Suite Française

Book Description

By the early l940s, when Ukrainian-born Irène Némirovsky began working on what would become Suite Française—the first two parts of a planned five-part novel—she was already a highly successful writer living in Paris. But she was also a Jew, and in 1942 she was arrested and deported to Auschwitz: a month later she was dead at the age of thirty-nine. Two years earlier, living in a small village in central France—where she, her husband, and their two small daughters had fled in a vain attempt to elude the Nazis —she’d begun her novel, a luminous portrayal of a human drama in which she herself would become a victim. When she was arrested, she had completed two parts of the epic, the handwritten manuscripts of which were hidden in a suitcase that her daughters would take with them into hiding and eventually into freedom. Sixty-four years later, at long last, we can read Némirovsky’s literary masterpiece

The first part, “A Storm in June,” opens in the chaos of the massive 1940 exodus from Paris on the eve of the Nazi invasion during which several families and individuals are thrown together under circumstances beyond their control. They share nothing but the harsh demands of survival—some trying to maintain lives of privilege, others struggling simply to preserve their lives—but soon, all together, they will be forced to face the awful exigencies of physical and emotional displacement, and the annihilation of the world they know. In the second part, “Dolce,” we enter the increasingly complex life of a German-occupied provincial village. Coexisting uneasily with the soldiers billeted among them, the villagers—from aristocrats to shopkeepers to peasants—cope as best they can. Some choose resistance, others collaboration, and as their community is transformed by these acts, the lives of these these men and women reveal nothing less than the very essence of humanity.

Suite Française is a singularly piercing evocation—at once subtle and severe, deeply compassionate and fiercely ironic—of life and death in occupied France, and a brilliant, profoundly moving work of art.

Download Description

Irène Némirovsky was born in Kiev in 1903 into a wealthy banking family and emigrated to France during the Russian Revolution. After attending the Sorbonne, she began to write and swiftly achieved success with her first novel, David Golder, which was followed by The Ball, The Flies of Autumn, Dogs and Wolves and The Courilof Affair. She died in 1942.

From the Hardcover edition.

Customer Reviews:

A magnificent, tragic fragment........2007-09-29

Irene Nemirovsky's "Suite Francaise" will stand with "The Diary of Anne Frank" as one of the most poignant literary monuments of World War II and the insanity of the Holocaust. But whereas Anne Frank was a young girl whose hopes and dreams ended forever at Belsen, Irene Nemirovsky was a novelist of enormous talent who would have been recognized as one of the greatest European writers of the 20th century had her life not been extinguished at Auschwitz. Considering all she suffered during the war, and how she was murdered in the very middle of it, it is amazing that Nemrovsky completed as much of it as she did, and that what she completed is of such a high order. "Suite Francaise" consists of the first two parts of a projected five-part novel depicting the fall of France to the Nazis, the panicked flight of Parisians and the return to something vaguely resembling normalcy under German military rule. The first section, "Storm in June," gives readers a panoramic view of several groups of fleeing Parisians, representing every class of society and every conceivable moral and mental attitude; the second, "Dolce," depicts life in a French village under the Germans, bringing back some of the characters from the first book and making it plain that Nemirovsky planned to reintroduce more of them in the following three books. Superbly translated by Sandra Smith, "Suite Francaise" is a swift and graceful read, depicting the characters and action with breathtaking clarity and excitement. Many of the characters are presented only in a few sentences, yet all live and breathe with total realism. What is really astonishing about "Suite Francaise," however, is Nemirovsky's authorial impartiality and clear-eyed sympathy for all her characters. There are no saints and no monsters in Nemirovsky's universe, just people--some more likable than others, but even the most despicable among them are given sharp moments of deep and moving humanity. Even the Germans are human--they have their faults, but also their virtues. To be able to write such panoramic fiction in the midst of war, with such a detached and pragmatic yet sympathetic eye, is truly amazing, even more so from an author who rightly feared she would be arrested and deported to the death camps at any moment. A Russian-Jewish emigree to France who moved in the highest literary and societal circles, Nemirovsky was an exceptionally keen observer of the French class system and how it warps individuals, in that sense (and in others) the equal of Balzac, Flaubert and Proust. The argument in Chapter 16 of "Dolce" between the snobbish, sickly-sentimental Vicomtesse de Montmort and the brutish peasant Benoit Sabarie stands out: both are sympathetic, as people and as representatives of their social classes, and both are utterly despicable. Nemirovsky sums up their fight neatly: "What separates or unites people is not their language, their laws, their customs, their principles, but the way they hold a salad fork." This argument has repercussions that promise to ripple across the rest of the story, except that Nemirovsky, alas, never had a chance to show us how. Appendices to the book include Nemirovsky's copious notes on how she planned to continue the story; correspondence to, from, and about her; and the preface to the French addition, included as an afterword here, which tells the poignant story of Nemirovsky's life and death, and of how Nemirovsky's daughter discovered the manuscript of "Suite Francaise" more than sixty years after her mother's death. "Suite Francaise" is a magnificent fragment and an eternal testimonial to the genius of its author. We can only mourn that the book, like her life, will remain unfinished.

A taste of things to come.......2007-09-26

It's a known fact that this work has gotten much attention due to the circumstances that surrounded Irene Nemirovsky's life. Left in a suitcase as she attempted flight, the author found her demise at the hands of the Nazis before this manuscript could be published.

Who knows what she might have added or excluded or expanded? And I could not help but think this as I read along.

There are two novellas under one umbrella here--depicting day in the life scenes of how things were in these troublesome times. I certainly found this to be gratifying reading, but it did not take me out of myself in that complete way I enjoy when I read truly remarkable fiction.

Will recommend, but for a story that brought me to that special place of compelling fiction, I recommend the lesser-known, SIM0N LAZARUS, a book more should know about.

Remember - Two Novellas.......2007-09-24

It must be remembered that this one book consists of two novellas. With the exception of minor mentions in the second book of a few characters from the first, there is nothing in common between the two. Thus, they really should be evaluated as two books.

The first was about Parisians fleeing Paris before the German occupation in June, 1940. Most are from the upper class and they are forced to "mix" with the lower classes. Almost all the characters are unlikeable and the characterizations almost seem to be caricatures of snooty Frenchmen and women. It is amazing that a French author would draw such scathing portraits.

Although the writing is good, I found the pacing extremely slow and tedious. There was a relentless litany of whining and complaining without corresponding renderings of real suffering. At one point I thought the tedium was by design, to show the relentless hardship. If that were the purpose, it did not work. The first book was simply over-written, slow and tedious. There really was no plot. It consisted of mere accounts of the plight of some atypical Parisian refugees.

The second book, "Dolce" was much much better. I wish I had not been jaded by the first novella. It was the account of the occupation by the Germans of a small rural town. It had tensions between farmers and town people, rich and poor (rich were still lambasted mercilessly), sympathizers and patriots and, best of all, the internal tension of a French woman forced to billet a German officer. This was the heart of Dolce. The woman's husband is a prisoner of war. Despite that, she realizes she is falling love with the German officer and he with her. The plot rotates around this tension and events that effect it.

In sum, I wish I had skipped the first novella but enjoyed the second. Thus, the average to 3 star rating.

An excellent read.......2007-09-22

Do not be concerned that this book is not competed; it is still an excellent read. Her writing is intelligent and entertaining, which is a staggering accomplishment considering she never had a chance to polish her completed chapters. The novel provides insight into an interesting time in history (Vichy France), but what makes the novel great is Nemirovsky's ability to provide insight into human nature through her characters' reactions to hardship. The English translation includes future plans for the novel found with the manuscript and correspondence between Nemirovsky, her publisher, her husband, and others that narrate their difficulties during the war. Do not skip over these powerful, heartbreaking passages.

A major achievement.......2007-09-22

What can I say? It is a miracle that this book was even published and a tragedy that it was never finished. The story behind the book is even more heartbreaking than the story, which is beautiful and moving and sad. I liked Part II better than Part I and think it was more fully realized and more fully finished. As wonderful as the book is, it's certainly just a shadow of what the book could have been and would have been had Nemirovsky lived to complete it. The real tragedy isn't that the book wasn't finished but that Nemirovsky and so many others had to die the way they did.

The Last Tycoons: The Secret History of Lazard Frères & Co.

Average customer rating:

Oh, the memories
A great book for "warped" people (like myself)!
Long but worth it
Destined to be a Classic
barbarians at the gates of central park

The Last Tycoons: The Secret History of Lazard Frères & Co.
William D. Cohan
Manufacturer: Doubleday
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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The Accidental Investment Banker: Inside the Decade That Transformed Wall Street
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Mergers & Acquisitions
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ASIN: 0385514514
Release Date: 2007-04-03

Book Description

A grand and revelatory portrait of Wall Street’s most storied investment bank

Wall Street investment banks move trillions of dollars a year, make billions in fees, pay their executives in the tens of millions of dollars. But even among the most powerful firms, Lazard Frères & Co. stood apart. Discretion, secrecy, and subtle strategy were its weapons of choice. For more than a century, the mystique and reputation of the "Great Men" who worked there allowed the firm to garner unimaginable profits, social cachet, and outsized influence in the halls of power. But in the mid-1980s, their titanic egos started getting in the way, and the Great Men of Lazard jeopardized all they had built.

William D. Cohan, himself a former high-level Wall Street banker, takes the reader into the mysterious and secretive world of Lazard and presents a compelling portrait of Wall Street through the tumultuous history of this exalted and fascinating company. Cohan deconstructs the explosive feuds between Felix Rohatyn and Steve Rattner, superstar investment bankers and pillars of New York society, and between the man who controlled Lazard, the inscrutable French billionaire Michel David-Weill, and his chosen successor, Bruce Wasserstein.

Cohan follows Felix, the consummate adviser, as he reshapes corporate America in the 1970s and 1980s, saves New York City from bankruptcy, and positions himself in New York society and in Washington. Felix’s dreams are dashed after the arrival of Steve, a formidable and ambitious former newspaper reporter. By the mid-1990s, as Lazard neared its 150th anniversary, Steve and Felix were feuding openly.

The internal strife caused by their arguments could not be solved by the imperious Michel, whose manipulative tendencies served only to exacerbate the trouble within the firm. Increasingly desperate, Michel took the unprecedented step of relinquishing operational control of Lazard to one of the few Great Men still around, Bruce Wasserstein, then fresh from selling his own M&A boutique, for $1.4 billion. Bruce’s take: more than $600 million. But it turned out Great Man Bruce had snookered Great Man Michel when the Frenchman was at his most vulnerable.

The LastTycoons is a tale of vaulting ambitions, whispered advice, worldly mistresses, fabulous art collections, and enormous wealth—a story of high drama in the world of high finance.

Customer Reviews:

Oh, the memories.......2007-07-27

This book brought back so many memories of the time (late eighties/early nineties) and place. Looking back while reading this book, I realize how much I learned about people and industry while working in investment
banking (albeit a bit remotely) in NYC in those years. The level of detail
that Bill Cohan brings to the topic of Lazard is noteworthy. It's a fun
read for insiders and non-insiders alike. I hope things are better for
women now - my daughter wants to be an investment banker when she grows up!

A great book for "warped" people (like myself)!.......2007-06-11

660+ pages about the 150+ year history of Lazard Feres might put most people to sleep. Not me! As someone who actually likes this stuff, I found this book fascinating. The history of big money and finance is actually one of big personalties, and this book gives an inside look at several of the major players. Although tedious at times to read, I made it through the entire book in a couple of days. The most fascinating part of the entire story is simply that money at the levels discussed in this book doesn't seem real--most people could never fathom how corporate finance is conducted. I recommend this book to anyone interested in the subject of investment banking, especially those considering a career in that arena.

Long but worth it.......2007-05-30

extremely long, but it gives you a great description of how an organization rises and falls with the times and the great men who are at the wheel.

Destined to be a Classic.......2007-05-24

Cohan has brought to life a vivid and spellbinding tale of the legendary giants in the investment banking field (Meyer, Rohatyn, David-Weill, Rattner, and Wasserstein) at Lazard, offering a compelling and revealing portrait of the relentless personalities that invented, dominated and defined the last few decades of M&A banking. At the same time, The Last Tycoons is, at its core, a saga of ambition, egotism, greed, vanity and pride of Shakespearean proportions played out on the grand stage of corporate takeovers and national politics.

What emerges is not a noble picture of what these ostensibly "Great Men" purported themselves to be. Instead, it is apparent that at Lazard, the black arts of power and greed were the currency used to exhort and extort men of high ambition and intellect to achieve stature and enormous fees. The long shadow of Andre Meyer (unquestionably a Sith Lord) looms over the Lazard partnership and his protégés and successors, Felix Rohatyn and Michel David-Weill. Meyer was a brilliant financier with no peer with the exception of Bruce Wasserstein and it's fitting and deserving that the story of Lazard begins and ends with these two men. In between, Michel and Felix weave a complex and fascinating legacy of fear and loathing in the intervening decades.

For bankers and professionals in the field, Cohan's detail and emotional and psychological nuances will be tantalizing and relevant. For those aspiring to enter the field, it's a cautionary tale - it's very hard to play on the big stage on Wall St without darkening your soul. This story is destined to be a Classic amongst Barbarians and Den of Thieves

barbarians at the gates of central park .......2007-05-19

maybe the first casualty of wealth is self-knowledge. that is the takeaway from William Cohan's fine history of the fabled lazard freres banking house. in these pages we watch titans of finance gloat and preen while their castle crumbles from corruption and mismanagement.

Its a terrific story peopled with fascinating characters. who wouldn't, after reading this book, want to dine with the formidable felix rohatyn. He fled the Nazis as a boy, rescued New York from financial ruin and ditched Lazard at just the right moment to serve the nation as Bill Clinton's Ambassador to France. His intellect and achievement dominate the book, just as Felix dominated wall street for a generation. His departure from the firm caps the end of "the great man" era in investment banking. In Rohatyn's day only a select handful of wise men could be trusted to guide transactions. Nowadays all you need is armani and a spread sheet.

Even as he maps the tectonic movement in investment banking, Cohan keeps it light with plenty of well-researched dish on criminal investigations, love affairs, fabulous art collections, New Yorkana and the occasional drop to earth by some of Lazard's wax-winged partners. I closed the book -- a whopping 750 pp's -- edified and thoroughly entertained.

Nutrition: Concepts and Controversies (with Nutrition Connections CD-ROM and InfoTrac)

Average customer rating:

Great Read
Excellent Condition-Brand New

Nutrition: Concepts and Controversies (with Nutrition Connections CD-ROM and InfoTrac)
Frances Sizer , and Ellie Whitney
Manufacturer: Brooks Cole
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0534645062

Book Description

NUTRITION: CONCEPTS AND CONTROVERIES, TENTH EDITION focuses on nutrition principles and their application while offering outstanding coverage of the biological foundations of nutrition without assuming previous knowledge of them. With its new design, contemporary coverage, and engaging writing style, it remains the leading Nutrition text for the non-majors or mixed majors/non-majors introductory course. Drawing readers into the study of nutrition, the authors have created a number of learning tools that are both appealing and accessible. From the chapter content and new "Do You Ever?" sections to the "Food Feature" boxes and end-of-chapter "Controversies," students find the information they need to better understand important nutrition concepts and to make informed and responsible decisions about their own nutrition. Additionally, the "Do It" activities, now available online, on the student CD-ROM, and in a free booklet that can be packaged with the text, students can practice applying their nutrition knowledge. There is also the accompanying NUTRITION CONNECTIONS CD-ROM, a unique resource that includes animations, chapter quizzes, a comprehensive glossary, "Do It!" activities, and Web links. For instructors, we offer a newly redesigned Multimedia Manager that includes PowerPoint® slides, animations, videos, and test questions. We also offer a new JoinIn? on TurningPoint®, a classroom resource to assess students' knowledge, take attendance, and more. So, whether looking for a text full of up-to-date information, a text that students enjoy reading, a text that offers a robust supplements package, or a text that can engage students and get them excited about studying, NUTRITION CONCEPTS AND CONTROVERSIES is the text for you!

Customer Reviews:

Great Read.......2007-04-04

This book was required text for a nutrition class I had taken for my Bachelor's degree. I found the book to be a very easy read with lots of interesting information on health and nutrition. The book explained things in simple terms that were easy to grasp. I highly recommend this book not only as a textbook, but also for anyone wanting to have a basic understanding of nutrition.

Excellent Condition-Brand New.......2006-08-15

Text includes study guide, CD, access code and unopened Diet Analysis CD.

DietMinder Personal Food & Fitness Journal (A Food and Exercise Diary)

Average customer rating:

Keep track to succeed!
Journal
BEV THE RD
Great for managing weight loss and diabetes
Just what I needed....

DietMinder Personal Food & Fitness Journal (A Food and Exercise Diary)
Frances E. Wilkins
Manufacturer: MemoryMinder Journals, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Spiral-bound

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Accessories:

Tanita BC533 Glass Innerscan Body Composition Monitor

ASIN: 0963796836
Release Date: 2007-01-01

Book Description

The DietMinder is a deluxe food diary with plenty of room to record quantities and food counts (calories, fat, carbs, protein, etc.) of breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. A special area for daily totals makes it easy to see at a glance how you are doing. Each "day" consists of two pages with space for exercise details, too. There are other helpful sections in the book such as the Favorite Foods listing which provides food counts on over 100 common foods and has space to add your own favorite food information. The Goals section of the DietMinder is also important. Here you can list your starting statistics, state your goals, and even paste a "before" picture. This is a great way to stay motivated! The DietMinder can be used with virtually any food or fitness program. It has been proven that keeping a food journal helps people focus and stay more committed to improving their eating habits. It really works!

Customer Reviews:

Keep track to succeed!.......2007-09-29

I got this little gem for my wife who is trying to lose a few pounds. She's been struggling to lose those last few pounds and with the help of this book, writing things down made her much more aware of exactly what she was eating and guess what? It did the trick! Also recommend The Sixty-Second Motivator if you have trouble sticking to a diet or exercise program.

Journal.......2007-09-27

Not enough room for exercise and working out. Mostly just for tracking what you eat. I was disappointed.

BEV THE RD.......2007-09-10

Excellent diet diary tool. I am encouraging all my patients to purchase it. Price was good too!

Great for managing weight loss and diabetes.......2007-09-09

I was surprised by some of the reviews that were kind of negative. This is an excellent product for managing food, which I have to do both for weight loss/maintenance and for my diabetes. I do need to write down every piece of food, and many of the smaller books do not give me sufficient space for that. This does the trick. It also provides room in the back to add foods that I eat regularly, and it provides charts for progress. If there is any complaint that I have, it is that the charts could have more room and that the records for eating regularly be removable, for when I move from one journal to the next. That would save me from having to transfer all of the information.

Just what I needed...........2007-08-28

I used to try and reconstruct what all I'd eaten at the end of the day, and I know now I forgot a lot of things doing it that way. This is the best tool ever for keeping track of calories, fat, protein, etc., as well as excercise, daily meds and vitamins. I have been more successful losing weight this time largely due to this little gem. My doctor instructed me to keep a 'food diary', so I ordered one of these from Amazon. I took it to my first appointment and she was so impressed with its features that she is going to recommend it to all her dieting patients!

BodyMinder Workout and Exercise Journal (A Fitness Diary)

Average customer rating:

Great log...
Great Workout Tool
bodyminder Workout and exercise journal
Great Workout/Nutrition Journal
Great starter book!

BodyMinder Workout and Exercise Journal (A Fitness Diary)
Frances E. Wilkins
Manufacturer: MemoryMinder Journals, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Spiral-bound

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Accessories:

Tanita BC533 Glass Innerscan Body Composition Monitor

ASIN: 0963796844
Release Date: 2007-01-01

Book Description

The BODYMINDER is the ultimate physical fitness diary. With a focus on workouts, it can also be used to keep track of any and all other exercise.

Each "day" consists of two pages with an organized, easy-to-use layout for recording workout details...from equipment & settings, to reps & sets, to difficulty level, to heart rate, to muscle groups, and more. There is also space for listing the details of other (non-gym) exercise...from walking the dog, to playing a sport, to dancing up a storm! In addition, each day's meals can be recorded as well as any vitamins or supplements taken.

The 224-page book is spiral bound with a durable leatherette cover. There are 91 days' worth of daily records and thirteen Weekly Schedule forms to help you keep on track. Other sections include food counts on over 100 common foods, heart and blood pressure range charts, progress charts, personal game scores, fitness expenses, and more. In the back there is a vinyl pocket for holding photos, notes, cards, etc.

The BODYMINDER is compatible with virtually all popular exercise and fitness plans and can, indeed, be your key to reaching and maintaining your fitness goals.

Customer Reviews:

Great log..........2007-09-17

This is one of the best logs I've used. I has space for nutritional as well as workout routines and it breaks the space quite nicely. I would recommend it for those looking for an all in one log.

Great Workout Tool.......2007-09-06

This is an excellent workout tool. It is easy to use and contains room for everything important.

bodyminder Workout and exercise journal.......2007-08-30

Love the journal, helps me keep up with everything in my day, there's even room for my to do list.

Great Workout/Nutrition Journal.......2007-07-26

I have bought 3 so far. They are great for tracking all your daily fitness and nutrition. I put my workouts in the night before I go to the gym and then take my journal with me the next morning.

Great starter book!.......2007-06-13

You can keep track of all your exercise, nutrition, measurements. It even gives you a calorie index.

If you're organized (or want to be) - this is great.

Average customer rating:

David Sedaris....
WHAT A MISNOMER FOR A TITLE
Always Enjoyable
Hilarious!
Hysterical

Me Talk Pretty One Day
David Sedaris
Manufacturer: Back Bay Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0316776963

Amazon.com

Every glimpse we get of Sedaris's family and acquaintances delivers laughs and insights. He thwarts his North Carolina speech therapist ("for whom the word pen had two syllables") by cleverly avoiding all words with s sounds, which reveal the lisp she sought to correct. His midget guitar teacher, Mister Mancini, is unaware that Sedaris doesn't share his obsession with breasts, and sings "Light My Fire" all wrong--"as if he were a Webelo scout demanding a match." As a remarkably unqualified teacher at the Art Institute of Chicago, Sedaris had his class watch soap operas and assign "guessays" on what would happen in the next day's episode.

It all adds up to the most distinctively skewed autobiography since Spalding Gray's Swimming to Cambodia. The only possible reason not to read this book is if you'd rather hear the author's intrinsically funny speaking voice narrating his story. In that case, get Me Talk Pretty One Day on audio. --Tim Appelo

Amazon.com Audiobook Review

"It's a pretty grim world when I can't even feel superior to a toddler." Welcome to the curious mind of David Sedaris, where dogs outrank children, guitars have breasts, and French toddlers unmask the inadequacies of the American male. Sedaris inhabits this world as a misanthrope chronicling all things petty and small. In Me Talk Pretty One Day Sedaris is as determined as ever to be nobody's hero--he never triumphs, he never conquers--and somehow, with each failure, he inadvertently becomes everybody's favorite underdog. The world's most eloquent malcontent, Sedaris has turned self-deprecation into a celebrated art form--one that is perhaps best experienced in audio. "Go Carolina," his account of "the first battle of my war against the letter s" is particularly poignant. Unable to disguise the lisp that has become his trademark, Sedaris highlights (to hilarious extent) the frustration of reading "childish s-laden texts recounting the adventures of seals or settlers named Sassy or Samuel." Including 23 of the book version's 28 stories, two live performances complete with involuntary laughter, and an uncannily accurate Billie Holiday impersonation, the audio is more than a companion to the text; it stands alone as a performance piece--only without the sock monkeys. (Running time: 5 hours, 4 cassettes) --Daphne Durham

Book Description

David Sedaris became a star autobiographer on public radio, onstage in New York, and on bestseller lists, mostly on the strength of "SantaLand Diaries," a scathing, hilarious account of his stint as a Christmas elf at Macy's. (It's in two separate collections, both worth owning, Barrel Fever and the Christmas-themed Holidays on Ice.) Sedaris's caustic gift has not deserted him in his fourth book, which mines poignant comedy from his peculiar childhood in North Carolina, his bizarre career path, and his move with his lover to France. Though his anarchic inclination to digress is his glory, Sedaris does have a theme in these reminiscences: the inability of humans to communicate. The title is his rendition in transliterated English of how he and his fellow students of French in Paris mangle the Gallic language. In the essay "Jesus Shaves," he and his classmates from many nations try to convey the concept of Easter to a Moroccan Muslim. "It is a party for the little boy of God," says one. "Then he be die one day on two... morsels of... lumber," says another. Sedaris muses on the disputes between his Protestant mother and his father, a Greek Orthodox guy whose Easter fell on a different day. Other essays explicate his deep kinship with his eccentric mom and absurd alienation from his IBM-exec dad: "To me, the greatest mystery of science continues to be that a man could father six children who shared absolutely none of his interests." Every glimpse we get of Sedaris's family and acquaintances delivers laughs and insights. He thwarts his North Carolina speech therapist ("for whom the word pen had two syllables") by cleverly avoiding all words with s sounds, which reveal the lisp she sought to correct. His midget guitar teacher, Mister Mancini, is unaware that Sedaris doesn't share his obsession with breasts, and sings "Light My Fire" all wrong--"as if he were a Webelo scout demanding a match." As a remarkably unqualified teacher at the Art Institute of Chicago, Sedaris had his class watch soap operas and assign "guessays" on what would happen in the next day's episode. It all adds up to the most distinctively skewed autobiography since Spalding Gray's Swimming to Cambodia. The only possible reason not to read this book is if you'd rather hear the author's intrinsically funny speaking voice narrating his story. In that case, get Me Talk Pretty One Day on audio. --Tim Appelo

Customer Reviews:

David Sedaris...........2007-09-04

...Need I say more? He is hilarious. I have many books from him and this is really funny.

WHAT A MISNOMER FOR A TITLE.......2007-09-04

Let me start by saying I am a bibliophile and will sometimes buy a book just for the look of it. I ended up throwing the book away rather than offer it to any one else. If I could have given this book something less than one star I would have given it a negative fifteen (-15). I found this book gross, crass and inappropriate. I've read books with strong language in them, but never like this one that has filthy language just for the sake of using filthy language. I wouldn't have this book in my home and am sorry that I read the whole thing, but it was a private book club choice. As it turned out no one else finished reading it. DON'T BUY, READ or OWN THIS BOOK!

Always Enjoyable.......2007-08-30

Good book. Not laugh-out-loud funny, but it is full of the kind of humor you would expect from Sedaris. Well worth the price and effort.

Hilarious!.......2007-08-19

I love this book. My copy is completely worn out - I rarely re-read a book, but I did this one. I forced it on all my friends. Very sick and hilarious!

Hysterical.......2007-08-14

I am a huge Sedaris fan. This is one of his best. I just couldn't help giggling and laughing out loud like a fool. People looked at me like I was nuts on the train as I read it. I didn't care, because it is so poignant and funny, so real! Even better, when I can hear his voice in my head, check out his audio books. He's perfect reading his own work.

Average customer rating:

Great book
Visually stunning, but bereft of information
Great tour book for Paris!
Good guidebook
Great guide to Paris

Paris (Eyewitness Travel Guides)
DK Publishing
Manufacturer: DK Travel
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Travel | Subjects | Books

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Similar Items:

Streetwise Paris (Streetwise)
London (Eyewitness Travel Guides)
France (Eyewitness Travel Guides)
Rome (Eyewitness Travel Guides)
London (Eyewitness Travel Guides)

ASIN: 075661547X

Book Description

The Eyewitness Travel Guide helps you to get the most out of your trip with minimum difficulties. The opening section Introducing Paris locates the city geographically, sets modern Parisian its historical context and explains how Parisian life changes through the years. Paris At a Glance is an overview of the city's specialties. The main sightseeing section of the book is Paris Area by Area. It describes all the main sights with maps, photographs and detailed illustrations. Get to know Paris with The Eyewitness Travel Guide.

Customer Reviews:

Great book.......2007-08-23

This book was perfect for my trip to Paris. Used it lots and lots every day. The maps were particularly good.

Visually stunning, but bereft of information.......2007-08-18

The graphics, images, and maps are really well done, and cover many of the places you would want to visit. However the actual textual information is remarkably limited, leaving you to judge how to invest your time based largely on the pictures. In addition, the guide is careful to provide no cost information at all for any attractions.

I would recommend this guide only in combination with another guide that provides more information, background, and cost information. This was the only tour guide I had, so I don't have a specific recommendation for the companion to this one. You should read the reviews of the other Paris guides with an eye towards what is missing in this one. With that guide, I think this one is in fact worth the money and, perhaps more importantly, the space in your carry-on baggage.

I do highly recommend Sandra Gustafson's "Great Eats Paris" and "Great Sleeps Paris", which are far better and much more comprehensive than the corresponding coverage you would find in this or any other Paris guide book.

Great tour book for Paris!.......2007-08-13

My husband and I just traveled to Paris for our first anniversary, and we bought this book to help us plan our trip. It was perfect! It's full of great information about the city and various sights to see. It also contains maps that came in very handy! The book also contains a couple pages of important phrases in French - not much, but enough to help you get by! I always buy the travel books from this series when I travel, because they are so appealing to look at! Rather than just containing pages and pages of text like many travel guides, these books are full of great pictures, maps, and photographs. A great travel guide!

Good guidebook.......2007-05-14

This guidebook really helped me on my trip to Paris. There's lots of good, up to date info and maps.

Great guide to Paris.......2007-04-23

This book gives a little history and insight into Paris. This is the second Eyewitness I have purchased and LOVE IT! It not was invaluable while we were there but a great memory book of the places we saw.

Average customer rating:

Dazzled...not quite
This book would even make the Sun King proud
NEWEST EDITION BETTER BOUND!!!!
Really deserves 10 stars! However, I must warn you...
Absolute perfection!

Versailles
Jean-Marie Perouse De Montclos
Manufacturer: Abbeville Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

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Paris, City of Art
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ASIN: 1558592288

Customer Reviews:

Dazzled...not quite.......2007-05-17

Truth be told, and I am a hard-core Versailles-o-phile, this book left much to be desired in the history department. What, no reproductions of the Enfants de France? And where's Marie Therese? The binding was superior to what I'd been lead to believe by other reviews. Overall, an adequate addition to a casual collection of the Chateau de Versailles.

This book would even make the Sun King proud.......2005-04-15

What an amazing book, it is nothing short of spectacular. The pictures are vivid and the book quality is of the highest caliber. The other reviewer was correct in noting that the reader has to been careful with this book, the pages are so heavy that it will pull from the binding if you are not careful when positioning the book. I have always had a facination with Versailles and this book really captures the chateaux, it makes you feel like you are stolling the gardens and taking in the sumptuous wonders of the palace. Unlike other books on Versailles this one is complete, it covers everything and in striking detail. I urge anyone with any interest in Versailles to buy this book, even used at 200 U.S., it is a bargain. I assure you you will not be disappointed in this book.

NEWEST EDITION BETTER BOUND!!!!.......2004-08-11

Five stars PLUS! I have a new edition and it is very well bound - no need to worry about it falling apart! If you've ever been to Versailles this book will mist you up! If you're planning a return trip this book will be your bible... It is amazing how inexpensive this book is when you consider the spectacular colour photos.

Really deserves 10 stars! However, I must warn you..........2001-11-15

This is THE BEST book there is on Versailles (which is probably why its normally a hundred bucks!) There is only one problem I have ever had with the book and that is the poor physical quality. I had to order it twice because my first copy fell completely apart within a few weeks. Needless to say I was not happy at all when that happened. Every copy that I have seen (in libraries, other bookstores) has the same problem. Normally, I would not have tried again after that, but I HAD to have this book. My second one has also begun to separate from the binding, so I rarely read it... but when I do, I use **EXTREME** care. I think the main reason for this is the size and weight of the book, so if you decide to purchase it, keep that in mind. I recommend turning the pages *slowly* and not leaving it completely flat and/or open for any long period of time. Also, store it horizontally, NOT vertically... the pages are so heavy, they will end up tearing themselves out!

Absolute perfection!.......2001-09-12

Without a doubt, the most beautiful and informative book ever on the Palace of Versailles. Architectural history , decorative wonders, sumptuous furniture, this book explores it all! THE BOOK for all lovers of Versailles or eighteenth century French art.

Average customer rating:

Must have for the Paris Traveller
great product! fast service!
Love these maps
helpful map
A Handy Pocket Map of Paris

Streetwise Paris (Streetwise)
Michael Brown
Manufacturer: Streetwise Maps
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Map

Maps | Atlases & Maps | Reference | Subjects | Books

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Rick Steves' French Phrase Book and Dictionary
Paris (Eyewitness Travel Guides)
Rick Steves' Paris 2007 (Rick Steves)
Eating & Drinking in Paris: French Menu Translator and Restaurant Guide, 3rd Edition (Open Road Travel Guides)
Streetwise London (Streetwise)

ASIN: 0935039252

Book Description

Revised yearly, STREETWISE is the best-selling map of PARIS, with coverage from Boulevard de Port Royal to Boulevard Haussmann. Points of interest such as museums, parks, and popular sites are highlighted and fully indexed. The Metro stops are clearly indicated on the main map, while a separate map of the Metro is also included. Laminated for durability, accordion folded to fit in your pocket or purse, STREETWISE gives you PARIS in a clear, concise, and convenient format.

Customer Reviews:

Must have for the Paris Traveller.......2007-09-28

My wife and I recently spent 4 days in Paris with this map (and each other!). It was absolutely indispensable. It had everything on it from several of the monuments and museums we wanted to visit to all of the metro and RER train lines. We will definitely be taking this with us on our next trip to Paris.

great product! fast service!.......2007-09-24

This is the handiest map you'll ever use! Easy to use, easy to carry... and every single street is on there! You cannot get lost with this handy!!!

Love these maps.......2007-06-08

Not really sure how much more good I can say about these maps.
I have one for most of the cities I travel too and really like the amount of Paris covered on this map.

The cartography is very easy to read and the street indexing is very helpful.
Buy!

helpful map.......2007-05-29

Not the best map of the city, but good. It's better than nothing thats for sure.

A Handy Pocket Map of Paris.......2007-05-17

This clearly printed, sturdy little map saves you from carrying a heavy guidebook everywhere. You can stash it easily in a pocket and refer to it in a flash. It covers only central Paris which is mainly where you'll be if you are only there for a few days. If you go out to the Bois de Boulogne or Pere La Chaise you'll have to bring the guidebook or do what Parisians do and pick up a copy of Paris Pratique at the local book store.

Chez Jacques: Traditions and Rituals of a Cook

Average customer rating:

Chez Jacques
Haute Cuisine made simple
excellent value
A lovely coffee table book, but...
Like a conversation with Monsieur Pepin

Chez Jacques: Traditions and Rituals of a Cook
Jacques Pepin
Manufacturer: Stewart, Tabori & Chang
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Memoirs | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

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Lidia's Italy: 140 Simple and Delicious Recipes from the Ten Places in Italy Lidia Loves Most
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A Twist of the Wrist: Quick Flavorful Meals with Ingredients from Jars, Cans, Bags, and Boxes

ASIN: 1584795719

Book Description

Of the 20-plus cookbooks Jacques Pépin has written, Chez Jacques is his most personal and engaging. Now starring in his tenth PBS series, Pépin ranks among America's most beloved cooking teachers, and this book shows us why.

The book's 100 recipes—for soups and appetizers, main courses, side dishes, and desserts—are Pépin's own favorites among the thousands he has created over a lifetime of cooking. Using readily available ingredients and relying upon familiar techniques, these are the dishes he makes when preparing food at his Connecticut home. But Chez Jacques is more than a collection of well-liked recipes; it's also a captivating sentimental journey. Each dish is introduced by a recollection—of picking dandelion greens for a spring salad, of buying fresh eggs from the local farmer—that invites readers to share in the traditions and rituals of Pépin's most intimate circle.

This treasury of great food, lore, and memory is exquisitely illustrated with a sampling of Pépin's paintings, as well as hundreds of color photographs of the finished dishes and of Pépin in all his “natural habitats”—pitching boules with a group of friends, savoring a glass of chilled rosé in the afternoon sun, painting landscapes, designing menus, and, of course, working in his kitchen.

Customer Reviews:

Chez Jacques.......2007-09-14

Wonderful, uncomplicated recipes beautiful photographs of dishes. Gorgeous photos of his artwork and graphics. Overall a lovely volume that you will find yourself using again and again.

Haute Cuisine made simple.......2007-08-23

A beautiful illustrated cookbook for a very decent price. Jacques Pepin effectively merges French cooking with American cuisine. His recipes are easy to follow and their success is grounded in the simplicity Pepin uses in his cooking.
"Chez Jacques" is one of our favorite cookbooks. If you like Gordon Ramsey and Emeril, this is a book you should have a peek at.
Try the tortilla pizza! Heavenly!

A. Fontaine, PA

excellent value.......2007-07-28

Great book at a REAL savings. The price at a local bookstore was $15 higher for the identical book.

A lovely coffee table book, but..........2007-06-20

Lots of pretty photos and some pleasant chit chat from Pepin, but not a great cookbook. The recipes are pretty basic and I'm guessing you've seen them elsewhere. This book is really geared towards fans.
Pepin is great and he deserves all the praise he gets but I regret buying this particular book.

Like a conversation with Monsieur Pepin.......2007-05-25

Leafing through this book is like sitting down and having a long conversation with Monsieur Pepin. His knowledge and charm are in every delightful story about how and why he loves a particular dish, from fried chicken to escargot, and the photography by Tom Hopkins is superb. Together they have created a coffee table book that you will want to have on your lap more than on your table... preferably with a glass of rose on the side. I highly, highly recommend this book.

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