Customer Reviews:
Pretty Good.......2007-06-30
I first heard about André Gide, I believe, while reading one of Boyle's short story. It was some off handed reference but I found myself picking up Strait is the Gate and the book the proceeded to live on my shelf for quite some time before I read it. The plot is intriguing but somewhat generic: two sisters fall in love with the same man. Some interesting twists occur, the man is rejected by both women, and the book ends developing both of the sister's positions in the relationship (otherwise the book is narrated by the man). However, the book increasingly became annoying as the relationships floundered for no apparent reason. Even by the end of the novel once reasons of sacrifice and a hire calling are pursued one still stops and wonders: say what? Strait is the Gate is filled with a misogynistic tendency of consistent and regular female sacrifice for the higher calling of a man. It's interesting in its fashion and a short read but the constant referencing of the childlike love is very true - it's a very immature and over romanticized love that blossoms.
a strange emptiness.......2007-06-11
A reviewer said earlier that he became physically ill as he read on. I felt something similar. The story gripped me in my throat, and there were moments when I think I stopped breathing. The story of utmost purity and self-sacrifice (utter foolishness to cynics) cut so close that I think it tore my heart. The image painted at the end of the story was so sublime that the reader will find himself unable to utter a single word, and at the same time, a strange emptiness wells up within...
beautiful book.......2005-05-08
I read this book long long ago when I was 15 or so. It was one of the first real literary works I have ever read, and, at that age, the purity in human relationship which this story pursuits came through naturally for me (getting ideas about human relationship through this book was definitely better than through tabloids or crappy magazines or romance novels or Hollywood movies!). I have never cried or suffered over a relationship, and been happily married for 25 yrs now.
In the Afterward in the edition I have read, the translator explained that the story reflects Gide's own marriage, or the relationship with his wife. Gide loved his wife dearly, but they hardly had a sexual relationship, or something to that effect, and throughout their marriage, Gide was tormented.
To me, at age 15, the idea, the kind of love that Alissa was looking for -- "divine" and on a higher plane, spiritual than physical, intangible than tangible, and eternal and true -- was quite attractive. It may look unhealthy, but you don't read a story and take it literally. It is a story of Gide's thoughts and ideals, not the story of literal facts. You don't really live your ideal, but to keep that ideal in your mind while you live your daily life is a great way to live.
This book's ideal doesn't go with today's trend or culture, and it is hard to understand. But I think Gide's endeaver was well worth it. It's a very good book to read, especially for young people. It will take you to a -- if not a higher plane, a different realm, and you will see love and relationship from a totally different angle.
Yawnworthy stuff; not really worth reading..........2004-11-23
André Gide - `Strait is the Gate' (1909) (translation to English)
A rather boring book about a love triangle (Jerome, Alissa, and God). God wins in the end, being a bit more powerful than the other two.
Too much chit-chat and social stuff; too much (now outdated) religious material; too little real action.
Unsatisfying plot. Unsatisfying book.
Overall: 1 out of 5 only.
Sensitive Soul Selects Self-Sacrifice.......2004-11-12
You can bet that old Omar Khayyam loved a few women in his day and when he got out there under the spreading bough with his loaf of bread, a book of verse, and a jug of wine, he did not fail to eat, drink, recite, and all the rest. That's what I think life is about. Dreams are central, but if you have a chance to realize your dream, and you don't because you think you'll be happier if you don't, then your dreams are just so much junk and you are kidding yourself. Self-denial may be good for your health, but not for your soul.
Andre Gide wrote this novel back before World War I, when extreme sensibility had not been crushed by the horrors of modern war; a time when the words `holocaust' or `genocide' had not been much heard. I am not claiming that this is a bad novel---no, on the contrary---it is a very complex and finely-crafted piece of literature. However, I found it impossible to like. Jerome and Alissa, two extremely sensitive and religious young people in Normandy, fall in love early in life, but spend the rest of the novel avoiding each other, sacrificing themselves for `purity', turning to God instead of to each other, embarassed by their own passion, and other vain exercises in psychological self-mutilation. The twists and turns that Gide manages to write into this short, but extremely complex novel are breathtakingly clever and believable, but the whole effect was to make me feel somewhat nauseous and exceedingly disturbed. Alissa writes to her lover who thinks only of her, "No, don't cut short your journey for the sake of a few days' meeting. Seriously, it is better that we should not see each other again just yet. Believe me, I could not think of you more if you were with me. I should be sorry to give you pain, but I have come to the point of no longer wanting your presence---now. Shall I confess ? If I knew you were coming this evening I should fly away." And so it goes, desire, rejection, reunion, the heights of platonic passion, and again separation. A second love story underlines the first to give it the traceries of poignancy. Some years ago in Australia, there was a campaign to get people away from their television sets, out to do some healthier activity. The slogan then was "Life ! Be in it !" This couple's slogan is definitely, "Life ! Be out of it !"
If you have read Kafka's "The Castle" and enjoyed it, then this book is definitely for you. If you ever thrilled to Ring Lardner's "The Ecstasy of Owen Muir" or Kawabata Yasunari's "House of Sleeping Beauties", then I suppose you will be drawn to STRAIT IS THE GATE. I am not an expert on Gide by any means, but it may be that he wanted to write several books showing the complex depths of various human emotions. It's five star writing, but in the opinion of this reviewer, it is a twisted book that will not give you much pleasure.
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Watchers at the Strait Gate
Russell Kirk
Manufacturer: Arkham House Pub
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 Science Fiction & Fantasy
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United States
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ASIN: 087054098X |
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The evangel of the strait gate,
W. M Clow
Manufacturer: Hodder and Stoughton
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
Sermons
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ASIN: B00087NZZW |
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The Strait Gate
John Bunyan
Manufacturer: Hess Pubns
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Bunyan, John
| Classics
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Bunyan, John
| ( B )
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ASIN: 0873770323 |
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Strait Gate
Agnes Rodli
Manufacturer: Winepress Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Biographies & Memoirs
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ASIN: 1579211984 |
Book Description
Author Agnes Rodli expands on a book originally written in Norwegian by Gustav Nyseter who went, with his wife to Alaska in the early 1920's. It is high adventure of two fledgling missionaries learning how to live and minister in the far north.
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The Strait Gate
Annie S Swan
Manufacturer: S W Partridge & Co Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000ORO02S |
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The Strait Gate
John Bunyan
Manufacturer: Revival Literature
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Bunyan, John
| Classics
| British
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Bunyan, John
| ( B )
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| Religion & Spirituality
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ASIN: B000TBYBLO |
Product Description
Also entitled, "Great Difficulty of Going to Heaven," this booklet proves scripturally that many who profess Christ as Savior will come short of Heaven. PAPERBACK: 63 pages
Book Description
Rhiow seems a typical New York City cat: pampered by her Upper East Side owners, permitted in good weather to lounge on the apartment balcony, never allowed to run free. Or so the humans think. Rhiow is much more than she appears. With her teammates Saash and Urruah, she works with human wizards, protecting the world from dark forces and helping to maintain the network of magical transport gates that connect all parts of the world. The Book of Night with Moonis the gateway to an amazing, secret animal world. In it we learn much about cats: they have a complex language, society, and history; they can call on skills unknown to their owners; they live lives of challenge and danger that culminate, if they are lucky, in a "tenth life" that equates to the human heaven. That tenth life is the fate of one of Rhiow's team as they, plus the foundling Arhu, find themselves caught up in a danger that threatens not only the cats of the world, but humans as well.
Download Description
Rhiow seems a typical New York City cat: pampered by her Upper East Side owners, permitted in good weather to lounge on the apartment balcony, never allowed to run free. Or so the humans think. Rhiow is much more than she appears. With her teammates Saash and Urruah, she works with human wizards, protecting the world from dark forces and helping to maintain the network of magical transport gates that connect all parts of the world. The Book of Night with Moon is the gateway to an amazing, secret animal world. In it we learn much about cats: they have a complex language, society, and history; they can call on skills unknown to their owners; they live lives of challenge and danger that culminate, if they are lucky, in a "tenth life" that equates to the human heaven. That tenth life is the fate of one of Rhiow's team as they, plus the foundling Arhu, find themselves caught up in a danger that threatens not only the cats of the world, but humans as well.
Customer Reviews:
Cat Scratch Magic.......2007-05-17
This book combines two of my favourite elements: cats and wizards. The striking cover art catches the eye immediately, and the story synopsis completes the allure. My previous familiarity with Duane's work is limited to her Star Trek novels, but I consider her contributions to be a high point of the series. All these things combine to make this a novel I would want to buy at first glance.
Chalk it up to my love of cats, but I find it easy to step into their world. Or maybe it's the writing. Either way, the transition is smooth. The plot unravels slowly, building to a climax that is well worth the wait. Duane's attention to character development pays off. The reader cares what happens to the four feline wizards.
The fact that most of the characters are cats could have been reduced to the level of gimmick. This is an area where Duane's skills as a storyteller are quite apparent. She invites you into a willing suspension of disbelief, and you happily accept. While the cats seem as "real" as people, one never forgets that they are cats. Body language, indeed. Every movement, every reaction, is true to feline behaviour.
Each of the cats has a distinct personality, which keeps the reader's interest even through the slower parts of the story. Urruah is the most entertaining, with his sardonic attitude toward just about everything. Saash is the ultra-professional, despite the fact that she has the most to lose. Rhiow functions well in her central role, giving the reader an accessible heroine. Arhu is the most riveting of the main characters. He undergoes the broadest changes, which serve as a benchmark for the developing plot.
As much as I like Ith, I find it difficult to take him seriously. Maybe it all comes down to the image of him casting spells with his stunted arms. I realize Duane must have meant to make him exceptional, to break the "stereotype" of the dinosaur, but he is the weakest part of the story. In the midst of the climactic scene, along comes Ith and the tension is blown.
Overall, I enjoyed the story. Duane has created some wonderful characters. Their interactions ranged from hilarious to poignant without ever losing realism.
If you hate Diane Duane, you better not tell me your name or address........2006-01-22
I might kill you.
Diane Duane is an awesome writer. I love all the characters in this book, and the end is really sad. Not very surprising, but sad.
Please read this book. No wait, why am I saying please? READ THIS BOOK OR ELSE!!
P.S. I know where you Diane Duane haters live.
My Cat Love's Rhiow.......2005-02-15
In the late fall of 1999 I first found this book, and the talent Diane Duane along with it, in a bargain bin sale at my local library. I bought it for one dollar for no better reason than that I liked the title and the read on the back of the book sounded interesting. This is not, I understand the best way to choose your reading, but I find if you read two or three books a week, it doesn't matter, you'll find the good ones eventually.
I fell in love with Rhiow almost immediately, and from that grew an immense repect and enjoyment of Diane Duane's writing expertise. I am not a finicky reader, if you tell a good story and avoid glaring grammatical errors, I'll pass over a misspelled word or a small plot hole here and there with no comment. Diane tells an excellent story.
Her world is as deep and rich and real as the one you live in. It is one of those worlds that might just put a lie to that old saying "truth is stranger than fiction." Diane somehow manages to craft this world and make it believable while allowing a story to flow steadily forward that is engaging, dramatic, tear-jerking, humorous, and paced so evenly that coming back to the story after leaving it for a week is almost as natural as after a break of five minutes. The star of Diane's show in this wonderful book, though, is Rhiow.
Rhiow is a CAT, with all the character and temper that goes with that noble title. How can anyone, who a cat has for their own, not see that this story, while fantastic, is dangerously close to the truth, at least as far as cat's characters go. My cat loved this book. I read it aloud to her over a few weekends (I'm not sure if she liked it because I sat still and talked to her for hours on end or if she's been brushing up on her English) and then gave the book to a friend and coworker of mine. After my friend finished the book and put her stamp of approval on it (she's a bigger cat-person and fantasy fan than even I am), I started keeping a copy around to give to any of my friends who turned out to be cat lovers. Yes, this book is that good.
Where do your cats go when..............2005-01-07
You're sleeping, off at work?
You might be surprised. In "Book of Night With Moon" specially gifted cats share co-responsibility with humans to keep the gates of this world functioning properly.
The world is beautifully depicted, the characters--both two legged and four-legged are well realized, interesting and likeable, the plot keeps you moving.
No complaints here except there is only one sequal to this book so far. In my opinion, "Book of Night With Moon" is one of Diane Duane's best!
If you don't read this, I know where you live. . ........2004-08-03
This book is about a group of magical cats who are given, by the creators of the universe, the task of saving modern-day New York from being overrun by dinosaurs. Yes, that's right. As unlikely as it sounds, Diane Duane makes it seem not only sensible, but completely possible, with her ingenuity and utterly flawless style of writing. Although this book is awash in advanced theology and magical mumbo-jumbo that went way over my head (who knew there was a science to the Art?), it's absolutely unputdownable if you like fantasy even the least bit. As a side note, I absolutely relished in the fact that cats consider themselves the more dominant species and consider us "just dumb animals" (a direct quote.) I love everything by Diane Duane but this book ranks in my top five best books ever written, right after Watership Down and the His Dark Materials trilogy. Never has magic seemed more realistic!! PLEASE read this book and release yourself from the world of Harry Potter hangers-on!!!
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The Night the Moon Fell: A Maya Myth
Pat Mora
Manufacturer: Groundwood Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Multicultural | Fairy Tales, Folk Tales & Myths | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
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The Boy Who Wouldn't Obey: A Mayan Legend
ASIN: 0888993986 |
Book Description
One night a gust from her grandfather's blowgun causes Luna, the moon, to tumble from the sky and fall into pieces in the dark ocean below. With the help of the little fish and her own wiles and strength, she rises, beautiful and round once again, taking her new friends with her to create the Milky Way.
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Goodnight Moon (Board Book and Rattle)
Margaret Wise Brown
Manufacturer: HarperFestival
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Bedtime & Dreaming | Baby-3 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
Goodnight Moon | Baby-3 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
General | Baby-3 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
Fiction | Rabbits | Animals | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0694012017 |
Amazon.com
This cleverly boxed gift set contains a board-book copy of the classic bedtime story Goodnight Moon and a soft, baby-safe rattle in the shape and colors of the little bunny in the book. The book is propped open to one of the charming two-page illustrations of the bunny's room in the warm glow of evening lamplight, and the rattle is placed in front it as if it's inviting you in for a cozy snooze. The package comes with a mail-in card to receive free from the publisher a copy of Grow a Reader: A Guide to Sharing Books with Babies and Toddlers. --Katherine Ferguson
Average customer rating:
- A work of art - crammed with works of art......
- Carve the Sky
- inventive and auspicious debut of high class
- 1991?
- An original SF thriller. Art in the future.
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Carve the Sky
Alexander Jablokov
Manufacturer: Avon Books (Mm)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Jablokov, Alexander
| ( J )
| Authors, A-Z
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| Subjects
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General
| Science Fiction
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ASIN: 038071521X |
Customer Reviews:
A work of art - crammed with works of art.............2007-09-29
It took me a LONG time to decide on that most ellusive of decisions: My favourite book. This book isn't that book. But it took only about half a chapter OF this book for it to become my second favourite book. Of all time.
When i suggest Mr. Jablokov's work, i say "You might enjoy them out of order... if you think you really will read all his novels, you might want to save the best for last. And that (so far) is his first novel: Carve the Sky."
Warning: before taking my word on that read this: IF you aren't captivated by his other (also excellent) novels, go to Carve the Sky.
Please.
I think any intelligent and intellectually inquisitive life-form should read this. So don't let the other works deflect you from absorbing this exquisite work. I beg you.
I think i've loaned all three of my copies out and they've never come home... i think i'll have to buy another.
No spoilers here. If you find works of art the least bit fascinating, there is an entire "bonus layer" to this work. It works on many levels, but this man describes fictional works of art - that i am not sure any artist could ever match for quality.
I've gushed enough.
{{I expect a few may ask my first favourite. Also an SF work, the second (at least in the original release order) in the Ender's Game Trilobyte/series/obsession. "Speaker for the Dead" by Orson Scott Card.}}
Carve the Sky.......2004-05-14
It has been a long while since I have read a truly amazing book, and now that time has ended. I found this book hiding away on the shelves in our guest bedroom, while I was aimlesly wandering my house. I was just grazing through the many books that were on the shelf, and happened to pick this out, thinking it may be a pretty good book. It turned out to be one of the best I've ever read, and ever will read. I've read many good books, and this is one of them, and always will be. I was securely hooked by it, and couldn't stop reading. I just wish, after finishing it, that there was more. That the book would go on, so that I could read more of the outstanding work. This book will greatly entertain a vast variety of readers, from people looking for romance, to science fiction fanatics, to spy and espionage lovers, to just regular people looking for a good book to read. And when finished, it will leave you with a longing in the pit of your stomach, wanting more, forced to look for another book of the same dream-like greatness. This honestly is one of the best you'll ever read, one you'll never forget, and will forever more remain one of my favorites.
inventive and auspicious debut of high class.......2002-04-11
This is a gem of a book which I found by pure coinsidence in a small libraby. It is one of those futuristic novels which reawakens ones primal passion for the SF genre. It is a very sophisticated novel with the most lovable heroes. The plot equals the masters of the genre and a language like an aribian tresure. Zelazny said of this book, that it is everything a good science fiction novel should be - memorable characters, a well-realized future milieu, clever plotting, appropriate pacing. And he loved every minute of it. What more can be said?
1991?.......1999-09-23
Hard to believe that was written in 1991. Boring and hokey as...
An original SF thriller. Art in the future........1999-01-23
It's so rare to find a futuristic SF novel that dares deal with main stream art: painting / sculpture / whatever. To find a book that does it beautifully, in the background of a great detective plot full of interesting social structures and characters, well... I loved it. Oh yeah, I read it almost a year ago. This really is a book you'll remember.
Book Description
An introduction to seven Ascended Masters who are ready to tutor and revitalize your soul. Reviews their teachings, their past lives and their universities of the spirit. By exploring their unique paths to spiritual mastery, you will find comfort, inspiration and invaluable keys for your own walk with God. 72 illustrations. Pocketbook 608 pages
Customer Reviews:
one of my favourites.......2003-10-02
I've been reading a few books from this publisher and this has to be one of my favourites! In the first part of the book the authors go through each of the 7 chohans (sanskrit for "Lord") of the 7 rays of God. She takes us on a journey to visit these masters as we review with them their past lives, what they did and what kind of a person they were. I discovered which master i felt closest too and was able to attune with him better now that i feel closer to him. I can also receive assistance from him, the closer i am. Perhaps even better is the fact that i can see how they, the masters, who are also mystics and sages, have done it, and now i can walk in their footsteps. The last section of the book gives spiritual messages from each of the chohans to you. The book has a lot for you.
questionable information.......2003-07-23
I LOVE spiritual books. I have tried to read this book twice and I can not get through it. Some of the material seems to be coming from the authors ego and not the Masters. There are great books on the Rays. Prelude to Ascension by Janet McClure or Alice Bailey. It is not easy for me to write something negative but I hope this helps someone on the path.
I loved it!!.......2001-12-15
I read this book and found it to be an interesting one!!. I have been a devoted reader of Mrs. Prophet books, for they provide quality information and inspirating stories and valuable insight on ascended masters, karma, reincarnation. This book focus on the seven rays, spiritual energies we are meant to master (power, wisdom, love, purity, science, devotion and forgiveness). Thanks Mrs. Prophet, once again I am delighted.
I loved it!!.......2001-12-15
I read this book and found it to be an interesting one!!. I have been a devoted reader of Mrs. Prophet books, for they provide quality information and inspirating stories and valuable insight on ascended masters, karma, reincarnation. This book focus on the seven rays, spiritual energies we are meant to master (power, wisdom, love, purity, science, devotion and forgiveness). Thanks Mrs. Prophet, once again I am delighted.
A great book for crystal lovers.......1999-12-12
This book explores the author's theosophy of how certain spiritual beings use crystals--diamonds, sapphires, emeralds, amethyst, etc. Explains how people can use crystals and "communicate" with the spiritual beings in everyday life.
Books:
- Suder (Voices of the South)
- Tempting Faith DiNapoli : A Novel
- The Bar Sinister, Pride and Prejudice Continues
- The Best American Erotica 2002 (Best American Erotica)
- The Big Book of Little: A Classic Illustrated Edition
- The Commissariat of Enlightenment: A Novel
- The Dargonesti (Dragonlance Lost Histories, Vol. 3)
- The Face of the Assassin
- The Faithful Narrative of a Pastor's Disappearance: A Novel
- The Family Vault
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A Shorter Summa: The Essential Philosophical Passages of Saint Thomas Aquinas' Summa Theologica
