The Glass Castle: A Memoir

Amazon.com

Jeannette Walls's father always called her "Mountain Goat" and there's perhaps no more apt nickname for a girl who navigated a sheer and towering cliff of childhood both daily and stoically. In The Glass Castle, Walls chronicles her upbringing at the hands of eccentric, nomadic parents--Rose Mary, her frustrated-artist mother, and Rex, her brilliant, alcoholic father. To call the elder Walls's childrearing style laissez faire would be putting it mildly. As Rose Mary and Rex, motivated by whims and paranoia, uprooted their kids time and again, the youngsters (Walls, her brother and two sisters) were left largely to their own devices. But while Rex and Rose Mary firmly believed children learned best from their own mistakes, they themselves never seemed to do so, repeating the same disastrous patterns that eventually landed them on the streets. Walls describes in fascinating detail what it was to be a child in this family, from the embarrassing (wearing shoes held together with safety pins; using markers to color her skin in an effort to camouflage holes in her pants) to the horrific (being told, after a creepy uncle pleasured himself in close proximity, that sexual assault is a crime of perception; and being pimped by her father at a bar). Though Walls has well earned the right to complain, at no point does she play the victim. In fact, Walls' removed, nonjudgmental stance is initially startling, since many of the circumstances she describes could be categorized as abusive (and unquestioningly neglectful). But on the contrary, Walls respects her parents' knack for making hardships feel like adventures, and her love for them--despite their overwhelming self-absorption--resonates from cover to cover. --Brangien Davis

Book Description

Jeannette Walls grew up with parents whose ideals and stubborn nonconformity were both their curse and their salvation. Rex and Rose Mary Walls had four children. In the beginning, they lived like nomads, moving among Southwest desert towns, camping in the mountains. Rex was a charismatic, brilliant man who, when sober, captured his children's imagination, teaching them physics, geology, and above all, how to embrace life fearlessly. Rose Mary, who painted and wrote and couldn't stand the responsibility of providing for her family, called herself an "excitement addict." Cooking a meal that would be consumed in fifteen minutes had no appeal when she could make a painting that might last forever.

Later, when the money ran out, or the romance of the wandering life faded, the Walls retreated to the dismal West Virginia mining town -- and the family -- Rex Walls had done everything he could to escape. He drank. He stole the grocery money and disappeared for days. As the dysfunction of the family escalated, Jeannette and her brother and sisters had to fend for themselves, supporting one another as they weathered their parents' betrayals and, finally, found the resources and will to leave home.

What is so astonishing about Jeannette Walls is not just that she had the guts and tenacity and intelligence to get out, but that she describes her parents with such deep affection and generosity. Hers is a story of triumph against all odds, but also a tender, moving tale of unconditional love in a family that despite its profound flaws gave her the fiery determination to carve out a successful life on her own terms.

For two decades, Jeannette Walls hid her roots. Now she tells her own story. A regular contributor to MSNBC.com, she lives in New York and Long Island and is married to the writer John Taylor.

TO INQUIRE ABOUT SCHEDULING JEANNETTE WALLS FOR SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS PLEASE CONTACT:

Keppler Speakers

Dustin L. Jones

Associate, College & University Division

703.516.4000 (P)

703.516.4819 (F)

Customer Reviews:

THANK YOU JEANETTE and your entire family for sharing your life!.......2007-10-03

An excellent book so engrossing I could not put it down. I love to read, but this book has moved me and stayed with me longer than any other. This book shows that you can break the chains that bind when you are focused. I've been in recovery many years and I appreciate the work involved in writing, along with courage in sharing, such intimate details of a family history. I will be recommending this book for years to come. Thanks again.

Absolutely amazing!.......2007-10-02

An amazing account of how one can overcome her/his circumstances instead of "blaming" the parents. A real page turner and so well written. I had put off reading this book for many months (thinking it would be too depressing to read) until a co-worker said, "It's really a good book."

The Glass Castle.......2007-10-01

Moving story. Uncomfortable to think the young woman would deny the existence of Mother when seen on street until you hear her story. It's a story of child neglect mixed so strangely with child love. Parents- child like themselves.

Best book I have read in a long time!.......2007-09-30

I am a bookworm. I read a lot of books. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls had me mesmirized from the beginning...The intro ...where she looks out of the window of a car and sees her mother rummaging through a dumpster was the hook. How children could grow up like she did seems amazing! She made me rethink the struggles(I thought)I had growing up...nothing like what she went through. I highly recommend this book to anyone.

Couldn't Put It Down.......2007-09-30

Although the author's self-absorbed and psychologically damaged parents appear to have raised their children with almost complete disregard for their welfare, she never allows the reader to lose sight of their humanity. In doing so, she creates a mesmerizing portrait of remarkably complex characters - and becomes a sympathetic character herself. I highly recommend this book.

History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

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Calculations are only as good as your numbers
Pants on fire?
Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed.
Very Interesting
History as Science Fiction

History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
Anatoly Fomenko
Manufacturer: Mithec
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 2913621058

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

More Annotated Alice: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass

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Martin Gardner's Annotated Alice is definitive.

More Annotated Alice: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass
Martin Gardner
Manufacturer: Random House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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The Annotated Alice: The Definitive Edition

ASIN: 0394585712
Release Date: 1990-11-21

Customer Reviews:

Martin Gardner's Annotated Alice is definitive........1996-08-14

Martin Gardner avoids questionable psychoanalyticinterpretations, and instead describes the objects ofCarroll's satire that have been forgotten since the Victorian era. His notes allow us to fully enjoy Lewis Carroll's humor, and to see why Alice was so loved by children then (and by mathematicians now).

Glass Houses (The Morganville Vampires, Book 1)

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This is fab stuff.
Not For Me
Five-star entertainment!
4.5 stars. Do not read without book two ready. Cliff hanger ending.
Weather Warden Fan Finds Favor

Glass Houses (The Morganville Vampires, Book 1)
Rachel Caine
Manufacturer: Signet
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0451219945

Book Description

From the author of the popular Weather Warden series. Welcome to Morganville, Texas.

Just don't stay out after dark.

College freshman Claire Danvers has had enough of her nightmarish dorm situation, where the popular girls never let her forget just where she ranks in the school's social scene: somewhere less than zero.

When Claire heads off-campus, the imposing old house where she finds a room may not be much better. Her new roommates don't show many signs of life. But they'll have Claire's back when the town's deepest secrets come crawling out, hungry for fresh blood.

Customer Reviews:

This is fab stuff........2007-09-11

It's the usual storyline where the new quiet student manages to inadvertently antagonize the richest, most popular and feared girl at school and opens the gates to a flood of potentially homicidal behavior directed towards her.
This time there's a twist though, and Claire Danvers soon realises that there is more to Morganville than spoilt princesses and a university. Say, hmm a town run by vampires where humans fall into two basic categories: servants or prey. Claire has no intention of being either, and so, fleeing the college dorms in fear of her life she stumbles upon the one house where she just might be able to see out her education. But then again, just how much does she really know about her new roommates? There's David, the landlord who never seems to be around during the day, Eve, the girl who hates everything and Shane who makes her wish she wasn't quite so young. And after years of reading we all know that the hotter you find a guy, the more secrets he's likely to be keeping.
This is fab stuff, tense and chilling and you'll find yourself hunched over, heart pounding, eagerly scanning ahead on more than one occasion.

Not For Me.......2007-07-11

I was very excited to get this book, because, though I state otherwise, I love vampires books, and I love young adult novels. Perhaps I'm learning that I should not mix the two, however. The main character was an idiotic "smart-girl". Her incessent need to go to college in the face of death made me dislike her and wish her all the trouble she got.

There were some highlights to the book such as the characters of Eve and Shane, but other aspects of the book detract too much from these characters to make it worth it. I didn't find Claire's parents to be believable characters, nor did I find theirs or her actions reasonable. The romance in the book felt forced and silly. I think I would have thought more of the book as a whole without the romantic angle.

The worst part of it all was that there was some climactic resolution, but no end. It was clearly set up to go to the next book. When I buy a book, I'm not buying a plot hook for the second book. I'm buying it for the story in the first.

Overall, I give this a borrow from the library recommendation if you really want to read it.

Five-star entertainment!.......2007-06-15

I'm 51 years old and I LOVED this book! Sure, the main characters act a little immature now and then, but THEY'RE KIDS.

This is my first book by this author and I could only put it down with difficulty (as opposed to the second book in the series, which I absolutely could not put down at all). The background of the town and vamps has been intricately built, with fascinating characters on all sides. Claire, the lead, is especially interesting and multi-dimensional (and I hope someone points her towards birth control real soon because she's gonna need it).

There is a real fear factor in the scary parts, real humor in the funny parts, and the guys are hilarious when they're being guys. The pace is get-up-and-go (2nd book even more so). All in all, tremendously entertaining.

The only sore spot was the sudden cliffhanger at the end, which (disregard the "look ahead" excerpt at the end of the book) is speedily dealt with in ch. 1 of Part 2. It almost made me NOT buy volume 2 after I'd determined that I wanted more of this author, but I bought it and am darned glad I did. Beware: volume 2 also has its own cliffhanger as well as numerous plot threads that need to be resolved fairly quickly. But that's what series are all about, right?

Buy this book! I don't like many vampire books, but this one is a winner.

4.5 stars. Do not read without book two ready. Cliff hanger ending........2007-05-22

Claire Danvers thinks studying and learning are fun. It is no wonder she ends up going to college early. She is only sixteen, so her parents do not want her to live in a dorm too far away for them to drive to. Therefore, Claire ends up at Texas Prairie University (TPU). Claire plans to remain at TPU until she is eighteen and then transfer to a much bigger and better college. Since Claire is sixteen, she expects that the other students would treat her a bit harsh. After all, Claire is much younger than anyone else and prefers to study instead of party. However, she never expects to find out that she is the ONLY normal or sane student in town. It does not take long for Claire to honestly believe that she is the only sane person in TOWN!

Monica Morrell is the most popular girl. She is also the biggest bully. When Claire, accidently, makes Monica look stupid, she becomes Monica's personal punching bag. Worse, after being given a black eye and shoved down some steep stairs, Claire knows that Monica wants nothing less than to see her dead. Claire's only real choice is to find some sort of cheap housing off campus...TODAY!

Claire ends up at Glass House. It a blend of Tara from "Gone with the Wind" and the home of "The Munsters". Within twenty-four more hours, Claire learns why the town is odd. Vampires run the town! Humans who are under Protection from a vampire always wear their bracelets identifying them as such. These humans swear their entire lives to their Protector. They live, serve, and die at their Protector's whim. And anyone without a bracelet, such as Clair, is meat!

Claire now has three house mates. Eve works at the local coffee shop named Common Grounds. It is the only neutral territory around. Shane can only cook one thing, chili. He hates Monica even more than Claire does. (Monica returns his hateful feelings.) But the strangest is David. The house belongs to David. But David is never seen during the day, only at night. He is not a vampire though. He is one big mystery. The trio may seem almost as strange as the Morganville, but when the town's deepest secrets come crawling out at night for fresh blood, these three have Claire's back.

***** The only thing that I do not like about this novel is that it ends in the middle of a murder involving one of Claire's three house mates. Talk about a frustrating cliff hanger! So do NOT begin this novel until you purchase book two (The Dead Girls' Dance). If this book had ended three pages earlier, I would have given it the full five stars. Otherwise, this book is stellar! *****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

Weather Warden Fan Finds Favor.......2007-05-14

I first found Rachel Caine through an introduction by Jim Butcher Storm Front (The Dresden Files, Book 1). Loved Rachel's Weather Warden books Ill Wind (Weather Warden, Book 1) so I decided to give this a try as I was Jonezing for more books to read. Low and behold I came upon this series and thought "I'll try it." Boy am I glad I did. Not just your regular vampire book. You can really kin to this girl who is not the most popular girl in school, just a nobody like the rest of us were. (I was afraid I was not going to relate being an older person and not real in touch with my old school days ya know? No problamo here)I can relate to all the characters and even feel good when some of them get whatz coming to um and even that happens in an unexpected way. OK I am jazzed about picking up this new series and Man I realy love Rachel Caine, nice to see she is versatile and can separate her stories. This does not feel like a Warden book, it stands on it own and I bet you can't put it down! Thanks MS Caine for the ride, I am ready for the next one please.

Complete Novels: Red Harvest / The Dain Curse / The Maltese Falcon / The Glass Key / The Thin Man (Library of America)

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The Maltese Falcon
Very exciting and convenient
The first benchmark
A classic
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Complete Novels: Red Harvest / The Dain Curse / The Maltese Falcon / The Glass Key / The Thin Man (Library of America)
Dashiell Hammett
Manufacturer: Library of America
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Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1883011671

Book Description

Complete in one volume, the five books that created the modern American crime novel

In a few years of extraordinary creative energy, Dashiell Hammett invented the modern American crime novel. In the words of Raymond Chandler, "Hammett gave murder back to the kind of people that commit it for reasons, not just to provide a corpse.... He put these people down on paper as they were, and he made them talk and think in the language they customarily used for these purposes."

The five novels that Hammett published between 1929 and 1934, collected here in one volume, have become part of modern American culture, creating archetypal characters and establishing the ground rules and characteristic tone for a whole tradition of hardboiled writing. Drawing on his own experiences as a Pinkerton detective, Hammett gave a harshly realistic edge to novels that were at the same time infused with a spirit of romantic adventure. His lean and deliberately simplified prose won admiration from such contemporaries as Gertrude Stein, Ernest Hemingway, and William Faulkner.

Each novel is distinct in mood and structure. Red Harvest (1929) epitomizes the violence and momentum of his Black Mask stories about the anonymous detective the Continental Op, in a raucous and nightmarish evocation of political corruption and gang warfare in a western mining town. In The Dain Curse (1929) the Op returns in a more melodramatic tale involving jewel theft, drugs, and a religious cult. With The Maltese Falcon (1930) and its protagonist Sam Spade, Hammett achieved his most enduring popular success, a tightly constructed quest story shot through with a sense of disillusionment and the arbitrariness of personal destiny. The Glass Key (1931) is a further exploration of city politics at their most scurrilous. His last novel was The Thin Man (1934), a ruefully comic tale paying homage to the traditional mystery form and featuring Nick and Nora Charles, the sophisticated inebriates who would enjoy a long afterlife in the movies.

Customer Reviews:

The Maltese Falcon.......2006-11-07

An intriguing plot with just the right blend of wry humor, sex and secrets.

Very exciting and convenient.......2006-06-19

I do like these stories, though they are so rough! It is very helpful to be able to have them all together in this one good volume, I think. But it is dangerous to read them late at night, because you either get too excited to sleep, or you dream of bad men with their car headlamps switched off in the dark!

The first benchmark.......2005-08-19

Very nice edition of the master's novels. In addition to my love of Hammett's prose, I am fascinated by the subtle political aspects of his work: he was the first crime writer to question the status quo so frankly. K. C. Constantine said, "The crime writer is society's stoolie", and Hammett is still a reliable informant.

A classic.......2004-08-26

"A Classic"

What makes a classic? In the case of a detective novel, it is a book that can be read and reread and that gives pleasure on each reading. The Maltese Falcon is now seventy-five years old, yet it continues to amaze, to amuse, to engage.

You may know the plot, but you still can't remember every twist and turn of the unfolding story, and you are surprised by details here and there you did not previously notice, or had forgotten. You may know the principal characters-the cynical detective Sam Spade, the seductive adventuress Brigid O'Shaughnessy, the exotic Joel Cairo, the crafty Caspar Gutman. But they are so expertly drawn, so powerfully realized, that you learn more about them on each reading.

You may already have committed some of the most famous lines of dialog to heart ("The cheaper the crook the gaudier the patter"-- "You're good. You're very good. It's chiefly your eyes, I think, and that throb you get into your voice when you say things like `Be generous, Mr. Spade'"). Yet you continue to discover more, and you continue on each reading to relish the bite, the humor, the intelligence of Hammett's prose.

It's practically impossible to read this book without thinking of the motion picture starring Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, Peter Lorre, and Sydney Greenstreet. Don't try. John Huston's script departs here and there from the story line of the novel, but not in any serious way. Most of the changes are efforts to streamline the story and make it fit the standard (for 1941) length of a screenplay. And the best lines spoken by Bogart, Astor, Lorre, and Greenstreet are pure Hammett. The movie is true to the spirit of the book, and if you are familiar with both you can love them both.

At age seventy-five, The Maltese Falcon is a classic, and there is good reason to believe that in another seventy-five years it will still be one.

Well worth the time........2004-07-28

I have read all five novels at least twice. Will go for three times when winter arrives.

Flora Segunda: Being the Magickal Mishaps of a Girl of Spirit, Her Glass-Gazing Sidekick, Two Ominous Butlers (One Blue), a House with Eleven Thousand Rooms, and a Red Dog

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once of the best of 2007 so far!
Is the world ready for Wilce?
Waiting for Number 2
Original, spirited, and funny
Cliché Free, Fresh Fantasy

Flora Segunda: Being the Magickal Mishaps of a Girl of Spirit, Her Glass-Gazing Sidekick, Two Ominous Butlers (One Blue), a House with Eleven Thousand Rooms, and a Red Dog
Ysabeau S. Wilce
Manufacturer: Harcourt Children's Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0152054332

Book Description

Flora knows better than to take shortcuts in her family home, Crackpot Hall--the house has eleven thousand rooms, and ever since her mother banished the magickal butler, those rooms move around at random. But Flora is late for school, so she takes the unpredictable elevator anyway. Huge mistake. Lost in her own house, she stumbles upon the long-banished butler--and into a mind-blowing muddle of intrigue and betrayal that changes her world forever.

Full of wildly clever plot twists, this extraordinary first novel establishes Ysabeau Wilce as a compelling new voice in teen fantasy.

Customer Reviews:

once of the best of 2007 so far!.......2007-08-18

Well, after that title, there isn't much more to say except that Flora is a
wonderfully loveable girl and I think you'll enjoy getting to know her!
Oh, all right, I do have more to say:) Flora's father is mad, her mother is a general and the best line in a book I've ever read is in chapter 2. This is a strange and beautifully unique tale. This might be a hard sell for some of the teens I know, but it won't stop me from recommending it to everyone.

Is the world ready for Wilce?.......2007-07-14

Here's a fact: Ysabeau S. Wilce is profoundly original. If you read all the customer reviews here, you'll get the sense that this is not your formula fantasy. But let's make that point more clearly--you will never read another story like this one (unless, possibly, it's her next one, which we all eagerly anticipate).

This is the opportunity to get in on the ground floor of what could, and certainly should, be the next story franchise that graduates from cult status to mainstream blockbuster. Wilce doesn't sugar coat the risks of adolescence: she dips them in ice cream, lights them on fire, and serves the reader a flaming torch of strange wonder.

Laughter and thrilling excitement are delightful companions all through this romp. The subtitle gives a sense of the former, but don't underestimate Wilce's storytelling: great characters in real trouble make for great reading, and Flora is a heroine who speaks equally to the reality as well as the ambitions of young people.

Oh yes, and while this is not specifically a unique observation, I'd also like to note that it is always refreshing to find a fantasy that does not take place in something that could pass for Northern Europe.

Waiting for Number 2.......2007-07-11

I'm not sure yet how I feel about this book. I like it but then again I don't. What I like about it is the originality of the story. The world and its characters are fully developed and very interesting, especially Flora. What I really like about Flora is that she is not your average cookie-cutter, in-your-face, outspoken heroine who saves herself by swinging a sword. Flora on the other hand has self-confidence issues, often doubts her own abilities and has the same faults as any other regular teenager, which make her character more genuine. What I don't like about this novel is that the story itself seems to move rather unsteadily. It slows down then speeds up then slows down again. I also had a little trouble understanding some of the magic or "Current" lingo. A short glossary could have helped that. There are also a lot of cliffhangers that hopefully will turn up in the next book. All in all this book was good but not great, hopefully the second will be better.

Original, spirited, and funny.......2007-06-04

Ysabeau Wilce has created a truly original imaginary world refreshingly free of the cliches of the fantasy genre. What's more, she's provided the perfect tour guide to this world: Flora Fyrdraaca, an irreverent, eager, believably adolescent narrator scheming to escape the expectations of her family and become a Ranger--a magic-using secret agent--instead of following family tradition into the army, madness, and doom. Assigned to write a speech in praise of her noble House, Flora narrowly rejects openings like "Crackpot Hall has 11,000 rooms but only one potty." Indeed, the ancestral pile has seen better days, partly for reasons bound up in the power plays of Flora's illustrious mother, a famous general who tolerates no insubordination and has disabled the magical Butler that should keep the house in order. Motivated partly by sympathy and partly by the desire to have someone else muck out the stable, Flora sets herself a quest to restore the Butler to his rightful place, but she soon discovers that the price of a little help with the housework can be, almost literally, her soul. Flora's quirky comic voice always keeps the danger of her predicament and the dysfunctionality of her family from weighing down the story, which bounces lightly along to its conclusion--or rather, temporary conclusion, because this is the first volume of a trilogy. I'm no Young Adult, and this is a Young Adult book, but I can hardly wait for Volume 2.

Cliché Free, Fresh Fantasy.......2007-06-03

I purchased this book for my daughter after reading Charles de Lint's favorable review in Fantasy & Science Fiction Magazine (he's rarely steered me wrong) and after growing impatient waiting for her to begin it, I picked it up to skim the first few pages for myself. There was no skimming; I was immediately absorbed and read the book in one sitting. There was no tired "hero's journey" cliché where the orphan, unaware of his great heritage, begins on a lowly farm. There were innovative and captivating devices, smooth wordsmithing, and the kind of intelligent, brave female protagonist I like my daughter to spend time with. Be sure to check out the author's website and blog.

The New York Trilogy: City of Glass; Ghosts; The Locked Room (Contemporary American Fiction Series)

Average customer rating:

"The question is the story itself, and whether or not it means something is not for the story to tell."
Was not impressed
Two extraordinary short novels and an exercise by a supreme storyteller
exceptional
Good? Yes. Engaging? that's a different question...

The New York Trilogy: City of Glass; Ghosts; The Locked Room (Contemporary American Fiction Series)
Paul Auster
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0140131558

Book Description

Paul Auster's signature work, The New York Trilogy, consists of three interlocking novels: City of Glass, Ghosts, and The Locked Room—haunting and mysterious tales that move at the breathless pace of a thriller.

Customer Reviews:

"The question is the story itself, and whether or not it means something is not for the story to tell." .......2007-06-13

"He had always imagined that the key to good detective work was a close observation of details. The more accurate the scrutiny, the more successful the results. The implication was that human behavior could be understood, that beneath the infinite façade of gestures, tics, and silences, there was finally a coherence, an order, a source of motivation."

Paul Auster's "New York Trilogy," consisting of the novellas "City of Glass," "Ghosts," and "The Locked Room," is an intriguing blend of post-modern fiction, metaphysical philosophy, and detective novels. Through his reliance on the themes and structure of pulp/noir mysteries, Auster delves deeply into questions regarding identity, purpose, obsession, what is real, and examines the often tenuous grip that most people have on their sanity. His exploration is quite compelling and makes for a fascinating read, but it is unfortunate that the quality of the novellas is slightly uneven. The first, "City of Glass," is far too impenetrable and abstruse to be much more than frustrating. While it is clear that its protagonist, Quinn, is desperate to shed his identity in order to escape from the painful loss that has left him paralyzed, it is unclear why he becomes so obsessed with the case that he takes on after doing so. "Ghosts" is a marked improvement, but it is only in the final novella, "The Locked Room," that this trilogy really comes to life. "The Locked Room" is eloquent where its predecessors are vague, pointed when the others are intentionally blurry, and poignant rather than murky. Auster is certainly a great writer, and I will be interested to read more of his works, but "The New York Trilogy" requires a willingness to stick with it in order to get to its heart. But I recommend hanging in there, because that final novella is a true gem, and makes the ride worth your while.

Here's the grade breakdown: "City of Glass": C+, "Ghosts": B, "The Locked Room": A
Average grade: B

Was not impressed.......2007-05-20

I read this book because I loved Paul Aster's Brooklyn Follies. This compilation of 3 short stories may have well been written by a completely different author. They are short detective stories that are slightly intertwined. I did not enjoy this book and do not recommend it.

Two extraordinary short novels and an exercise by a supreme storyteller .......2007-02-08

I do not see this work the way Auster constructed it. To me it is not a 'trilogy' even though there are overlapping themes, and incidents. I see it as a collection of separate pieces. The first and the third are first-rate works of fiction . They are novels which are searches for self. They are -Multiple- identity -mysteries which illustrate Auster's way of seeing life and the world, as unending chance and surprise.
Perhaps the best summary of the Auster credo comes somewhere in the middle of 'The Locked Room' The narrator- best friend of Fanshawe meditates as follows.
" We all want to be told stories and we listen to them in the same way we did when we were young. We imagine the real story inside the words, and to do this we substitute ourselves for the person in the story, pretending that we can understand him because we understand ourselves. This is a deception.We exist for ourselves, perhaps, and at times we even have a glimmer of who we are, but in the end we can never be sure, and as our lives go on, we become more and more opaque to ourselves, more and more aware of our own incoherence. No one can cross the boundary into another-for the simple reason that no one can gain access to himself."
Auster is a supreme storyteller. In these works there are stories within stories of incredible power and beauty. In the first book there is a small story of a mother in the Shoah carrying a baby for whom she at last has the satisfaction of attaining and giving milk. The baby has been dead for days. In the concluding work of the Trilogy Auster tells the story of Lorenzo da Ponte whose life he describes as five or six distinct lives, illustrating a principle of Auster's fiction i.e. we can never know for certain where the story of the life is going to next.
I may not agree with Auster's philosophy of life but find him one of the supreme storytellers writing today . I pick up his work and I want to read and read and read.

exceptional.......2006-11-02

"The New York Trilogy", a volume containing three separate novellas: "The City of Glass", "Ghosts" and " The Locked Room", is an intriguing example of the author's game with the readers and, perhaps, with himself. The motif common for all three stories in the mystery, the solution of which is pursued by the main character, and the place of action, New York City (I do not agree with one of the reviewers who said New York could be here any other urban environment as well; certainly it could not be any European city, NYC gives these stories the distinct character and for anyone who has walked the streets through which the characters wander, it is a setting unmistakable for any other; The City's atmosphere hangs over the characters like a cloud).

"The City of Glass" features Quinn, a solitary man, living quietly after the death of his wife and son, and writing detective stories under a pseudonym. One night, Quinn receives a mysterious phone call from a man demanding the services of a private detective, Paul Auster... Although it is clearly a wrong number, Quinn decides to pretend to be Auster and take the challenge, changing his life forever.

A complete change of life circumstances is also a fate of the protagonist of a second (and the shortest) novella "Ghosts". Blue, who is a professional private detective, receives a task from the disguised client, White, to watch Black. The trouble is, Black never does anything interesting except reading or writing, and bored Blue tries to find out, where the real secret of this investigation lies.

In the last novella "The Locked Room", the main character is involved in the publication of the works of his missing childhood friend, Fanshawe. The books are a great success, he marries Fanshawe's wife and he assumes Fanshawe's identity, happily at the beginning...

These novellas are not, as has been pointed out by many reviewers before me, typical mysteries, where clues lead to conclusions and the reader may amuse himself with finding a correct answer. They are, on one hand, explorations of the soul, of the unknown in us, and, on the other hand, and taken together, a postmodern riddle, with literary jokes, cultural clues. They can be read on various levels, which is what really makes them interesting. For somebody, who expects a mystery story from the beginning to the end this book would be a disappointment, However, it is rewarding for the reader interested in reading itself (sounds absurd, I know, but this may be the truth - books play an enormous role in all the novellas). The introduction of Auster, as a detective, but really a writer in the first story, as opposed to Quinn, the writer, who has to become the detective, is only one of the twists here. The exercise with giving the characters the name of the colors (after all, what, if not "real" names make the reader think of the book characters as real? And are the color names unreal? Such names are common enough...) - is another.

By the way, has anyone been lured into drawing Quinn's walk on the street grid of Manhattan?

Good? Yes. Engaging? that's a different question..........2006-08-19

"The New York Trilogy", by celebrated author Paul Auster, is made up of 3, somewhat interlinked, long stories which were originately published separately at various times around 1985-86.
There is no doubt that Paul Auster is a terrific writer so I won't even get into that aspect of the book.
Let's get down to what's really important by trying to pinpoint the subject matter, i.e., what "the new york trilogy" is really about: in a sense, it's a mystery, in the true sense of the word, because even in the end many questions (most, I dare say) are left unanswered, many stones unturned and many cues are simply left hanging in the air.
The NYT has been described as metaphysical detective fiction and the description might in fact prove apt: each of the 3 stories follows the investigations of one man which always turn into an obsession, making the man completely lose touch with the reality. The NYT is thus much about mental processes, we see each of the 3 main chracters gradually become so absorbed by their quest that they lose all sense of proportion and stop thinking like the rest of us.
It's also a novel about writing because writing, depicted as the greatest obsession of all, always plays a role in the stories.
There is also a definite surreal element in most stories and, quite often, they reminded me of Dino Buzzati's short stories.
The author is obviously very pleased with himself, playing with his own name (much like B.E. Ellis does in his recent "Lunar Park") and toying with the other character's names (which pop up in different stories, alluding to the possibility of a strong link between them all).
Did I like the book? As much as it's clever and well-written, it leaves you with a sense of un-completeness, too much stuff remains only vaguely hinted at (I was never one to fall for open-endings. Plus, everything is open here, much more than necessary) and in the ends, the whole thing sound more like an elaborate intellectual game that engaging fiction. Thus, I give the novel 3 stars although this is in no way diminishes my appreciation of the author's talent.

Roald Dahl/Charlie Boxed Set (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator)

Average customer rating:

Would be better if I hadn't seen the movie first!
charile and the choclate factory
Love the story but strongly dislike the illustrations
Very Good
An awesome book -- a review by Eli (7 years old)

Roald Dahl/Charlie Boxed Set (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator)
Roald Dahl
Manufacturer: Knopf Books for Young Readers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0375815597
Release Date: 2001-09-11

Amazon.com

Deliciously madcap mayhem and out-of-this-world fantasy--this is what you'll find within the casing of this boxed set of two of Roald Dahl's most brilliant creations: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator.

For decades, delighted readers of all ages have explored Willy Wonka's fabulous chocolate factory, met the Oompa Loompas, and sampled the chocolate river along with Augustus Gloop. And later, they have zoomed off into the stratosphere in the most remarkable elevator ever created. Now, a new generation of readers barely needs to pause between the first and the second of Roald Dahl's masterful volumes. Hardcover editions of each title, illustrated of course by the incomparable Quentin Blake, are tucked in a handy cardboard sleeve, ready for the next set of hungry eyes. Sadly, the convenience of the set is counterbalanced by the poor quality of the paper used for the books. Classics like these deserve thick, creamy, opaque pages; not the flimsy, rough, semitransparent sheets used here. (Ages 7 and older) --Emilie Coulter

Customer Reviews:

Would be better if I hadn't seen the movie first!.......2007-06-05

I bought this book the other day at a outlet store for only two dollars. I'm alreday on chapter 17. I like the book, and the way the author writes, but it would be MUCH better if I hadn't seen the movie first.
The old, old movie from the 70's is very different form the book. the NEW movie (which I thought was really good!) is a LOT like the book.
I agree with a few revwiers that the illustrations aren't the best. they're good, and funny, and cute...but they need to sculpt teh charcters a little more.
Besides all that, this is a pretty good book.

charile and the choclate factory.......2007-05-23

the plot took place on this huge place were they make the wonka bar.And the mr.wonka like to invent thing made out of choclate and oher stuff.Mr.wonka let five people to his factory so he signs on the light post.then on the morning people read the paper it said five people are alowed to his factory and who ever finds five golden tickets are going to his factory.Then people are finding the golden ticket then charlie wanted to go but his family are poor.On chalies bithday hr recived a ghoclate bar from his mom and dad.Then his gandpa was exicted that he might find it.but he didn't find it.one day he was walking around charlie found something green charlie said it looks like a bill so piked it up and it was a one dollar bill.So he went to the store and bought the last choclate bar in the store and chaile opened the bar and saw the golden bar.He ran to his house and said i found the golden ticket!his grandpa was excited that he found the golden ticket he was jumping all around.And charlie said that you are not going.Then the next day he thought of it so he said he could go.then it was time.they were walking all around then the chubby kid fell down the choclate river.they were helping he to get out the choclate river the big tube sucked him up.then they left to another room they were trying out candy so the mean girl got some gum and she turn fat and blue.After that went to a room that could turn things big or small.they put a bar put it in the middle they turn it big.they turn the little vilonte boy so small they tried to make him in the wright size but they couln't one by one are living .the only ones that are left is the little girl and charlie.next they went to see the squirles and the little gilr wanted one but sge couldent get one and the dad said can i buy one for my daughter and wonka said no thelittle girl was holdind one it was runing around she chase it she fell down.and the dad went to get her and he fell down to.charlie was the last one.so wonka took them home with him.

Love the story but strongly dislike the illustrations.......2007-04-13

Let me just start off by saying that I love Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. After seeing the movie version with Gene Wilder, I had to read the book, so I rented the ORGINIAL edition from my library and fell in love with it. Then I rented the sequel Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator and enjoyed it just as much.
My only complaint with this edition is the illustrations by Quentin Blake. Let me just be bluntly honest: they are horrible! They look as if a five year old drew them! I don't like the way any of the characters look, especially Willy Wonka. In Blake's illustrations they all look just poor, mediocre, stupid and dopey. They don't add to the book or enhance your visualization of the characters but detract from it. I don't expect Alan Lee-like drawings, just something a bit more better drawn and closer to the characters in the book.
The critic on Amazon calls the illustrator "the incomparable Blake." I'd like to choke when I read that. Incomparable? Yeah right. Just compare this one with the ORIGINAL illustrations by Joseph Schindelman and you'll see that Blake is definitely a big step down in quality. Joseph Schindelman, to me, really captured the goodness and innonence of Charlie and the delightfulness and lovablness of Willy Wonka in his illustrations, and more importantly, they match Roald Dahl's descriptions well. They look more like people and more like you imagined them to look like. When I think of Willy Wonka and Charlie, my mind goes back to the illustrations of Joseph Schindelman; there just better done and more like characters. They are much more charming than the stick figure we have with long nose and bug eyes in Blake's Wonka.
And this guy is a teacher? It looks to me like he needs to be taught a few art lessons. I bought this edition only because I love the story so much and had to have a copy, but now I'm really hoping to get the original edition with Joseph Schindelman as the illustrator.
Last word: somebody needs to fire this guy Blake. He's ruining Road Dahl's books!

Very Good.......2007-01-04

The collectors edition was nice to handle and added to the enjoyment of these classic books.

An awesome book -- a review by Eli (7 years old).......2006-07-19

This is a great, interesting, funny book. I liked both stories but especially Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I like how the author describes the scenes in the book in many details and you can actually imagine how the factory looks like. The illustrations are funny and good.

Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator (Puffin Novels)

Average customer rating:

Disappointing, slow and racist...
This book is awesome!
Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator
odd, funny, and nonsensical
There are three reasons why THIS Dahl novel was not made into a film---George, Georgina, and Josephine

Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator (Puffin Novels)
Roald Dahl
Manufacturer: Puffin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0141301120

Amazon.com

Picking right up where Charlie and the Chocolate Factory left off, Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator continues the adventures of Charlie Bucket, his family, and Willy Wonka, the eccentric candy maker. As the book begins, our heroes are shooting into the sky in a glass elevator, headed for destinations unknown. What follows is exactly the kind of high-spirited magical madness and mayhem we've all come to expect from Willy Wonka and his creator Roald Dahl. The American space race gets a send-up, as does the President, and Charlie's family gets a second chance at childhood. Throw in the Vermicious Knids, Gnoolies, and Minusland and we once again witness pure genius. (Ages 9 to 12)

Book Description

Charlie and Willy Wonka are back, this time in a fantastic journey to outer space in their giant glass elevator. Roald Dahl is one of the most beloved storytellers of all time, and his books have been children's favorites for generations. Puffin is proud to offer a strong new look for nine of our classic Roald Dahl titles. The distinctive cover treatment, with new art by Quentin Blake, will make these books easily recognizable. In addition, Quentin Blake's funny, quirky illustrations now appear in all of the books. So turn the page and you'll be sure to have a Dahl-ectable summer!

Customer Reviews:

Disappointing, slow and racist..........2007-04-07

After reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to my 5 and 7 year olds, I got down my childhood copy of Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator. It made for a terrible read aloud! The plot was slow, the dialogue boring and I had to edit out some racist parts about China and the Chinese. We all decided to abandon the read aloud after Chapter 5. Very disappointing! I was actually surprised to still find the book in print!

This book is awesome!.......2007-01-14

Actually, in comparison with the first book (Charlie and the chocolate factory) this book is definitely not as good. I did however read it in 2 days because I wanted it to be done in a matter of time for school, and, I couldn't put it down. This book does not have as much adventure because it's in space and then taking wonka vites and Vite Wonkas and so on and so forth. This book did keep your attention and of course, was written by roald dahl which makes it superior.

Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator.......2006-10-13

Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator is an iteresting book. It is a fiction story and a little realistic. It is about a boy called Charlie that goes on a Great Glass Elevator with all his family and Mr. Wonka. They were last seen traveling around his hometown. They were on their way to the point were they were supposed to go down again but they couldnt his the button at the corretct moment so they went to space. A series of events passed until they realized that they could use their booster rockets to get back to the factory. So they went back to the factory where they were welcomed by the Ompaa Loompas. Then Mr. Wonka remembered of his Wonka-Vite or a pill that made you younger by 20 years. One of the old ones were less than 80 so they drank 4 without thinking on the efect and dissapeared. She went to the Minus World. Mr. Wonka and Charlie went to the Minus World to look for her. They found her and brought her back to the normal world where she was 100% red blood human. But she was to old. So she ate more pills and went to her normal age. At the end a presidential helicopter was on the door of the Chocolate Factory with a card for Mr. Wonka. They were invited to the White House. Every one was happy and they all lived happilly ever after. For more details read the book!!!!!

odd, funny, and nonsensical.......2006-10-03

This was a really odd book. By the end of the first book, Charlie, his grandparents, his parents, and Mr Wonka are all in a glass elevator, shooting into the sky. From here, they go to outer space where a space hotel is opening and some American astronauts find them and assume they are enemy aliens. They, along with the infantile and incredibly stupid president of the United States contemplate blowing up the glass elevator and all inside to protect the soon-to-be occupied space hotel. With Wonka's gadgets, they manage to board the hotel, find real and very dangerous aliens, escape, and save the foolish Americans from being gobbled up...for the most part. When they return to the factory, Wonka offers a volatile youth potion to his grandparents, but only the selfish Josephina gets any...and all of it. She disappears as she becomes uninvented, Charlie and Wonka find her in the mysterious place where negatives live, and that's pretty much it. A series of non-sequitors, but funny nonetheless.

There are three reasons why THIS Dahl novel was not made into a film---George, Georgina, and Josephine.......2006-09-19

After reading the delightful Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, this sequel was an absolute let-down. The novel begins with the great Glass Elevator breaking through the ceiling of Charlie's (formerly Wonka's) chocolate factory and rocketing into orbit around the Earth. While beyond the reaches of Earth's atmosphere, our heroes---Charlie, Grandpa Joe, and Mr. Wonka---must deal with the malleable and voracious Vermicious Knids (pronounced "K'Nids"), aliens which resemble unfrighteningly hostile figs or turds with eyes. Far worse than these beasties, though, are the insufferable old folks whose twenty-year stint in their shared bed has made them less than useless. Charlie, Joe, and Wonka, with no help from Charlie's folks or other grandparents, save themselves and a US spacecraft from the clutches of the Knids and return to the Chocolate Factory, where the old timers stupidly overdose on youth pills, returning them to infancy or beyond. Charlie and Wonka race around trying to help these ancient parasites, who respond to this assistance with the thanklessness the reader comes to expect from these oldsters. At the end of the novel, the geriatric brigade finally leaves the bed when they have a chance to meet the President.

In short, these three are the most tedious, spiteful, unredeemable characters I've come across in children's literature and I hoped that they would be eaten by the Knids or the Gnoolies or even the Oompa-Loompas as I read this book. As it is, they (unlike the awful kids in the Chocolate Factory) learn no lessons and persist in their curmudgeonly parasitism from the first page to the last. Their presence throughout the novel rendered it a chore, rather than a joy, to read.

The Novels of Dashiell Hammett: Red Harvest; The Dain Curse; The Maltese Falcon; The Glass Key; The Thin Man

Average customer rating:

The Novels of Dashiell Hammett: Red Harvest; The Dain Curse; The Maltese Falcon; The Glass Key; The Thin Man
Dashiell Hammett
Manufacturer: Knopf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0394438604
Release Date: 1965-09-12

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