So You Think You Know Thomas Hardy?: A Literary Quizbook (Oxford World's Classics)
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    So You Think You Know Thomas Hardy?: A Literary Quizbook (Oxford World's Classics)
    John Sutherland
    Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Paperback

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    ASIN: 019280443X

    Book Description

    How well do you really know your favourite author? Ace literary detective turned quizmaster John Sutherland challenges the reader to find out. Starting with easy, factual questions that test how well you remember a novel and its characters, the quiz progresses to a level of greater difficulty, demanding close reading and interpretative deduction. What really motivates the characters, and what is going on beneath the surface of the story? From Bathsheba's valentine to Tess's favourite cows, the subjects range across six of Hardy's most popular novels. Designed to amuse and divert, the questions and answers take the reader on an imaginative journey into the world of Thomas Hardy, where hypothesis and speculation produce fascinating and unexpected insights. Whether you are an expert or enthusiast, So You Think You Know Thomas Hardy? guarantees you will know him much better after reading it.
    Think of England
    Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    • a tongue-in-cheek look at the British
    Think of England
    Martin Parr
    Manufacturer: Phaidon Press
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Paperback

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    ASIN: 0714844543

    Book Description

    Magnum photographer Martin Parr's vision of contemporary England in 100 colour photographs.

    Customer Reviews:

    5 out of 5 stars a tongue-in-cheek look at the British.......2006-05-31

    Martin Parr is one of the great documentary photographers of Britain and this book is a prime example of his talent in the field. This book is a wonderful collection of the quirks and eccentricities of the British. No subject is overlooked as Parr covers food, dress, interior design and gardens, pomp and circumstance and Brits at the seaside. It's a view of England not seen by most tourists which makes it all the more relevant for foreign audiences. Browsing through the book one can see several cultural similarities like the picture of a winning dessert at a district garden society show, or people talking on their mobile phones.

    If you're a bit of an anglophile or simply enjoy good photography, this book won't disappoint. I bought this book at the Tate Modern after having seen several of the photos in various galleries, and find it inspiring to aspiring photographers like myself.
    Thinks . . .
    Average customer rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
    • Thinks.... A bit disappointing
    • Good, but not great
    • So glad you can now purchase a copy in the U.S.
    • Familiar settings, mixed results.
    • Clash of disciplines
    Thinks . . .
    David Lodge
    Manufacturer: Viking Adult
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Hardcover

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    ASIN: 0670899844
    Release Date: 2001-05-31

    Book Description

    The novels of David Lodge have earned comparisons to the fiction of John Updike and Philip Roth and established him as "a cult figure on both sides of the Atlantic" (The New York Times). Thinks..., his new novel, is a timely and witty story about secret infidelities and the nature of consciousness. The story unfolds in the alternating voices of Ralph Messenger, the director of the Holt Belling Center for Cognitive Science at the University of Gloucester in England, and Helen Reed, a recently widowed novelist who has taken up a post as writer-in-residence at Gloucester. Ralph, who is much in demand as a pundit on developments in artificial intelligence, believes that computers may one day be conscious; Helen believes that literary fiction constitutes the richest record of human consciousness. The two are mutually attracted and fascinated by their differences, but Helen resists Ralph's bold advances on moral principles. The standoff between them is shattered by a series of events and discoveries that dramatically confirm the truth of Ralph's dictum that "we can never know for certain what another person is thinking."

    Told with Lodge's inimitable wry humor and elegant style, Thinks... offers both a delightful take on love and life in one of the lusher habitats of middle England and a playful yet searching examination of the complexities of human consciousness.

    Customer Reviews:

    3 out of 5 stars Thinks.... A bit disappointing.......2007-06-09

    This novel, about artificial intelligence, novel writing and affairs of the heart, resolves itself by suggesting that what really matters is the place we happen to be and the people we happen to meet while we are there.

    I read it in three sessions. The plot kept me turning the pages. Thinking afterwards, I was disappointed to discover that I wasn't concerned about the fate of the characters, novel writing or artificial intelligence.

    What I did like were the descriptions of place. Maybe I'll get to Ledbury next time I'm in the UK...

    3 out of 5 stars Good, but not great.......2007-05-18

    Anyone who has read David Lodge's earlier books will be on familiar ground with this story. It has an academic setting and centers around two intelligent but very different people (Ralph, a cognitive scientist, and Helen, a novelist), who come to appreciate each other and eventually have an affair.

    It is pleasant reading and mildly amusing, but not so funny that I would call it a "comic novel." In fact, the mood throughout is rather subdued, probably because most of the story is recounted by the characters after the fact, placing the events at arm's length. While the discussions of cognitive studies may put some readers off, they really aren't that difficult or essential to understanding the plot.

    After five chapters and a couple of hints in the text, it became apparent how Lodge was using the book's form to illustrate his theme of consciousness. For the most part, there are three different chapter styles: 1) Ralph's dictations; 2) Helen's journal entries; and 3) a more typical objective narrative. These are not arbitrarily chosen devices. The first two are pure inner monologue, mirroring the character's consciousness, while the third is a purely external description of events. Thus, Lodge separates out narrative elements that are usually found mixed together in most novels. This gives the book a Rashomon-like style, but with one important difference: there is no factual disagreement between Ralph and Helen. They may have different thoughts about what happens, but they don't have different versions. The contrast Lodge wants to explore is that between the inner and outer spheres of our lives, not between different "realities."

    I'm not sure this proves anything about consciousness (or is supposed to), but it certainly does illustrate one thing: the novel (and similar forms of writing) is especially good at depicting the inner life of people. It is the closest thing to getting a look into someone's else's head, that is, their consciousness. So, while the book succeeds as a literary exercise, the story itself is not that compelling.

    4 out of 5 stars So glad you can now purchase a copy in the U.S........2005-06-12

    Lodge's brilliance is at work once again.

    I read about this work in an airplane magazine in Europe about a year before it was released in the U.S. - I was able to find an English language copy in Amsterdam.

    I was not disappointed; anyone who works in higher education will be able to identify with the characters in this book. The power struggles, the unwritten rules of academia and the lives of everyday individuals.

    I couldn't put this book down - I read it in one sitting one a flight back from Europe.

    A wonderful read!!!

    3 out of 5 stars Familiar settings, mixed results........2005-04-02

    David Lodge goes back to the familiar turf of the newer (fictional of course) universities in England, and similarly to what he did in Nice Work, he juxtapposes two characters from different disciplines: Ralph Messenger, a smart, egocentric and charming cognitive sciences professor and Helen Reed - a recently widowed novelist, more "old school" and with an excellent literary sense. The background theme of the book is consciousness, as it is perceived by the more scientific Ralph on the one hand, and by Helen, whose views are rooted in the literary, humanistic world. The plot thickens when mutual attraction is introduced and takes some unexpected turns.
    One of the beautiful aspects of Lodge's writing is the ability to create this layered construct of the personal and the philosophical, as he has marvelously done in "Paradies News", where certain philosophical/theological questions beautifully mix with the personal story of Bernard and his father. In "Thinks..." this construct is more artificial and less convincing. The book starts with a bang, and one expects that the build up of the characters, as well as the exploration of the ever-intriguing question of consciousness will escalate from there. Instead, the book soon reaches a plateau: the dealing with consciousness becomes mostly tired and repetitive, and the reader becomes less involved with the main characters. And because of this, although things do happen, but they seem like artificial tricks to keep the plot going rather than organic events that bind everything together. Lodge is a masterful writer, and thus it's an easy book to read through, but it does not leave the same feeling of lingering satisfaction that his better books provide.

    5 out of 5 stars Clash of disciplines.......2005-03-11

    A novel about cognitive science, and there are a lot of quite long conversations between the two principal characters about mind-body philosophy which, though central to the fullest understanding of the plot, some readers may find a little daunting. Both characters keep a private journal. The man is a sexually predatory cognitive scientist at a university. His private thoughts are coarse and randy. The woman is a visiting teacher of creative writing and a much more sensitive and sympathetic character. The book is brilliantly written and paced, a real page-turner with a satisfying ending.
    Don't Even Think About It
    Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    • Real Life & Love
    • Don't Even Think About It
    • Sharp and absorbing
    • Chick lit with a razor edge
    • Descent -- Not Her Best Work
    Don't Even Think About It
    Lauren Henderson
    Manufacturer: Downtown Press
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Paperback

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    ASIN: 0743464699

    Book Description

    Three's company....

    Best chums Sally, Jude, and Michael are living the single life in cool flats a mere stone's throw apart in London. But the girls find the sitcom life they love taking an unexpected twist when Michael's new girlfriend, Katie, moves in with him. Michael's a notorious womanizer -- he broke it off with Sally years ago -- and the girls have gotten used to his endless parade of brunettes. Sally acts like she's over Michael; Jude prides herself on knowing better; and they're both sure Katie's not going to last.

    Four's a crowd.

    Katie's not particularly thrilled that Michael's ex and her best friend live right across the street, but she makes the best of it. After all, things with Michael are going brilliantly, and he seems determined to commit to their future. But when another brunette from Michael's past arrives from Paris and Katie begins to fear that she's just another notch on Michael's bedpost, the girls realize that they're all just playing parts in Michael's drama. So what will his reaction be when they try to break free? Don't even think about it!

    Download Description

    "Three's company.... Best chums Sally, Jude, and Michael are living the single life in cool flats a mere stone's throw apart in London. But the girls find the sitcom life they love taking an unexpected twist when Michael's new girlfriend, Katie, moves in with him. Michael's a notorious womanizer -- he broke it off with Sally years ago -- and the girls have gotten used to his endless parade of brunettes. Sally acts like she's over Michael; Jude prides herself on knowing better; and they're both sure Katie's not going to last. Four's a crowd. Katie's not particularly thrilled that Michael's ex and her best friend live right across the street, but she makes the best of it. After all, things with Michael are going brilliantly, and he seems determined to commit to their future. But when another brunette from Michael's past arrives from Paris and Katie begins to fear that she's just another notch on Michael's bedpost, the girls realize that they're all just playing parts in Michael's drama. So what will his reaction be when they try to break free? Don't even think about it! "

    Customer Reviews:

    3 out of 5 stars Real Life & Love.......2005-06-21

    This is story of real life and love. Michael is a playboy who changes girlfriends every other month. Sally is Michael's ex-girl and his best friend who still loves him. Katie is young Sally look-a-like and Michael new flavor of the month. Jude is the only realist in the group who finds herself in the middle of her friend's chaos. The friendship and love are so real who feel every emotion the characters go through. I would not say this was favorite read but very thought provoking.

    5 out of 5 stars Don't Even Think About It.......2005-06-09

    AWESOME! Another amazing novel from Lauren Henderson! Her characters are real and honest, her story is compeling and true to life and while you're laughing at Lauren's wit you're also learning a bit about human behavior along the way! 3 cheers for Lauren on another wonderful novel.
    P.S. If you're single or even if you just know someone who is single or even if you aren't single -- you have to read Lauren Henderson's "Jane Austen's Guide To Dating." It is the best, most honest, most helpful and most entertaining guide book on the subject. This guide will be the last book you'll need to read on the subject and you don't need to be an Austen fan or authority to learn a ton from Austen's wisdom and Henderson's application of Austen's wisdom to the single world in the 21st century.

    4 out of 5 stars Sharp and absorbing.......2005-04-14

    I thought this book was a massive improvement on Henderson's previous romantic comedy, "My Lurid Past." This novel was truly difficult to put down.

    A comedy of manners, this novel follows the intertwined lives of Sally, Mike, and Jude. Sally and Mike used to date, but are still close friends and near-flatmates; Jude lives nearby as well. The three of them are inseparable until Mike starts dating the latest in his "parade of brunettes," a younger woman named Katie. Sally, who still has submerged feelings for her ex, predicts that Katie won't last, but when Katie gets pregnant, no one can predict what the outcome will be.

    Henderson does a great job with plot twists and turns, and very engaging characters. Sally, Jude and Mike are so fully described that you can see what they look like and practically picture them in your living room. Henderson has a particular talent for warts-and-all description, where the reader becomes intimately familiar with every character's insecurities, Schadenfreude and sense of rivalry with the other characters.

    My only complaint is that the plot twists toward the end of the book become increasingly difficult to believe, and this detracted from the story's "realness." Also, at the very end the story was predictable (although not until then, which was impressive).

    4 out of 5 stars Chick lit with a razor edge.......2005-03-09

    Lauren Henderson, known for the Samantha Jones mystery series, has been branching out into chick lit with a distinct edge. In "Don't Even Think About It," Katie moves in with her new boyfriend Michael. Michael's ex-girlfriend Sally and her best friend Jude live across the street and all three are very close, much to Katie's displeasure. Complicating matters are: the torch Sally has carried for Michael for nine years after their relationship ended, Michael's womanizing, Katie's accidental pregnancy, and the appearance of Sofie, a temperamental, egotistical French artist who was Michael's first love (and shattered his heart).

    My only complaint is when the book spirals to a startling denoument it stops with the immediate fallout, then rushes to an epilogue and leaves out a few scenes I would have liked to see, but can't reveal without being a spoiler. Still, it's a nice read on a lazy afternoon.

    4 out of 5 stars Descent -- Not Her Best Work.......2004-12-07

    I have come to expect a lot from Lauren Henderson and was a bit let down by this book. The story is basically about 3 friends and the troubles that relationships bring. Especially when they are with one another. The three friends are well developed and their interactions are a wonderful read. But, the story reminds me of one of those books where the author doesn't know how to finish the book so the planet explodes. The book ends and you are left wondering why you spent the time, even with the great characters.
    Martyr's Creek
    Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    • NEW AGE, OLD TIMES
    • PSYCOPATHIC POLITICS
    Martyr's Creek
    David Chacko
    Manufacturer: Foremost Press
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Paperback

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    ASIN: 0978970438

    Book Description

    When your worst enemy makes you the executor of his estate, you don't expect an easy time. What James Pandolph discovers in settling Tom Powys' considerable estate is nothing compared to what is required settling the passions of his life. This includes neo-conservative politics at the highest level and the bodies that have fallen at every step along the way.

    Customer Reviews:

    5 out of 5 stars NEW AGE, OLD TIMES.......2007-05-28

    MARTYR'S CREEK is one of the most provocative books of the year. If you can imagine having a neo-con friend who is a really an enemy who names you the executor of his estate, you may be able to see how the book's story goes. The main character and narrator, a man everyone calls Panda, sorts through huge stacks of money, meets a flurry of old friends who are in every state of denial, until he finally comes to the mystery that drives everything in the book without anyone knowing it's there. Add to that a love resumed, the reclaiming of a lost son, and the righting of a university that was destroyed in the name of conservative doctrine, and you have David Chacko's thirteen book. One of these days someone will going to come up with a Lifetime Achievement Award for Novels. This is where they might start.

    5 out of 5 stars PSYCOPATHIC POLITICS.......2007-04-12

    If you've ever suspected that the current state of American politics is a conspiracy, you'll love MARTYR'S CREEK. Something is rotten in the state of union, and it all begins with money and the way it corrupts. The neo-conservative movement, that group of brilliant and destructive academics and bureaucrats, is represented here in the figure of Tom Powys. He has died and named to administer his estate James Pandolph, who was once his best friend and is now his sworn enemy. Why would any man do something as perverse as that? You'll have to read the books to find out. It's hard to believe it's part of Powys' character in the beginning, but hard to forget by the end of the book. It's also enough to say that the reasons for the perversity and the novel's fantastic currents make sense once the story is told to the last page. And told very well. Chacko is as good a writer as there is in this country.
    We Think the World of You (New York Review Books Classics)
    Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    • A real snicker of a book
    • Brilliant Black Humor
    • A little delight
    • A masterpiece of literary craft
    • A minor or even not-so-minor classic.
    We Think the World of You (New York Review Books Classics)
    J.R. Ackerley
    Manufacturer: NYRB Classics
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Paperback

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    ASIN: 0940322269
    Release Date: 2000-01-31

    Book Description

    This powerful short novel, with its extraordinary mixture of acute social realism and dark fantasy, was described by J. R. Ackerley himself as "a fairy tale for adults." Frank, the narrator, is a middle-aged civil servant, intelligent, acerbic, self-righteous, angry. He is in love with Johnny, a young, married, working-class man with a sweetly easy-going nature. When Johnny is sent to prison for committing a petty theft, Frank gets caught up in a struggle with Johnny's wife and parents for access to him. Their struggle finds a strange focus in Johnny's dog—a beautiful but neglected German shepherd named Evie. And it is she, in the end, who becomes the improbable and undeniable guardian of Frank's inner world.

    Customer Reviews:

    5 out of 5 stars A real snicker of a book.......2003-03-28

    It's practically impossible to imagine a book like this being published in today's publishing atmosphere, but thankfully, NYRB is around to buck that trend. I mean what editor today would manage a straight face upon opening a proposal about a middle-aged gay man taking care of the irrepressible dog of his working-class lover who's in jail? But as usual, with any work of art -- craft, talent, intelligence, compassion -- this remarkable work is so much more than that. Around its droll premise, Ackerley found a way to brilliantly expose the pettiness of people, regardless (or precisely because) of their social standing. The dog, which is just as vividly alive as each of this novel's (bipedal) characters, is really only it's lovable catalyst. But finally, what makes this work astounding is how it slyly and assuredly gets funnier and funnier and more blackly though generously hilarious with each successive page. A real snicker of a book.

    5 out of 5 stars Brilliant Black Humor.......2002-06-27

    This fantastic piece of high art just gets funnier and funnier and more blackly though generously hilarious with each successive page. Brilliant.

    4 out of 5 stars A little delight.......2000-11-06

    It would be hard to make the case that WE THINK THE WORLD OF YOU is by any means a major work, but why should that lessen your fun? Ackerley's novel is very much a surprise in its relegation of its homoeroticism (dealt with very honestly and matter-of-factly) to the background; the protagonist's homosexuality is treated as simply a matter of course rather than as the center of concern, and what gets greater attention is his complicated relationship with his lover's family and dog.

    The narrator himself is a terrific creation: sneaky, pompous, arrogant, and yet also somewhat likeable despite it all. And so too are the lover's parents and the dog herself--it all has the ring of reality about it. This is a minor delight, but a delight nonetheless.

    5 out of 5 stars A masterpiece of literary craft.......1999-08-31

    I agree that "We Think the World of You" is brilliant, poignant, subtle, and funny, but would like to make the additional point that it is a stunning example of literary construction. It is widely admired for its construction, but what is not widely acknowledged is that the construction, like its brilliance, poignancy, subtlety, and funniness, is the product of a well trained and accomplished intellect. Ackerley took 12 years to write the book -- he had important ideas he wanted to express as effectively as possible, and the result is a very serious and rewarding novel.

    5 out of 5 stars A minor or even not-so-minor classic........1999-07-09

    The fact that this book was ever allowed to go out of print is a disgrace -- thank goodness it is finally being reprinted. As a dissection of the English class system, as a "gay novel," as simply a piece of literature, it is one of the most brilliant and poignant and subtle and funny works of the late 20th century. This is the sort of elegantly written, in some ways understated book that gets called "a minor classic," but judging from the way it lingers in the mind, from the way it discombobulates one's thinking on any number of subjects (including the afore-mentioned class system and homosexuality), it may not be a minor classic but just a classic, period.
    Think of England: A Novel
    Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
    • Character study not deep enough, not dimensional enough
    • The Good Writing Continues
    • Highly Recommended
    • George Lives!
    • Ironic Look at Family Life
    Think of England: A Novel
    Alice Elliott Dark
    Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Paperback

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    ASIN: 0743234979

    Book Description

    Two cataclysmic events occur on February 9, 1964. The Beatles appear on The Ed Sullivan Show and later that night, nine-year-old Jane MacLeod's life changes forever. It has been said that children are good observers but poor interpreters. Jane's interpretation of the events of that evening shapes her life in ways she doesn't recognize. Think of England follows Jane from an intense love affair in the ex-pat scene in punk-era London to working motherhood in New York to a family reunion in the country -- and a reckoning with the ghost that has stood between her and her dream of a happy family.

    Customer Reviews:

    3 out of 5 stars Character study not deep enough, not dimensional enough.......2004-03-06

    What I liked about the beginning of the book , and early parts of the London section, were Jane's introspective nature and her need to rewrite what she thought was happening. Even when she is not writing poetry, she is shaping her view of the world through words, correcting herself, re-setting scenes. Dark does a wonderful job of showing this young creative mind. However, this introspection becomes a crutch. People don't really know Jane as she doesn't even reveal herself much to the reader.

    I loved best how a small action begets a lifetime of regret and guilt. Jane does not feel sorry for herself per se, but it does feed her introspection and her self-doubt. She has moments of quiet strength and humor which seem suddenly squashed and absent when Clay comes into the story.

    There are sections in the book where the focus veers away from Jane, and I agree with another reviewer when they say these are the weaker parts of the book.

    I especially thought that the character of Clay West was a shallow one. Although the "plot" seemed to tread water during the Nigel-Colette-Jane section, I appreciated how their interaction challenged Jane and she seemed more "present" in their relationship. The Jane that loved Clay seemed just as vacuous as his character.

    Emily is a potentially wonderful character but our scenes with her are few as the author rushes through these pages to get to the ending. The family reunion scene seemed awfully belated and thus contrived. It's crowded with voices of the other siblings who we don't really know or care about. There was good tension with Jane waiting to confront Via. But why add as a coda the letter in the end? And what about Colette? Didn't she serve as a great foil in the middle section?

    There were good parts, but the throughline of the story was not a compelling one. We are not compelled to move from one section to the next, we just follow the character.

    5 out of 5 stars The Good Writing Continues.......2003-08-19

    Alice Elliott Dark's first novel was certainly worth waiting for and a worthy follower of the book of short stories IN THE GLOAMING that received such critical acclaim a few years ago. Jane, a youngster when her beloved father has an accident and is killed, grows up believing she is responsible for his death. This misconception follows her into adulthood and colors her entire life and is what much of the novel is about.

    Ms. Dark is very good with dialogue and verbal fencing. When the uoung man from England Nigel tells her he is gay and asks if she's bothered with learning that, the conversation goes like this:

    "'Of Course not. My uncle is gay,' she offered, and immediately regretted it. 'I'm sorry.That was stupid.'
    'Quite all right. My sister's a girl, if that makes you feel any better.'"

    Dark delves into the complexity and difficulty of family relationships that sound all too familiar to many of us. Once again she writes about lost opportunities and living with the consequences.

    Oh, the title for this novel comes from wedding-night advice for Victorian brides: "Just close your eyes and think of England."

    5 out of 5 stars Highly Recommended.......2002-11-04

    Humorous, devastating, and completely satisfying, 'Think of England' tells a story that bridges a generation gap in its characters and readers alike. It's obvious that Dark is most comfortable in writing the shorter form, for her book reads like 3 short stories. That is, until the subtle conclusion ties each section together brilliantly. As I closed the book, I realized that I had no questions. Every element of the story had been perfectly uncovered - each wound, each joke, each character. Unlike most novels I read, I had no doubts...that is a rare occasion, and I urge you to read this book.

    5 out of 5 stars George Lives!.......2002-04-17

    Ms. Dark sends us on a literary journey that leaves us breathless, thanks to gasps of recognition, sadness, hope, and delight. It's amazing how she can summon up the voice of an 8-year-old girl, Jane, and allow us to see the world through her eyes.

    We are then allowed to follow this old soul through her twenties and into her forties as she makes acquaintances, lovers, friends, decisions, and realizations that resonated with me and all of those to whom I've lent the book.

    I laughed, I cried, I could dance to it. Honestly. It's a true coming of age story. And if you haven't gone through a few Kleenex before its ending...get out of my house and never darken my sheets again.

    3 out of 5 stars Ironic Look at Family Life.......2002-04-13

    Alice Elliott Dark remembers '60s family life and brings it
    back to life in the definitely worthwhile Think of England.
    The phrase "think of England" was a favorite of the protagonist
    Jane's grandmother's of an activity to do when things were tough.

    Structurally and thematically, Think of England is VERY reminiscent of Ian McEwan's Atonement:

    First part - detailed account of "the day that changed
    everything" in a young girl's life, mostly from her point of view

    Middle part - ramifications of the event years later by
    the character who suffered the most because of this event

    Last part - the girl grown up understanding what really happened to her family

    While McEwan's work is mostly chronological, Dark jumps around
    in the first part of the book which made the introductory material somewhat hard to follow. Dark's characters are a little
    more vivid, particularly Jane, the protagonist, her uncle Francis, and Colette, Jane's friend when she grows up
    and goes to live in England for a time.

    If you enjoy reading about the migration from childhood to adulthood, and how life looks different from different vantage
    points, I recommend this book.
    Counting People in: Changing the Way We Think About Membership and the Church
    Average customer rating: Not rated
      Counting People in: Changing the Way We Think About Membership and the Church
      Richard Thomas
      Manufacturer: Pilgrim Press
      ProductGroup: Book
      Binding: Paperback

      GeneralGeneral | Theology | Reference | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
      GeneralGeneral | Christian Living | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
      Church Institutions & OrganizationsChurch Institutions & Organizations | Ministry & Church Leadership | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
      Church AdministrationChurch Administration | Ministry & Church Leadership | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
      AnglicanAnglican | Protestantism | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
      GeneralGeneral | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
      ASIN: 0281053979
      Health in England 1996: What People Know, What People Think, What People Do (Health Education Monitoring Survey Report)
      Average customer rating: Not rated
        Health in England 1996: What People Know, What People Think, What People Do (Health Education Monitoring Survey Report)
        Jacqui Hansbro , Great Britain Stationery Office , and Ann Bridgwood
        Manufacturer: Stationery Office Books (TSO)
        ProductGroup: Book
        Binding: Hardcover

        EpidemiologyEpidemiology | Infectious Disease | Internal Medicine | Medicine | Subjects | Books
        EpidemiologyEpidemiology | Internal Medicine | Medicine | Medical | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
        GeneralGeneral | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
        ASIN: 0116916729
        The Movers & Shakers of Medieval England: A Who's Who of History's Most Gifted, Famous and Influential People
        Average customer rating: Not rated
          The Movers & Shakers of Medieval England: A Who's Who of History's Most Gifted, Famous and Influential People

          Manufacturer: Think Books
          ProductGroup: Book
          Binding: Hardcover

          IrishIrish | Ethnic & National | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
          GeneralGeneral | British | Historical | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
          GeneralGeneral | World | History | Subjects | Books
          MedievalMedieval | World | History | Subjects | Books
          GeneralGeneral | England | Europe | History | Subjects | Books
          AncientAncient | England | Europe | History | Subjects | Books
          MedievalMedieval | England | Europe | History | Subjects | Books
          ASIN: 1905624077

          Book Description

          The Middle Ages were a perilous period in British history—and these are the towering figures who helped shape society during that crucial, and somewhat brutal, stage. They’re the artists, muses, inspired inventors, and literary legends who endured umpteen decades of harsh living, deadly disease, rats, terrifying capital punishments, and squalor…and still managed to shine through with their reputations intact. These fiery pages will introduce the checkered life and mysterious death of Geoffrey Chaucer, the woman who saw 16 visions of Christ as she lay ill, the illuminator of The Lindisfarne Gospels, and the inventor of Ockham’s Razor…which trims ideas, rather than hair!

          Books:

          1. Southwestern Vegetarian
          2. Spiritual Gardening: Creating Sacred Space Outdoors
          3. Stop Sitting on Your Assets: How to Safely Leverage the Equity Trapped in Your Home and Transform It Into a Constant Flow of Wealth and Security
          4. The 10-Second Kiss: How to Turn Your Relationship Into a Lifelong Romance -- in Just 24 Hours! A Magical Formula for Passion, Pleasure, and Playfulness
          5. The Abs Diet: The Six-Week Plan to Flatten Your Stomach and Keep You Lean for Life
          6. The Adventures of Tintin: The Crab With the Golden Claws / The Shooting Star / The Secret of the Unicorn (3 Complete Adventures in 1 Volume, Vol. 3)
          7. The Amazing Power of Deliberate Intent: Living the Art of Allowing
          8. The Beach House
          9. The Big Book of Breasts
          10. The Big Oyster: History on the Half Shell

          Books Index

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