According to Queeney

Average customer rating:

deeply unpleasant characters

Witness to history

An easy read, and a depressing one.

Esoteric subject brought to life by the talented Bainbridge

Brilliant and Witty

According to Queeney
Beryl Bainbridge
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Similar Items:

An Awfully Big Adventure

Turn, Magic Wheel

The Passion

ASIN: B000HWYNAO

Book Description

Bainbridge’s brilliantly imagined, universally acclaimed, Booker Prize-longlisted novel portrays the inordinate appetites and unrequited love touched off when the most celebrated man of eighteenth-century English letters, Samuel Johnson, enters the domain of a wealthy Southwark brewer and his wife, Hester Thrale. The melancholic, middle-aged lexicographer plunges into an increasingly ambiguous relationship with the vivacious Mrs. Thrale for the next twenty years. In that time Hester’s eldest daughter, the neglected but prodigiously clever Queeney, will grow into young womanhood. Along the way, little of the emotional tangle and sexual tension stirring beneath the decorous surfaces of the Thrale household will escape Queeney’s cold, observant eye. “A dark, often hilarious and deeply human vision ... a major literary accomplishment.”—Margaret Atwood, Toronto Globe and Mail “...at the end of this luminous little novel ... we feel two losses ... the personal one and the loss to civilization.”—Richard Bernstein, New York Times “Dialogue and descriptions subtly and skillfully convey a sense not only of the period but also the personalities.”—Merle Rubin, Los Angeles Times “[Bainbridge’s] most accomplished novel so far.”—Washington Post Book World “Majestically deft.... Absolutely wonderful.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred)

Customer Reviews:

deeply unpleasant characters.......2006-04-22

Certainly this is a well-crafted piece of historical fiction but populated with such a cast of selfish and unlikeable characters that I actually resented having to spend time in their company as the book progressed.

An impressive piece of writing but not an enjoyable read. Approach with caution.

Witness to history.......2005-05-30

Johnson died December 15, 1784. Acquaintances were willing to sit up with him. The Thrales had a mansion at Streatham. Johnson's presence drew others to the Thrales. The Thrales had a daughter. When Johnson visited the Thrales in a bad mood he lost his temper with Thrale's mother-in-law. Johnson's wife, Tetty, had been dead for ten years.

When Johnson was sick the Thrales went to fetch him. They gave him clothes worn by another of their guests. By her third year the pet name for their daughter was Queeney. Hester Thrale believed that Johnson needed her undivided attention. After four months at Streatham Park Johnson returned to his house in London weekly. Johnson lived at Johnson Court off of Fleet Street. Mrs. Desmoulins, Mrs. Williams, Frank Barber, and Dr. Levet were house mates. He came to regard Streatham as his real home. Johnson was subject to tics and mutterings. He claimed he knew almost as much at 18 as he did at 50. Queeney remembered Garrick, Goldsmith, Reynolds. Dr. Johnson had spoken of Queeney as a prodigy. Hester Thrale liked Johnson's strong convictions and roughness of manner.

The Thrale Brewery failed. Johnson and the Thrales visited Litchfield. Johnson said his father had lived in straitened circumstances. Mr. Thrale provided Johnson with a company wig. Johnson, the Thrales, and Baretti, the Italian master, traveled to France. Johnson caused them to spend many hours in dusty libraries. Marie Antoinette commented on the prettiness of Queeney. Johnson suffered from lack of ease because he was away from London. He said the French were silly. They had beggary and nobility.

The relationship of Hester Thrale and Johnson was that she needed an audience and he needed a home, Queeney contended. Johnson was variable in mood. He had a melancholy disposition. Following the death of her son Harry, Hester Thrale moved between the resorts at Brighton and Bath. Johnson was bored at both places. Queeney met Fanny Burney. For LIVES OF THE POETS Johnson said that he was not paid too little, he wrote too much. Sir Joshua Reynolds was Johnson's chief mourner.

Bainbridge has pulled off a real feat of reconstruction in this book.

An easy read, and a depressing one........2004-01-30

In reviewing "According to Queeney"[review excerpted above],Publisher's Weekly wrote: "...few novelists now alive can match Bainbridge for the uncanny precision with which she enters into the ethos of a previous era."

Uncanny? Yes. Very weird. Precise? I absolutely don't think so-unless you'd believe that 18th century upper-class people lived in a constant state of misery due to(among other things)clinical depression, sexual repression, religious fanaticism and/or hypocrisy, disease, and the lack of indoor plumbing. My main problem with this book is its unremitting unpleasantness, both of tone and character, and its rather superficial assumption that there's some kind of need to dispel an imagined rosy picture of "ye olden days" by swinging wildly in the other direction: a modernist, disaffected, determinedly downbeat view of humanity.
There isn't a single likeable person in the book, nor does anyone seem to escape either madness, disease, bitterness, selfishness, hate, gluttony, stupidity, addiction-or a combination of the above. It's one thing to make one's central characters complex, another to divest them of anything positive, save, supposedly, intelligence. An author runs a great risk-and takes on a huge responsibility-when she chooses to write a fictional "novel" using real people, places, and events. Perhaps it's just me, but I believe that she owes these onetime living, breathing people something better-at least, something a little more considered than simply using them as objects on which to hang some imagined psychodramas. Yes, Johnson was a strange man...that's hardly news to anyone who's read anything about his personal life and habits. As for "Queeney's" mother, longtime Johnson friend Mrs. Thrale, well, gosh, she must have been something more than the histrionic shrew Bainbridge makes to bulge, faint, redden, pinch, hit and kick her daughter, her husband, and her friend Johnson by turns. This was a woman who was wealthy, witty, and a very sought-after hostess and guest-and yet in this novel her life is an unending misery...somehow I tend to think that she was bit more complex than that. But everything-every scene, every inner thought-is made into a kind of creepy horror for these "characters"...in this "narrative", poor Johnson can't even show up from an errand buying treats for his beloved cat, Hodge[a real incident recalled, like much of the basis for this novel, by James Boswell in his "Life of Johnson"], without this simple act being given new shades of direst import by Bainbridge's pen: the paper bag containing the liver seeps and drips with blood...give me a break. It's a short book, easily read in one or two sittings. The author has done research, yes-all of it obvious and based on easily available sources, though not resulting in anything more amazing or unusual than can be found in a standard book on "life in Johnson's London"(there actually is such a title-and many like it). Finally, when you decide to write a novel with a couple of real-life geniuses as your main characters, you'd better be at least as witty as they were. Bainbridge isn't up to that task.

Esoteric subject brought to life by the talented Bainbridge.......2003-01-27

"According To Queeney (ATQ)", Beryl Bainbridge's historical fictional account of the last 20 years of Samuel Johnson's life, will appeal especially to readers who have some background of the subject but it won't shut out the rest of us who don't. Although Bainbridge parades her huge supporting cast of characters to readers with scarcely an introduction as if we're on first name terms with them, it doesn't take long for us to catch up...and we make the effort because after a slow start, we're intrigued as we read on. Bainbridge's disciplined, economical yet eloquent prose stimulates our curiousity and brings to life a subject the non-literary minded may justifiably consider esoteric.

ATQ doesn't seek to compete with Boswell's biographical masterpiece because it is fiction. What Bainbridge offers is a personal and intimate profile - warts and all - of a great lexicographer and an eminent man of letters who in his twilight years has become a sickly, strange tempered and eccentric old man. This profile is developed from his imagined life as a permanent house guest of Southwark brewer, Henry Thrale and his wife, Hester on whose emotional support he grows increasingly to rely. Through the eyes of young Queeney, the Thrales' eldest daughter, we observe the lifestyle of Johnson and the Thrales, how they behave, the fellow artistes they consort with and their meticulously organised travels to Europe. More interestingly, we detect the development of a curious relationship between the crotchety Johnson and his hostess, the unhappy and shallow Hester. Not quite "the story of unrequited love " suggested by critics, it is nevertheless a relationship founded upon mutual need and one that isn't in the least obvious or easy to discern. That it should end the way it did doesn't surprise. The story is also littered with incidents of spite, bitterness and petty jealousies among the servants in Johnson's own household as they compete for their master's affection. There is ironically a subplot of "unrequited love" in the story but not where you expect to find it. Queeney's voice is sour and reluctant throughout. She was a precocious child - that's why Johnson was so fond of her and became her Latin tutor - but the sentiment isn't especially reciprocated. Her letters as an adult to various Johnson researchers seeking corroboration and evidence reveal a less than enthusiastic friend, if ever she was one. What does that tell you about Johnson's success as an individual ?

ATQ is a quietly confident historical novel of Johnson's erratic life that will appeal to the literary minded, afficionados as well as those who simply love good writing. Bainbridge must be the most often shortlisted fictional author - ever - for the Booker Prize. She's earned her dues and played bridesmaid long enough. Let's hope she wins it some day. ATQ didn't make it beyond the longlist. More's the pity because so few contemporary writers today possess Bainbridge's virtues. With her, less is more.

Brilliant and Witty.......2003-01-15

Beryl Bainbridge is nothing short of a genius. Her According to Queeney is a witty and wonderful masterpiece and reveals a side of Samuel Johnson little seen. The focus of the novel is his friendship with the Thrale family, in particular, Hester, the wife and mother. The Queeney of the title is Hester's eldest, and very precocious, daughter. In the novel, Johnson is portrayed as brilliant, but difficult--moody, depressed, obsessed, the list goes on. Bainbridge's novel is witty--full of sparkling dialogue and wonderful prose. Enjoy.

Average customer rating:

Super Reader

Valentine Ponderfex

Every trilogy has an ending, but why end like this?

Disjointed and sorely lacking

Everybody is too harsh on this one
Valentine Pontifex
Robert Silverberg
Manufacturer: Spectra
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

Silverberg, Robert | ( S ) | Authors, A-Z | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Majipoor Chronicles: Majipoor Chronicles (Majipoor Cycle)

Sorcerers of Majipoor (Prestimion Trilogy (Paperback))

Lord Valentine's Castle (Majipoor Cycle)

Mountains of Majipoor, The

Lord Prestimion (Prestimion Trilogy)

ASIN: 0553244949
Release Date: 1984-10-01

Book Description

The national bestselling saga of Robert Silverberg's stunning imagination continues in the first new hardcover Majipoor novel in nearly a decade. As a prequel to Silverberg's earlier Majipoor novels. Sorcerers of Majipoor provides a deep, dark vision for the background of the conflict inLord Valentine's Castle and Valentine Pontifex.

Treachery and wizardry run rampant under the reign of the mighty Pontifex, as both the rightful and the unworthy heirs to the throne anxiously await his demise. Korsibar, son of the current Coronal, plots with his twin sister and ambitious companions to seize the power of the Coronal when his father ascends to the throne of the Pontifex.

But the burdens of the crown and scepter exact more of a price than Korsibar is prepared to pay. His rival fights to take his appointed place as keeper of his beloved Majipoor...and to resbackse order to the utter chaos that has befallen their world.

Download Description

WHEN ALL SEEMS WELL, EXPECT THE WORST TO HAPPEN. The extraordinary story continues in this magnificent volume of the bestselling Majipoor Chronicles, begun in Lord Valentine's Castle. Now dark dreams disturb Lord Valentine's sleep, a forewarning of the danger that threatens the peace of Majipoor. The Shapeshifters have set in motion a terrifying plan to regain their stolen world, and their allies, the ancient gods rising from their eons-long slumber beneath the oceans of the great planet. Suddenly Valentine faces the greatest crisis of his reign. Either he must plunge Majipoor into a bloody nightmare of war, plague, and chaos?or surrender his life to the mercy of the vengeful Shapeshifters.

Customer Reviews:

Super Reader.......2007-09-04

Valentine is still a nice guy, but not all that keen on the whole ruling thing, even those he has to. He has to try and deal with the shapeshifting metamorph plot to take over, their guerilla tactics, and other problems of government.

He has drifted from his friends, and the metamorphs are not the only strange beings he has to come to understand. Certainly not as good as the first book.

Valentine Ponderfex .......2005-09-16

For all its ponderous, slow pace, I still found this a very enjoyable read. Perhaps because that marveous world of Marjipoor
continues to have the ability to draw you in.

Here we have Coronal Valentine simply being his gentle, persistant self. Underneath the sweet exterior, Valentine's actually rather strong- but he still frustrates because we want to see some action! But Silverberg's ongoing theme throughout the Marjipoor novels has been universal acceptance, forgiveness, and love.

Valentine has to cope with those dastardly Shapeshifters and their nasty plots to take over the world by way of plagues, horrible mutant species, etc. that plunge the world into chaos.
Add in a strange new religious cult, Valentine's horror of becoming Pontifex and the Labyrinth---and you have the new plot for Valentine Pontifex.

Sometimes I've thought Silverberg has an abundance of imagination when it comes to world-building and description- but little in the way of human nature. Here we have a huge world with people who struggle all their lives to reach the top level of the Isle Of Dreams, yet Hissune's mother just steps right in and takes over the job of Lady Of The Isle. Just as Hissune just steps in and takes over as Coronal - though he's still wet behind the ears. Not very realistic- and a marvelous setting for some great conflict.

Instead, we are given scenario after scenario of good-hearted, hard working characters who are ruined, made destitute, or commit suicide due to seeing their life's work destroyed. While Valentine goes hither and thither, leaving dead bodies in his wake.

Even so- the scenarios are fascinating, Hissune is fun to root for, the Sea Dragons are a new interesting element and- given Valentine's nature, the resolution should not be surprising.

I'll take a Marjipoor book any day over most of the science fiction/fantasy that's out there. Not too many writers can pull me in to where I forget I'm reading a book. It's pure escape reading- and just a lot of fun.

Every trilogy has an ending, but why end like this?.......2005-05-15

For very page I read, there was at least two I skipped. The previous twos books were great, but sadly, they had to be capped off with this.

The charcters lost their charm, and there was only one I was interested in, but since Silverberg suddenyl changed his style from one character persepective to all, sadly, that one character came around all to few times.

This book also pocesses one of the worst endings I have ever read. To think that I forced myself all the way though those long pages only to see that as my reward. One word for that ending, horrificly pathetic. All right, that was two.

Back to the characters. Poorly developed, and if I hadn't known them before, I think I would have rooted for the antagonists to kill them off, just for the excitement. Its what Silverberg should have done, or something like it. This book was duller than lectures. It was like, almost reading a very unrealistic history noevl, where the you strangely get to experience the hourly introspectives of the characters that NO ONE CARES ABOUT.

Personally, I would have rather done my homework, but my own pride in the fact that I've never not finished a book kept me from that. And while the first two books only took me a week or so to read, this one took twice that, despite the fact its shorter. (If there wouldn't have been the boring introspectives and side stories, I might have finished it in a minute.)

So, if you are a fan of the other books, you don'thave to get this book. Have someone just tell you how it ends, and spare yourself three hundred some odd other pages. If you haven't read the other two books, read them, its worth it, and then decide for yourself wether you want to bore yourself to death. My advice, find it in the library, for five bucks are better spent elsewhere.

Disjointed and sorely lacking.......2004-08-07

I enjoy Silverberg's writing enormously, and loved the previous two books. However, I found this book to be a chore to read, and a big disappointment in so many ways.

The best things in the book, in my opinion, are the little side stories; some of them seem like they could have come straight out of Majipoor Chronicles.

The main storyline and characters are just pathetic, however. Valentine wanders aimlessly. Hissune seems to be the only person in the government paying attention to anything that's going on. Hissune's rival is a cardboard cutout. Sleet is reduced to an angry bitter man whose only lines call for war and genocide against the Metamorphs. Carabella is a decorative prop who occasionally pulls Valentine out of his funk, and nothing more. Other characters from the first book appear, but have so little involvement in the story that they only serve to distract.

Various plot elements fail to live up to their potential. The fainting spells of Valentine, the awesome mental powers of the sea dragons, the legends and prophecies of the metamorphs, the rivalries of the nobles, a visit to the king of dreams...all of these were plot elements that could have grown to be something interesting. Either they just fizzle into nothing, or they are resolved in boring, obvious ways. Really uninspired.

If you loved the earlier books, it might be worth your time: you'll see a few new aspects of the setting, and some of the embedded short stories are pretty good. But overall, it's pretty unsatisfying.

Everybody is too harsh on this one.......2004-02-20

I really enjoyed this book, actually thought that it was better than the first two in the series. Hissune and the other princes on Castle Mount were realistic and cool, Faraataa was a really good (crazy as hell) bad guy, and the sea-dragons were finally revealed as the all-knowing god-like creatures that Silverberg intended for them to be the whole time. Like everybody else, I was disapointed that Valentine didn't toughen up a bit, but it would have changed his character too much and Silverberg's whole message was to promote the power of love, not hate, man! The descriptions and the detail of the world of Majipoor were excellent (and didn't drone on as much as the first book) and the immediate impact of the pestilences and plagues on society was realistically horrible. Something similar would not be out of the question of happening in our world and, unfortunately, I believe that the impact it would have on us would be similar. I look forward to reading the next installment of the Majipoor Saga, the Mountains of Majipoor.

Average customer rating:

Valentine Pontifex
Robert Silverberg
Manufacturer: Arbor House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000J5MYDW

Lord Valentine's Castle, The Majipoor Chronicles, Valentine Pontifex (3 Books Sold as Set only)

Average customer rating:

Lord Valentine's Castle, The Majipoor Chronicles, Valentine Pontifex (3 Books Sold as Set only)
Robert Silverberg
Manufacturer: Harper & Row
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000KUP51Y

Average customer rating:

Valentine Pontifex

Manufacturer: Spectra
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Average customer rating:

Valentine Pontifex
Robert Silverberg
Manufacturer: NY Arbor House 1989.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000J5LDM0

Average customer rating:

Valentine Pontifex
Robert Silverberg
Manufacturer: Pan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000K2SU4Q

Average customer rating:

Valentine Pontifex
Rh Value Publishing
Manufacturer: Random House Value Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0517604302
Release Date: 1985-10-06

Average customer rating:

Valentine Pontifex
Silverberg Robert
Manufacturer: Arbor House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000PSVT4S

MAJIPOOR SEQUENCE: Book (1) One Lord Valentine's Castle; Book (2) Two: Majipoor Chronicles; Book (3) Three: Valentine Pontifex; Book (4) Four: Mountains of Majipoor

Average customer rating:

MAJIPOOR SEQUENCE: Book (1) One Lord Valentine's Castle; Book (2) Two: Majipoor Chronicles; Book (3) Three: Valentine Pontifex; Book (4) Four: Mountains of Majipoor
Robert Silverberg
Manufacturer: Bantam Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000NRVEFK

Average customer rating:

Valentine Pontifex
Robert Silverberg
Manufacturer: Arbor House c1983
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000ONZF3K

Book Description

Andrea Mitchell has never felt as if she belongs in the 21st century. She's too fat, too clumsy, and too plain. So when she's offered the chance to take the Time Tube back to the 16th century -- and back to Per, the young Sterkarm warrior she fell in love with once before -- she doesn't hesitate. The lovely, boisterous, and crude Sterkarms have always made her feel welcome and at home. Maybe this time she'll even stay for good.

But things on the 16th side are not what Andrea expected them to be. Per doesn't know who she is, and a wedding between the Sterkarms and their enemies, the Grannams, ends in bloodshed and confusion. Even when Andrea discovers it's the Elves who have betrayed them all, no one wants to believe her. She may have made the biggest -- and the deadliest -- mistake of her life.

In this blistering sequel to her award-winning the sterkarm handshake, Susan Price weaves a riveting tale of revenge, deceit, and love, set against a backdrop of warring clans and brutal passions.

Customer Reviews:

"For There's Sweeter Rest, on a True Love's Breast...".......2006-05-09

The novel that preceded this, "The Sterkarm Handshake" was an explosive, riveting and nail-biting story based around the concept of the cultural clash that would follow 21st century time travellers attempting to exploit the riches and opportunities that the past had to offer. The corporation FUP had completed a Time Tube that would transport employees into the past of a different dimension, in order to explore the possibilities that the unspoilt land offered. Only one thing stood in their way; the fierce and treacherous Sterkarms who were not prepared to stop their feuding and troublemaking just because a bunch of "Elves" asked them to.

The scientific ramifications of a time travelling device was not the focus of the novel; instead Susan Price focused solely on the interactions between past and present, and the impossible odds that her protagonist Andrea Mitchell had to face in attempting to negotiate between such uncontrollable powers. As the winner of the Guardian's Children's Fiction Prize and short listed for the Carnegie Medal, "The Sterkarm Handshake" comes very highly recommended.

But how does the sequel live up to the original? Sadly, like most sequels, not as well. "A Sterkarm Kiss" begins about a year after the Time Tube was closed down. Andrea now works as a barmaid and has lost all hope of ever seeing Per, her 16th century love, again. But then the extraordinary happens; her old boss, the greedy, immoral and cowardly James Windsor approaches her and offers her back her old job as liaison to the Sterkarms. The Tube is up and running again, but this time the old mistakes won't be repeated. This time the Tube connects into a new dimension; where the "Elves" can begin afresh with their treatment of the Sterkarms.

This time, they can use their prior knowledge of the Sterkarm leaders to manipulate them and come across as peacemakers rather than an invading force. Brokering a marriage between the Sterkarms and their main foes, the Grannams, is their first step in securing peace and a stable environment in which to exploit the land. Andrea - despite some reservations - eventually accepts Windsor's offer; the chance of seeing Per (albeit one who has never met her before) too great. But as always, there is treachery at work...

The idea that they travel into a different dimension, to meet a whole "new" set of the same characters in the 16th century felt at first like a bit of a cheat, as if Price had given herself a "clean slate" in order to explore an entirely new scenario rather than build on the established situation of the previous book. However, by the end of the novel it becomes clear that there is a reason behind the change in dimension which eventually pays off - it may just be a little frustrating at first if you're eager to get updated on the Sterkarms of the first book.

The novel is geared toward teenagers, but whereas "The Sterkarm Handshake" could be read by younger readers as well as older ones, I'd be a little more hesitant to put this in the hands of a thirteen year old, as there are several scenes of violence, sex and language. These types of things were also present in "Handshake", but not quite as graphically described, and there are also several deaths of established characters which come across as rather pointless (though perhaps this seeming pointlessness is precisely the point about death that Price is trying to make).

And then there's the end; to call it a "cliff-hanger" is an understatement, as it seems to end mid-chapter. With this being the case, and without any third installment in place, it's difficult to understand the reasons behind writing a sequel, especially when "The Sterkarm Handshake" was wrapped up so neatly and poignantly. Price's writing talents are still on clear display here, but unless there's a third "Sterkarm" book to continue what's left unsaid here, I recommend

Sterkarm Kiss.......2005-08-26

Andrea and Per return in this sequel to A Sterkarm Handshake.

I still don't really understand the rationale for marketing these graphic, brutal and not very cheerful books as young adult novels -- not that I have any complaints at all about any of the aforesaid qualities, but usually young adult books, whatever tribulations their protagonists face, have a cheerier worldview. Whatever.

Anyway, though I enjoyed this book, in which the 16th century Scottish Borderer Sterkarms are cozened and threatened by 21st century business interests and Andrea is used alternately as lure and spy before being forced to choose her loyalties, I didn't think it was quite as strong as the first book. The worldbuilding and characterization were less detailed than in the first book, but more importantly the pacing felt off to me, with the whole thing a bit rushed and underdeveloped and the book coming to an end before it seemed as though it should. I still think it was worth reading.

Time Travel Fan.......2005-06-09

After reading a plethora of time travel, juvenile and adult, I find A Sterkham Kiss, and Susan Price's first Sterkham novel, The Sterkham Handshake, the very best in its genre. It's an absolute can't-put-down story, with vivid insight to 16th Century Britain (albeit another dimension of 16th Century Britain)and captivating characters. A thoroughly riviting novel that won't fail to entertain the young adult+ reader.

Good, but not as good as STERKARM HANDSHAKE.......2005-02-10

First, I'd say you really must read the first book in order to enjoy this one & to "get" it. Ok, that being said, I felt that the in the first book the plot & characters were much more developed & realized. In this book, the reader is just thrown into the action & there is much less character/plot development, instead there is a lot of violence as noted in one of the editorial reviews.

I also was disappointed in the ending. It is, indeed, a cliff-hanger & one can only hope that the auther plans a 3rd installment...one that is a bit more slow-paced & thoughtful (like the first) rather than nonstop fighting & slaughter as muc of this one was. Still, I felt her ending was a cop-out & would have rather that this book been wrapped up a bit better...with a 3rd installment still to come.

Even having made these points, I did enjoy much of the book & look forward to reading more about Andrea & Per in the future. Their love story is what really keeps my interest, & I hope to see more of that angle if there are future books.

Average customer rating:

A Sterkarm Kiss
Susan Price
Manufacturer: EOS
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OEYJZY

Average customer rating:

Sterkarm Kiss

Manufacturer: ZZCSCHOLASTIC CHILDR
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000GSDW9W

Average customer rating:

Ya gotta love it!

Great introductory resource

Hooray for the rabbi!

Easy reading reference book

Excellent book for Jews and non-Jews alike!

Ask the Rabbi: The Who, What, When, Where, Why, & How of Being Jewish (Arthur Kurzweil Books)
Ron Isaacs
Manufacturer: Jossey-Bass
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Judaism | Religions | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
General | Judaism | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

What Does Being Jewish Mean?: Read-Aloud Responses to Questions Jewish Children Ask About History, Culture, and Religion

The Jewish Book of Why

Born to Kvetch: Yiddish Language and Culture in All of Its Moods (P.S.)

ASIN: 078796784X

Book Description

Does God really have a chosen people? Do Jews believe in an afterlife? Why do all Jewish holidays begin at night? When is it okay to tell a lie? What does Judaism say about being gay?
From the mundane to the perplexing, Rabbi Ron Isaacs answers all your questions about the Jewish faith in a manner that is warm, wise, and witty. Isaacs brings his many years of experience as a rabbi and scholar to create a family-friendly resource that you and your children can use again and again to answer questions as they arise in your day-to-day lives— such as questions about: worship services, blessings, famous people in the Bible, miracles, fast days, Rosh Hashanah, Hanukkah, the Seder, circumcision, Bar/Bat Mitzvah, marriage, keeping kosher, sex, death and dying, medical ethics, Jewish beliefs, Hasidim, Jewish denominations, rabbis and cantors, black Jews, Jewish professions, what others think of the Jews, Israel, ritual garments, the Torah, the mezuzah, Anti-Semitic documents and statements, Sephardic and Ashkenazic Jews, language, Jews and cults, kabbalah, and classic Jewish books.

Customer Reviews:

Ya gotta love it!.......2007-01-05

Chatty, easy to read, easy to research question and answer format. Just like having the rabbi right there with you.

Great introductory resource.......2004-06-04

This looks more like like a children's book from the cover but I was pleased to find that it really is written for any audience. The author does a great job of clarifying but not over-simplifying topics so it may even be better suited to adults. Rabbi Ron is from a conservative congregation but is exceptionally even-handed when discussing all movements within Judaism-he devotes a whole chapter to Reform and Orthodox Judaism and briefly discusses Renewal. He also makes for a pleasant, funny tour guide and an engaging representative of Judaism today.

The book is well-organized and easy to skip around if you aren't interested in a particular subject. With chapters ranging on topics from the Torah, holidays and customs, branches of Judaism, history, relations and comparisons between Jews and Christians, and the Kabbalah you'll find enough to at least answer questions if not pique your interest. This was the first book (and obviously not the last) I picked up when I was considering conversion so it's a sentimental favorite. I hope you'll find it as enjoyable and fun as I did.

Hooray for the rabbi!.......2003-12-08

I read Rabbi Ron Isaacs' book, "Ask the Rabbi", cover to cover over the weekend. It was my catharsis from mind-pollution inflicted by the antagonistic tome of a Jewish feminist, purportedly addressing resurgent anti-Semitism. Being a non-Jew, it's beyond my comprehension how she could feel comfortable fabricating odium without any reluctance for her community's rebuke. Surprisingly, "Ask the Rabbi" is my illumination.

"Ask the Rabbi" is a primer specifically for American Jews inactive in Judaism and wishing to discover what they're missing. It's too introspective for non-Jews only wishing familiarity with another religion. Rabbi Ron has collected questions and answers over the years, and has organized them into chapters based on category. Many answers have repetitive elements favoring readers who selectively skip around. By the end, most all transliterated Hebrew terms are explained, but if you start out not knowing your mikvahs from your mitzvahs, "Ask the Rabbi" makes little accommodation. A glossary would be helpful for what I'm sure will be a second volume.

Judaism excites Rabbi Ron. He explains major differences between the four popular movements of Judaism in America. There are adequate explanations of the ceremonies, the rituals, the importance of certain prayers, and even satisfying anecdotes about how melodiously the cantor chants and sings. In my own synagogue visits, I was dumbfounded as the rabbi offered thanks for making us Jewish. Rabbi Ron well-explains that such statements are not to be regarded as insensitive. They are mere positive expressions of the honor bestowed by the Torah. Rabbi Ron's services are conducted in Hebrew, and he gives useful tips for people without language skills. There are also good pointers for keeping a more perfect Shabbat. However, the ceremonies, prayers, and rituals appear focussed on process for its own sake. Inevitably, a question deals with this appearance of process versus purpose, but the answer is redundant.

An indirect question about 'who is a Jew?' needed to appear earlier, because "Jew" is ambiguous. One can be a Jew by descent (Yehudim) as an offspring of Yehudah, or his brothers Benyimin and Lewi, those who also inhabited the Southern Kingdom and later Roman province of Judea. Or, one can be a Jew by the religion of Judaism. While not universal, the two often coincide. Rabbi Ron's convoluted answer touches on both keeping the commandments and the nation of Israel's contentious Law of Return authorizing the Orthodox Rabbinate. It begs the question, 'What is Judaism?'

"Ask the Rabbi" lacks a clear definition of Judaism. From the time of Mosheh, through Shelomo, and up to the Babylonian Captivity, there was no Judaism. The children of Yisra'el are simply commanded to observe the Torah as their way of life. Judaism, as an organized religion overseen by the rabbi-teacher, began during, and as a response to the Babylonian Captivity. After the Temple's destruction in the pre-Christian first century, messianic-Jews, the Yehudim who believed on Yahushua (different from today's "Messianic Judaism"), were ejected from the synagogues and shunned, because they were pacifists in the rebellion against Rome. The artifice of labeling a Jew overtly by membership in Judaism further excluded messianic-Jews. For all such questions that continually baffle ordinary Jews (e.g., Avraham was not a Jew), Rabbi Ron appears to safeguard uncertainty, without purposely misstating fact.

"Ask the Rabbi" earns its fourth and fifth stars in the latter third, where through advocacy of liberal causes, it presents a useful illumination into the Jewish-American psyche. I had previously believed that the damage being inflicted on our society by secular-liberalism emanated from misguided elitists and other misfits. Rabbi Ron shows that for a broad spectrum of Jews, the motivation is religion-based. While not alone, American Judaism encourages feminism, homosexuality, abortion, and the funding of stem-cell research. Incongruously, Rabbi Ron perceives that Judaism is threatened in part by intermarriage and a low birth rate.

A lucid appreciation of liberal issues would find them at odds with Torah. However, from answers to questions ranging from eating Chinese food to beard shaving, one understands that Torah-observance is more or less optional in American Judaism. And as the Messiah discovered, Judaism self-righteously pursues other commands to unnatural extremes, e.g., wholly separating dairy from meat, and not misusing the Sacred Name by consciously overlooking it. Running from the Torah and embracing secular causes seems unwittingly self-destructive.

Yet, Rabbi Ron has misplaced anxieties about Christians, believing that missionaries are specifically targeting Jews. He might refer all future questions about Christians to an informed friend. Messianic Scripture expressly forbids door-to-door proselytizing (Luke 10:7). Out of hundreds of Christian sects, only three violate that stricture: Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, and Seventh-day Adventists. I doubt whether representatives from these sects have a better command of Hebrew and the Tanak than ordinary Jews. They don't systematically target Jews; they target the unaware. However, there is extra credit for snaring a Jew. Therefore, don't point to the mezuzah cueing the missionaries' leave.

The messianic message was predicted to be imminently and utterly corrupted. Thus, we have the living amalgam we call Christianity. Christianity's interpretations will never be acceptable to knowledgeable Jews. So, it amazed me to see that Rabbi Ron quotes the Messiah's commitment to the Torah into the far future (Mattityahu 5:18). Rabbi Ron justifiably denounces Christianity for misrepresenting the Messiah and His stand on the Law. The Torah is a framework for unsurpassed goodness and freedom. Knowing this truth is what harmonizes the so-called Old and New Testaments. Given his stunning recognition, I was sad to leave Rabbi Ron, knowing that he'd reject further investigation.

Although it's a negative, denying the Messiah seems to be the only constant in Judaism, and its millstone. Because it's the principal motivation, Judaism's misperceptions about Christianity, causes it to waste energy by being reactionary. For no other reason, if Christians are fervent, Judaism is secular; if Christians vote Republican, Judaism supports Democrats. It seems oddly simple, but it's an extremely helpful and worthwhile insight. My blessings and sincere good wishes go out to Rabbi Ron Isaacs and his family!

Easy reading reference book.......2003-11-02

Since the questions for "Ask the Rabbi" came largely from Hebrew School and Hebrew High students, one would think it to be a children's book. However, the breadth of the topics, the depth of the answers, and the almost conversational style of the answers make the book suitable for readers of all ages. Whether you start at the beginning and read straight through, or as I did, skip around to topics of particular interest, the reading is easy and informative. Rabbi Isaacs makes a point to explain many of the answers from the standpoints of the different branches of Judaism. I heartily recommend this book to anyone who would like to know more about the Jewish religion.

Excellent book for Jews and non-Jews alike!.......2003-10-30

This book asks and answers hundreds of questions about Judaism in a user-friendly and easy-to-read format. Especially enjoyable are Rabbi Isaacs' personal anecdotes which fully engage the reader and add to the value of the book. The book inspires readers to come up with their own questions and in fact, if you go to Rabbi Isaacs' website you can ask your own "ask the rabbi" question! This book is highly recommended for children, teenagers, and adults alike!

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books