Amazon.com
It's easy to tease out the serious themes in Ivan Klima's novel of ideas--religious belief vs. earthly love; freedom vs. responsibility; skepticism vs. belief; and the burdens of the Communist past vs. those of the capitalist present. But The Ultimate Intimacy is far more than a metaphysical point/counterpoint. Klima's exploration of one crucial year in the life of a good minister, who discovers that truth and passion can be all too distant, is no simple construction. Born in 1944 and having grown up in Czechoslovakia in a time "when hate was publicly proclaimed as something necessary," and now living in an era in which "having a good memory tends to be a disadvantage," Daniel Vedra is determined to live according to the Biblical certainties he proclaims. Alas, at a particularly low point following his mother's death he is distracted by a mysterious (and beautiful) churchgoer, and the two are soon entangled. In lesser hands the situation might be incredible or, at best, credible but hackneyed. In Klima's complex narration, however, Daniel's crisis becomes a powerful drama of faith and, perhaps, salvation.
Customer Reviews:
Horrible translation.......2003-06-21
It's unfortunate that Klima's brilliance is translated so poorly in this edition. I wish I could read the original Czech version. But the novel was engaging and contained good insight about human relationships. Portions were greatly worded, and had a well-constructed plot. But at times the author lapses into tedious unnecessary narrative. Overall a good read and a nice introduction to the genre.
surprisingly readable for its subject.......2001-11-10
THis was the first book by Ivan Klima that I read and based on the back cover description I picked it with a little doubt--will it be one of those haughty books that try to explain the meaning of life, love and faith in a language that nobody can understand or care to. But it was not.
The novel is about a married pastor who falls in love with a married woman. Tormented by the deception he lives in, contrary to everything he has preached and believed in, he begins to question everything around him--his relationship with his family, his wife, his dead parents.
Through the eyes and words of the pastor, his wife and kids, his lover and her husband and other characters in the book, the reader is forced to think about some major issues: What is love? Are we always looking for an excuse to justify our not always perfect judgements? How do you adjust in a time when moral values in a society change (the novel takes place in the early nineties, when the Czech republic is on its painful way to recovery from communism and rediscovering itself)?
Yet, Klima manages to discuss all these issues and more in a very palpable way, without turning his book into a philosophical treaty. The characters of Dan (the pastor), Hana (his wife), Bara (the lover) and Samuel (the lover's domineering husband) are very well developed and portrayed with all their insecurities, doubts, emotions and loyalties.
Ultimately Indifferent.......2000-11-07
Ivan Klima is an astonishing man. His writings are usually fabulous. Being a Terezinstadt survivor, a Samizdat writer and distributor, his history is the material of a life larger than fiction. Perhaps that is why I found this book so disappointing. It is a nice, long read, but in the end, I found myself rather unconnected to the characters, and tired of the drum-beating of the intimacy concept... weary of the book. The resulting effect was, for me as a reader, a great distacing and lack of intimacy with the characters, and the novel itself. This makes the title rather ironic. The novel was very sterile, the characters were unappealing and hard to feel anything for. I don't know if I liked or disliked any of them enough to muster up sufficient passion to say anything powerful about the book, except that I was glad it was over. I should have probably stuck with Klima's earlier works, or the likes of Bohumil Hrabal and Josef Skorecky. Some Czech critics say that older Samizdat writers like Klima can get away with writing anything these days, on the weight of their name/history alone. I think this book is proof of that.
Masterfully narrated tale of vows broken/boundaries crossed.......2000-05-16
Where so many texts can only provide a cursory glace at an issue, four major thematic concerns are masterfully probelmatized in this novel. These are love, religion, politics and the family. The focus falls primarily upon a pastor and the ensuing amorous relationship he has with a woman who attends his service one day. What follows is an at time heart-wrneching history of a woman whose abusive huband leads her to feel lonely and incomplete and the relationship she has with the pastor. He (pastor)is married to his second wife, whose only shortcoming is that she will never equal his first wife.
Equal time is spent exploring the Pastor's ministry to a drug user/dealer and his search for his father who was abducted by the secret police years earlier. However, we are always anxiously waiting to to see what is going to happen between the Pastor and his mistress.
Of particular interest is one literary convetion employed by the author. That is, readers are invited to read the Pastor's diary as well the written correspondance between him and his lover as well as those between him and friends and family. These draw the reader into the inner thoughs of the protagonists, asisting the narrative voice in its duties.
Love In Context.......2000-05-12
The best book by Klima. Is well paced and carries a perfect tone that allows a somewhat incredible tale to seem very real and very tragic. A wonderful book about love and humanity first, politics and religion second (the way life should be, right?).
Average customer rating:
- "Men aren't from Mars, Women aren't from Venus"
- Really opened me up to the world of men!
- A must read!
- Become a Conscientious Objector in the Battle between Sexes
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Beyond the Blame Game: Creating Compassion and Ending the Sex War in Your Life (The Ultimate Beginner Series : Basic)
Dmitri Bilgere
Manufacturer: MPC Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 Interpersonal Relations
| Relationships
| Health, Mind & Body
| Subjects
| Books
Love & Romance
| Relationships
| Health, Mind & Body
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Self-Help
| Health, Mind & Body
| Subjects
| Books
Success
| Self-Help
| Health, Mind & Body
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Psychology & Counseling
| Health, Mind & Body
| Subjects
| Books
Marriage & Family
| Sociology
| Social Sciences
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Parenting
| Parenting & Families
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0961317736 |
Customer Reviews:
"Men aren't from Mars, Women aren't from Venus".......1999-05-28
is what this book should be called. I really feel closer to women having read this, I realize now how much more alike we really are, even though we sometimes see the world differently. The author is clear, has depth, and really makes a lot of sense about bringing men and women together in a world of books that make men and women seem like strangers from different worlds.
Really opened me up to the world of men!.......1998-11-18
I didn't realize how much trouble _I_ caused in my relationships with men! Like most women, I wanted to improve my relationship, and the author is so gentle and non-shaming, yet at the same time really was able to get to the bottom of what was holding my relationship down. I didn't realize how easy it could be have my relationships with men get better--I feel a lot closer to men now. I haven't seen anything else like this book.
A must read!.......1998-10-28
Bilgere hits a nerve in the field of gender issues. Beyond The Glame is much more impactful than anything I've ready by Robert Bly, John Lee, Robert Moore, or other pop psychologist. This book opens up new worlds of understanding between men and women. After reading the book, I began relating to my girlfriend differently. That is to say, we began getting a long in a new way, with increased vitality, communication, and understanding between us. I never knew what triggered my negative emotions, or outbursts of anger in conflicts. This book has shed light on how I blame women, and others for my problems and don't take responsibility. I recommend men and women read this book as a means to create love and acceptance between the sexes.
Become a Conscientious Objector in the Battle between Sexes.......1998-04-22
While both men and women now better understand women's experiences (thanks to a clear and consistent voicing of the feminine perspective by women), that understanding has not cooled the war between the sexes. Dimitri Bilgere contends that the escalating battle indicates that understanding only one perspective simply intensifies the fighting.
He argues that the sexes will give up "the blame game" only when both women's and men's perspectives are voiced, heard, and dealt with.
In his book Bilgere shows:
how to understand and heal stereotypes that shame men and harm women;
how to stop unconsciously stimulating behaviors you hate most in the opposite sex;
how to stop blaming others--and yourself--for the problems in your life.
This book helps women understand men and men understand women. It can help-- instantly and permanently--improve your relationships with the opposite sex.
Average customer rating:
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ANNE HOOPER'S ULTIMATE SEXUAL INTIMACY
ANNE HOOPER
Manufacturer: DORLING KINDERSLEY
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Sex
| Health, Mind & Body
| Subjects
| Books
| General
| Psychology
| Sex & Religion
| Sex Instruction
General
| Health, Mind & Body
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0751303496 |
Book Description
"INTIMACY: Love's Ultimate Reward," is a book/CD release. The CD is fastened to the inside back cover of the book. In his book, which was inspired by the lyrics to the songs on his 10 song CD, "My Everything," P.J. chronicles the often tumultuous events of his 30+-year marriage and then goes on to make suggestions to people who want to learn how to enrich and strengthen their own relationships.
P.J.'s website will feature an interactive forum, excerpts from his book, samples of the songs on the CD, an events calendar and liner notes for the CD.
Average customer rating:
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Sensual and Sexual Pleasure: How to Achieve Ultimate Balance and Harmony in Your Life (Yinyang Life Guide)
Linda Doeser
Manufacturer: Rodale Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Self-Help
| Health, Mind & Body
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Sex Instruction
| Sex
| Health, Mind & Body
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Sexuality
| Psychology & Counseling
| Health, Mind & Body
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Health, Mind & Body
| Subjects
| Books
Marriage & Family
| Sociology
| Social Sciences
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
Culture
| Sociology
| Social Sciences
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
New Age
| Religion & Spirituality
| Subjects
| Books
| Astrology
| Chakras
| Channeling
| Divination
| Dreams
| General
| Goddesses
| Meditation
| Mental & Spiritual Healing
| Mysticism
| New Thought
| Reference
| Reincarnation
| Self-Help
| Theosophy
| Urantia
| Visionary Fiction
ASIN: 0875969410 |
Book Description
a yinyang life guide
senxual & sexual pleasure
Sensual and sexual pleasure can be the ultimate harmonizing of yin and yang, the female and male energies. This open and intimate guide shows you how.
This special two-in-one format book offers more than 100 yin and yang suggestions for enjoying meaningful and creative intimacy with your partner.
The book shows you how to enjoy the rewards of complete physical harmony, based on the ancient Taoist philosophy of yin and yang energy.
This YinYang Life Guide offers ideas that really work. It's the ultimate guide to good loving.
Average customer rating:
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The Ultimate Intimacy
Harley Schmitt
Manufacturer: CSS Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Religion & Spirituality
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Spirituality
| Religion & Spirituality
| Subjects
| Books
Inspirational
| Spirituality
| Religion & Spirituality
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0788016466 |
Product Description
(From title page) Summary: Intimacy; Sexual liberation and fulfillment.
Average customer rating:
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Ultimate Intimacy: The Psychodynamics of Jewish Mysticism
Mortimer Ostow
Manufacturer: International Universities Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Interpersonal Relations
| Relationships
| Health, Mind & Body
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Psychology & Counseling
| Health, Mind & Body
| Subjects
| Books
Psychoanalysis
| Psychology & Counseling
| Health, Mind & Body
| Subjects
| Books
Mysticism
| Judaism
| Religion & Spirituality
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Philosophy of Religion
| Philosophy
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0823666867 |
Average customer rating:
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Ultimate Intimacy
Ivan Klima
Manufacturer: GRANTA BOOKS
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000GLY9H8 |
Customer Reviews:
Wayne Breaux Cannot Draw, But He CAN Write.......2006-12-30
For some reason, Palladium Books relies heavily on an untalented artist to fill its pages with mediocre art. Wayne Breaux is that artist and he must work for cheap because he's featured in almost every book. His art inspires backwash of stomach acid and the disgusted aversion of eyes that accompanies any glance at the aftermath of a train wreck.
The text parts, though, are good. There are tons of aliens and they're grouped well into categories like dog-type aliens, humanoid aliens and so on. I enjoyed reading the text and using the alien races in my campaigns as much as I loathed seeing the scrawlings and scrapings called "art" on each page. Just get the book and white-out the art. You'll thank yourself for it everytime you open the book.
Excellent resource for RIFTS.......2000-09-02
My friends and I use this as Rifts resource regularly. We use the alien races often and the weapons/equipment section, which offers generic items, literally dozens of them, minus the backfrouns and pics, so there's more bang per page. Probably a hundred guns, plus armor, bots. AND.. that means they can be given your own names, etc... This is an all rouns good books, even if I haven't done a great job presenting it. USEFUL INFO for once.
Aliens .vs. Superheroes.......2000-04-07
This is the best accessory to Heroes Unlimited. Everyone who plays superhero games has dreamed of taking the battles and wages of war beyond the planet Earth to Outer Space. Now you can wth the perfect addition and must for Heroes Unlimited players to give a switch and new turn to the game. If you are tired of the same old Superhero saves the city you should run or play this Role-Playing Game. I loved this because it gives new flavor to the Superhero world.
Product Description
Spaceship construction rules. Space travel and combat rules. New skills and skill programs. New alien races, monsters and menaces. More information on old enemies like the Raithenor. More on the Atorian Empire and the TMC. Galactic time-line and overview of the galaxy. Key places and adventure ideas.
Book Description
In All Flesh Is Grass: The Pleasures and Promises of Pasture Farming, Gene Logsdon explains that well-managed pastures are nutritious and palatable—virtual salads for livestock. Leafy pastures also hold the soil, increase biodiversity, and create lovely landscapes. Grass farming may be the solution for a stressed agricultural system based on an industrial model and propped up by federal subsidies. The pasture farming that Gene Logsdon practices can also produce grains, fruits, herbs, mushrooms, and salad greens for human consumption. The book explains historically effective practices and new techniques that have blossomed in recent years for the care and sustenance of horses, cattle, sheep, hogs, and poultry on pasture. Logsdon's warm profiles of successful grass farmers offer inspiration and ideas. His narrative is enriched by his experience as a "contrary farmer" on his own artisan-scale farm.The culmination of a lifetime's experience, this book is vital for owners of small acreages, home food producers, horse enthusiasts, and sustainable commercial farmers.
Customer Reviews:
Good specifics on pasture.......2006-07-29
I liked Logsdon't specifics on the effects of different kinds of pasture. I think he misses an important opportunity with his unstructured grazing--See Joel Salatin's Salad Bar Beef for balance. The intense management of grazing (Salatin) makes a more sanitary environment and eliminates the need for antibiotics. Salatin is indifferent to the choices of grass variety on which Logsdon devotes so much time. The two authors provide complementary perspectives, including different details. Logsdon discusses fencing in some detail--I share his reluctance to depend on electric fence for boundaries-Salatin dismisses it and goes all electric. Both authors are persuasive advocates for grass fed beef.
interesting book.......2006-03-18
I found this book to be well writtten and thought out. It is full of interesting ideas some of which I will be trying myself.
A pleasant surpise!.......2006-02-21
I picked up this book along with a half dozen or so others on small farms, pasture farming, and hobby farms. My intention is to turn 10 or so acres into semi-self reliant, possibly profitable (10 cents more than it cost would be acceptable), low maintenance farm.
What I expected was a book on what grass to plant on X acres, Y numbers of paddocks needed, Z livestock it would support, and how often to move the livestock from one paddock to the next.
What I recieved was wisdom, experience, humor, history, and practical instructions all neatly put together. It gave me a lot of great ideas on what to do for a small farm to make pasture/rotation grazing work.
It covers all the different types of livestock (Cows -Dairy and Meat, Sheep, Goats, Pigs, Chickens), fencing, farm chores, planting, and has chapters dedicated to the grasses, legumes, and grains that are of value to pasture farming.
Mixed in is much humor, practical tips, philosophical ideas on america, and much more.
I was was sorry when I finished the book, and that is saying a lot when you remember that this is a farming book!
It was a pleasure to read. I added three more of Mr. Logsdon's books to my reading list just so I could read some more of his finely written experiences during a lifetime of farming.
For any interested in American agriculture's history and directions.......2006-02-09
All Flesh Is Grass: The Pleasures And Promises Of Pasture Farming is for any interested in American agriculture's history and directions. Author Gene Logsdon believes pastoral farming is a solution for a stressed agricultural system, and explains different techniques and practices past and present which hold the potential for changing and benefiting farming. His own experience as a 'contrary farmer' on his small-scale farm provides a foundation of experience for his tips.
This book will stir up your passion..........2005-08-25
A compelling look at the benefits and solid argument for pasture farming. Skillfully written as if you were engaged in a friendly dialogue with an old friend, you are provided with more than an armfull of knowledge to guide you down the path of true agrarianism with respect to livestock and crop farming. I came away with a clearer sense of the merits of adhering to the natural cycle and relationship between the earth and the farmer. Most importantly, I came away with the notion that farming is best when the farmer provides an environment where the animals can work for themselves - it is more environmentally-friendly, more productive and more economical.
Customer Reviews:
A spell binding journey to rural Wisconsin and worlds beyond.......1998-08-24
A classic Clifford D. Simak, small town middle America is the back drop to an other worldly tale of unparalleled originality. A griping read that thrusts you into the action right from the very first paragraph. Simak has a unique ability to have you turning the pages all night without ever loosing the relaxed atmosphere only he can create. This is a first contact story like no other, no other writer has created so alien aliens which at the same time are so familiar. But the real triumph of this book is the manner in which Simak is able to bring all the characters of small town America to life in such a believable manner. Like many of Simak's books the story is the story of a beginning and leaves you crying out for more and with many questions. This among other things make this book live on long in your imagination. A treat not to be missed.
The strange emerges from the familiar.......1997-11-12
This isn't a bad book, but the ending for me was very unsatisfactory. It's as though the author just stopped writing. Little is resolved. On the whole, though, the book is rich and beautifully written. Again, Simak takes American small town life and fills it with strangeness and wonder. Originality is so apparent-- in so many ways. For instance, who could imagine that some flowers growing by the roadside, transplanted into the garden by an old man, become a window to communicate with the stars? Read it, you'll enjoy it. And you may wish, like me, that it had a better ending.
A study in excellence!.......1997-09-04
Thre IS no author, alive, or dead that can sufficiently portray the otherworldliness of almost ANY SIMAK book; He is a genius of the alternate universe, with absolutely no peers whatsoever!
Average customer rating:
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All Grass Is Flesh
Carol Martin
Manufacturer: Ethnographia Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Contemporary
| General
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 1869846052 |
Average customer rating:
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All flesh is grass & other sermons
A. Lewis Williams
Manufacturer: Link Printing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
Sermons
| Ministry & Church Leadership
| Christianity
| Religion & Spirituality
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: B0006RUAAM |
Average customer rating:
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All flesh is grass (Faculty lectureship)
W. E Dinusson
Manufacturer: s.n.]
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
General
| Agricultural Sciences
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
Animal Husbandry
| Agricultural Sciences
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: B0007G2HP8 |
Book Description
Flavorful slow cooker options for simmering main dishes with beef, chicken, turkey, pork, and more.
A variety of time-saving recipes from one-dish family dinners to crowd-pleasing appetizers.
All recipes list ingredients needed, cook times, nutrition information, and calorie counts.
A special bonus chapter featuring simple and quick-to-prepare 5-ingredient side dishes serve-alongs.
Dozens of recipes for tantalizing slow-cooked desserts.
Customer Reviews:
Book is okay.......2007-05-27
My wife and I have only tried a few recipies (maybe 5), but most of the ones we have tried we haven't really liked. Most of the recipies are for the 3-4 qt slow cookers and we have a 6 qt. slow cooker. Therefore it is kind of hard trying to make the recipie work without it burning.
not impressed.......2007-03-01
I was very disapointed with this book, because it is very american with the ingredients, some of which we dont have in Australia. Also they use a lot of convenient tin and packet foods, which I am trying not to use, because they are full of flavours, colours and preservatives.
Finding similar products in our supermarket took me a long time, and so far havent tasted very good at all. If you want to cook good healthy home cooked food, try another cook book, obviously with a lot more ingredients
Five ingredients and yummy results.......2007-01-25
I was a bit skeptical but I am always looking for simplicity when it comes for dinner so I thought let's give it a try. I hate cooking and quite honestly am not very good at it so crock pot is always my favorite cooking method and 5 ingredients? What could be better!!!!! So far the recipes I have tried have been very tasty. My family really liked the lasagna. I do however sometimes make substitutions. For example when it calls for ground sausage i will usually do ground turkey. But the title says it all 5 recipes and the slow cooker is all you need.
Simple and Good Recipes.......2006-12-16
This is a great slow cooker cookbook, ESPECIALLY for "beginner" slow cooker chefs. I always feel free to vary the recipes (using more ingredients, usually) but they give be a good start from which to base a meal. Also, we travel A LOT in our 5th Wheel (RV) and this is the ONLY cookbook I bring... After a long day outside, we return to the RV and our nice crock pot. The recipe ingredients are easy to keep on hand (canned goods, frozen, etc) and so I can meal plan two-weeks worth of travel food from this cookbook without having to go back to a store in the meantime.
Not a healthly cookbbook....and what's with the tapioca?.......2006-11-03
Out of over 200 recipes, I may try about five. Not only are most high in sodium, German Potato Soup-3860mg per serving, Sausage and Sauerkraut Stew-
3875mg per serving, and others in the 1000 plus range....the recipes are weird! And what's with the tapioca? Who has that as a normal staple? I wish I had saved
my money. If this was QVC or HSN I could return this manual, "How to Ruin Someone's Health" book even though it's been opened.
Books:
- The Winter Zoo: A Novel
- To Err Is Divine
- Trace Elements of Random Tea Parties (Live Girls)
- What Diantha Did
- What Makes Sammy Run?
- Wild Animals I Have Known
- Winter Season: A Dancer's Journal
- Words of Wisdom for Women at the Well: Quenching Your Heart's Thirst for Love and Intimacy
- Y: The Last Man Vol. 9: Motherland
- A Big Elephant Has Been Killed
Books Index
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