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From the very start, we know that many of the characters in Kathleen Cambor's haunting first novel will die before it's over. This lends a sepia-toned dignity to what is already a fairly somber tale. In Sunlight, in a Beautiful Garden tells the story of the Johnstown flood of 1889, in which over 2,000 people--mostly working folk, who had no say in the erection of the ill-considered South Fork dam--lost their lives. The author has enlisted a large cast, including real-life plutocrats Henry Clay Frick and Andrew Carnegie. But her focus remains on such fictional characters as Frank Fallon, a Civil War veteran enjoying a brief, platonic affair with the town librarian; his son Daniel, a labor organizer; and Nora Talbot, the science-minded daughter of a middle-class lawyer who comes to believe that the dam, built to create an upper-crust aquatic playground, is in danger of flooding the town below.
Cambor excels at depicting both the minor joys and the major tragedies in her characters' lives. Frank Fallon and his wife Julia, for example, have lost both of their children to diphtheria:
It meant something to Julia to be the one to wash the bodies before the undertaker came. To leave Caroline's sickbed long enough to tend to her two younger children. To fill the basin with water warmed by the wood stove, to smooth the hair, to touch and trace their flesh one last time, memorizing them again, as she had right after she had birthed them. Touching toes, chin, the curled cusp of ear, the rounded mound of cheek, the dips and promontories of their supple spines. Frank couldn't bring himself to watch.
Devotees of the historical novel will warm to Cambor's judicious use of period detail and her exacting prose, but may wish she had placed less emphasis on foreshadowing. We are told one too many times that the privileged men who built the dam had no interest in its structure or safety: "Someone should have been watching." On the other hand, Cambor has the good narrative sense to confine the flood itself and its horrific aftermath to the final pages of the book. There we are also given a glimpse of Nora Talbot in later life, marked by her youthful love affair with Daniel and by the waters that were--in every sense of the phrase--to part them. --Regina Marler
Book Description
In Sunlight, in a Beautiful Garden is the story of a bittersweet romance set against the backdrop of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania, flood -- a tragedy that cost some 2,200 lives when the South Fork Dam burst on Memorial Day weekend, 1889. The dam was the site of a gentlemen's club that attracted some of the wealthiest industrialists of the day -- Henry Clay Frick, Andrew Mellon, and Andrew Carnegie -- and served as a summertime idyll for the families of the rich. In Sunlight, in a Beautiful Garden imagines the lives that were lived, lost, and irreparably changed by a tragedy that could have been averted.
Customer Reviews:
a great historical novel.......2006-05-05
When I bought this book, I thought I would become more knowledgable about the Johnstown flood, the damage it caused, the nationwide horror such a huge disaster brought about. Instead, the story reminded me of my own area, how class and money still affect both our personal life and the structure and function of the community today, just as in 1889. The community I live in is very similar to the socially stratified area Ms Cambor wrote about in the book. The rich, newly arrived in the last 20 years and drawn by the natural beauty of our area, live in expensive condos or McMansions built on land once occupied by farms or modest homes. They have (and want) no connection to the existing social structure, yet their dollars and political influence seem to rule every facet of our existance, the inflated cost of housing and goods, driving out of industry in the name of beautification at the expense of the decent paying jobs which existed a few decades ago, raising property taxes to pay for amenities not desired by the locals, and which locals cannot afford to pay for. On the site of a large concrete plant which had operated for a hundred years, a developer recently created a huge development of homes for the super-rich, built on LOTS that started at $1 mil. It is fenced, gated, and patrolled to keep out the riff-raff. Locals can only come in to perform services. Seduced by big money, local government allowed the development to be pushed though without abating the toxic effects of displaced concrete byproducts (ph levels the same as houshold bleach) on the beautiful surrounding waterways. Now the rich and famous own multi-million dollar properties on waterfront which is vitually unusable, while plumes of contaminated water extend into Lake Michigan. I am sure that every person who reads this book will be struck by a different aspect, because it is a very multi-faceted work. If you are looking for romance, social conscience, and a very humanistic introduction to the late 1800s, this book will appeal to you. If you enjoyed this book, you might also like "Vindication" by Frances Sherwood, another very well written novelized history.
Just OK.......2004-05-17
As a history prof, I see lots of other historical novels that put this one to shame.
Tragedy.......2003-10-28
The attention of many of the professionals of the state of Johnstown is being attracted to the Dam of Johnstown, near a very large lake. One of the professionals of the state, a lawyer, James Talbot, tells his business manager that the dam is very weak and should be closed down until it undergoes restructuring, for the safety of the people. However, his business manager disagrees with him, justifying himself with the point that, under the Dam are the town's most wealthy people, vacationing in the Clubhouse. He did not want to inconvenience those people due to their wealth and power. Thus, the Dam remained open, to James' disgust.
In Boston, this drew the attention of one young engineer, Mr. Morris, and he began professionally restructuring the dam, strengthening it. Yet, there was a danger and risk involved. If the water reached a certain level inside the dam, it would flood and burst, endangering the lives of the people of Johnstown. After about fifty years, in 1879, the Dam once again began failing, and fell, once again, into very poor condition. Many contractors bought the Dam, to the delight of the Dam's previous owners. All the previous owners wanted most was to get the Dam out of their hands, to be free from responsibility of it, they saw it as a bother. Therefore, when one man went to buy it off of another owner, that owner would be very happy to be free of it. Unfortunately, though contractors bought the Dam, none ever took the responsibility of maintaining it. Instead, they poured out all their energies and money into providing more comfort for the already wealthy environment of the Clubhouse, for the enjoyment of the people. That money could have been invested into repairing the dangerous Dam that was in very faulty condition. No one knew what dangers this Dam could have brought to the people below, monumental dangers.
In the times of the rains, all of Johnstown was flooding. The lake underneath the Dam was flooding as well. Therefore, there was not enough room for the water released from the Dam to fall into, and instead, it would flood into the rest of the town. This is exactly what happened. In 1889, the Dam reached its maximum height, and burst, throwing millions of tons of water into Johnstown, and washing the town away, covering it with water. Everything was lost, and this was the end of Johnstown, due to the flooding of the neglected Dam.
None of the main characters that were described in the novel had a specific role in the plot of the story. Instead, they were all submerged into equal roles in the plot. There was a love story surrounding the main event of the bursting of the Dam and flooding of Johnstown. And the novel described many of the relationships the people of Johnstown had with each other. They seemed to be all united into one family. Every one knew each other. I think this bond within the people contributed greatly to the tragedy of the event. For we felt like we were a part of that union, and to see it completely diminished by the flooding is very emotional. Especially regarding the story of the young love between Nora Talbot, a scientist, and daughter of the lawyer who first took part in the Dam, James Talbot, and Daniel Fallon, a son of one of the characters, a veteran, Frank Fallon.
This novel is more like the telling of a historical event. Although it involves tragedy and romance, the story is centered on the historical event of the flooding of Johnstown due to a neglected Dam, because Nora and Daniel's romance was just beginning to flourish after many years of shy and distant encounters, when their lives were unexpectedly ended due to this flooding. Yet, it is good, because it is the combination of a regular novel, because it includes romance, yet involves historical facts, such as this event of the Dam of Johnstown. Therefore, I could recommend it to anyone who likes reading novels, specifically to a more mature audience, since it also has educational aspects to it. It is a novel centered on a historical event. Yet, if one is easily depressed, reading this book may not be a good idea, for it is very tragic to be sentimentally bonded to a relationship in the book, and then see it all diminish so rapidly. Yet, this was to be expected since the beginning of the novel.
Life before an epic catastrophe..........2002-12-15
At the end of the 19th Century, America is a nation of vast opportunity and evolving values, certainly obsessed with the vast fortunes amassed by the likes of Carnegie, Henry Clay Frick and Andrew Mellon. Their private resort above the industrialized town of Johnstown, PA, is a jewel in the crown of the vast wealth of these Robber Barons. The South Fork Fishing and Hunting Lodge features a man-made lake braced by an ill-repaired dam that ultimately imperils the town resting at its valley floor.
Using personal detail to humanize this disaster, Cambor introduces complex characters from Johnstown as well as one family who summers for a brief two weeks each year at South Fork, albeit a family not of the highest level of that very particular pecking order. In Johnstown we meet Julia of the broken spirit and her husband Frank, helpless against life's random cruelties, their proud son Daniel, and Grace, a runaway from an unbearably lonely life. Representing South Fork is the idealistic Nora, a child of fortune who reaches beyond her personal limitations before everything changes forever.
The novel actually ends with the flood, a vast surge of water from the ruptured dam, unleashing death and devastation that Memorial Day, May 30, 1889, obliterating Johnstown in minutes. I confess I wanted more detail about the actual flood and its physical consequences, who survived and who took responsibility. This is but a small complaint in a rich novel of American life on the cusp of a new century, a time when the American Dream still twinkles in the eye of the working man and when hard work promises a guarantee, security for a man's family after a life of labor. Detail is crafted into every page, days lived in hope and reason, pride and dignity. But, lest I wax too nostalgic, their time is cut short by nature's wrath and the enormous cost of privilege for the few. The novel opens with this quote, setting the tone for the quiet unfolding of catastrophe: "I have been watching you; you were there, unconcerned perhaps, but with the strange distraught air of someone forever expecting a great misfortune, in sunlight, in a beautiful garden" (Maurice Maeterlinck). Indeed, such disasters do create a sense of vigilance, of dreams discarded and the sad loss of innocence.
Money begets tragedy, and gets away with it.......2002-09-17
On Memorial Day in 1889, above the town of Johnstown, Pa, the South Fork dam burst nearly wiping out the town itself and many smaller towns downriver. Thousands were killed, livestock decimated and the township's buildings, homes and infrastructure were literally wiped off the face of the earth. Those that survived the initial assault were tested furthur as the cold night bore down on them. Shivering, injured, separated from loved ones, thirsty from the lack of potable water, left without food, desperate for medicine, bandages and clothes, they huddled together praying to make it until morning. While waters swirled around them, the structures they managed to seek refuge in threatened to collapse, casting off the survivors into black, raging waters. Even worse were those trapped inside structures and wedged downstream against the low bridge. Fires had ignited from the still burning stoves of homes knocked off their foundations. Massed in a huge jam, people burned to death and their screams could be heard throughout what was remaining of the town. This was a tragedy of immense proportions.
The real tragedy is that the wealthy men who were ultimately responsible for the maintainance of the dam failed to make the dam safe. The luxury of having a recreational and fishing lake were granted only to those rich enough to afford to vacation at the "club", and the area was strictly denied to any trespassers not registered with the fishing and hunting club. Little to no consideration was given to the THOUSANDS of people below the dam, nor their homes, their animals and their livlihoods. It is inconceivable that such callous disregard existed and that these "important" men got away with such transgressions!!
I guess I should not be surprised, as the foundation was set, and the same kind of disregard exists today as the corporate rich rob and plunder their companies at the expense of the working people.
Skillfully revealed, the author makes no mistake as to who is responsible. Delightfully entertaining, there are intriguing characters to lighten the impact of such a horrific event.
Customer Reviews:
Beautifully illustrated mythology.......2004-12-09
This book is one in Time Life Books' The Enchanted World series. Each of these books covers a different aspect of folklore and mythology, and they are an excellent set. They tell stories in a similar format and complement each other well without repeating the content. Each is about 140 pages. This is a beautifully illustrated well printed volume. Modern and older pictures of dragons appear on almost every page. The history here is visual as well as factual.
Each chapter follows the format of general information and then a fairy tale illustrating that theme. The general information here give a very nice overview of the types of dragons in different cultures and the different myths around their slaying and extinction. Stories are retold in a style that makes for a good read and come from all over the world. Often there will be smaller illustrations and captions in the margins to the main text. These tell variations of the story and related stories from other cultures.
This is a beautifully bound and printed book. The binding is just cloth to collectors, but it is printed to look like a wizard's book. The cover shows a dragon holding a picture of Sigurd slaying the dragon. I think it was the cover that got me reading this when I was child.
Chapters:
Chaos Incarnate: A Field Guide to Dragons
Glittering Gods of the East: A maid who braved the deep
The Serpent Ascendant: Sojourn in a watery realm
Rise of the Dragonslayer: Ancient tales of Persian kings
This is a well researched nicely produced series. For me one book in the series had me hooked. If you are interested in mythology and all things magic then it is definitely worth trying out the series. This book especially, with it's Field Guide to Dragons, should appeal to you. High school and middle school libraries should consider the series.
Very intresting book.......2001-04-17
I read this book in the 5th grade and still enjoy it today. The book gives insight on the myths and legends of Dragons. It has intresting storys from around the world and some ancient eyewitness acounts. The book is easy to understand and even has refrences to diffrent dragons.
Field Guide to Dragons.......2000-01-03
If you love dragons, this is the ultimate guide book. No wizard's library should be without the Time-Life book of Dragons. Learn the difference between a lindworm and a guivre! Find out the sacred tasks of the Chinese dragons! Discover all the uses of a dragon's dream pearl! It's all here. Particularly instructive is the story of the dragon of Lambton Hall. It'll make you think twice about throwing a salamander down the well. I was reading this book at school one day and a boy sitting next to me remarked, "Lucky!" That's how you'll feel when YOU get your hands on the big book of DRAGONS.
Average customer rating:
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Dragons (The Enchanted World)
Manufacturer: Time Life UK
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 General | Mythology | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Fairy Tales | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0705408825 |
Average customer rating:
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The Enchanted World of Dragons (Enchanted World)
Barbara Hayes
Manufacturer: Rourke Pub Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding
General | Fairy Tales, Folk Tales & Myths | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
General | Baby-3 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0865923183 |
Customer Reviews:
Simply Enchanting.......2000-06-19
I am an avid collector of the now hard to find time life "enchanted world" books, and find the bood of dragons to be most delightful. It's Coupeling of classic as well as obscure tails about dragons, as well as vibrant and beautiful illustrations make this book, as well as the others in the series, a must have!
Book Description
Made up of misfit super-heroes with unusual powers andabilities, the Doom Patrol embarked on and endured some of the most bizarreadventures ever imaginable. Assembled in this hardcover volume are theearliest escapades of Robotman, Negative Man, Elasti-Girl, and the Chief.Reprinted as they originally appeared in the 1960s, this archive editionincludes the Doom Patrol's first appearance and origin, as well as theirfirst battles with their greatest adversary, General Immortus, theprehistoric monster menace Dr. Janus, the subterranean Atomic Furies, andthe mutant Animal-Vegetable-Mineral Man.
Customer Reviews:
This title............2007-06-28
deserves the big screen treatment. Far more interesting than the X-Men, this is the story about a group of people who become superheroes through no fault of their own (its the result of machinations from somebody, but you'll have to read the series to find out), and how they deal with being "different". Negative Man, Robotman and Elastigirl are three of the most tragic figures ever to grace the comic page and their stories are far more pathetic than anything in X-Men(not that I don't like X-Men). Read the series. You won't be disappointed.
A Unique Mix of Absurd Super-heroics and Sharp Character-Drama.......2006-08-17
They were four damaged people: Rita Farr, a beautiful actress who, while shooting on location, was exposed to a gas that gave her the power to vary her height; Larry Trainor, a daring test-pilot who flew through a belt of radiation, and come through with the ability to release an embodiment of negative energy, but only for a minute at a time; Cliff Steele, a race-car driver, until the crash that destroyed everything but his brain, which was transferred into a robot body, and; Niles Caulder, the brilliant genius who brought these people together as a force for good. They are Elasti-Girl, Negative Man, Robotman, and the Chief: the Doom Patrol.
Contrary to popular belief, DC Comics figured out pretty quickly that rival Marvel Comics formula of character-development was something that they needed to infuse into their own line. The problem was that they were very hesitant to do this with their big gun characters: Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, iconic characters that never had any of the problems Spider-man did. However, DC had no problem creating new characters in the Marvel style: fantastic characters with a down-to-earth core.
Perhaps the best example of this approach is the Doom Patrol. This was a team of strong individuals who found themselves possessed of powers that they didn't want. Indeed, for these characters, there was very little hope of ever being normal again. So, they did the next best thing: they fought people who were in worse shape than them, hell-bent on spreading evil.
Arnold Drake's writing made the most of the bizarre premise. The villains were sinister, vile, and above all, quirky. Of course, while General Immortus, the centuries-old genius, was perhaps the team's most persistent enemy, by far their best loved was the Brotherhood of Evil. Led by the Brain, a disembodied brain, and Monsieur Mallah, a surgically enhanced gorilla, the team was the Doom Patrol's counter-part; misfits that sought revenge on the world.
Amazingly, Drake's scripts never stretch credibility to the breaking-point. He stayed within the rules he set for himself, and never forgot that his heroes were suffering, and not always in silence. They pined for normality, they wished for acceptance, they bickered amongst themselves. At the same time, he never let the action get bogged down in the team's personal traumas. Moreover, Drake tailored the stories to spotlight the unique abilities of his characters, while examining the strengths and weaknesses of their individual personalities.
Bruno Premiani's name is not one of those artists who immediately named when discussing comic book greats. He probably should be. As his artwork proves here, Premiani had a strong sense of realism. He made the most of his talented line work, grounding his art with a realistic sensibility that further underscored the bizarre tone of the series. One only need to look at the gorilla Mallah, and the extraordinary detail he paid to the character's design. Truly, Premiani was a craftsman, and deserves much more recognition.
It's not hard to see why, although never a first-string book, "The Doom Patrol" is still remembered fondly today. It was a unique mix of absurd super-heroics and sharp character-drama. While DC recently made some questionable continuity decisions about these characters, they've wisely pulled away from them. So enjoy these wonderfully weird stories.
A wonderful and influential, but sadly ignored, Silver Age masterpiece.......2006-07-11
A group of disgruntled social outcasts with super powers comes under the guidance of a wheel-chair bound genius and is frequently called on to save a general populace they increasingly grow to despise.
You got it...the X-Men, right? Nope. The Doom Patrol.
The comparisons are immediate and striking (The Chief/Professor X, The Brotherhood of Evil/The Brotherhood of Evil Mutants), and given that Doom Patrol actually predated the X-Men by several months, one has to wonder if Stan the Man and the merry men at Marvel didn't pass out a few copies of Doom Patrol at editorial meetings.
But to the stories themselves: the characters are great. The heroes find that their powers have literally ruined their ability to lead normal lives. They are resentful. They find code names stupid and embarrassing and call each other by their first names. Even in attempting to forge relationships with each other, they frequently fail due to shattered self-confidence over their own perceptions of themselves as nothing more than freaks. Remember kids, this wasn't written in the 80's or 90's. This was written in 1963!
Arnold Drake's scripts are hokey by today's standards, with what can be called B-movie dialogue and plots. However, once you accept them on that level (don't look for the gritty realism of the 80's or 90's), they are great fun. Bruno Premiani's artwork is simply excellent, at places it reminds me of Brian Bolland. I agree that it is simply unfathomable that Premiani is not held in more esteem.
While X-Men became a mass market phenomenon, Doom Patrol has had what can be charitably called a star-crossed publishing history. No incarnation of it has ever lasted, although Grant Morrison gave it a great run in the early 90's which I recommend to anyone. Somehow, though, this is sadly appropriate for Arnold Drake's original vision of the quintessential unhappy super heroes. They just never got popular enough to sell out.
The next time you see Hugh Jackman or Patrick Stewart onscreen, or walk past the endless rows of X-Men compilations in a comic book store, do yourself a favor and find the DC section and introduce yourself to these characters. Take the Doom Patrol challenge: go for the original.
Better than the Original X-Men! And did it inspire the New X-Men? Hmmm...........2005-07-26
These stories are some of the best silver age superheroics you will ever read. Though much as been made of the parallels between the Doom Patrol and the X-Men (the two debuted almost simultaneously, and with many things in common), the original Doom Patrol was on another level creatively. The early X-Men stories were romps, but the Doom Patrol had texture.
In fact, it could be strongly argued that when Chris Claremont reformulated the "All-New, All-Different" X-Men in the late seventies, that he drew obvious inspiration from how DC done it in the sixties with the Doom Patrol! Certainly, the New X-Men read much more like a revitalization of the Doom Patrol than of the original X-Men.
Make up your own mind.
Intriquing Attempt at DC.......2005-03-10
Doom Patrol, as represented in the first volume of their Archives Edition, was an interesting attempt in the 1960s at DC to expand the notion of what makes a super-hero, along with Deadman, Challengers of the Unknown, Eclipso, and Metamorpho (most of these heroes created by Bob Haney, the author behind the Doom Patrol). Their resemblance to the X-Men is obvious although DC was never able to create an environment where the oddball heroes fit in as well with Superman, Batman, et al, whereas the X-Men never seemed out of place in the Marvel universe. But Doom Patrol's biggest weakness was its lack of stand-out villains. The X-Men had Magneto and his Brotherhood of Evil Mutants while the Doom Patrol struggled along with General Immortus and the Brotherhood of Evil. The Doom Patrol stories are still quite charming, though, and show great promise for what could have been. It was an adventurous experiment at DC to create a team of outcast heroes that is worth checking out.
Book Description
Cook well, eat well, and feel great. Williams-Sonoma shows you the way with Essentials of Healthful Cooking. This teaching volume takes a broad look at cooking healthfully, focusing not on excluding ingredients from a cook's repertory, but using ingredients creatively for maximum freshness, flavor, and nutrition. The book includes over 130 tempting dishes, with an emphasis on classic recipes that are modified for the healthful kitchen. Full-color photography showcases the finished dishes. Authors Mary Abbott Hess, Dana Jacobi, and Marie Simmons are highly regarded cooking experts with a flair for healthier fare. A nutrient guide and recipe analysis support the emphasis on quality eating.
Customer Reviews:
5 Stars +++++! LOVE!.......2007-06-10
I love this book! Every week when I compile my meal plan/shopping list & this book is always involved! My husband has enjoyed everything so far as well! Enjoy!
fantastic!.......2007-04-28
beautiful pictures, love the format, not quite as skimpy as some william sonoma books. this is isn't a quick recipe book, but if you have some extra time, there are some fantastic recipes. it is worth it just for the red pepper lasagna, and the eggplant was yummy too. i don't recommend the eggplant cannelloni, however!
Great Cooking!.......2007-03-07
This book has really great recipes. There are some simple recipes as well as those that are more time consuming. You have to enjoy cooking, which I do...and you have to want to be in the kitchen for at least 45 min. in order to prepare the meals. They turn out to be so delicious; it's definitely worth the time and effort especially if you're trying to keep a healthy eating habit. The portions aren't rediculously large and the taste is definitely satisfying! This book is highly recommended by me
Great and tasty recipes.......2006-08-22
Williams Sonoma Essentials of Healthful Cooking: Recipes and Techniques for Wholesome Home Cooking (Williams-Sonoma Essentials) not only gives you wonderful and delicious recipes, but also some great tips on how to eat healthy, how to clean and prep your foods. I give this cook book 5 stars! Enjoy!!!
Best Healthful Cookbook.......2006-08-03
Some of the recipies in this cookbook require more "prep" time, but in the end it is well worth the effort. My husband and I are still working our way thru the cookbook.
Books:
- In Transit: An Heroi-Cyclic Novel (Irish Literature Series)
- Incidents in the Rue Laugier
- Kafka's Curse: A Novel
- La Prisonniere
- LA Vida De Las Plantas (Mundo Invisible)
- Labs of Deception
- Ladies and Gentlemen, the Original Music of the Hebrew Alphabet and Weekend in Mustara: Two Novellas (Library of American Fiction)
- Leah's Way: One Woman's Search for Justification and Love
- Lost Geography: A Novel
- Lying with the Enemy: A Novel
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