The Dancer Upstairs: A Novel

The Dancer Upstairs: A Novel
Average customer rating:

Piggybacking on a tragedy

A book of contrasts

Beautiful and Compelling

A well crafted novel of obsession, love, and fear.

A True-to-Life Serial Killer Saga

The Dancer Upstairs: A Novel
Nicholas Shakespeare
Manufacturer: Anchor
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Death in the Andes: A Novel

The Dancer Upstairs

The Peru Reader: History, Culture, Politics (The Latin America Readers)

The Time of the Hero

The War of the End of the World

ASIN: 0385721072
Release Date: 2002-02-05

Amazon.com

Striding purposefully out into vintage Graham Greene and John le Carré territory, British novelist Nicholas Shakespeare tells a haunting, violent story about a military policeman from a country very much like Peru and his lifelong mission to track down an infamous rebel leader very much like the head of the Shining Path terrorist group. The tension builds slowly but beautifully, as a journalist in search of a story becomes instead an important player in the history of an embattled country.

Book Description

The Peruvian guerilla leader Ezequiel is responsible for tens of thousands of fiendishly cruel murders, yet he consistently eludes capture. But in Agustn Rejas he has an indefatigable pursuer. From secluded city streets to the paths of a mountain village the policeman persists, tracking and anticipating Ezequiel's every move. Rejas' only reprieve is his love for his daughter's beautiful dance teacher--until he begins to pick up unmistakable signals that her circles--and Ezequiel's--intersect.
Based on the extraordinary manhunt for the leader of Peru's notorious guerilla organization, The Shining Path, The Dancer Upstairs is a story reminiscent of Graham Greene and John LeCarr--tense, intricate, and heartbreaking.

Customer Reviews:

Piggybacking on a tragedy.......2007-03-10

This reviewer finds the apparently widespread idea that this book may have anything to say about Peru during the Sendero insurgency frankly repulsive. Its overall tone is reminiscent of conversations among expats at the bar of some upscale Lima hotel, enlivened by the gossip of bored Peruvian wives. A more appropriate title could have been "Hannibal in Miraflores" or "Invasion of the Red Body Snatchers". It my appeal to readers who enjoy a mix of cheap terror and soap opera, sprinkled with reassuring stereotypes about South America, but it has literally nothing to do with the tragedy of Sendero and Peru. This is a passably written thriller, period. If you want insight into those times, look elsewhere, starting from Gorriti's book and Palmer's collection of essays.

A book of contrasts.......2006-07-09

This is a richly-detailed story of a detective hunting down a Peruvian terrorist (the Shining Path?), and his growing relationship with his daughter's dance teacher: two parallel stories that ultimately converge. This brilliant novel works on many levels simultaneously: as politics and psychology, as a thriller and a love story, as a contrast between the urban high fashion of the city and the indigenous traditions and poverty of the country. It is a tale that combines extreme violence with understated eroticism. It is a story that involves children before their time in the the cruelties of the adult world, a book in which politics is theater and art can bring terror as much as transcendance.

The central story is framed by another one involving an English journalist meeting the detective by chance in Brazil; I am not convinced by the value of this device, but that may only be because I first saw the movie, which omits it. The final chapters, which return to Brazil, are rather an anticlimax, though perhaps a necessary one. In any case, the scenes between the journalist and the exiled detective in a waterfront bar on the Amazon are painted with that acute sense of atmosphere that characterizes all the settings in Shakespeare's remarkable book.

Beautiful and Compelling.......2005-12-30

Typically I have little patience for white men's stories about indigenous cultures, or political commentaries disguised as dramatic fiction. Superficially, The Dancer Upstairs is both of the above -- a mixed-race man in a mixed-race society, continually confused and yearning for what he knows not, and others like him, none realizing that it is all the same, that no one has the answers, not even el presidente Ezequiel. And yet the book is neither of these two things, for it is, at its heart, a love story. The unknowability of the human heart. The inevitability of fate. Suffering. The liquid richness of time -- how certain moments contract into nothingness and yet others expand in our memories, on and on, until we are nothing but those memories, nothing but a physical relic of those vapors of time.

The book is beautiful -- the entirety of it thoughtful and graceful like a dance. South America's vibrance is channeled through each page, and particularly via the large brown eyes of Yolanda. In Rejas, the main narrator, we find compassion, sensitivity, and an overwhelming humanity. He lives as if on the fringes of his own life, continually making space for the desires of others -- his wife Sylvina who yearns for Miami, his daughter Laura who lives to dance -- until he meets Yolanda, Laura's dance teacher, who brings out within him desires that can never be put to rest again. The story ends in what I can only call a collision -- but a collision that the reader has foreseen, and anticipates, perhaps as absolution. And even after the story has long ended, I find myself wanting to retread the steps up to the narrow balcony of the Catina de Lua, and imagine that Rejas and Dyer are due to reappear at any minute, and that Rejas will begin anew, to murmur of his past, and that I will listen humbly, as we all do, when faced with a tale of great sacrifice.

A well crafted novel of obsession, love, and fear........2003-12-10

A good book about a Peruvian guerrilla leader Ezequiel. He kills lots of people and always found a way to escape. A detective named Agustin Rejas is in pursuit and never gets tired. Agustin's only down fall is he is in love with his daughters dance teacher that is in some way connected with Ezequiel. Its a great suspensful book that is really interesting. The setting changes and the plot always connects later on in the book.Great book to read, not to long and easy to understand. There is important plots in the begining that connect with it others later in the book.Recommend to young readers if interested in a well develped easy to read books.

A True-to-Life Serial Killer Saga.......2003-09-27

This engrossing novel is about the tragic intersection of the personal and the political in (extremely) violent times. Despite obvious similarities to recent events in Peru, the story is not about history and politics but about what it is to live, love, and pursue an ideal at such a time.

The dancer upstairs is "El Presidente Ezekial," a would-be revolutionary based on the hapless Abimael Guzman, the Maoist president of the PCP (Partido Comunista del Peru) whose decade-long "revolutionary war" succeeded only in impoverishing an already poor country, undermining law and democracy in an already-authoritarian nation, empowering the already-powerful government security forces, and numbing an already-numb citizenry.

In an unusual twist, the novel's protagonist is not the revolutionary but his nemesis, a disenchanted police colonel named Agustin Rejas. Rejas is an over-educated bourgeois struggling in a dysfunctional bureaucracy. He is simultaneously facing terrorism, pressure at work, a diminished income, and the demands of his would-be upwardly-mobile spouse. Politically alienated and socially isolated, Rejas represents the ordinary citizen trying to survive in an insane environment. Pitted against a violent utopian carving a path of blood through civil society, Rejas watches unhappily as state terror quickly responds to radical terror. The 'armed struggle' ends with the corrupt and incompetent government having survived the assault of an even more violent irrationalism, and what has been gained and what lost?

Other reviewers have suggested that the narrative is fueled by coincidence, but this is not actually the case. It appears at first to Denys, the politically-connected journalist seeking a last scoop, that his meeting with Rejas is a coincidence, but in reality Rejas has sought out Denys for a reason. The other apparent coincidences, such as the dance teacher Yolanda and Rejas' photo of Ezekial, are undoubtedly intended to convey inevitabilities resulting from the intersection of Rejas' indigenous past and suburban present.

A major sub-theme of the book is 'how much do we really understand about others,' and this is its major weakness. In fact all of the characters behave predictably; the putative exception being someone whom we are aware that Rejas scarcely knows. I found this 'twist' to be entirely predictable; even Rejas' final request of Dyers isn't exactly surprising. The characterization, however, is excellent and the story is well-plotted, but extremely gory.

Book Description

Sara is terrified. She's doing the one thing she cannot afford to do: fall in love with former pro-football player Adam Black, a man everyone knows. Sara's been hidden away in the witness protection program, her safety dependent on staying invisible--and loving Adam could get her killed!

Introducing the O'Malleys, an inspirational group of seven, all abandoned or orphaned as teens, who have made the choice to become a loyal and committed family. They have chosen their own surname, O'Malley, and have stood by each other through moments of joy and heartache. Their stories are told in CBA best-selling, inspirational romantic suspense novels that rock your heart and restore strength and hope to your spirit.

Customer Reviews:

Draggy, unrealistic, boring romance, horrendous ending.......2007-09-07

I've heard that this book was written BEFORE all the others in the series, and considering how popular Dee Henderson's books seem to be, I'm pretty sure this wasn't a good place to start, I'll have to check out the other books in the series.

The story is pretty simple. A young rich woman meets a football star her age who wants something more from the women in his life. She's being pursued by a man who kidnapped her when she was a kid and killed her twin sister. She's constantly (like CONSTANTLY) under FBI surveillance in order to catch this bad guy at large. She falls in love with this football star and must decide if being with him and putting him in danger is worth it. Oh, she's really REALLY traumatized by this childhood experience to the point where it runs her life. Ok, whatever.

So what's so bad? Well, the writing drags on WAY too much once the "romance" gets started (I really don't need to know dumb little details, like that a person put down their drink), and the characters are VERY difficult for an average person to relate to. Just the fact that it seems the entire American FBI is securing this woman constantly shows how freaking rich she is, being the daughter of a wealthy ambassador I couldn't find myself relating to her pain. Oh, the pain. The pain, the pain, the CONSTANT reminders of how horrible she feels become so overused it's laughable. There are literally some chapters as to where NOTHING new happens, and I felt like so much stuff could've just been edited. Plus there were parts I had to reread because the author was obviously trying to go for the "read between the lines" style but ended up writing something that simply didn't make grammatical sense.
There isn't ANY characterization put into this bad guy who's taunting her and sending her packages, so you're simply reading just to see if there'll be some kind of a twist at the end. There isn't. And the final "confrontation" between her and mr. bad guy is SO UNBELIEVABLY CLICHED AND STUPID it makes you want to throw the book across the room. I was like "I paid 14 bucks for this?!"
This is not to also mention that the final "confrontation" is like a paragraph long. It's pathetic. Although the final note by the author makes it seem like she is SO in love with these characters. I want to ask "did you actually READ this after you wrote it?"
On top of this, the "Christian" themes feel so tacked on, they're like an afterthought, very much unlike a good Christian fiction author like Ted Dekker, who woves his Christian themes into the story and into each character very well, has good Biblical themes, makes it the basis for his stories and isn't afraid to use the word "Jesus." By the end I really knew nothing of either of these main characters even though I spent over 300 pages getting to supposedly know them.

All said and done, this really isn't a good book. In fact, I'd have to go on record and say it's one of the worst I've ever read. Still, I hold hope for this author, I'll definitely check out one of her other books. The writing in this one just doesn't GRAB you, ya know?

Romance without much suspense, for Christian readers........2007-08-25

Sara is the daughter of a diplomat, and a successful author. As a child, she and her sister were kidnapped and her sister died. One of the kidnappers is still at large and Sara lives under constant protection. One day she meets Adam Black, a retired football player. They fall in love, but Sara's lifestyle may be too much of an obstacle for their relationship to work.

"Danger in the Shadows" is a Christian romantic suspense novel. But the focus is on the romance and unfortunately, there's not really much suspense at all. The few suspense sequences are over just as soon as they begin. Henderson has created a nice character in Sara, and her story is interesting, but I would have liked there to be more suspense. Christian readers may like the religious parts of the story, but personally I found them unnecessary, but still not too distracting.

I would recommend "Danger in the Shadows" to Christian romance readers. Suspense readers (Christian or not) may want to look for something else.

K. Baggatts .......2007-05-11

This book was very interesting. The story was well told and well written, very descriptive. I was able to imagine the story as if I were watching a movie. The details made it easy to imagine and follow along. Christian fiction with action, love, suspense...
I have never read a book like this and I didn't even know christian themed books existed but now I'm hooked. I am currently reading the O'Malley series and I am enjoying it very much. The story carries on throughout several books, thereby, letting you get to know the characters. I didn't know series books existed either. Brilliant!

Love Dee Hendersen but was a little disappointed.......2007-03-14

The story is a good one. You will be captivated in the beginning of the book but after awhile it d r a g s o u t about Sara and her pain. I think explaining her pain and what she has to live out is important but I think it seemed to just fill in pages to make the story longer. Maybe it there were more flashbacks to things that happened as she grew up and how it affected her would have been more intriguing.

I read all the O'Malley books and True Honor, True Courage and love them all.

Book Review.......2007-03-10

I was very pleased with my order. The book was in excellent condition and I received the book in a timely manner. I would definately buy from this seller again.

Shadow's Witness: Gateway to Sembia, Book II (Gateway to Sembia)

Average customer rating:

Great

Shadow's Witness: Gateway to Sembia, Book II (Gateway to Sembia)
Paul S. Kemp
Manufacturer: Wizards of the Coast
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

Epic | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

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Similar Items:

The Halls of Stormweather (Gateway to Sembia)
Shadowstorm (Forgotten Realms: The Twilight War, Book 2)
Midnight's Mask (Forgotten Realms: The Erevis Cale Trilogy, Book 3)
The Shattered Mask: Sembia: Gateway to the Realms, Book III (Forgotten Realms)
Dawn of Night (Forgotten Realms: The Erevis Cale Trilogy)

ASIN: 0786942592
Release Date: 2007-04-10

Customer Reviews:

Great.......2007-04-17

"Shadow's Witness" is the second book of the Sembia series, and the first novel of the respective series, since the first book was a set of short stories.

Paul S. Kemp truly unleashes his writing talent in this book, bringing us a great story about even better characters. The character(s) really carry this book. Erevis Cale, whose interesting concept was introduced in the "Halls of Stormweather" anthology, is given flesh and blood in this book with his constant introspective, dilemmas, and most importantly, those little details that really differentiate good characters from truly great ones. Supporting characters are also very good, with a little left to be desired in the villain department. Somehow, I enjoy human(oid) villains much better than demons and such.
The plot is also good, not overly complicated, but with strong twists and turns. I only wished for a little bit more intrigue and scheming, but after all, this is a character-driven book.
Kemp breaths life into city of Selgaunt, the setting of this book, and gives the other authors in these series a great foundations to build on. Very rich in lore, this book.
I must say that I've read "Erevis Cale" trilogy before this book, and I guess it took out the suspense for me a bit, since I knew, generally, how it was going to end.

If you liked this book (and you really should've), then you ought to check out above mentioned "Erevis Cale" trilogy (A fantastic trilogy), and the subsequent "Twilight War" trilogy. There is also a good short story indirectly connected to Erevis Cale in "Realms of Dragons I" anthology. All of the mentioned was written by Kemp, of course.

Check out this novel, you will get an evening of great fun.

Shadow's Witness (Forgotten Realms: Sembia series, Book 2)

Average customer rating:

Kemp explodes onto the Realms scene
An Amazing Read!!!
Greatest Book!!!
Tried to finish this book , but couldn't
Shadow's Witness

Shadow's Witness (Forgotten Realms: Sembia series, Book 2)
Paul S. Kemp
Manufacturer: Wizards of the Coast
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

Family Saga | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Romance | Subjects | Books

General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Teens | Subjects | Books

Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Teens | Subjects | Books
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The Halls of Stormweather (Forgotten Realms: Sembia series, Book 1)
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Lord of Stormweather (Forgotten Realms)

ASIN: 078691677X
Release Date: 2000-11-01

Book Description

Erevis Cale

The loyal servant of the Uskevren family, has a terrible secret.

Now, when a ruthless evil is unleashed on Selgaunt, the butler's ties to the underworld may have put the Uskevren in jeopardy. Erevist must finally prove his loyalty -- to the city and to the Uskevren.

He won't get a second chance.

Customer Reviews:

Kemp explodes onto the Realms scene.......2005-08-20

In Shadow's Witness, Paul S. Kemp is introduced to the Forgotten Realms as a voice that will be here for a long time. Kemp exploded onto te Forgotten Realms scene with a dark and gripping story of a butler with a terrible secret that he is keeping from the family he serves.

This is unlike most Forgotten Realms novels in that it is much darker thant he usual nevels that are being released.

Kemp has a knack for creating three dimensional characters and fleshing them out and every opportunity he can. The story line is simply fantastic. I can't say enough about that.

I would be remise if I didn't say that if you enjoy this book and the story of Cale you would be well served to look for Kemp's Everis Cale trilogy, the third book is coming out in November of 2005 and should prove to be a great conclusion to the trilogy.

If you are a fan of the Realms or someone who is considering the realms this is a must read.

An Amazing Read!!!.......2004-06-17

Paul S. Kemp is awesome, and its about time the Forgotten Realms series got dark and deep. I am tired of hearing about elves who ride around on white unicorns, only to save their halfling friends. Where is the bloodshed? Hell, and to that one reviewer who said he felt weak at his stomach for reading the book. PISS OFF, you bloody wanker!!!

Greatest Book!!!.......2003-05-15

This is by far the best book I've ever read.It is VERY well written, and it just pulls you in.I couldn't just read a few pages at a time.I had to read CHAPTERS at a time!!If you like Forgotten Realms, then you will love "Shadow's Witness".Go out and get it!!!!

Tried to finish this book , but couldn't.......2002-08-07

The premise of the story involving Erevis Cale is a good one. However, after reading the scenes involving some the creatures and their "deeds" made me feel sick to my stomach as well as depressed. I hope Erevis is sucessful in his fight to right the wrongs, I just don't have to stomach to see this one through.

Shadow's Witness.......2002-05-31

A piece of art, truly magnificent and impossible to put down. Shadow's Witness combines the treachery and intrigue of the guilds and the supernatural of the Aybess into one, thus Shadow's Witness. As a fan of fantasy books I think this might be the best fantasy book I have ever read! It only compares to Halls of Stormweather another great fantasy book. I am planning on reading it at least 25 more times in my lifetime. The only slightly bad thing about this book is that it is a bit too discriptive at some parts. But my overall feeling great story.

Unveiled Shadows: The Witness of a Child

Average customer rating:

A Hidden Child Revisits Her Childhood

Unveiled Shadows: The Witness of a Child
Ingrid Kisliuk
Manufacturer: Nanomir Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Belgium | Europe | History | Subjects | Books

General | Europe | History | Subjects | Books

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Jewish | Ethnic & National | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0966344006

Customer Reviews:

A Hidden Child Revisits Her Childhood.......2003-09-26

Young Ingrid Kisliuk survived the Nazis in Vienna, Austria and again as her family found refuge in Belgium. While the events of this period are well-known, what is special about her autobiography is that she uses a Socratic dialogue to contrast the details of her story as a hidden child with the questions an inquiring adult mind raises in hindsight. She is able to give us a detailed recollection of her extended family's daily life: how they lived and work and hid from the expanding presence of soldiers and anti-Semites. One episode tells of the raid of their Brussels apartment, a cramped garret studio. Downstairs was a basement workroom where her father did piecework crafting rabbit skins into toys. Hearing soldiers arrive on their block she and another family member scurried into a cupboard in the workroom and escaped being captured. The author describes this trauma and many other equally stressful and dangerous times and how she thinks and feels about them today. She analyzes the motivations of the other people in her life then: why did they make the choices they did? Ingrid Kisliuk's memoir is a courageous personal history, a document of World War II and a valuable contribution to Jewish history.

The Case of the Irate Witness / The Phone Calls / A Shadow of Himself (The Detective Book Club)

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The Case of the Irate Witness / The Phone Calls / A Shadow of Himself (The Detective Book Club)

Manufacturer: Walter J. Black
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000ICW7AG

In the Valley of the Shadow... On the Life and Death of Two Witnesses of Jesus Christ (Lutheran Missionary Classics)

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In the Valley of the Shadow... On the Life and Death of Two Witnesses of Jesus Christ (Lutheran Missionary Classics)

Manufacturer: Kristen Pres
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 9980742453

SHADOW'S WITNESS (FORGOTTEN REALMS SEMBIA)

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SHADOW'S WITNESS (FORGOTTEN REALMS SEMBIA)
PAUL S. KEMP
Manufacturer: Wizards of the Coast
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000O7YPNW

Average customer rating:

Quotations that you read and want go back to again & again.

Shadows on the Mountains
Julie I. Butler
Manufacturer: Irisa Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Legal | Thrillers | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0967269504

Book Description

When a millionaire's disputed will tears his turbulent family apart, someone must uncover the past to shape the future. Jacki Owans is the expert financial witness brought in to negotiate the will. In the process, she befriends the defiantly-resilient ex-wife, Becca, and the rebellious daughter, Karla. Through flashbacks, we see all that these two headstong women have endured.

Facing infidelity, breast cancer, drug addiction and the death of loved ones, Becca and Karla Slone reflect nearly every bad hand ever dealt in life. Yes, they are rich, but money just complicates matters for them. Until one person steps into their lives. Jacki Owans reinforces the power of friendship to lift the downtrodden spirit of the lonely souls encountered in life.

While the first half of the book deals with Jacki trying to make sense of the will, the second half deals with the characters trying to make sense of their lives. And trying to cope with the tragedies to come.

"Shadows on the Mountains" is based on a true story. An expert witness shared her compelling adventures of representing a family that served as a basis for the Slone characters.

Author Julie Ilkanic Butler reveals the deepest, most fragile parts of her characters with tenderness and compassion. Her writing produces insights that are profoundly thought-provoking.

Customer Reviews:

Quotations that you read and want go back to again & again........1999-07-26

It's not often that you find a fictional work where you can read and re-read passages, and discover that they apply to moments in your life that you thought no one could really capture the feeling of, or put into the appropriate words. Passages like "She turned and walked away from him. Away from her dreams. Away from her hope for the future." Usually, I mark passages I want to go back to only in philosophical and metaphysical readings. But here I find myself marking passages in fiction. Or is one man's fiction another man's reality? This is a fast-paced book worth spending some time with.

In the Shadow of the Flames: Six Lectures on the Holocaust ("Witness to the Holocaust" Series, No. 4)

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In the Shadow of the Flames: Six Lectures on the Holocaust ("Witness to the Holocaust" Series, No. 4)
Lilli Kopecky
Manufacturer: Witness to Holocaust Project
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Europe | History | Subjects | Books

General | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0899370349

The long shadows of Lambeth X;: A critical, eye-witness account of the tenth decennial conference of 462 bishops of the Anglican Communion

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The long shadows of Lambeth X;: A critical, eye-witness account of the tenth decennial conference of 462 bishops of the Anglican Communion
James Beasley Simpson
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Starfishers (Starfishers Trilogy #2)
Average customer rating:

notable departure from form of first book, a good read

Nice space dragons

Starfishers (Starfishers Trilogy #2)
Glen Cook
Manufacturer: Warner Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Cook, Glen | ( C ) | Authors, A-Z | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
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Stars End

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ASIN: 0446301558

Customer Reviews:

notable departure from form of first book, a good read.......2006-07-30

this book is a notable departure from the byzantine political and familial entanglements of Shadowline, becoming a much more straight forward Cook military sci-fi story with some mystery elements involved. It brings one character forward, Mosato Storm, from shadowline, along with his colleague, as they work for Fleet Intelligence to penetrate the starfishers.

Great Cook work, can only find it used though.

Nice space dragons.......2000-12-20

This isn't as good as the first and last books in the trilogy, but it's still pretty good.

Nice space dragons . . . as good as Fred Hoyle's, other things being equal.

Customer Reviews:

The Masorah.......2007-01-17

This book is for the beginner,but should be appreciated by all. It says it's "aim is to acquaint them (i.e the student), with the tools necessary for ( study of Mesorah), and to demonstrate the use of these tools in a wide range of Mesoretic notes", and it does just that. It has a reasonable bibliography, and within the text mentions other volumes of interest, explaining their usefulness and limitations. It is keyed to BHS. This is a very valuable resource to those who "desire easy access to the study of Messorah".

Essential .......2006-02-27

The best reasonably available study on Masoretic information is Israel Yeiven, Tiberian Masorah. It gets the five stars. But it has not always been easy to find in the past, and the typography (a typewriter and pen) ain't so hot. ;-) I haven't seen editions where this is improved.

With some books what might follow is the distant runner-up you have to settle for as a replacement. But Kelley's intro is so good that the typical student will never know what s/he is missing from Yeiven. Typography is important for Hebrew, especially for us not 100% fluent seeing it every day of our reading lives. For example, Marcus Jastrow's "Dictionary" is a fantastic tool yet tortuous for one reason---the typography is not so good and the print in my edition is tiny and this hurts its practical value. But everything in this study of the Masorah is large, clear, and appealing in English and Hebrew (although there is not a great amount of Hebrew reading other than notation examples.)

Yeiven seems to assume a good understanding of biblical Hebrew, while this volume is truly geared to a student. (Yeiven should expect you to know your Hebrew!) This volume is also more easily available. It is not exhaustive, and don't even expect a discussion here of both masorah magna and parva.

If you cannot get Yeiven, don't worry and confidently settle for this book. If you can get Yeiven, go ahead and buy this one also.

one of the best tools for the masorah.......2004-06-12

One of the foremost contemporary compilations for aiding students in the ways of the Tiberian Masorah (magna and parva) in BHS. Brief histories are given, and brief summaries of every symbol encountered in the margins (masora parva) and footnotes (masorah magna) of BHS. I use this tool every time I read in BHS to aid me in understanding the Masorah, which adds much insight to the OT text. I openly recommend this book with no reservations whatsoever.

Don't Study the Massorah Without it.......2002-08-04

This main reason to buy this is for the annotated glossary od massoretic terms. It's the best guide to use those oh-so-cryptic massoretic notes on the margins of BHS. Many detailed definitions of the words and abbreviations-- far more useful information than most other similar introductions to BHS. I give it four stars instead of five because I wish they had done the same thing for the critical apparatus at the bottom. Other books cover the critical apparatus, but I think these authors could explain it much better than any other book currently does.

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