The Orphan Game: A Novel

Amazon.com

"My parents died in a plane crash," one of us would say.
"My parents left me in a doghouse."
"I am the daughter of the Queen of England, and you are the Prince of the Moon."

This is the orphan game that Maggie Harris, her brother Jamie, and her sister Alison used to play when their troubled parents left them alone. Now these three must navigate not only their own fractured home life but the convulsive '60s as well. Set in Southern California, Ann Darby's debut novel juxtaposes domestic trauma against the relentlessly sunny backdrop of the suburban American dream--a dream, we soon learn, gone woefully awry. Jim Harris, a developer, is constantly sinking money into schemes that should make him rich but don't; his wife, Marian, barely keeps the family financially afloat working as a seamstress. Maggie, the oldest child, falls in love with her high school sweetheart, who is bound for Vietnam, and becomes pregnant. Before she can break this news, however, a fight erupts--with tragic consequences--and Maggie flees to the home of her mother's eccentric aunt, Mrs. Rumsen. Here she gradually realizes that even after you've blasted your life to smithereens you can still "gather up bits and pieces of the wrecked past and make something fine of them."

Darby tells this story from several different perspectives; though Maggie is the main narrator, we also hear from her mother, Mrs. Rumsen, and occasionally her brother and sister as well. The Orphan Game draws a telling portrait of a family already in crisis, living in a nation on the brink of one. Though Vietnam looms in the background, in this novel, at least, the real battlefield is in the characters' own backyard. --Margaret Prior

Book Description

Beautifully written, wonderfully observed, and
deeply felt, Ann Darby's haunting first novel
marks the debut of an important voice
in women's fiction.

The Orphan Game tells the story of a young woman's passage from the troubled family she's longing to escape to the "family" she struggles to create when she is forced into an early adulthood.

As the war in Vietnam escalates and as brush fires are blackening the California foothills, the Harris family shatters and its members are driven to find new ways to live with one another. With an intimacy immediate and true, The Orphan Game portrays the powerful love that not only can bind a family, but can also break it apart.

Set in a quiet Southern California town in 1965, a town where the rules of the fifties haven't quite departed and the new mores of the sixties are fast encroaching, this rueful tale is told in the intertwined voices of three women: Maggie, the young woman struggling to define herself; Marian, the mother who must relinquish her; and Mrs. Rumsen, the childless great-aunt who cares for Maggie when her mother can't. As each woman tells her tale, it becomes clear that each has, in her own way, played the orphan game--taken the risk to leave home, to claim her life, and, above all, to be loved.

Customer Reviews:

A big disappointment.......2004-01-28

I kept waiting for an explanation of relationships such as between Jim and Evelyn and whatever happened to Maggie and her baby? She apparently married, but to whom and when? This was a long and tedious book that went nowhere. There was no ending. It just stopped.

Very moving story!.......2002-12-23

I started this book slowly, but at about midpoint in the novel I couldn't put it down.

It is a story about one teenage girl and her family in 1965 California. The author captures the time excellently. It is also the story of a family and the trials and tribulations every family faces. I was quite surprised at some of the plot twists.

I really liked this book and the only thing keeping me from giving it 5 stars is the fact I would have liked a more in depth character development of all the key players. It was an excellent read though and I would read another by Ann Darby.

Wonderful storytelling........2002-05-15

This book is so well-written that it is hard to believe it is a first-novel. Ann Darby writes about the sixties in such a way that the reader is placed back in time--I felt like I was growing up all over again. It is ultimately the story of the young Maggie and her family, told at times in the voice of different characters; her mother, her great-aunt, sister, and brother. It's more than a coming of age novel, at times her family comes apart, then comes back together. Ann Darby is a writer I feel lucky to have found, and I am looking forward to her second novel.

Too slow.......2001-07-22

I wanted to like this book, since the writers' ability to set the place and time were excellent, but the characters were not very likeable or interesting. You knew from the beginning that Maggie would get pregnant and that her boyfriend wouldn't marry her and her parents would go nuts. So, since nothing surprising happens, it really mattered that the characters would make you care, and they just didn't. I found myself wishing that the book would just end, and eventually, it did.

Portrayal of an Era.......2001-04-26

The Orphan Game was an interesting portrayal of American life during the early 1960's, before the societal shift of that era really occurred. Two fundamental themes are developed through the two central, and most-developed, characters of this book. Maggie, a 16-year-old, becomes pregnant just as her boyfriend ships off to Vietnam. She must grow up fast, and learn to deal with life on her own, without her family. Her father, Jim, is obsessed with the American dream and making life good for his family. These two characters obviously come into conflict, and it is through this conflict that Maggie eventually develops her own voice, outside of her family and her boyfriend.

Darby's writing is phenomenal, and the writing dense and evocative. Overall, the book is well recommended.

Average customer rating:

The best companion book to Kipling's "Kim"

Quest for Kim

a fascinating travelogue/study of Kim

Light but enjoyable introduction to India and Kim.

Not Hopkirk's best, but enjoyable

Quest for Kim: In Search of Kipling's Great Game
Peter Hopkirk
Manufacturer: Oxford Univ Pr (Txt)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Similar Items:

Kim (Penguin Classics)

The Great Game: The Struggle for Empire in Central Asia (Kodansha Globe)

Like Hidden Fire: The Plot to Bring Down the British Empire

Trespassers on the Roof of the World: The Secret Exploration of Tibet (Kodansha Globe)

Foreign Devils on the Silk Road: The Search for the Lost Cities and Treasures of Chinese Central Asia

ASIN: 0192833081

Book Description

This book is for all those who love Kim, the masterpiece of Indian life in which Kipling immortalized the Great Game, the centuries-old power struggle between Russia and Great Britain in the depths of Central Asia. Fascinated since childhood by this strange tale of an orphan boy's recruitment into the Indian secret service, Peter Hopkirk here explores the many mysteries surrounding Kipling's great novel.

"This is a fascinating, brilliantly written book, as interesting in its description of the author's journeys as it is in its investigation of the reality that lies behind 'the finest novel in the English language with an Indian theme,'" as Kim has been described by Nirad Chaudhuri." --T. J. Binyon, Times Literary Supplement

"In an original combination of autobiography, travel writing, and literary detective work, Hopkirk manages accessibly to tell the story of Kim and his own obsession with it. Hopkirk illustrates how creatively and thoroughly the reading of a work of fiction can shape a whole life's experience." -- John R. Bradley, Independent on Sunday

". . . a reminder of just how absorbing was the world Kipling knew, and how fabulous was his transformation of it into literature." --Richard Bernstein, New York Times

Peter Hopkirk has traveled widely over many years in the regions where his books are set--Central Asia, Russia, China, India, Pakistan, and the Middle East. His nearly twenty years with The Times included work as an Asian affairs specialist. His previous books include The Great Game, Foreign Devils on the Silk Road, Trespassers on the Roof of the World, Setting the East Ablaze, and Our Secret Service East of Constantinople. His works have been translated into twelve languages.

Customer Reviews:

The best companion book to Kipling's "Kim".......2007-09-04

Among Kiplingiana available for the 21th Century Kipling fan,. Hopkirk's "Quest for Kim" holds a well conquered place. Written in 1996 after many excellent books on British exploration, adventure and espionage in Asia, this small gem that stands between travelogue, literary commentary and pure act of loving memory toward one's own childhood dreams and expectations has become a classic.
Rudyard Kipling's "formation" novel "Kim" is one of the most loved books of English literature (I personally read it over 10 times) and many of its readers have asked themselves if the plot and characters are true or imaginary. Well, Peter Hopkirk went further and actually explored the possibility that every single aspect of the novel was inspired by real people and happenings.
After a brief introduction that updates on early and modern critical appraisal of RK's novel (colonialism? Racism? Orientalism?) we are introduced to the principal characters and a plot synopsis of the book. Kim would be half RK himself and half a mysterious Anglo-Tibetan "Doola" (from Doolan) a half-caste born from a British soldier that had eloped with a Sikkim girl and had gained some newspaper fame during the period RK was working in Lahore. Teshoo Lama really existed and had visited Kipling's father Lockwood, the Curator of the Lahore Museum, when Kipling was a child. Mahbub Ali as well was a real person, a horse dealer in the Sultan Sarai that used to visit Kipling when in Lahore. The Te-rain still runs today even if interrupted at the Pakistanian-Indian frontier, and the whole line has witnessed atrocious bloodshed during the Separation in 1947. The Colonel's Bungalow in Umballa is almost impossible to trace but some similar still stand in memory of colonial England. Colonel Creighton was definitely inspired by Colonel Thomas Montgomerie of the Survey of India a great spy master whose few selected pundits made the story of the Great Game. Huree Chunder Mookerjee Babu among these was probably a Bengali graduate from the University of Calcutta named Babu Sarot Chandra Das towards whom Kipling had an ambiguous feeling describing him as physically repulsive but extremely intelligent. The real Babu was one of the major experts on Tibet and wrote a Tibetan-English Dictionary. St. Xavier, Kim's school, was modelled on La Martiniere as recognized by many of those that had attended this prestigious institution. Lurgan Sahib, and here comes the surprise, was the mysterious A.M.Jacob, a jewel dealer, occultist and hypnotist of Madame Blavatsky stature and owner of the famous Victoria diamond later known as Jacob's diamond. Jacobs appears also in other Nineteenth Century novels such as "Mr. Isaacs" by F.Marion Crawford and in Newnham Davies' "Jadoo".
Of the Russian and French spies Hopkirk surely identifies the Frenchman as a certain Bovalot that penetrated into India from the North and maybe the Russian as the famous Captain Gromchevsky who went out to meet Younghusband on the Himalaya.
The Great Game was in full progress in the years 1865-1875, when the novel is set and greater information is present in the book. But what captures the reader most is the feeling of living anew Kim's adventure for the second (or the hundredth if you prefer) time in an exponential form.
Truly a great companion book to RY's chef d'oeuvre "Kim".

Quest for Kim.......2006-11-03

Peter Hopkirk has written an enthralling, easy to read account of his trip following Kim's travels from Lahore to Delhi, Simla and beyond. Hopkirk displays boundless energy and resourcefulness following leads in his determination to locate residences, shops and schools mentioned in the original book and the reader gets carried along in his efforts. I've purchased another copy of Kim to read again and I'm planning a visit to India to check out some of the locations myself! Nice map and pen and ink sketches.

a fascinating travelogue/study of Kim.......2003-09-24

In this study of Kipling's novel Kim, Peter Hopkirk attempts to follow the story as he travels approximately the same route as Kim does in his adventures. On the way he discusses many of the characters and places, attempting to put them in their real world historical context. So the book is part travel narrative, part literary study and part historical research. This interesting melange is mixed very well.
Hopkirk is writing from an imperialist perspective; that is: the agents of the British empire are the good guys. But as long as you understand where he is coming from, there is nothing to detract the value of this book as a historical study.
It is very readable, and an interesting approach to a great book. But don't read it before reading Kim itself, because this book gives away too much of they story.

Light but enjoyable introduction to India and Kim........2002-03-22

That Mr. Hopkirk comes to the study of "Kim" as an historian, and not as an author of literature is immediately apparent to the reader of "Quest for Kim". The prose could hardly be called beautiful, and phrases and large passages are repeated throughout the work. With that fact recognized, Hopkirk's pedestrian prose is certainly sufficient to convey the information he has put together, and even the most ill-formed of his writing cannot cover his deep and passionate love for his subject. And this is what makes "Quest for Kim" such a joy to read, even for one who knows much of what Hopkirk says: his love of the work is contagious and inspiring; it brings pleasure to see how much pleasure he gets from it. Many readers may, as this one was, be uninterested in whether the characters in "Kim" were modelled after real-life contemporaries of Kipling, let alone where these real-life men lived, and yet the sections -- and there are many of them -- seeking out the homes of Colonel Creighton and Lurgan Sahib never fall into dullness because they are buoyed up with their historically interesting descriptions of late 18th-century India and the fun that Hopkirk clearly had looking into the matter.
On finishing "Quest for Kim", one may be left with the feeling that the historical information contained therein could have been greater in both quantity and detail. One will certainly not feel greatly informed on the literary qualities of "Kim", beyond that Hopkirk is extremely impressed by them. "Quest for Kim" is not a great scholarly tome, but it is an enjoyable read, encompassing a light, welcoming introduction to a study of British India and "Kim" itself wrapped in a pleasant narrative of one man's brief travels through Pakistan and India.

Not Hopkirk's best, but enjoyable.......2002-02-04

While not as scholarly or well written as FOREIGN DEVILS ON THE SILK ROAD, this was an enjoyable book to read. Hopkirk combined a bit of travelogue, detective story and literary criticism in writing this volume.

The essence of this volume is Hopkirk's search in the Northwest Frontier of Pakistan and northern India for Kipling's Kim. While few of the characters in Kim have direct historical parallels, there were models Kipling drew on for many of them. Kim himself was probably based an orphan of mixed parentage; his father was probably a British army soldier and his mother a Tibetan. Colonel Creighton was probably modeled off of Colonel Montgomerie of the Survey of India, while Lurgan
is believed to be modeled off of A. M. Jacob, a notorious jeweler in Simla. St. Xavier's in Lucknow was probably the source for La Martiniére.

Hopkirk does an excellent job in setting Kim into the Great
Game-the Russo-English rivalry over Afghanistan and the Anglo-French rivalry over the India trade. Throughout the book he also discusses whether Kipling was a racist or not. Unlike many critics who would judge Kipling by today's standards, Hopkirk tries to judge him the mores and values of Victorian England.

Book Description

Following the success of Tolkien's World, this new collection of shining illustrations inspired by the work of J.R.R. Tolkien is as beautiful and unique as its predecessor.

This breathtaking four-color volume is designed in a deluxe, oversized format, and includes paintings from a diverse group of international artists. Each picture is accompanied by text from the relevant passage in Tolkien's fiction as well as a personal statement by the artist about the inspiration and influence J.R.R. Tolkien has had on their work.

Includes works by an electric group of artists, both famous and up-and-coming:

Alan Lee, renowned for his atmospheric interpretations of folklore and legend, as well as his stunning illustrations for The Lord of the Rings
John Howe, creator of many Tolkien book covers and acclaimed for his powerful representations of the landscapes and peoples of Middle-earth
Ted Nasmith, known for his classically accurate and dramatic pictures
Inger Edelfeldt, illustrator of many beautiful and unusual Tolkien calendars, book covers and posters.

Customer Reviews:

In Regards to Cor Blok.......2006-09-05

As a child, my mother had several LOTR posters produced sometime during the 1970's, first wave Tolkien craze. The paintings in them were some of the most bizarre, highly stylized images I had ever seen, and captured my imagination to this day. I never saw Middle Earth depictions by the same individual again, until 25 yrs later and I was flipping through this book on clearance at a bookstore. It's mostly schlock, your typical "Enchanted World" series, Narnia calendar fodder, and I was just about to put it down when I came across those drawings that had enthralled me all those years ago. They were done by a man named Cor Blok, a Dutch artist who had conceived of his work as something like The Bayeaux Tapestry. Never have I seen such an accurate portrayal of Tolkien's vision. Tolkien was trying to create a mythology for our time, and Blok's art is the visual representation of this mythology. LOTR is not a comic book, it's a saga for the ages. Blok has given a face to these writings with a timeless allure like no other.

Ooops - my husband already had the book.......2005-09-30

I ordered this to get some Alan Lee images to paint on our son's bedroom wall. It turns out my husband already had the book.

Disappointing.......2004-12-05

The idea was good.
The artwork is often good, sometimes superb.

Unfortunately the twit who put this together obviously thought that the massive borders around the selected text was more important than the pictures themselves.

I bought this book for the pictures, that what it is all about, one would think. For a book like this I want to see the best pictures, as large as possible, with the best colour on good paper.

Unfortunately, the largest pictures only occupy one side of a page. There is only one double page spread, instead of many. The bad news is that most pictures don't even fill a single page. Sadly there are many superb paintings in landscape mode that fill less than half of one page. Even portrait mode pictures are often left with a large surrounding of white space.

Also the colour isn't of the very best quality.

This is just not good enough Harper Collins. I hope the editor was sacked. Pictures this good should be treated with respect.

More eclectic and intriguing than its predecessor........2004-11-24

The followup to TOLKIEN'S WORLD: IMAGES OF MIDDLE EARTH, REALMS OF TOLKIEN offers more artistic renditions of (primarily) THE LORD OF THE RINGS. The lion's share of illustrations go to the more famous artists (John Howe, Alan Lee, Ted Nasmith), but there's enough odd detours to make this both a mainstream representation of Tolkien's Middle-earth and a delightfully eclectic collection of art. (Cor Blok's in particular are wonderfully odd, and Tolkien himself approved of Blok's paintings). There are 58 paintings total. Like the previous volume, Tolkien's text accompanies each illustration.

What steps this up above the previous collection is where that one only had 9 artists, and Howe, Lee, and Nasmith contributed 30 of the 60 paintings, REALMS OF MIDDLE EARTH have 20 artists. While the three aforementioned still contributed a lot, REALMS is a much more diverse collection than TOLKIEN'S WORLD, making it a more intriguing package overall. I still like Howe the best. He captures the dark and the light very well. Though I don't agree with all the visual interpretations, alternate points of view are what make books such as this so appealing. It's certainly quite a book.

THE LORD OF THE RINGS is the primary focus of this book. 44 of the 58 paintings come from LOTR, including Howe illustrating THE RETURN OF THE SHADOW, Vol VI of HISTORY OF MIDDLE EARTH, and MORGOTH'S RING. There are 12 illustrations depicting THE HOBBIT. There are 2 by Howe illustrating UNFINISHED TALES and MORGOTH'S RING. No other works are represented. THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING has 18 paintings (including Howe's illustration from RETURN OF THE SHADOW). THE TWO TOWER has 18 paintings. THE RETURN OF THE KING has 8 paintings.

These are the illustrators, with the list of paintings and from which book they are illustrating. Most have biographical blurbs in the book's back; those that don't are noted.

Nicholas Bayrachny: 3 paintings from The Hobbit. "Gollum." "The Great Goblin." "Beorn."

Cor Blok: 4 paintings, three from LOTR and one from HOBBIT. "The Game of Riddles." The Hobbit.
"Frodo's Vision" The Fellowship of the Ring. "Battle of the Hornburg." "The Mumak of Harad." The Two Towers.

Maura Boldi (no biographical blurb): 1 painting from LOTR. "The Swan-ship of Lorien." The Fellowship of the Ring.

Alessandra Cimatoribus (no biographical blurb): 1 painting from LOTR. "Treebeard." The Two Towers.

Lode Claes: 3 paintings from LOTR. "The Mirror of Galadriel." "The Gates of Moria." The Fellowship of the Ring. "The Nazgul." The Return of the King.

Inger Edelfedlt: 2 paintings from LOTR. "Gollum Held Captive by the Elves." The Fellowship of the Ring. "Treebeard." The Two Towers.

Fletcher: 2 paintings from LOTR. "Gandalf's Escape from Orthanc." The Fellowship of the Ring. "The Lord of the Nazgul Enters the Gates of Gondor." The Return of the King.

Tony Galuidi: 2 paintings from LOTR. "Balin's Tomb in Moria." The Fellowship of the Ring. "Sam and Shelob." The Two Towers.

Stephen Hickman: 2 paintings from LOTR. "The Black Rider." The Fellowship of the Ring. "The Siege of Gondor." The Return of the King. "Siege" is notable because it's the only illustration that takes up two full pages, and is the last painting in the book.

John Howe: 8 paintings, 4 from LOTR, 1 from Unfinished Tales, 1 from The Return of the Shadow, 2 from Hobbit. The "A Hobbit Dwelling." "Smaug." The Hobbit. "Gandalf and the Balrog." "Galadriel." The Fellowship of the Ring.. "Gandalf Approaches the Guarded City." The Return of the King. "Ulmo, The Lord of the Waters." Unfinished Tales. "Ungoliante and Melkor." Morgoth's Ring. The only two paintings in this collection representing Silmarillion legendarium. "Gandalf Comes to Hobbiton." The Return of the Shadow (Volume VI in The History of Middle-earth. Rough drafts of The Lord of the Rings.)

Timothy Ide: 3 paintings from LOTR. "The Prancing Pony." The Fellowship of the Ring. "Theoden's Charge at Helms' Deep." "Treebeard and the Ents." The Two Towers.

Michael Kaluta: 3 paintings from LOTR. "Legolas Draws the Bow of Galadriel." The Fellowship of the Ring. "The First Stroke of Lightning at Helm's Deep." The Two Towers. "Eowyn and the Lord of the Nazgul." The Return of the King.

Alan Lee: 7 paintings from LOTR. "The Black Riders." "Rivendell." The Fellowship of the Ring. "The Taming of Smeagol." "Theoden's Hall." "The Dead Marshes." "Two Orcs." "The Black Gate is Closed." The Two Towers.

Capucine Mazille: 3 paintings from The Hobbit. "Riddles in the Dark." "In the House of Beorn." "The Battle of Five Armies."

Luca Michelucci (no biographical blurb): 1 painting from LOTR. "Gandalf and Pippen." The Two Towers.

Eta Musciad (no biographical blurb): 1 painting from LOTR. "Treebeard, Merry, and Pippen." The Two Towers.

Ted Nasmith: 7 paintings from LOTR. "The Attack of the Wraiths." The Fellowship of the Ring. "Through the Marshes." "Pursuit in Rohan." "No Way Down." The Two Towers. "Across Gorgoroth." "The Nazgul." "Departure at the Grey Havens." The Return of the King.

Carol Emery Phenix: 3 paintings, two from LOTR, one from HOBBIT. . "Bilbo Came At It." The Hobbit. "A Conspiracy Unmasked." "A Pleasant Awakening." The Fellowship of the Ring

Gerd Renshof and Ron Ploeg: 1 from The Hobbit. "Bilbo Flies on Eagle's Wings."

Hopefully this has been an informative review. The only strange omission is the front cover art is not in the book. Overall, more eclectic and odd than its predcessor, helped by the fact that three artists did not contribute half the book this time. If you liked TOLKIEN'S WORLD, REALMS OF TOLKIEN is a logical buy.

Mixed "Realms".......2004-11-08

Middle-Earth fan art is in general a mixed bag -- for every glorious painting by John Howe, there's another picture out there that makes Legolas look like a cross-dressing girl. So it's not a surprise that "Realms of Tolkien: Images of Middle-Earth" also has the good, the bad, and the really ugly.

First, let it be known that several pictures by Alan Lee and John Howe are in here. Howe's breathtakingly vivid paintings rather like still photos, including the lovely picture that inspired Peter Jackson's Bag End. Moviegoers will also see other scenes from the films reflected in his pictures. Alan Lee, on the other hand, produces art that is more delicate and muted, relying on detail rather than a sense of action.

Several other artists back them up, and some are quite good -- Ted Nasmith creates colorful, vivid images; his exquisite "Grey Havens" picture is particularly lovely. Inger Enderfeldt's are delicate and classic-looking. Some do well on only some pictures, such as Tony Ide: his rendering of Theoden in battle is pretty good, but his Treebeard picture is bizarre. Same with Fletcher, who does a good job with Gandalf on Gwaihir the eagle, yet makes the fearsome Lord of the Nazgul look like a squat astronaut on a stone horse.

And then there's the really bad stuff. Alessandra Cimatoribus tries to render Treebeard as a sort of stained-glass window, and the result is just weird and squashed. Ita Muscad makes the hobbits look like tots, and Treebeard (see a trend here?) like a giant wrinkly turnip. And Cor Blok is the worst, making childish little sketches with dresses, moon-like faces and stick feet. Worst of all, he makes Gollum look like a duck.

"Realms of Tolkien" doesn't entirely restrain itself to "Lord of the Rings" -- there's also material from "The Hobbit" and "The Silmarillion" here as well. (Although strangely enough, the oliphaunt picture on the cover isn't inside). And along with each picture comes the text from the books that it illustrates, since some pictures (like Lode Claes's "Nazgul") are ambiguous just by themselves.

Starting the book is a one-page biography of J.R.R. Tolkien himself, along with the much-beloved picture of him laughing with pipe in mouth. Fans already acquainted with his life might as well skip it, since it tells nothing new. And at the end of the book are brief biographies of each artist. John Howe, Alan Lee, Timothy Ide, Tony Galuidi, Fletcher, Carol Emery Phenix and Inger Edelfeldt all provide their own anecdotes about why they created Tolkien art.

"Realms of Tolkien" is about two-thirds good or middling, and one third outright bad. And if it introduces individual visions of Tolkien's work, then it's definitely worth checking out.

Realms of Tolkien Images of Middle Earth Cloth First Edition

Average customer rating:

Realms of Tolkien Images of Middle Earth Cloth First Edition
Alan Lee John Howe Ted Nasmith Cor Blok Tony Galuidi
Manufacturer: Harper Collins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000VDLZ2S

Average customer rating:

REALMS OF TOLKIEN Images of Middle Earth
J.R.R. Tolkien
Manufacturer: Eos
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OEWNZC

Customer Reviews:

Graphic SF Reader.......2007-09-03

Another superhero with a long, broken and convoluted history. The version that pretty much everyone is interested in is the redo of the character by Moore in the 1980s.

A Captain Marvel type, Miracleman has forgotten who he is and is living a mundane life with his girlfriend. Dreams of his former superpowered life disturb him.

Eventually an attack triggers his memory, and he remembers the secret word that transforms him into Miracleman.

Miracle Meh.......2007-08-01

This is one of Alan Moore's early works he cut his teeth on, to come up with something much better later. (Namely his book Watchmen which is damn near a comic book masterpiece.) I got bored after reading the first half dozen issues. It's clear Moore was starting to bloom as a realistic, big picture writer (not just cheeseball comic book stereotypes) but ironically Miracleman still idolizes the cheese while it tears it down. Sure it may poke fun at older comics by throwing in segments that look just like them (which are almost impossible to read with their faithfully simulated idiocy of super early comic books) but at the same time Miracleman asks us to buy a story which has just as many modern campy plot devices. In short, if you haven't read Moore, read Watchmen. If you absolutely must explore all his work, then give this a read, (or look for it shared online because the used prices are unfortunately inflated wayyyy beyond the worth of this product due to low supply.)

"You're laughing at my life!".......2005-05-30

From its opening sequence, Alan Moore's Miracleman grabs the reader by the throat and doesn't let go. By turns a spy thriller and a superhero graphic novel, "A Dream of Flying" manages to transcend the grubbiness of the medium it occupies and turn the tired Superman archetype on its ear for a truly terrific story. There's moral ambiguity aplenty in Miracleman's world, and he solves it in ways that a more "real" Superman probably would if he was more of a true character and less of a franchise. Moore has some fascinating things to say about the apotheosis of his hero and this is the beginning of that story. In most of his work, Moore exhibits an obsession with taking his characters to their logical conclusions and Miracleman is no exception - imagine a sort of "last days of Superman" book and you'll have the idea pretty clearly. The next two books are even better, believe it or not, and Neil Gaiman's short stories in book four are better still. This is certainly the coolest and the smartest of the superhero re-imaginings of the eighties, and though it's more influential than is healthy, it's still a great read.

Total garbage.......2004-09-15

This is the kind of comicbook writing done by men who can't write "real" literature but want to be taken seriously despite working in the comicbook field. They take a fun concept and brutalize it in their misguided belief that extra-violent and depressing is the equivalent of "serious" and "mature." I hate to break it to ya, kids, but comicbooks are a genre that defies being taken seriously. I love comicbooks, but they're not serious literature, nor were they ever meant to be. They are escapist fantasy at heart, and wretched attempts at relevance (such as most of Alan Moore's ouevre and all of Neil Gaiman's) are pointless exercises in futility.

Awesome, awesome start to a very memorable series.......2004-05-04

This was a great turn around for a lame, third-generation Superman ripoff character, and it's genuinely tense. Moore has always been great with redefining how superheroes, and this book is no exception. If you can actually score copies of this (it's out of print), I highly recommend it.

Book Description

IBS is one of our nation's most untalked-about ailments, but millions of people - mostly women - suffer from the debilitating condition, one that must be controlled primarily through diet. Contrary to what may sufferers believe, eating for IBS does not mean deprivation, never going to restaurants, boring food, or an unhealthily limited diet. It does mean cutting out such trigger foods as red meat, dairy, most fats, caffeine, alcohol, and insoluble fiber. Heather Van Vorous, who has suffered from IBS since age 9 and gradually learned how to control her IBS symptoms through dietary modifications, collects here 175 recipes she has created over 20 years. IBS sufferers will be thrilled to discover that they can enjoy traditional homestyle cooking, ethnic foods, rich desserts, snacks, and party foods - and don't have to cook weird or special meals for themselves while their families follow a "normal" diet. Eating with IBS will forever revolutionize the way people with IBS eat - and live.

Customer Reviews:

A Wonderful Book --Delicious Recipes!!!.......2007-10-07

Thank You Heather from the bottom of my heart!! I have suffered for 50 years not knowing what was wrong with me. Now thanks to Heather, her wonderful cookbook and her website (helpforibs.com)I know I am not alone and I am feeling better everyday plus I have lost 30lbs without even trying. If only the Medical Community would wake up and listen to their patients so many would not have to suffer anymore!

Good guide, but the recipes are too time consuming.......2007-09-25

I bought this book after reading the guidelines on the author's website. I'm a college student who was just recently diagnosed, so I was looking for recipes I could make for my new lifestyle. From what I tried, and from reading through the rest of the recipes, it's all very time consuming. Her suggestions aren't very practical for the average American.

For example, I made Will's Lemony Rice Pudding... it took me a few hours to make, and required my constant attention. She suggests to make a double batch to eat through out the entire week, and hyped the recipe up to being this delicious pudding. I found it bland, couldn't even figure out how to improve it, and I didn't even eat it all.

If you're looking for a diet to relieve your ibs symptoms, just follow what's on her site. Don't bother to buy the book, there's plenty of pre-existing recipes that already follow the guidelines, or ones you can change slightly. Just get the basics down, and you're good to go.

If anything, request the book from your local library system for the more detailed guidelines and a few recipes.

Delicious!.......2007-08-09

I discovered this cookbook at a group meeting for IBS sufferers. The leader had checked it out of the local library and brought it to show along with other books and materials so we could learn to manage our health better. I actually have Crohn's disease, not IBS, but the symptoms are very similar. I checked this out of the library, tried some of the recipes, and after I had to return the book, bought my own. I keep trying new recipes from this book and my husband and I are loving them. So far, every recipe but one we have loved and now has been a regular on our plates. (The one we didn't care for was the smoky squash soup with either butternut or pumpkin or something like that.) The gingerbread is fabulous and I love the garlic skillet potatoes. I can tolerate dairy, so I often use 2% milk instead of the soy, but these recipes are really delicious. This purchase was for my sister-in-law who has recently been diagnosed with IBS.

Very Helpful.......2007-07-09

I found this book to be helpful to me. It made me feel as if I'm not alone in this battle against IBS. It also helped me to understand that doctors do not have all the answers. I've had IBS for over 20 years - and it changes all the time. Some things I can only eat every once in awhile, others not more than two times in a row. I still make mistakes on my eating habits - it is a changing process and it can be depressing. I try and eat only those things that agree with me and my bowels. :)

Fight IBS.......2007-04-01

If you battle IBS, then this book will change your life with its understandable information and appealing recipes.

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