Amazon.com
In Norris Church Mailer's debut, the muggy summer heat of Sweet Valley, Arkansas, mingles with an acrid smell of vinegar and onions at its pickling plant. An engaging, richly painted coming-of-age novel set in the late 1960s, Windchill Summer portrays the exploration and confusion of the times through a group of small-town friends caught up in a big-time web of intrigue and murder. Cherry Marshall has just turned 21 and is preparing for her final year of college when her sheltered existence is turned upside down by the murder of a high school friend. Until the discovery of Carlene's drowned body, life for Cherry had been an easy mix of university art studies, thrice-weekly meetings of the First Apostolic Holiness Church of God (part of the "real Don't religion" you would expect to find in an alcohol-dry Arkansas county), and summer jobs spent pickling cucumbers with her best friend, Baby, a Southern-assimilated Filipino, or "Filbilly." But Carlene's murder kicks off a summer of strange events and even stranger revelations. And as the craziness of the Vietnam War and the haziness of hippie-living begin to seep into Sweet Valley life, Cherry finds a whole new world taking shape around and within her: "I felt an excitement like the pioneers must have felt, knowing they were starting a whole new way of life." The territory she plows isn't quite so virgin, mind you, and many lives are wrecked, transformed, and renewed before the book's climax.
Mailer captures the tone of her young characters, and she writes revealingly of the pull and power of secrets and hypocrisy, of the few options and desperate choices of those caught on the underside of "proper" society. While Cherry tells her tale in the first-person voice, her friends' stories are relayed through Mailer's omniscient third-person voice. This double narrative is somewhat awkward, but the author's expressive style makes up for the oddity. She describes Carlene as a child who had been "prickly and serious, sturdy and pale, with freckles sprinkled on her skin like nutmeg on eggnog," and she tells the story of the local embalmer's wife who, before she died, had Polaroids taken of herself "lying down in various coffins and outfits until she decided on the one she liked. At the funeral, everyone said she had never looked better." Readers will inevitably look for the influence of the author's husband, but this half of the duo tells a captivating story in a voice all her own. --S. Ketchum
Book Description
“A CAPTIVATING READ . . . WINDCHILL SUMMER HAS ALL THE ELEMENTS. . . . A LITTLE MYSTERY, SOME HUMOR,
[AND] A DASH OF CHARM.”
–The Denver Post
“WONDERFULLY SATISFYING AND APPEALING . . . It’s the summer of 1969 in a place called Sweet Valley, Arkansas. Cherry and Baby [are] soon to be college seniors at the dinky university just a few miles away. . . . It all looks like a pleasant, predictable American life, but a long second look reveals that things aren’t exactly what they seem to be. . . . [Mailer] loves her characters, and we fall in love with them, too.”
–The Washington Post Book World
“IN GENTLY ROLLING SOUTHERN CADENCES, MAILER CAPTURES THE HORMONAL UPS AND DOWNS OF YOUNG WOMEN TEETERING ON THE VERGE OF ADULTHOOD.”
–Entertainment Weekly
“THIS WINSOME COMING-OF-AGE NOVEL OFFERS MUCH TO MANY. Cherry, the narrator, is my kind of woman: good-looking, straight-talking, and able to describe what it’s like to get amorous when you’re wearing ten thousand petticoats. Most important, she’s willing to decide for herself what’s true.”
–ELIZABETH BERG
“SMOOTHLY WRITTEN, SWEETLY SENTIMENTAL.”
–The New York Times Book Review
Download Description
Absorbing summer reading for fans of Bailey White and Lee Smith: A fresh and funny debut novel that brings to life a host of unforgettable characters coming of age in a small town in Arkansas during the summer of 1969.
Customer Reviews:
this book is definetly overrated.......2002-07-23
i really didnt like this book. i found the characters to be dull, unengaging and cliched and the plot to be standard.
the whole thing reminded me of one of those preteen point horror books i used to read when i was younger; shallow, unoriginal and patronising.
suffice to say i will not be buying any more of this author's books.
Excellent.......2002-03-25
This well written novel brings to mind a time my generation will not forget. Vietnam, Height Ashbury, flower power and the coming of age, such powerful memories that time can't erase.
Cherry and Baby have been best friends since grade school. Secrets and dreams have been shared with both girls believing there is nothing they don't know about the other. How wrong they both are. When the body of an old classmate turns up in the river, the little town of Sweet Water Arkansas is no longer that quiet little place where nothing ever happens. The murder of Carlene Moore is the catalyst that raises suspicion among the towns people and brings back the killing memories of war to those who experienced Vietnam.
Each chapter pulls together bits and pieces of the story of Windchill Summer, culminating in an ending that is hard to forget. This is not only a love story but one filled with mystery and suspense. Unforgettable characters that stayed with me long after the last page made this a 5 Star book and one I would highly recommend.
Back to the 60's.......2002-01-24
Windchill Summer is a novel that is both engaging and descriptive. Norris Church Mailer is highly skilled at setting the scenes through her words that leave vivid images with her readers. As a reader that did not live during the 60's free love and peace protests, Windchill Summer took me there to experience the mood and events of the era.
Two best friends, Cherry and Baby will experience the summer they will never forget. Cherry, by most accounts is an innocent. She is active with her family church - First Apostolic Holiness Church of God, and has experienced little distress in her idyllic life. Baby, a Filipino, who often feels disconnected, is vastly different from Cherry. She has experienced numerous relationships and is a keeper of secrets.
The murder of a local girl, Carlene, and the arrival of a mysterious guy, Tripp, will turn Cherry's world in ways that she could not have imagined. Windchill Summer examines the summer's events through Cherry's first-person account. In addition, the reader gains the perspective of a variety of supporting voices from the Sweet Valley town.
Windchill Summer is a coming of age novel packed with growth and numerous life lessons for its cast. Truly, a captivating read, I anticipate further great work by Norris Church Mailer.
A Summer to Remember.......2001-03-28
In "Windchill Summer", Norris Church Mailer takes the seemingly opposite moralities of religion and war and places them in a small town in Arkansas in the awakening times of the 1960's.
The story's narrator, Cherry, the twenty-one year old daughter of a fudamentalist deacon, learns that her idyllically safe if somewhat staid existence is threatened by the same world in which she once felt secure. With many chapters presented through the perspective of other characters, the reader soon finds along with Cherry that little is truly as it seems. Friends have secrets, parents are flawed, personal history shapes everyone's world. Parallels are even drawn between the biblical story of Jericho and the My Lai massacre in Vietnam.
Mailer sympathetically and humanly documents her characters' developments in a way that manages to accomplish something that most stories about the 60's don't..."Windchill Summer" is funny and warm yet disturbing.
Exceptionally Terrific Book!!!!.......2001-03-12
It's hard to believe that this book is not a best seller. I have read most of Oprah's Book Club books and this one is as good as or maybe even better than most of them. There's the suppressed women jobs of working in a pickle factory for a terrible boss. There is the lecturous older men praying on the young girls tricking them to allow him to take porno pictures. There's the teens and young adults that are struggling with life and their religious upbringing. There's the headshops, smoking pot, drag racing, psychedelic art, mini skirts, guys beginning to wear their hair long, long straight hair on the girls, Volkswagens, the Vietnam war and alot of other "happenings" that tags the time of this story to the turbulent '60s. This author mentions places in Vietnam as well as situations and she is right on the money. I can't praise this book enough. If you like Oprah's Picks or relationship sagas, you will most assuredly devour this book. I graduated from high school in '69 and my husband served in the Army during the Vietnam war and served 1 1/2 years in the jungles in Vietnam and this book helped me to understand some of the things he witnessed and lived through. Believe it or not, this book is fun at times and fast paced. It's such an easy book to stay interested in and involved in because there are so many different things going on and tied together by a mystery, of sorts. The ending is out-a-sight, to use a '60s term. Pick this book up and read it. It's SO good. I just can't believe it's not promoted more by someone, if not Oprah. It's EXCELLENT.
Average customer rating:
- "The Good Ones Last..."
- In-depth study of literary devices used by Lewis
- 3.5 Stars
- How to Think About Narnia
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A Reader's Guide Through the Wardrobe: Exploring C. S. Lewis Classic Story
Leland Ryken , and
Marjorie Lamp Mead
Manufacturer: InterVarsity Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 General | Criticism & Theory | History & Criticism | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Lewis, C.S. | ( L ) | Authors, A-Z | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
General | British | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Children's Literature Guides | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
History & Criticism | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
History & Criticism | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
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Product Description
In C. S. Lewis's classic, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Lucy, Peter, Susan and Edmund discover Narnia for the first time, precariously navigating their way through the unpredictable, enchanted world where beavers talk, a Witch turns people to stone, and a Lion rules as King. For decades their adventure has captivated the imagination of both children and adults. Yet this first story in the Chronicles--and the story behind the story--still hold many surprises and unpredictable twists and turns. In this interactive, informative book, literary expert Leland Ryken and Lewis scholar Marjorie Lamp Mead unlock the door to The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, inviting you to step inside--deeper and deeper, past the musty fur coats--and gaze in wide-eyed wonder once again at the magical, wintry world Lucy first found. A Reader's Guide Through the Wardrobe helps you examine the story from Lewis's point of view, shedding light on his imagination and use of literary forms. Even further, Mead and Ryken serve as your guides through this first Narnia adventure, providing an inside look at characters, setting and framework. Here is a book that will help you see The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe as Lucy first saw Narnia--with fresh, new eyes, childlike wonder and anticipation for the adventure that lies ahead.
Customer Reviews:
"The Good Ones Last...".......2006-11-13
As far as critical literary sources go, "Though the Wardrobe" has no room for...well, criticism. Marjorie Lamp Mead and Leland Ryken adore C. S. Lewis's "The Chronicles of Narnia", and will defend it to the death. On the one hand, it is nice to read a sourcebook that is so obviously passionate about its subject matter, on the other there is no room for any objective criticism. As much as I like "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" and the rest of Lewis's work, many of his ideas are undeniably dated (particularly his attitudes toward woman and anyone who isn't of the white, British middleclass). Mead and Ryken have no interest in critiquing his work, only defending it. Depending on what you're looking for in a book like this, you'll either really enjoy it, or find it useless. As such, my rating is obsolete - it is an entirely subjective read, dependant on what it is you need/want from this book.
As a result of Mead/Ryken's love of Lewis, "Through the Wardrobe" is not so much a literary discussion or an exploration into the text, but a guide on how to best appreciate Lewis's most famous children's story. The book is divided into two halves; the first titled "A Guided Tour of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe", and the second "Narnian Backgrounds."
To call the first half "A Guided Tour" is the best way to describe the bulk of the book. It basically takes each chapter of the novel and examines their contents; not so much the plot content, but the techniques, styles and little writing tricks that Lewis instigated in his creation of "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe". Archetypes, motifs, symbolism, characterisation, the widely-debated theological allusions; all of these types of writing tools are discussed when and where they are relevant. It is all about the writing technique of Lewis, not the meaning he infuses into the story. Along the way Mead/Ryken have sprinkled quotes and tidbits of information from other Narnia-scholars, and segments labelled: "For Reflection or Discussion"; a series of questions that invite you to explore your thoughts on each chapter (to be honest, I skipped over most of these).
The second half is a brief biography of Lewis, exploring his life, his inspirations, the Christian angle, and some of the hostile criticism that *others* have levelled toward Lewis's work. Do *not* buy this book for the sake of the second half; unless you are just beginning to show an interest in Lewis's lifetime, there are hundreds of much more detailed biographies on the subject out there, this one merely brushes the surface.
As I said at the beginning of this review, your enjoyment of it all depends on what you need from it.
In-depth study of literary devices used by Lewis.......2006-01-14
Millions have loved C. S. Lewis' Narnia books over the years. With the recent release of the movie The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, a plethora of books have appeared about the life and work of this talented Oxford scholar.
A Reader's Guide Through the Wardrobe provides a unique look at Lewis' first Narnian chronicle. The authors use each chapter of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe to demonstrate a literary device employed by Lewis. From the basics of the beginning chapter, showing how stories are begun, to "the role of myth" as the tale is winding down, the authors have done an expert job matching the varied chapters to themes. So expert that it starts to feel like Lewis wrote 17 separate little books.
While this focus may stifle cross-referencing between chapters, it helps readers to pause and look at the individual parts of the story instead of rushing through (the authors do stress reading the book purely for enjoyment first before dissecting it). Detailed, thought-provoking prose explains the literary terms, and clearly-marked questions offer opportunity for discussion. The careful attention to how Lewis used various elements is especially helpful to writers.
In Part 2 of this book, the authors describe Lewis' literary influence, how The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was received, and the Christian vision of the book, plus give a brief biography of Lewis. The in-depth study may scare off some readers, but Ryken and Mead's book is quite readable despite scholarly leanings. I highly recommended A Reader's Guide Through the Wardrobe for Narnia fans. -- Katie Hart, Christian Book Previews.com
3.5 Stars.......2005-10-01
In the decades that have passed since Aslan first got on the move, readers of all ages have been fascinated by the lands of Narnia created by Clive Staples Lewis. Inevitably, analysis has been applied to the books, finding the hidden meanings in the fantasy, debating whether fantasy is appropriate for Christians to read, and so forth. Finally, someone has gone in and examined the books, particularly the first volume, The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, from as close to Lewis' own perspective as an outside observer can come. We get to see how Lewis conceived his world and what his intent actually was. Though the biographical details are not predominant, it is shown how they play into the story and what influenced the final results. Each chapter has discussion questions included, making this an ideal book for small group study, especially in light of the upcoming film.
Reviewed by Amanda Killgore, Freelance Reviewer.
How to Think About Narnia.......2005-09-19
It seems difficult to think about the Chronicles of Narnia critically from a literary perspective. I recall being read The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (LWW) by my 2nd grade teacher and being entranced by the story. When I finally purchased the Chronicles set for myself I made it a point to purchase the exact same edition from which I was read. Many people, I'm sure, feel this same sort of bond with the books that seem to transcend critical thinking since they grip our hearts so firmly.
A Reader's Guide Through the Wardrobe: Exploring C.S. Lewis' Classic Story challenges us to take a critical look at the first of the Narnian stories. The authors begin by making it clear in the introduction that this guide should be used after initially reading LWW purely for enjoyment. The rest of the book is divided into two parts. Part One contains 18 chapters following each chapter of LWW.
Part One is called the "Guided Tour." Each chapter introduces some aspect of literary device that Lewis utilized, such as foiling, archetypes, foreshadowing. Throughout the chapters reflective quotes from Lewis and Lewis scholars are interspersed to add insight. There are plenty of scattered study questions as well, all of which are geared toward helping the reader think through the different elements in LWW.
Part Two offers extended background information and follows a more typical book format. Chapter 19 looks at how the Chronicles came to be written. Chapter 20 examines the reception of the series, including a number of criticisms that have been leveled against Lewis. The final chapter outlines the Christian elements in LWW. There is also a brief biography of Lewis and appendix on the order by which to read the series at the end.
For the most part, this book pleasantly surprised me. I wasn't sure what to expect out of a reader's guide, since I haven't read one before. It essentially teaches readers how to think about the book, while leaving what to think about it mostly to the reader. The guide was consistently interesting and insightful into both Lewis and literature in general. The authors compliment each other terrifically- Leland Ryken being a literary specialist and Marjorie Lamp Mead being a Lewis scholar.
The only part of the book that I thought could use improvement was the last chapter on the Christian vision of LWW. While there were some noteworthy points made in it, it didn't seem to have the solid structure and flow of content the rest of the book has. With that only exception, A Reader's Guide Through the Wardrobe is an excellent tool for helping those of us already romantically familiar with Lewis' masterpiece to take our affections to the next level. With the insights from Ryken and Mead, I believe I can now appreciate Narnia, as well as other fictional literature, more profoundly.
Customer Reviews:
A series comes full circle.......2004-03-14
"The Sword of Forbearance" is the seventh and final book of Paul O. Williams' "The Pelbar Cycle."
The primary focus of this concluding volume, as with many others in the series, is Stel Westrun and his family, and their part in the reunification of an America (or, as they call it, Urstadge) that was torn apart into tribalism a thousand years before in the "Time of Fire." Once again we find Stel quietly but stubbornly adhering to his firmly held beliefs, and in the process causing turmoil between the political factions of his city and, eventually, change in the larger society being created by that reunification.
His insistence on printing and distributing the ancient religious book recovered from the city of the Tantal (in book five, "An Ambush of Shadows") as he found it, rather than edited to fit current religious beliefs, causes him to have to flee his home (and wife) again. This time his flight takes him eastward, rather than westward (as in book two, "The Ends of the Circle"), to one of the "Eastern Cities" -- which, unfortunately, have chosen this time to escalate their border skirmishes with the Peshtak, who are new members of the Heart River Federation which is trying to make the reunification a peaceful one.
Despite his low-key, peaceful behavior, when the rulers of the city discover he is from Pelbarigan, they naturally conclude that he is a spy, but he is so comical they don't really take him seriously. Indeed, this is typical of the way Stel is perceived by people in power throughout the entire series: because he has no interest in power of his own, they think of him as a frivolous, silly little man of no import, until they attempt to push him around. Then they are flabbergasted to discover a startlingly immovable object, and find that their attacks usually rebound to do more political damage to themselves than to him.
The culture of the three "Eastern Cities" is one that might have been founded by a society of lawyers, bound by the letter of the law in contract matters, but rapacious in finding loopholes, so when Stel uncovers a rather serious breach of good faith on the part of Innanigan, the city which is the driving force behind the attacks on the Heart River Federation, he manages to get the others to abrogate the treaty requiring them to send military assistance -- which they were reluctant to uphold anyway. Unfortunately, the action which allows the other cities to break the treaty reveals just how far Innanigan is willing to go to maintain its position -- and how far Stel will go to stop it.
From the back cover:
"To the rulers of Innanigan, spring brought not thoughts of love but of western victories and rich lands seized from the peaceful Heart River Federation.
And so they went to war.
Yet this one was different, for Innanigan was the last renegade state in North America. If a just peace could be negotiated, the continent would be united again for the first time in a thousand years.
But if the conflict continued, civilization might be lost forever!"
Book Description
These studies on the character of the Apostles form a complete series on the lives, times, and ministries of those men chosen by God to declare his message to the world.
Customer Reviews:
Fantastic History of the 12 Apostles.......2007-02-02
Everybody should read this book. It's a great resource to better understand the New Testament when one learns more about the authors of the New Testament part of the Christian Bible. Back in the mid 80's I had begun a study of the Apostles at church but then moved away. I am grateful that I found this book, an updated version of what I had before. One is never too late to learn this information. I'm 66 years young!
Catholic bashing anyone?.......2006-05-28
It's one thing to disagree with some aspects of Catholicism but Lockyer takes every opportunity to spew his anti-Catholic venom... from dishonoring Mary to badmouthing the papacy to calling Peter a "bumbling" apostle.
I had ordered the "Miracles" and the "Apostles" books that he wrote. I tore them both up and trashed them.
Book Description
This book, suppressed by the early Church Fathers who compiled the Bible, will take away the veil of secrecy that has hidden for many years the act of the church in accepting certain Scriptures and rejecting others. Herein are the many valuable works of early Christians which will pour more light into the real meaning and teachings of true Christianity.
Customer Reviews:
Impressive!.......2005-09-19
All Christian mystics will rejoice in these texts - and will find a deeper relationship with their own God given purpose. If only we could turn back the clock and have the Bible rewritten - what would the world be like today? All we can hope is that people like you will read books like this and find the light.
Informative.......2005-08-30
An interesting look at those books purported to be "lost" or intentionally left out of the Bible. An interesting read.
the lost books of the bible.......2000-04-21
being a chatholic, i was very intreaged at the stories and passages the the church had left out of the bible; to keep the entity of jesus christ at a pure form. There were two that i liked the most. A story of christ and joseph walking home when christ saw a young friend and wanted to race him home, apon winning christ says to the boy i will cast you down as i have been and the boy fell dead. Another story went that christ was making statues out of dirt and the boy he was playing with says you shouldn't do this on the sabath and at that christ makes the little figures that he molded come to life and strangle the boy to death. all in all this book makes the bible sound more realistic now all holy and glorified i'd recomend it to any one!
Average customer rating:
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The "All" Series (17 Volumes, ALL THE - Last Words of Saints and Sinners, Apostles, Kings and Queens, Parables Prayers, Women, Men, Trades & Occupation, Doctrines, Children, Messianic Prophecies, Miracles, Teachings, Books and Chapters, Holy Days and Holidays, Divine Names and Titles Promises of the Bible.)
Manufacturer: Zondervan Pub. House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000GGTIQA |
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