Illywhacker

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A memorable book, worth reading.

Illywhacker
Peter Carey
Manufacturer: Faber & Faber
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 057122590X

Customer Reviews:

A memorable book, worth reading........2007-06-15

This is the book that introduced me, many years ago, to Peter Carey. I picked it up because I was intrigued by the title, because I was interested in Australia, and because I like long books. But I *loved* it because Carey knows -- as simplistic as this sounds -- how to tell a story. His characters are well drawn (from scoundrels to nutters to fools). His pacing is spot-on. His ear for language is superb. This novel is well worth your time. So many of the books I read are forgotten within days or weeks. I read Illywhacker years and years ago, but it's stayed in my mind all this time. It's that good.

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Illywhacker
Peter Carey
Manufacturer: Faber and Faber
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000HDMLRK

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Illywhacker
Peter Carey
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 174166022X

Product Description

In Australian slang, an illywhacker is a country fair con man, an unprincipled seller of fake diamonds and dubious tonics. And Herbert Badgery, the 139-year-old narrator of Peter Carey's uproarious novel, may be the king of them all. Vagabond and charlatan, aviator and car salesman, seducer and patriarch, Badgery is a walking embodiment of the Australian national character - especially of its proclivity for tall stories and barefaced lies. As Carey follows this charming scoundrel across a continent and a century, he creates a crazy quilt of outlandish encounters, with characters that include a genteel dowager who fends off madness with an electric belt and a ravishing young girl with a dangerous fondness for rooftop trysts. Boldly inventive, irresistibly odd, Illywhacker is further proof that Peter Carey is one of the most enchanting writers at work in any hemisphere. "Illywhacker is such an astonishing novel, of such major proportions, that before saying anything else, one must record gratitude for its existence." - Geoffrey Dutton, Bulletin "Awesome breadth, ambition and downright narrative joy... Illywhacker is a triumph." - Curt Suplee, Washington Post "It is impossible to convey in a review the cumulative brilliance and accelerating hilarity of the prose." - Nicholas Spice, London Review of Books. "The finest and funniest picaresque novel yet written in Australia." - Peter Pierce, National Times Winner of Age book of the Year Award NBC Award for Australian Literature Victorian Premier's Award FAW Barbara Ramsden Award. Shortlisted for the Booker Prize.

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Illywhacker

Manufacturer: Perennial
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Illywhacker
Peter CAREY
Manufacturer: SOLD
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OP86AW

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Illywhacker
Peter Carey
Manufacturer: University of Queensland Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0702220000

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Illywhacker
Peter Carey
Manufacturer: University of Queensland Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0702218782

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Illywhacker (Faber Library)
Peter Carey
Manufacturer: Faber and Faber
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0571179827

Reading the "Remembered World": carceral architecture and cultural mnemonics in Peter Carey's Illywhacker.: An article from: Mosaic (Winnipeg)

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Reading the "Remembered World": carceral architecture and cultural mnemonics in Peter Carey's Illywhacker.: An article from: Mosaic (Winnipeg)
Cliff Lobe
Manufacturer: University of Manitoba, Mosaic
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Mosaic (Winnipeg), published by University of Manitoba, Mosaic on December 1, 2002. The length of the article is 8258 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: Reading the "Remembered World": carceral architecture and cultural mnemonics in Peter Carey's Illywhacker.
Author: Cliff Lobe
Publication: Mosaic (Winnipeg) (Refereed)
Date: December 1, 2002
Publisher: University of Manitoba, Mosaic
Volume: 35 Issue: 4 Page: 17(18)

Distributed by Thomson Gale

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ILLYWHACKER

Manufacturer: University of Queensland Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000HX85OI

Book Description

After he firewalked in Polynesia, the world wasn't the same for Alexander Hergensheimer, now called Alec Graham. As natural accidents occurred without cease, Alex knew Armageddon and the Day of Judgement were near. Somehow he had to bring his beloved heathen, Margrethe, to a state of grace, and, while he was at it, save the rest of the world ....

Customer Reviews:

Not Free SF Reader.......2007-09-03

More Heinlein drek from the era of his that you Just Should Not Read. This book, however, does have one or two amusing bits in there, but not enough overall to save it, or make it worthwhile, I think. Travelling around, bits about god, all that sort of thing. Not sure if it is supposed to be Twainish, or what.

Not a United States a real American would want any part of . . . ........2007-08-03

Heinlein uses "comedy" in the Dantean sense, and his tour of the workings of both heaven and hell caused a number of evangelical preachers to fulminate against this book for "blasphemy" when it first appeared. Good for RAH! He does indeed do a sly number on organized religion, of which he was never a fan. Alexander Hergensheimer, assistant director of a large Christian money-raising organization in Kansas City (which is definitely NOT a charity), takes a vacation to Tahiti and makes the mistake of letting himself be roped into attempting a fire-walking. Not that he's injured by the experience -- but his world has subtly changed. When he gets back to his cruise ship, he finds that he's now Alec Graham, that the world is suddenly a great deal more free-wheeling in moral terms, and that there's not a thing he can about it. While fitting himself very gingerly into his new role, he also falls in love with Margrethe, the starboard-side stewardess. But his trials and tribulations are just beginning. Every time he and his girl take a step back toward Alec's roots, something happens: The ship strikes an iceberg (in the South Pacific), a Mexican town is destroyed by an earthquake (twice), their tourist cabin disappears (taking their small store of money with it), and on and on. It's Job's experience all over again -- literally. Alec is a thoroughgoing bigot, a narrowminded Protestant who has little patience with Papists, wonders whether it's time for some kind of "final solution" for the Jews, and regards "Blackamoors" as inherently inferior. But the whole North American Union is like that, so Alec is largely a product of the worst side of the American mentality. Eventually, the Rapture does come and Alec is taken off to Heaven -- but it's not at all what he was expecting. (In the Heavenly City, there's only one Commandment left: R.H.I.P.) The really interesting (and unsettling) thing, though, is that the Christian political platform of Alec's organization, which the author obviously meant the reader to perceive as very extreme (the death penalty for abortion, no votes for women, legal no divorce, mandatory religion in schools, etc), are now -- barely twenty years later -- part and parcel of the real platform of the real Christian Right. And if THAT doesn't give you pause. . . .

A must have for Heinlein fans .......2007-05-31

After twenty two years, I rejoiced when I researched the NY Times Best Seller list archive from 1984 and found this terrific gem! I once owned the hardcover (a first print edition) and after singing the books' praises, it was borrowed and debated until magically, (and sadly), it disappeared. Nonetheless, the book has withstood and thankfully is still available. If you are a fan of Rob Heinlein or just looking for a refreshing break for your reading pleasure, this is the one to get.

..........2007-05-27

Job starts off really promising... a dare, a mysterious happening, a beautiful woman... but by mid-way through the book it is treading ground it treaded a quarter of the way through without actually doing anything new. Guess what, Alec, you're in another world! A few pages later-- hey, I'm in another world!

When that game gets tiring to Heinlein, and about 100 pages too late, he decides to use the book as a religious statement.

No religion has capitalized on artistic mediums the way Christianity has. The reason many Christian products (be it books, music, or gift items) feels repulsive to people is because most of the items were created with the agenda of "bringing people to Christ." Unfortunately, most Christians don't realize that the agenda severely compromises the honesty of art.

This conflict between agenda and art isn't exclusive to Christianity. If I had a dime for every time I've heard a complaint about a musician who was pushing "liberal" political opinions I'd be rich. (I find it important to mention here that just because a book or CD is coming from a particular perspective or market, that doesn't automatically mean it is pushing an agenda or is artistically inferior. There have been some great "Christian" cds, books, etc, and some great "political" cds, books, etc. The definite trend, however, is toward artistic compromise.)

(On the other hand, it is entirely possible that I have my own blind spots that render the above argument completely moot!)

Now, the way that this applies to Job, the book at hand, is that it pushes its agenda of anti-Christianity. I don't care about Heinlein's opinions... or him sharing his opinions with others. All I care about is if the book is negatively impacted. And it is.

The religious aspects of Job are... boring. There are often cited passages that even with my fairly minimal level of Biblical knowledge I can tell are taken out of context or twisted... though it is common for them to be so in circles that actively try and disprove religion. (A tedious task considering there is no way to test for a god. Equally tedious is people trying to PROVE there is a god. It is a tired argument the second it starts, with nary a winner to be found.) Our main character is your average by-the-letter Christian (fairly fundamentalist by my standard)... nothing surprising there. Nothing new or original as far as a fictionalized concept of heaven. I've read similar depictions. Nothing new or original in the depiction of hell. It's all very bland.

I might be overzealous in calling this an agenda-driven book. It's just as likely that the stuff is bland because Heinlein was too lazy to actually get creative. But the bottom line is that it IS bland.

Then there are the loose plot strands. I won't really get into them because I've written too much already (I need to remember that this is simply an Amazon review and not an end-of-term paper!) but these flaws are also present.

Which is disappointing since the book DID start off so promising. Ah well. Most people here disagree and that is fine. I'm glad they could find some literary value in a book I personally found frustrating on many levels.

More relevant today than ever.......2006-05-28

This is the best of Heinlein's later works. In today's world there is nothing we need more than a good writer willing to stand up and puncture a few religious balloons. Heinlein does a great job of that here, by the simple method of taking Christianity to its logical conclusion. Along the way there's a hilarious tour of both Heaven and Hell. The book is funny even for people who didn't pay much attention in Sunday School. If you did study your Bible, it is even funnier.

Some of my favorite quotes from the book:
"Honest priests and preachers are denied the comforts of religion; instead they must live with the austere rewards of philosophy."
"Jehovah is said to be all powerful. If this is true, then the poor damned souls in Hell are there because Jehovah planned it that way in every minute detail. Is this not so? . . . Must a baby understand God's benevolent intention when his brains are dashed out against a rock? Does he then go straight to Hell, praising the Lord for His infinite Wisdom and Goodness?"
"Anyone who can worship a trinity and insist that his religion is a monotheism can believe anything--just give him time to rationalize it."
"How can justice possibly be served by loading your sins on another? Whether it be a lamb having its throat cut ritually, or a Messiah nailed to a cross and 'dying for your sins.' Somebody should tell all of Yahweh's followers, Jews and Christians, that there is no such thing as a free lunch."

I would like to see every reader of the "Left Behind" series read Heinlein's "Job," for balance if nothing else. Maybe then there would be less craziness in our world. Am I anti-Christian? If Christianity really worked to make bad people good and good people better, I would be the first to sign up. If Christianity was an effective way to relieve poverty and bring peace, I would definitely consider it. If Christianity were just a silly hobby that made people feel good and harmed no one, it wouldn't bother me. Unfortunately, that isn't what I see. Even when in power, Christianity has made little or no progress in solving the social problems that it deals with, such as poverty and violence. Christianity systematically ignores the most serious problems of our times: overpopulation, exhaustion of resources, and pollution, among others. Why does Christianity ignore these problems? Because they receive little or no attention in the Bible, a book written thousands of years ago.

Job: A Comedy of Justice - LIMITED EDITION

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Job: A Comedy of Justice - LIMITED EDITION

Manufacturer: Del Rey Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000HKPL52

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JOB : A COMEDY OF JUSTICE

Manufacturer: Del Rey
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000HA79AW

4 Books by Robert Heinlein: Job: A Comedy of Justice, A Heinlein Trio The Puppet Masters, Double Star, The Door into Summer), Friday, The Past Through Tomorrow

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4 Books by Robert Heinlein: Job: A Comedy of Justice, A Heinlein Trio The Puppet Masters, Double Star, The Door into Summer), Friday, The Past Through Tomorrow
Robert Heinlein
Manufacturer: Del Rey (Ballantine), New York
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000WYMEMG

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Job - A Comedy of Justice
Robert A. Heinlein
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000WMHF36

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JOB: A COMEDY OF JUSTICE
Robert A. Heinlein
Manufacturer: Del Rey A Ballantine Book
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NYNX7A

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JOB: A Comedy of Justice
Robert A. Heinlein
Manufacturer: Del Rey/Ballantine
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NUPMC8

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JOB: A Comedy of Justice
Robert A. Heinlein
Manufacturer: New York: Ballantine Books, 1984
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NX7BLU

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JOB: A Comedy of Justice
Robert A. Heinlein
Manufacturer: Del Rey
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NRAQ18

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Job: A Comedy of Justice
Robert A. Heinlein
Manufacturer: New English Library Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000TBNZGG

Customer Reviews:

disapointing.......2002-10-16

I love Abnett's books. Really. But sadly this is more int he childish silly 'demons bursting out of everyone all the time with guts flopping about" style one expects from a GW spin off. Save yuor money and buy all his other stuff.

Inquisitor Ascendant II (Warhammer 40,000)

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Inquisitor Ascendant II (Warhammer 40,000)
Dan Abnett , and Simon Coleby
Manufacturer: Games Workshop
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1841542385

Average customer rating:

great reference for the searcher

Searching for God in America
Hugh Hewitt
Manufacturer: W Pub Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
History | Religious Studies | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 084991308X

Customer Reviews:

great reference for the searcher.......2000-02-23

I can't believe this book is out of print. (I found it marked down at Border's.) It was a great source of information about the great religions as they are lived by leaders of these faiths. I found it greatly inspirational and informative. The similarities of some of the speakers is amazing (there being many paths to God at the "top of the mountain"). I haven't got to the quotations yet, but the interviews are worth the price of the book itself. Would be a great starting place for a group discussion. I can't wait to read more of his books, and in fact just ordered one! I've been searching for a long time, and Hugh nails the questions I would like to ask of these people, and brings a refreshing honesty to his own search.

If I Gave You God's Phone Number....: Searching for Spirituality in America

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What a wonderful spiritual book!!
Profound insights
A phone man verfies the connection.
Insightful work of passion
You will enjoy reading this book

If I Gave You God's Phone Number....: Searching for Spirituality in America
Mare Cromwell
Manufacturer: Pamoon Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Spirituality | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0971703205

Book Description

This book is a unique exploration of how different people experience the Divine or choose not to -- woven together with one woman's spiritual journey. Part memoir, part interview-based, Mare Cromwell interviews Christians, Jews, agnostics, a Cherokee Medicine woman and others in her search for a path that brings her closer to God. All interviews are framed by the question: "If I gave you God's phone number, what would you do with it?" Sometimes shocking and sometimes inspirational, it is an honest aperture into the diverse perceptions of God, religion and spirituality in our society. It also speaks to one woman's journey away from the Catholic Church to a spirituality that more broadly encompasses a Creator - Earth Mother balance.

Customer Reviews:

What a wonderful spiritual book!!.......2007-04-16

I couldn't put this book down once I started to read. Her nonjudgmental stance toward religion in general is amazing (unlike with fundamentalists of religions such as Christians and Muslims), and she does a marvelous job of conveying what was said in the interview. She interviews a group of very diverse people whom it must have been a challenge to find and have them agree to interview about God. I admire her determination in finding the strength to interview these people and make a book about it. The interview that touched me the most was of the death row inmate who claims was unjustly convicted for a crime he didn't do and who believe God is being tough on him. I really don't know if he is making up his own story or if he really is innocent (only God knows the full truth...). Finally this book is infinitely better than the Christian scare tactics ones by Bill Wiese and Mary Baxter about hell (those I didn't appreciate at all).

I am definitely saving this book for future reference and going to read again in 6 months. Hopefully I will read it in half the time at that point. Anyway thank you Mrs. Cromwell for the wonderfully written book. Great job!

Profound insights.......2004-12-14

Found it a very new experience to read this book. It was quite fascinating to read the incredibly wide range of experiences of God, higher power or however individuals do or don't engage the divine. The opportunity to explore these very personal individual experiences was very artfully intertwined with the author's own life questions and experiences at a very deep level...it's a brave telling of deeply personal experiences that generously offered the opportunity to walk with her on this journey. It profoundly changed my perspective of how each person has a truly individual experience of the divine. Highly recommend this book.

A phone man verfies the connection........2003-12-11

This is a delightful collection of responses to an ancient question with a modern twist. Mare described each character to enable me to envision them answering the questons. Her post-scripts allowed me to see how each interview effected her, as I gained insight into myself by recognizing my own experiences and thoughts, past and present.

I thank Mare and the people she interviewed for sharing their experiences and feelings as we journey with them. The beauty along the path is made more vivid when it is shared. - With love

Insightful work of passion.......2003-05-23

I just finished this book and think it is great. Motivated by a personal quest for a deeper understanding of the spiritual side of life, the author has conducted a series of interviews with ordinary people that shows the quest is present with most all of us.

I liked the book's organization into "interview" chapters, things that stood by themselves. I would find that I would read an interview at a time and then reflect on what I had read. I also liked the variety of interviews ranging from an eight-year-old girl to an eighty-year-old woman reflecting on her life to a convict on death row. I found myself pulled to these interviews in the same way that I was pulled to Neale Walsch's "Conversations with God". As different as the interviews were I was struck by a common theme through most of them - if God is real and good, how can He allow bad things to happen? The best answer to this came in the last interview with a Native American who brought a wisdom and clarity that reinforces my profound respect for indigenous cultures.

This book is obviously a work of passion by a woman where the result it self seems to represent the thing that motivated her to do it - to seek out and find a true connection with God.

You will enjoy reading this book.......2003-03-19

This book provides a glimpse into the diversity of the human interpretation of God and how it affects the lives of those who agreed to share their beliefs with the author. For me it was interesting to see the personality differences between people who believe God is outside of them vs. inside of them vs. non existent and how these beliefs play into their life experience.

Some people want to ask God for more favors and some simply want to thank God over and over for their lives and loved ones. Some want to give "God" a piece of their mind and some do not even want to bother with the question or the concept.

The Author does a wonderful job of interviewing. I felt almost as if I were hearing the conversation first hand which kept me interested to the point of wishing that the conversation would not have to come to an end. Her commentary on the interviews was like reading a diary which added another level of reality to the reading.

If you like to delve into the depths of the minds of many, you will enjoy reading this book.

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Searching for God in America: The Companion Volume to the Acclaimed TV Series
Hugh Hewitt
Manufacturer: Diane Pub Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0788199145

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