found in the yellow-cover or purple-cover editions.
Average customer rating:
- Um, dude. "Discordianism"?
- Do not order this from Amazon if you need it soon
- Great fun and thought provoking
- Take A Bite, I Won't Fight You
- Notes on this edition, my favorite
|
Principia Discordia: Or How I Found Goddess, and What I Did to Her When I Found Her
Steve Jackson ,
Jeff Koke , and
Derek Pearcy
Manufacturer: Steve Jackson Games
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1556343205 |
Customer Reviews:
Um, dude. "Discordianism"?.......2006-10-18
What were you expecting, that this book would materialize in your mailbox on YOUR schedule?
Eris will see to it you get the book when you're READY for it, not when you WANT it.
Do not order this from Amazon if you need it soon, October 5, 2006
Reviewer: Robophonic (Austin, TX USA) - See all my reviews
This is not a review of the book (which I would give 5 stars), but I thought it might be helpful for other customers to know that I purchased this as a gift on July 20 2006, and as of October 5 it still has not arrived. The current delivery estimate is November 7. I would not order this item from Amazon if you need it soon.
I have had good success with Amazon on other items. There seems to be a fulfillment problem with this particular book.
Do not order this from Amazon if you need it soon.......2006-10-06
This is not a review of the book (which I would give 5 stars), but I thought it might be helpful for other customers to know that I purchased this as a gift on July 20 2006, and as of October 5 it still has not arrived. The current delivery estimate is November 7. I would not order this item from Amazon if you need it soon.
I have had good success with Amazon on other items. There seems to be a fulfillment problem with this particular book.
Great fun and thought provoking.......2006-04-28
Give this book another thousand years and it will replace the bible. My gods it is stupid,funny,genius!!!
Take A Bite, I Won't Fight You.......2005-09-29
This is good for all those studying metaphysics
The AISB
The Discordians
And All Those Able Minded People Looking For The Fnords
Bring On The Slack Before BOB
Was His One Time Only Partner
Eris
Notes on this edition, my favorite.......2002-01-15
The original Principia Discordia was very much mish mash of near random pages thrown together, and the pages themselves were changed and modified. I've always felt that it should be a continually evolving book, and with this edition including newly created pages, it hits closest to the spirit of discordianism (at least in my opinion).
The other editions I've seen present it almost as a relic of the past, as something to be looked at, and fondly reminisced over. The purple edition did a great interview with one of the creators (and 3 of his personalities if I remember correctly), which is nice, but too stale for me.
I'm sorry to see it out of print.
In summary: This edition of the Principia is particularly good because it features added material, all in the style and theme of the original.
Side note: If you want better reviews of this book, look for the reviews of for the purple and yellow editions (by Omar K. Ravenhurst, and Malaclypse et al, respectively). All editions feature the same original content.
Book Description
Suddenly, Captain Dylan Hunt isn't himself.The Andromeda crew is traversing deep space, navigating the ship through a maze of space anomalies and wormholes, when a surprise attack by an unidentified fleet of ships forces them into a space anomaly. The Andromeda crosses into another dimension, where their captain is a green-skinned, cold, logical, Nietzschean Dylan who's more reptilian than human. The crew must band together and choose between obedience and mutiny as they follow a dangerous course into an unknown dimension of space with an alien captain they cannot trust.Meanwhile, the real Dylan commands a very different Andromeda. His new crew of green-skinned reptilians is engaged in a deadly conflict with rebels who, in Dylan's original dimension, are patriots of the civilization he has tried to restore. His new crew seems to be involved in a vast interstellar conquest that he must stop, and he realizes he must defuse a potentially explosive conflict if he's to survive his alien ship.The decisions both Andromeda crews and captains make may cause ripple effects that could save or destroy both dimensions.
Customer Reviews:
A Travesty!.......2005-05-18
Generally, you would think that authors, especially reputed ones such as Josepha Sherman, would actually watch an episode of a show they were doing a tie-in novel of. Not so in this case. Sherman's complete lack of understanding of the Andromeda universe, from the absence of the Eureka Maru, to the fact that the crew was reduced to a collection of cardboard and sound-bytes, with a plot that's been done to death, this was perhaps the worst of any of the tie-in novels that I've seen come out from TOR or Tribune. In fact, it reads like it was written by using a search-and-replace treatment from a generic "Star Trek" novel, before they started making the effort they have of late. Given that this book followed "Waystation," which was thoroughly researched and actually captured the flavour of the series, it makes this book all that much more of an appalling, hollow sham of what tie-in novels should be.
worst book ever.......2005-02-27
... EVER. i couldn't even read all of it. the only Andromeda novels worth reading, thus far, have been Distruction of Illusions and The Broken Places. Waystation was awful too, don't bother.
Book Description
A remote island with a rich and ancient literature. A land of hot springs and volcanoes. A country with an extraordinary history, a challenging geography and a vibrant contemporary culture. A land of ice.
In Ring of Seasons, Terry Lacy--an American who has lived in Iceland for twenty-four years-- brings both the perspective of the outsider and the familiar eye of the long-term resident to this delightful exploration of all facets of Iceland, past and present. She conveys her story with a skillful interlacing of history, religion, politics, and culture to paint a vivid picture of the way Icelanders live today as members of a wealthy society still very dependent upon nature--from a reliance on her icy waters to support an international fishing industry to a watchful cohabitation with the volcanoes that both destroy villages and create new islands.
This is a book for all who have been charmed by reading the Norse sagas, for all those intrigued by the country that can claim the oldest living democracy. It is an excellent introduction for anyone planning to visit Iceland and a delightful read for all those who do their exploration from the comfort of an armchair.
Terry G. Lacy is an American currently residing in Reykjavik, Iceland.
Customer Reviews:
review of Ring of Seasons.......2006-11-03
A little long, and it jumps around in time, and it can go off on tangents, but gives a nice feel for the history of Iceland and it was helpful to read before a trip to Iceland.
A wonderful read.......2004-08-16
I greatly enjoyed this book. It was fun to read and very interesting from a historical point of view. I'm going to Iceland soon and I feel that I understand the background and culture of the country better than before I read this book.
I highly recommend it !
Not the best........2002-08-10
If you are looking for a well-organized history of Iceland, you probably don't want this one. I get the feeling that the author wants it both ways: to be folksy AND legitimate. It doesn't fly. . . I have read several books on Iceland and this is my least favorite. ...
A pleasant mixture of culture and history.......2000-08-23
This book was much more pleasant to read in many ways than most history books. It blends history with various cultural aspects such as sausage making and other traditional pasttimes and holidays. As a result, it does quite a bit to soften the sometimes drier moments of history. It is one of the few history books I have read that make me feel I would know something useful about a place if I were to travel there. Also, because the historical aspect is why I bought the book, I was not to be disappointed, the Cod Wars, the Settlement, Christianization, it is all there along with an especially interesting section on the first settlement of Greenland. I recommend this book.
Excellant Research Material.......2000-06-29
This book is an excellant assortment of history, culture, and personal experience. Each chapter can stand by itself but all the chapters tie in together. The details in this book are amazing. It is great for anyone who is interested in learning more about Iceland and it's rich cultural and historical background. Also, for research, it is set up in such a way that you can find exactly what information you are looking for quickly. This is my favorite book about Iceland so far. It was the most well organized and comprehensive.
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Scandinavian Studies, published by Society for the Advancement of Scandinavian Study on June 22, 2002. The length of the article is 543 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: Terry G. Lacy. Ring of Seasons: Iceland--Its Culture and History.(Book Review)
Author: Marvin G. Slind
Publication:
Scandinavian Studies (Refereed)
Date: June 22, 2002
Publisher: Society for the Advancement of Scandinavian Study
Volume: 74
Issue: 2
Page: 233(3)
Article Type: Book Review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
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