Book Description
A young woman in love with a man torn between his love for her and his incorrigible womanizing; one of his mistresses and her humbly faithful lover -- these are the two couples whose story is told in this masterful novel. In a world in which lives are shaped by irrevocable choices and by fortuitous events, a world in which everything occurs but once, existence seems to lose its substance, its weight. Hence, we feel "the unbearable lightness of being" not only as the consequence of our pristine actions but also in the public sphere, and the two inevitably intertwine.
Customer Reviews:
Oh how it made my heart ache.......2007-09-27
I read this book with a heavy heart and loved every moment of it. I love when a book can affect me so deeply. I felt the pain of the woman in the story and understood her completely. So tragic, yet so good. Thanks Kundera!
Bring a pencil.......2007-09-26
I finished reading this book about a week ago and still haven't been able to put together a review for it. The book is just too difficult to describe in a short review. There are so many philosophical points that Kundera is trying to make, and he never really gets around to answering the difficult questions that he brings up.
At the root of the philosophical inquiry is the question of whether lightness is good and heaviness is bad or vice versa. It's difficult to explain the problem, and that's probably why I can't find the right words to put together a good review for the book.
If you do intend to read it, I recommend having a pencil nearby to keep track of your own ideas and opinions of the problem, not to mention tracking Kundera's own usage of the characters (including the various government systems in which the human characters live) and how the philosophical question is answered for each of them.
I enjoyed the book immensely, but felt that I needed more time (and perhaps a study guide) to really get all the depth of the book.
In life, everything matters........2007-09-17
Milan Kundera (1929) is best known for The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1984), The Book of Laughter and Forgetting (1979) and The Joke (1967). Because Kundera is more interested in the themes his characters represent rather than their physical appearance, his philosophical novels tend to challenge the reader, though always in a worthwhile way. He believes the reader's imagination completes the writer's vision by filling in the missing details The Art of the Novel.
Set in 1968 Prague, The Unbearable Lightness of Being tells the story of a womanizing surgeon, Tomas, who loses his employment because he is critical of Czech Communism (he compared the Soviets to Oedipus Rex). He has had more than 200 lovers in his lifetime, and is determined to live his life unfettered by things like commitment. "Kundera's Quartet" of characters also includes Tomas's wife, Tereza (a photographer), his mistress, Sabina (a painter), and her lover, Franz (a university professor). The title of Kundera's novel refers to the idea that because each of us has only one life to live, life is ultimately insignificant, and our decisions do not matter. Because our decisions do not matter, existence seems to lose its substance or weight, making our being unbearable. Tomas represents this philosophy in the novel. He feels that nothing matters, that his life has the lightness of mortality. Conversely, enigmatic Tereza carries with her the weight of the world and is heavily impacted by life. She does not judge Tomas for his infidelities, because she knows that although he sleeps with many women, he loves only her. She is fond of animals, particularly her dog, Karenin, and a pig named Mefisto. Her relationship with Tomas is the center of Kundera's novel. After meeting her by chance, Tomas gradually begins to understand through his love for Tereza that, because we only live once, everything matters. The inscription of his grave reads, "He wanted the Kingdom of God on Earth." Sabina lives her life in opposition to "kitsch" in any form, whether it is domesticity, unoriginality, mediocrity, or untruth. Her lover, Franz is a Geneva professor who seeks lightness of being through books and academia, which Sabina also considers kitsch. The Unbearable Lightness of Being is a profound novel, and among my top ten favorite novels of the last 25 years. I also recommend the currently out-of-print film adaptation of the novel The Unbearable Lightness of Being (Two-Disc Special Edition).
G. Merritt
Unbearable Infidelity.......2007-09-05
This book is filled with erotica and infidelity. That just totally distracted me from the message. I could not relate at all. The author seduced me with his introduction about Nietzsche's Eternal Recurrence. Infinitely many times? Nay, this life only occurs once and perhaps should be as nonce. Heaviness? NO! It is unbearably light! FORTUITOUS EVENTS! Anyway, random philosophical bits were interspersed throughout. I suppose I just rather read what people consider straight boring philosophy books.
Oh, wait just a minute. You are saying I did not read? Well, maybe I did not read deep enough, but I did read this book. Where is my girl that I can sleep with(not sexual relations)? I felt bad for the commie idealist Franz who married a wicked deceptive woman he never wanted to be with. Thanks alot for giving more propaganda for vegetarian fundamentalists. And those dogs, those slavish beings who people like so much just because people can pretty do what they want to the dog. Oh don't we wish all people were so pure and easy to manipulate to obey our every call!
Weights and measures........2007-07-09
Whatever I'll write won't do this book justice. It's a classic, plain and simple.
A great Jewish teacher -- Rabbeinu Avraham ben Ha GRA (youngest son of the saintly Vilna Gaon, or "Genius from Vilnius") -- once wrote of he and his forebears -- "We wrote tersely in order to provoke deep thought (in our readers)." Milan Kundera has done that in "The Unbearable Lightness of Being."
Flashes of mental and spiritual wrestling illuminate every page. Religion is judged to be merely a consolation. So says Dr. Tomas in discussing his son's embrace of Roman-style Christianity --
"He was down and out. The Catholics took him in and, before he knew it, he had faith. So it was gratitude that decided the issue, most likely. Human decisions are terribly simple."
But the results of human action are not so simple, as the book demonstrates. Each choice makes a ripple -- picture a stone being tossed into placid water in light of Kundera's arrangement of chapter headings. The headings appear to fan out from "Words Misunderstood" (Chapter 3).
"Lightness and Weight" (the headings for chapters 1 and 4) is a recurring theme. Yet the discussion goes beyond usual freedom-vs.-responsibilities notions. Concepts present in the lives and work of Parmenides and Beethoven are really what's being weighed.
Kundera brings us back several times to the idea that events only happen singly and incline a person toward "lightness" or "heaviness." Kundera seems to favor "heaviness" judging by the book's title and the author's implicit approval of Tomas's "descent" to "heaviness" late in the book.
"Lightness" is a consequence of our lack of knowledge for decision-making due to the fact that presumably we've never lived before and won't live again (meaning we have only "one life to live." By the way, there's an ABC soap opera with that name.)
But is that really all there is to it? Kundera doesn't probe the Jewish idea of the resusitation of the dead, in which souls from "heaven" will be reunited with their bodies and reconstituted mankind will live on a higher plane. The author doesn't hold by the reincarnation of souls -- a different idea that Judaism doesn't rule out but is more prevalent in some other religions.
Perhaps Kundera didn't explore these ideas because they are outside his own and his characters' experiences. Admittedly, the ideas are difficult to get in touch with through physical sense experience. The Communist milieu lived in by Kundera, his characters, and all of us between 1917 and 1989 (and still around to an extent) ruled out everything except that kind of experience. And, when convenient, the Communists even voided that.
An interesting idea for our gifted author and others to take up is "Does reincarnation mean that past lives and lessons learned are imprinted on the soul even if the mind isn't acutely aware of them? What are the implications of this, if any, for our current lives?"
Customer Reviews:
Of all the joints in all the towns, that monkey walks into mine!.......2006-05-19
Here's a taste of Malcolm Pryce's loopiness: "During my years as Aberystwyth's only private eye the client's chair had seen just about every type of backside there was..some hot with indignation and some cold with hate. But only one had a tail."
Pryce has welded a high level of daffiness to a Raymond-Chandler using and Chandler's overwrought prose. Ingredients in the mix include: Louie Knight, the Bogie-like private detective of a rundown Welsh seaside town (that such a town would have such a detective is a large part of the book's humor). A client who is an organgrinder's monkey with a knack for sign language, seeking her longlost son, Mr. Bojangles. Knight's lost love, Myfanway, a singer of such overwhelming power that she even has her own academic journal (The Journal of the Proceedings of the Myfanway Society). An evil mad genius, Mr. Brainbocs, whose plans include collecting the DNA of Jesus in order to clone him (Him?), bring him back from the dead, and make him perform miracles.
The effect is similar to that provided by Jasper Fforde's Thursday Next series, a parody-premise wed to a hallucinagenic comic imagination. You will feel positively oxygen-deprived if you spend too much time making sense of it, but it is pretty fun.
I found out too late, though, that this is the THIRD of Pryce's series featuring Louie Knight (the other two bear the promising titles "Aberystwyth Mon Amour" and "Last Tango in Aberystwyth"). The whole thing would have made a lot more sense to me if I had started at the beginning. On the other hand, I sense there are probably diminishing returns on this series - one may be all you want. Go seek out "Aberystwyth Mon Amour", which if more coherent might be worth 4 1/2 stars, but which might then reduce the present volume to a lower rating.
Product Description
Esta es una extraordinaria historia de amor, o sea de celos, de sexo, de traiciones, de muerte y también de las debilidades y paradojas de la vida cotidiana de dos parejas cuyos destinos se entrelazan irremediablemente. En efecto, los celos de Teresa por Tomás, el terco amor de éste por ella opuesto a su irreflenable deseo de otras mujeres, el idealismo lírico y cursi de Franz, amante de Sabina, y la necesidad de ésta, amante también de Tomás, de perseguir incansable, una libertad que tan sólo la conduce a la insoportable levedad del ser, se convierten de simple anécdota en reflexión sobre problemas filosóficos que, afectan a cada uno directamente, cada día.
This is an extraordinary love story about jealousy, sex, treason, death, and also about weakness and complexity in the everyday life of two couples whose destinies have crossed. The author weaves a fascinating plot of thoughts and actions around his characters with diabolic wisdom.
Customer Reviews:
Empathy.......2002-05-18
I agree with the latter review. This book requires a unique perception, a deeper understanding of the of human folly--of love. I'm sure Kundera has a cult following--people who are very spiritual & intellectual. The book's about all the abstract things that make life so mysterious. You cannot read this book and simply understand the characters. You must have lived the characters. You must have an affinity with the characters. This book is about an advanced perception of life. It's cannot be put into words; either you understand ... or you don't. There is no in between.
maybe I didn't get it.......2002-04-20
Found it hard to get into, and still felt that way more than halfway through. Didn't care a lot about the characters; disliked the author's way of jumping back and forth through time (though I don't mind the ways some authors do so). Was more touched by the dog's death than anything else!
extrana historia.......2000-05-17
no entendi bien esta novela ni los conceptos filosoficos que tanto decian los comentarios. parece hecha de artificios de tiempo roto y enredado, habla de tomas, de tereza y de su vida amorosa, pero aun he quedado preguntandome que me habra querido decir el autor en todo esto. parece a simple vista una historia comun.... LUIS MENDEZ
eterraza@tvazteca.com.mx.......1999-07-06
Si este gran libro no hubiera llegado a mis manos, yo no hubiera conocido a Mefisto, y sin Mefisto mi vida no sería la misma, lean este muy buen tabique y chequen el dato Mefisto, (me acuerdo de mi hermano)
Un libro magnífico........1999-03-23
Creo que Milan Kundera es el más grande escritor contemporaneo. Este libro es simplemente genial y te recomiendo que lo leas.
Average customer rating:
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Die Unertragliche Leichtigkeit des Seins...The Unbearable Lightness of Being
Milan Kundera
Manufacturer: Distribooks Inc
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ASIN: 3596259924 |
Average customer rating:
- One of the better books I have ever read
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Nationalism Without Walls: The Unbearable Lightness of Being Canadian
Richard J. Gwyn
Manufacturer: McClelland & Stewart
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0771037171
Release Date: 1995-11-18 |
Book Description
Featuring a new epilogue bringing various aspects of Gwyn’s analysis up-to-date – in particular a new section on Quebec – Gwyn explores the various options available to post-referendum Canada. Nationalism Without Walls, a profound examination of Canadian nationhood by one of our leading political commentators, remains essential reading for everyone trying to come to terms with the nature of Canada.
Customer Reviews:
One of the better books I have ever read.......2000-06-18
Despite what the subtitle book says, this book is more than the inevitable lightness of being Canadian. It is about the lightness of being any one of the modern states, Canada, The United States, or Australia. Gwyn's argument is that these countries were founded upon principles that were radically different than previous one's (freedom, equality, diversity, egalitarianism, the appropriations and others). These countries were not built upon any explicit ethnic or racial creed, or language, or even a common history.
Together these values made them great and an attraction to people all over the world. Now these societies they are slowly being eroded by other modern principles like the emphasis on rights and less to responsibility, hyper-individualism, excessive cultural differentiation, loss of a sense of history, globalism, multiculturalism and many others. Gwyn believes that are undermining the very values that made theses societies great.
Within the context of Canada Gwyn sees the emphasis on rights as a problem. He argues that too many people are focusing on their rights and less on the responsibilities of citizenship. The other is the increasing disposition for immigrants entering theses societies to emphasize their cultural or ethnic differences while choosing not to abide by any values of the society that they are entering. What Gwyn sees is a tendency for such a society to become increasingly a collection of individuals and less of a community striving toward a common good. He rightly points out that the loss of civility, tolerance, and marked indifference are the first signs of such a shift. He argues that Canada has more at stake than any of the other two countries should this progression continue.
Unfortunately Gwyn does not make a cogent argument. At some points, the book seems to go off in many directions at once. Although I agreed with his basic premises, I wanted him to not only state and show instances of the problem, but also to give some concrete solutions to it, even if they are exploratory. After reading you get an idea of what Gwyn feels the solutions are, but you can only do this indirectly. (I am still trying to figure out the point to his chapter entitled "Postmodern Dominion".)
Despite this drawback, I still believe that this book should be read, if not for an interest in Canada, at least for an interest in how a society can evolve as a result of the unintended consequences of otherwise well-meaning ideas as well as the possible effects that the same changes he sees in Canada will have here in the States. Gwyn's sobering argument is not racist or eurocentric as books of this type sometimes are. This book will undoubtedly give you a new cultural perspective. Maybe the reader will find the solutions that Gwyn could not.
Average customer rating:
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Public Places, Private Journeys: Ethnography, Entertainment, and the Tourist Gaze
Ellen Strain
Manufacturer: Rutgers University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 081353187X |
Book Description
In this globally interconnected planet, we are increasingly able to access exotic locales without ever actually seeing these places firsthand. Instead, what we perceive to be fresh cultural experiences are actually secondhand moments, filtered through mediums such as television, film, the internet, CD-Roms, and various other media.
Ellen Strain posits that the images in film and popular culture not only fill in the gaps of a person's firsthand-or rather, lack of firsthand-experience with other cultural situations, but also predisposes the "tourist gaze" to view particular locales in a predetermined way. How, she asks, are our perceptions of places and peoples created in the first place? Can a set of images-such as postcards-construct our vision of distant geographies? Are there culturally constructed strategies set up to mediate our cross-cultural perceptions of the exotic? Strain includes the works of Jules Verne, E. M. Forster, and Michael Crichton, as well as film, CD-Rom travel games, and virtual reality in her own authorial gaze.
Public Places, Private Journeys is a unique postmodern exploration of how individuals see across cultural differences in an era of increasingly commercialized and globalized culture.
Average customer rating:
- A decent survey of d20 toxins.
- Finally! A good book on poisons!
- Gak! Poison!
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Pale Designs: A Poisoner's Handbook (d20 System)
Kevin Ruesch , and
Steven Creech
Manufacturer: Bastion Press
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Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0971439281 |
Product Description
Poisons exist in abundance in fantasy worlds, their deadly touch waiting within ancient traps, slathered upon readied weapons, or pooling within a fanged and monstrous maw. Some poisons are magical creations, concocted by dark powers in secret laboratories. Other toxins are naturally occurring on many worlds across the planes. Still other venoms drip from the fangs and scales of fearsome beasts. Pale Designs: A Poisoners Handbook presents an array of new poisons for use by both players and Game Masters. New rules for handling poisons in a campaign are presented, along with additional options to allow the heroes of the land safer access to poisons. There are also new prestige classes, equipment, and magic items for assassins and others interested in poison use.
Customer Reviews:
A decent survey of d20 toxins........2005-03-04
Pale Designs takes the subject of poisons and explores it thoroughly within the d20 rules. It includes drugs, monsters, and even prestige classes based around poisons. As a survey of its subject, it explains details of poison use and other important points, such as addiction and poison magic. The authors made judicious use of the OGL, utilizing the decent work of other companies such as Green Ronin (the drugs rules, for example, come from Arcana: Societies of Magic). Why reinvent the wheel? So much is packed into the book, from gear to foes, feats, and classes, it's hard to see how a DM or player couldn't find some use for it. On the other hand, not everything is good. Survey books like this tend to be better values than more general fare, though, and the book is worth the Amazon price. My only problem with it is its presentation ... it's a largely unattractive book, despite being full color.
Finally! A good book on poisons!.......2004-04-24
I have been looking for a good book on poisons, identifying what skills were needed to create them, what raw materials were needed, what types of damage they would inflict, and before now, I came up empty.
Sure, the DMs guide offers the formula for working out the costs for the development of posions, based upon what damages your brew was to cause for primary and secondary damages, but it was left up to the brewmaster to identify the raw materials.
In this book, it goes through all the missing information that the DM guide fails to mention. Definately a must have, for those who wish to understand how to implement poisons into their campaign! Not just for the DMs.
My opinion is, if the monsters can inflict poision onto PCs, why can PCs dish it right back? How is that different than your fighter burying it's great axe blade deep within the attacker? Might as well add a few more HPs to the damage, by introducing a poison on the blade!
Gak! Poison!.......2003-10-16
Quick show of hands among DMs out there; do you like poisons? Yeah, I thought so. Let's face it, there are few DMs who do not see poison as the oh-so-useful tool that it is. The problem is that in 3rd edition, poison became somewhat emasculated. The effects are now more varied and certainly a little more fun, but it no longer carries the same impact that it once did (where the room would go silent as the rogue made his save, wondering if he would survive the fiery burning in his veins). Enter "Pale Designs."
"Pale Designs" is a book about poisons, but don't get the idea that it's nothing more than a collection of toxic cocktails. Oh, to be sure, there are plenty of poisons herein, both new and from other Open Content products, but there's so much more. Drugs, prestige classes, monsters, magical items, traps, spells, NPC classes, and new feats grace these pages as well.
"Let's start at the very beginning, it's a very good place to start."
-Julie Andrews, "The Sound of Music"
To truly understand poisons, you must understand the how and why. The Introduction will help you in this context. Where do poisons come from? How are they made? Why are they used, and on whom? How are they delivered? What are the possible effects (other than instant death)? How can they be best used in your campaign? All of these questions are answered in the Introduction.
Following this is a selection of delightfully toxic substances. These poisons, some drawn from other Open Game Content and some wholly original, have a variety of effects, from weakness, to hallucinations, to death. The authors also introduce two new concepts to poisons; toxicity and variant damage. Toxicity is simply a means of rating a poison as compared to others and uses a mathematical formula to arrive at a single number that apporximates the relative strength of the substance. Variant damage puts the fear back into poisons by causing continual hit point damage until the poison has run it's course or has been cured. This makes delay poison a much more valuable spell.
Of course, there's more to poisons than simply going out into a field, grabbing a handful of herbs, and bringing them back to the cottage and boiling them into a poutlice. To this end, three new skills are introduced (and some new ideas for two old ones); Knowledge (physiology), Knowledge (poisons), and Knowledge (monster). These skills are designed to work in conjunction with the new rules for harvesting poisons from deadly creatures that are also introduced.
The idea of drugs was first touched on in the Book of Vile Darkness, and "Pale Designs" takes that idea and runs with it. Where poisons typically simply cause damage and be done with it, drugs are a little more insidious. The damage they cause is usually masked by beneficial or "feel-good" side effects. And where poisons run their course and are done, drugs are often addictive, requiring those using them to make saving throws to avoid becoming hooked.
Where there are poisons, there are also antidotes, and this topic is given in-depth coverage as well. From alchemical creations, to natural boons, the various antitoxins are examined in detail, providing game effects as well as methods of preparation and gathering. Moreover, this section also discusses means of altering delivery methods (such as having two or three components that are inert by themselves, but form a deadly poison when combined, perhaps in the various courses of a nobleman's meal).
So now we've examined the many different kinds of poisons that are known, but how about ways to deliver them? Ah, the authors have heard your plea! Whether your preference in the hidden spring dart or the more classy (and classic) Borgia ring, you'll find it here. And the authors have come up with some truly inspired ideas, such as the poison clock, which looks like a perfectly ordinary water clock, but releases a deadly toxin into the air when the alarm goes off.
But what about weapons and traps? Oh yes, they're covered here too, though they are given much less detail, since they have been so finely treated by previous authors. However, the selection of new magical goodies is hardly lacking, with new weapon and armor enhancements, and plenty of miscellaneous magics perfect for the delivery, detection, or resistance of poisons.
Anyone who is familiar with my reviews knows that I love new feats, and "Pale Designs" doesn't disappoint, offering 18 new feats (including three for monsters) dealing with poisons or the means of making and delivering such. Some are used from other resources under the Open Gaming Content license, but there are three brand-new ones (and the other 15 were previously unknown to me, as well). I know that my players will be investing in Poison Sense after they find out I have this book, and I can't wait to use Venomous Spittle against them!
I mentioned new monsters, didn't I? Well, how does a selection of ten deadly denizens and a new template sound?
I thought you'd like that. Among the new ones, I was very happy to see the return of the iron cobra (from the original "Fiend Folio")!
And, let's see... oh yes, new spells! How does two new domians (murder and posion) sound? Yeah? Then you'll love the 23 new magics that accompany them (both arcane and clerical). They've also revamped the assassin's spell list, to better reflect a class that should, above all others, rely on poisons to do a lot of their work.
Nine new prestige class and two NPC classes round out the book, including the long-awaited sniper! Of course, the beguiler, the nightstalker, and the psi-slayer are no slouch at what they do, either, and every campaign will find a place for the mage hunter, the infiltrator, the bondsman, the acolyte, and the anarchist, as well. The prestige classes herein are designed to permit a player to play an assassin-like character wuthout being consigned to that particular prestige class.
Doubtlessly, this is the single most comprehensive work on poisons that I have yet seen for any edition of Dungeons & Dragons! If you use poisons in your game (and what DM doesn't?), you need this book! It's that simple.
There's just so much good stguff in here that it's hard to pick out only one or two winning points. I think that the reintroduction of hit point damage back into poisons was a much-needed addition and I applaud the authors for taking the bold steps to do so. I also found the section on varying delivery methods and antidotes much needed.
Finally, I have to say that even if you don't play D&D specifically, you should take a look into this book. Though it uses the d20 system, it contains valuable information that can be easily converted to any RPG system. As a supplement to "d20 Modern," it adds a whole new level of excitement (especially since so many people have been requesting a sniper advanced class).
Only two things that I take issue with. First is the inclusion of the henchman NPC class. Where the canthartisian (the other NPC class) serves a definite purpose in the campaign, the henchman just seems to fill a niche that could be just as easily covered by the warrior or even a low-level rogue. They are intended to fill out the ranks of a mastermind's thugs, but the class just doesn't strike me as necessary.
The other thing is the illustration on page 47. It's not that it's bad, per say, but I question the usefulness of the armor she wears. Anyway, that doesn't really detract from the product, but it makes me wonder if the artist might not have been suffering from the effects of one of the toxins described herein.
This book makes great use of the Open Game Content clause, drawing upon the resources of three other companies in it's design. On the flip side, everything in this book except that which is claimed as Product Identity by other companies is designated Open Game Content. Hey, you can't get much more fair than that! The book abides by the standards for d20 Compliance and sets new standards for originality with the in-depth coverage of a topic that everyone draws on, but no one seems willing to talk about.
Whether you're a DM looking to add something new to your game, or a player looking for something to give you that extra edge, Pale Designs fills the bill. Doubtless, everyone will find something of use in this product, making it a worthy addition to any gamer's shelf. Don't miss this one, or you may find yourself on the receiving end of something that you could have learned about in here.
Book Description
Get in-depth coverage and expert insights on advanced ADO.NET programming topics such as optimization, DataView, and large objects (BLOBs and CLOBs). Targeting experienced, professional software developers who design and develop enterprise applications, this book assumes that the reader knows and understands the basic functionality and concepts of ADO.NET 2.0 and that he or she is ready to move to mastering data-manipulation skills in Microsoft Windows-. The book is structured so readers can jump in for reference on each topic as needed, complete with pragmatic and instructive code examples.
Customer Reviews:
Ok book. Not so advanced.......2007-01-18
Here it is. It's an ok book. But I have to agree with one of the previous post about the GUId Keys. I also found that the grid topics were not need it as well as the overview (the first two chapters.) If is advanced, I'm assuming the reader knows that or has another book.
I think that saving 4 to 6 chapters that were not need it, they could have extended the book to be far more advanced and concentrate in transactions, SQLCLR and so on.
Good not Great..........2006-07-17
Glenn Johnson has a very good book here on ADO.NET 2.0. Unfortunately, it just good not great. Here are my pros and cons:
Pros:
1. Well written and thought out.
2. Excellent coverage of ADO.NET Trace Logging.
3. Coverage of LOBs/BLOBs/CLOBs is very well thought out.
4. Discussion of Connection Pooling is very good.
5. Coverage of writting your own classes that work with System.Transactions is invalulable.
Cons:
1. Too many basic topics covered for an "Advanced Topics" book.
2. ASP.NET GridView/WinForms GridView chapters are unnecessary and incomplete.
3. Code examples are terse and somewhat unreadable (no blank lines).
4. Some information inaccurate (e.g. Suggestion of using Database Mirroring in SQL Server 2005 which was dropped as a supported feature.)
5. SQL Server Specific...lackluster Oracle, ODBC, OleDb coverage.
6. Data Caching only discusses caching with SqlDependencyCache. There are a myriad of caching options, and this is only one of them.
While not really a problem with the book, I disagree with the author in a number of assertions:
- He pushes the idea of GUIDs as keys, but never discusses the index fragmentation issue with GUIDs as keys.
- His discussion of SQLCLR doesn't warn the users enough (I know "enough" is a subjective phrase) that they shouldn't write all their code in SQLCLR.
- Mentions that "The 8,000-byte limit is much higher than you should ever need." when discussing SQLCLR User Defined Types. -- I disagree since a single object might not reach that, but a shallow object graph will reach 8K very easily.
- No comparison between SQLCLR UDT's and XML Typed XML.
- Using XML in SQL Server is touted instead of disuaded. More often than not, storing your XML in SQL Server just to have it there (or without dissecting it into relational data) will just hurt performance and raise the complexity of a system.
I gave the book a four out of five starts on Amazon.com because I think it will be a valuable resource for most developers. But it is not a perfect book.
Not quite what I was expecting........2006-07-01
This book does delve deep into the plumbing of ADO.Net 2.0, but I must admit that when I read the "Advanced Topics" part of the title, I thought that it would actually cover more complicated versions of some scenarios that might be found in "beginners" ADO.Net books such as handling many-to-many data relationships with bound controls and possibly designing and building a data access layer. While data access layers were covered to some degree, the described methods involved intensive interaction with SQL Server system tables - something I don't tend to make a practice of.
The information in the book is good, just not what I was hoping to find.
Great book, missing practical use. .......2006-05-04
Great book for ado.net. I wish this book has covered "how to use new features of ado.net with business layer. There should be some more chapter(s) for data acesss layer utilizing ado.net.
Great Resource.......2006-04-09
This is a nice concise book (for a programming book anyway) for ADO.NET 2.0. The book delves deep into ADO.NET 2.0 in a very clear manner. It answered many questions about how ADO.NET works that seem to have eluded me over the years. While the title is Advanced Topics, if you have developed with .NET 1.x this book will pose no problems for you. As a matter of fact I think this book will trump the Core Reference (due in July) of ADO.NET for experienced developers.
First the book dives right into ADO.NET Disconnected classes (the ones we use more Microsoft!) It gives a detailed discussion of the DataTable and DataSet, setting up relations, etc. Then it does the same for Connected ADO.NET classes. This is the general format of the book, discuss one then the same topics with the other. This makes it easier to see the differences in functionality between the disconnected and connected classes.
From there the book only gets better. It gives reasons and examples of working with ADO.NET. It goes over transactions, how to deal with concurrency, and some best practices. This book also includes a chapter on working with the new SQLCLR. It gives the pros and cons of SQLCLR and a good idea when to use it. The chapter on XML Data was of interest to me (probably because of a recent project where SQL Server 2005 and XML would have saved me a ton of heartache) and is a good read for anyone who may have a complex application that requires storage of xml data.
I highly reccomend this book for anyone working ADO.NET. A note that may also be of interest is the fact that the author tries to take advantage of SQL Server 2005 Express Edition where it can be used (which is a good majority). So if you don't have access to a full version of SQL Server 2005 this book does not exclude you.
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