Book Description
Victor Baxter is a young boy when a secretive stranger known simply as “the Captain” brings him from his boarding school to London. Victor becomes the surrogate son and companion of a woman named Liza, who renames him “Jim” and depends on him for any news about the world outside their door. Raised in these odd yet touching circumstances, Jim is never quite sure of Liza's relationship to the Captain, who is often away on mysterious errands. It is not until Jim reaches manhood that he confronts the Captain and learns the shocking truth about the man, his allegiances, and the nature of love.
Customer Reviews:
Alone in the world.......2006-07-14
This is a minor novel by Greene, although his major themes are here. It was his last and the feeling that prevails is the loneliness of life, the feeling of being a permanent outsider. Victor is the son of a cruel man and a deceased mother, miserably living in boarding school. On his twelfth birthday, instead of his father a complete stranger shows up to pick him up and take him to lunch and maybe a movie. But instead of returning the boy, the stranger, known only as "The Captain", tells him he has won him at backgammon, and proposes him to go and live in London. Hating boarding school, Victor decides to go to London, where he is placed in a young woman's apartment, to live there as a kind of stepson. The woman is the occasional mistress of the Captain and former lover of Victor's father. Victor adopts the new name of Jim. The Captain, who is obviously a criminal, appears at increasingly longer intervals. In the meantime, Jim and the woman, Liza, develop a kind of mother-and-son relationship. Eventually Jim grows up and becomes a journalist. When the woman dies, Jim looks for the Captain and finds out he is living in Panama, where he travels to meet him. There he discovers the Captain is involved in drug-dealing.
Although this is not at the level of Greene's masterpieces, it is an interesting one to read, because Greene's obsessions are present in a haunting way: moral dilemmas, solitude, the strange relationships we develop with the people our fate brings us close to. Worth a try.
A wonderful surprise.......2005-09-12
Publishers reprinting an author's entire opus are always claiming obscure works have been unfairly overlooked. In the case of "The Captain and the Enemy," that is surely true. Any reader will find all sorts of intrigues in this little-known work. But even for a Greene fan, like me, this was something of a revelation--one also made possible through the brilliant introduction by John Auchard. You'll gain more insight into a complex author from this short novel and new introduction than from three volumnes of most biographies. DGibson from Brooklyn.
Greene's Last Novel.......2003-07-10
I had read a few negative online reviews of this novel, had looked at the the cover (with King Kong standing there), and I had few hopes. I find the book a remarkable book---and just those qualities that some readers disliked were qualities which impressed me. The fact that some characters, most characters here, are not "fleshed out" is just right, for these people exist in a kind of spare landscape of slim hope and love, and they are no more attached to worldly things or even common social interaction, say, Ahab. As much as anything else here (and perhaps because the world depicted is somewhat vaguely suggested), we get the feel of Graham Greene's deep and mature consciousness, for in fact we are roaming around the inside of his mind more than around any landscape populated with Dickensian people (despite what one of the back-cover reviews says). Greene wrote this novel only three years before he died, and I found it a privilege to be in the company of his maturity, his encroaching despair, his sense of bleakness and crassness, all touched by hints of the power of love. It's a book that deserve more attention, and perhaps you need to be a bit older than younger to appreciate it.
Not Greene's best.......2003-05-11
This is not one of Greene's best books, but it is worth a read if you are a fan of his works. About a third of the way through this book I was ready to chalk it up as a major disappointment. The payoff comes late, and when it does it makes the read well worth the time. The last third of the book is a marvelous sketch of relationships and love. Greene really knows how to put the subtleties of life into words.
This isn't a "buyer beware," it's just a "buyer be patient!" The Greene touch is here, you just have to get to it.
Intriguing novel of love and its mysterious ways.......2002-02-11
One of the last novels by Graham Greene, "The Captain and the Enemy" was written in 1988, just three years before the death of the master. Although his prose is as always enjoyable, a little detached and sentimental at the same time, in the novel there seems to be an indication that Greene was aware of the shortcomings of the old age. The books is written in a form of a careless memoir with too many holes in it, no doubt intended ones, considering the contents, but now and then Greene ventures into the reflexive mode of general narration, and I couldn't help but have an impression that I listened to an old man's voice of admission. For a writer, it must not have been easy, but then Greene kept writing all his life, and virtually all of his literary heritage has been revered to this day; a wonder the man had never won the Nobel Prize for literature - another proof that one should not hold too much value in such awards.
In a way, "The Captain and the Enemy" is full of contradictions, whether intended or not, but on the other hand, this small book incorporates all lifelong passions of Graham Greene, where yet again he touches the multidimensional subjects of interest from yet another viewpoint. The book starts in a humorous way, to quickly transform into a good-natured and intriguing story of a small boy whose life is one great patchwork, him not having a fixed place in the world, with all family connections never materializing themselves. The mother - dead as long as he remembers; the father, or 'The Devil' as everyone is fond of saying - loses the boy in chess, or was it backgammon? The boy never seems to unveil that mystery which no one bothers to tell him. Then there is the Captain, the winner of the game, whatever it was, and his woman, Lisa. As you shall see when you read the book, there is no other way to call her, but the woman. Never in the center of the storyline, although incredibly essential for one's understanding of the novel, Lisa enters the story as abruptly as she does exit, leaving us virtually scratching our heads. Such is the whole novel, in fact, full of mysteries, secrets, blanks spaces, only some of which shall be filled in eventually.
One of the greatest strengths of the novel is the portrait of the pair, Lisa and the Captain. Although Greene takes infinite care to never really show us them both, or none of them separately for that matter, it seems to me that the key to understanding "The Captain and the Enemy" lies in letting go of the reader's routine, and the yearning for the full explanation, resolution of all threads, explanation one is used to be spoon-fed with. If you accept the fact that the story leaves much to you, all of those blanks to fill in, patchwork to sew together - you are already well-prepared. However, as much as the details are important, the key is to adopt the narrator's viewpoint, or better, the Captain's, if you dare. Why did they live apart from each other all their life, and why it seemed they loved each other dearly, although there's never any real sign of it? Greene was capable of writing a great love story without having his characters ever mention the subject, nor mouth the four-letter word themselves, for that matter. So far away, and so close.
"I brought up the forbidden word. 'Does he love you?'
'Oh, love. They are always saying God loves us. If that's love, I'd rather have a bit of kindness'" [p. 84]
I finished this four-part novel in one day. At first I enjoyed it immensely, but as I read on, I had more and more trouble understanding its real meaning. As the book progresses, we change the scenery and land in Panama of the late 70s, where another part of the Captain's life is revealed, and the book adopts the flavor of an espionage thriller. As I closed the book, I had mixed emotions, and needed to air my head a bit to at least attempt to grasp the full meaning of this novel. Good literature makes you think, and that we can't deny Greene. His novels slowly grow on you, and leave a long-lasting impression and a desire to come back, one day. Which I shall do, and I wish you the same, dear reader.
Average customer rating:
|
Captain & the Enemy
Graham Greene
Manufacturer: VIKING
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 Greene, Graham
| Classics
| British
| World Literature
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: B000UCYETQ |
Average customer rating:
|
Captain & the Enemy
Graham Greene
Manufacturer: VIKING
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Greene, Graham
| Classics
| British
| World Literature
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: B000QBQ79G |
Average customer rating:
|
The Captain and the Enemy
Manufacturer: Penguin Books Canada, Limited
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Greene, Graham
| Classics
| British
| World Literature
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: B000HWNJVI |
Average customer rating:
|
Captain and the Enemy
Graham Greene
Manufacturer: VIKING
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Greene, Graham
| Classics
| British
| World Literature
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: B000OKI2WY |
Average customer rating:
|
The Captain and the Enemy
Graham Greene
Manufacturer: Lester & Orpen Dennys c1988
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Greene, Graham
| Classics
| British
| World Literature
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: B000ONL494 |
Average customer rating:
|
The Captain and the Enemy
Graham Greene
Manufacturer: New York Penguin 1989.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Greene, Graham
| Classics
| British
| World Literature
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: B000OJ57SW |
Customer Reviews:
how to be a GM.......2003-06-11
If you like to play vampire and like to play often you will eventually run into the problem of the GM and other veteran players getting into fights, moving, getting bored with the game, or getting married. This leads to the break up of groups and then it is necessary to find another group.... or make your own. Some times its hard enough to find other experienced players, much less match up everyones schedule. I think the next best thing to do is teach new people. This is more true to the game anyways. When first embraced the vampires know nothing about kindred society and the powers that vampires wield. This sets you up for a very realistic game.
You know all the times you were playing in someone elses game and thought "I could have done that so much better" here is your chance. BTW Its harder than you ever imagined, but also rewarding when you do a good job. If you just want hack-and-slash vampire campaigns, though, the players handbook has all the info you need. This book is almost too much information but if you want a very complex and detailed story it is highly recommended.
Best Gamemaster Guide out There.......2003-02-03
I have been reading gaming books since I was nine and gaming and gamemastering since I was in Junior High School (I am now a senior in college). In that time, I have read dozens of gamemaster guides for different sci-fi and fantasy worlds. The Vampire guide is the best of all of them, and it is one that everyone running a campaign, Vampire or otherwise, should read. Most gamemaster guides are the same thing as all of the others: they have the same campaign generation and adventure writing advice, the same NPC advice, just with the flavor text appropriate to the game in question added in. The Vampire guide is different. In addition to providing all of the behind-the-shield knowledge relevant to Vampire and its storylines, it also has sections on topics like 'How to deal with Problem Players.' It touches on the interpersonal aspects of gaming in a very blunt manner that all other gaming guides seem too squeamish to handle. Included herein are sereotypical 'problem players' that most of us have seen (or been) at some point and advice on how to deal with each of them. Three clans new to this edition (the Baali, Nagaraja and True Brujah), new advantages (age, military force, arcane) and new disciplines related to the new clans (all with powers detailed up to ten dots) are provided, as well as Vampire history and the like. In the history section, there are tips for gaming in any era from prehistoric to the present. In true White Wolf spirit, there is a good bit of humor in the book. The 'Problem Player' section in particular provided great entertainment.
A great confidence builder for storytellers.......2001-11-18
Until many other role playing games, "The Worlds of Darkness" are story based. Thus the storyteller is the single most important person in the group and players will often join or leave a group based on the personality of the storyteller and their ability to create an intriquing journey. But it is also very challenging to be a storyteller, especially if you are used to the less story-focused role-playing games where the DM or guide focuses on technical matters over characters or plot. This is a great book because it makes a lot of good suggestions, gives some needed guidelines, and also spends a good deal of time being honest about the storyteller's role, power, authority and the dynamics of players in this system. Does it answer every question? No, but it will help you become a better storyteller and everyone in your group will benefit.
IT'S ALL HERE!...mostly...somewhere...........2000-07-25
This helpful book includes information on elders and their society (from ELYSIUM mostly), mechanics for century-spanning chronicles (scattered and without as much detail as in other sources, unfortunately), an informative FAQ section, a section on how vampires interact with other World of Darkness creatures, advice on creating short (tournament size) games and possible alternative settings. There is a discussion about bloodlines including the modern Baali and the Daimonion discipline and material salvaged from SECRETS OF THE BLACK HAND- True Brujah, Nagaraja and their unique disciplines. A chapter covers the Hand's secret history and recent demise as an independent sect. The book offers suggestions for using free-form techniques to make the chronicle less numbers driven and more story driven- alternatives to merits and flaws, game balance treated as giving player characters equal story attention rather than equal powers, etc.
Unfortunately, some material seemed organized in a haphazard way. For example, elder society was in the chapter on vampiric existence but vampiric authority structures and power wielding techniques were over in the storytelling chapter. Things like this made it difficult to get an overall sense of where things were without reference to the index.
In places, it seemed overly long on theory and short on specifics. After reading the section on theme, concept and mood I was thankful that there wasn't going to be a quiz and wondered if this is really something you can learn from a book- especially with only broad suggestions about using music, props and (what'll they think of next!) descriptions. Specific suggetions for darkening a chronicle that seems too "nice" (and the reverse) might also have been more helpful than all the sidebar reminders to keep it cynical.
I found it very useful.......2000-03-17
Welp, this book is like a combination of the dirty secrets of the blackhand and the elysium. I found it really helpful in making elder vampires and dealing with the new changes produced ever since the 3rd edition came out. They had little detail ruling, e.g. does a vampire have fingerprints? Plus some inside information on the changes happening. It describe _a lot_ of the bloodlines and what happened to them, including Baali, True Brujah and Nagaraja. I recommend this book to storytellers, not players.
Customer Reviews:
Infernal goodness from the people who brought you the Sabbat.......1999-02-02
What can you say about this book except.... Wow! This book was good from the very start, but the chapter on Evil Revelations (it's not just a concept anymore!) was pure White-Wolf gold. The new infernal Discipline of Dark Thaumaturgy is just what any storyteller needs to reek havoc in a chronicle. The only thing I really didn't like about this book was the new Vicissitude rules... They were far too confusing without the necessary support. If you're a Storyteller (or ever intend to be), grab this book and its counterpart The Player's Guide to the Sabbat before they sell out. The new books won't be as in-depth, and it would be a shame to lose this classic forever.
Excellent- puts the source in sourcebook.......1998-09-05
I thought that the book was extremely insightful and players- even if they are not sabbat, will learn what it actually means to play one. The only downfall I thought of was that the descriptions of Sabbat rituals weren't detailed enough.
Mmmmm...Sabbaty good.......1998-01-17
A good sourcebook for the Sabbat Storyteller, it leaves some to be desired. It should include the information in the players guide, but leaves out many important features, such as Vicissitude. It is a good sourcebook for one heavily involved in a Sabbat Chronicle though. Just make sure you pick up the players guide to the Sabbat as well.
A sourcebook for VtM Storytellers (White Wolf).......1997-06-29
This book is packed with all the information on the Sabbat that your players shouldn't see. It provides a close look at the dreaded enemy of the Camarilla. I'd seriously say that if the Sabbat is very active in your Chronicle that this book is a good thing to have on hand, even if you don't intend to allow Sabbat PC's. It provides insight into the way these Kindred think, if nothing else
Customer Reviews:
The system is easy and realistic........1998-07-31
I found Vampire: The Masquerade to have one of the best rpg systems on the market. That, plus a plethora of source material, an interesting subject everyone can relate to, and plenty of willing players have made it my game of choice. I mean, who hasn't wondered what it's like to be a blood-sucking night-crawler?
A guide for VtM Storytellers (White Wolf).......1997-06-29
This is a collection of rules, hints, information and essays intended to help the Vampire Storyteller run a better Chronicle. I found it useful for the information on organizing a chronicle and the advice on things to do to make it more entertaining
Average customer rating:
- A good time travel adventure for young readers.
- Great!
- Great!
|
Kat the Time Explorer (Stardust Classics : Kat, No. 1)
Emma Bradford
Manufacturer: I Dolls
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Action & Adventure
| Literature
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Magic
| Science Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery & Horror
| Literature
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Ages 9-12
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Science Fiction
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| Subjects
| Books
Similar Items:
-
Alissa and the Castle Ghost (Stardust Classics : Alissa, No. 2)
-
Kat and the Emperor's Gift (Stardust Classics)
-
Alissa, Princess of Arcadia (Stardust Classics : Alissa, No. 1)
-
Laurel the Woodfairy (Stardust Classics, Laurel No 1)
-
Alissa's Tournament Troubles (Stardust Classics, No 4)
ASIN: 1889514128 |
Book Description
Kat is a curious ten-year-old who finds the perfect vehicle for adventures: a time travel machine. Along with her aunt Jessie, she explores the mysteries of the past. Kat quickly finds that sometimes, history needs a helping hand to come out right. Full color illustrations throughout. Ages 7 and up.
Customer Reviews:
A good time travel adventure for young readers........2005-05-12
This is the first book about Kat in the Stardust Classics series. The Kat books are about a ten-year-old girl and her aunt who have adventures travelling through time.
Ten-year-old Kat Thompson is living with her Aunt Jessie while her parents, who are college professors, spend a year researching in the Amazon rainforest. Jessie is a scientist, and she is working on an invention she found in her house -- a time machine. When Kat learns what Aunt Jessie is working on, she is very excited. But while helping Jessie figure out how to make it work, she accidentally activates the time machine, and she and her aunt are sent back in time. They arrive in London just in time for the Great Exhibition of 1851. Aunt Jessie agrees they can stay a couple of days to see the Exhibition. But then they lose their time machine. If they don't get it back, they will be trapped in the past forever.
This is a charming book that is sure to be enjoyed by young girls who like to read time travel adventures or historical fiction. This book teaches quite a bit about the Great Exhibition and what life was like for people of various social classes in Victorian London. Kat is an appealing character, and I look forward to reading the other three books about her time travel adventures.
Great!.......2000-05-11
This book is about a girl who travels in time to the world fair in England. They lose their time machine. Will they get back to the future?
Great!.......2000-05-11
This book is about a girl who travels in time to the world fair in England. They lose their time machine. Will they get back to the future?
Book Description
Puerto Rican cuisine, with its strong Spanish and African influences, holds a unique position in the world of Caribbean cooking. The food is spicy, hearty, healthy, sensuous, and adventurous. The 240-plus recipes included here range from traditional island dishes and drinks to the latest Nuyorican creations. Fully illustrated, this edition features a new preface by the author.
Customer Reviews:
WOW!!!.......2007-06-21
I am African American and I purchased this wonderful cookbook several years ago. The cover on my book was different than what's shown here, but all I can say is WOW!!! What a pleasure, there were always certain Puerto Rican recipes that I loved and whenever I would ask how to make it I would get "I don't know, I just make it, I don't use a recipe." I always loved the flavor in the beans and never knew how to accomplish the taste, now I know it's sofrito, I now make my own. The description on how to make pasteles is a big positive too. I have a Greek friend and she makes pasteles around the holidays and gives them as gifts. One Puerto Rican guy couldn't believe that a Greek girl made the pasteles. But thanks to Oswald Rivera's fine cookbook it's possible. I especially enjoy his humor and the stories, I feel he's right there in the kitchen with me. I feel contrary to what the other reviewer said about pictures I didn't miss them at all I just wanted these basic recipes for my friends and family to enjoy. BRAVO! Mr. Rivera, you've put a smile on my face.
my bible in the kitchen!!.......2007-04-04
I love this cookbook! It has so many recipes in it. I've tried a number of them and I loved them all. this book is so great. My mom never really taught me how to cook or my grandmom, and what they did show me, I never remembered, I have to use recipes and with this book at my side, I can make everything. My rice is fabulous. My kids love my cooking and they tell me all the time that I should be a chef! :) thanks Mr. Rivera.
pictures please.......2007-01-17
I purchased this book and the recipes sound great but there was no illustration to show you what the dish should look like (very dissappointing). I also found that a lot of the ingredients could only be purchased at "Bodegas" or spanish neighborhoods.
Basic recipes!.......2006-11-03
I was expecting to find more recipes of Puerto rican dishes. However, it does the job in providing you with basic recipes that you can do on a daily basis. I was expecting one for some fancy dish.
Autentico y sabroso.......2006-10-10
We decided we needed some Puerto Rican cookbooks in the house, and Puerto Rican Cuisine is one of them. It really looks like all our abuelitas worked on this great cookbook with Rivera. Quite a few recipes brought tears to my eyes since I haven't eaten them in over six years since my great-grandmother died. We look forward to recreating many of her dishes with the assistance of this book. If you want a simple, authentic Puerto Rican cookbook, this is for your culinary library.
Books:
- The Company of Ghosts (French Literature Series)
- The Dakapa Handbook
- The Elagin Affair: And Other Stories
- The Empty Room: Surviving the Loss of a Brother or Sister at Any Age
- The Enchanted April
- The Encyclopedia of Flower Arranging: Decorating With Fresh, Dried and Pressed Flowers
- The Farewell Symphony
- The Gravity of Sunlight
- The Interloper
- The Iowa Award: The Best Stories, 1991-2000
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- A Class Act: Changing Teachers Work, the State, and Globalisation
- Sew the Contemporary Wardrobe for 18-Inch Dolls: Complete Instructions and Full-Size Patterns for 35
- Harvard Business Review on Leadership in a Changed World
- MCTS Self-Paced Training Kit
- Producing Great Sound for Digital Video
- The Glass Castle: A Memoir
- Multiple Stresses In Ecosystems
- Organizational Theory, New Pay, and Public Sector Transformations
- Introduction to Government and Not-for-Profit Accounting, Fifth Edition
- Beyond Technical Analysis: How to Develop and Implement a Winning Trading System, 2nd Edition
The Man Within (Penguin Classics)
Loser Takes All (Penguin Twentieth-Century Classics)
A Gun for Sale (Penguin Classics)
A Burnt-Out Case (Twentieth Century Classics)
England Made Me (Penguin Twentieth-Century Classics)
