Book Description
Bill Alexander had no idea that his simple dream of having a vegetable garden and small orchard in his backyard would lead him into life-and-death battles with groundhogs, webworms, weeds, and weather; midnight expeditions in the dead of winter to dig up fresh thyme; and skirmishes with neighbors who feed the vermin (i.e., deer). Not to mention the vacations that had to be planned around the harvest, the near electrocution of the tree man, the limitations of his own middle-aged body, and the pity of his wife and kids. When Alexander runs (just for fun!) a costbenefit analysis, adding up everything from the live animal trap to the Velcro tomato wraps and then amortizing it over the life of his garden, it comes as quite a shock to learn that it cost him a staggering $64 to grow each one of his beloved Brandywine tomatoes. But as any gardener will tell you, you can't put a price on the unparalleled pleasures of providing fresh food for your family.
Customer Reviews:
Great book gift for green thumbs (and brown thumbs).......2007-08-09
I HATE gardening, but thoroughly enjoyed reading Alexander's odyssey of his quest to build his dream garden. Very funny account of epic battles with weeds, rodents, and bugs as he tries to prevent his little "hobby" from ruining his life. Your gardening friends will love this book (and non-gardeners will too!)
A tasty little story.......2007-08-02
His wife's insistence on an old fixer-upper of a house means the author can have the garden, orchard, and even meadow he's always dreamed. Once the house is livable--and everyone in town knows it has to be repaired to be livable--the owners start on the grounds. Landscape contractors, who are always late and leave their backhoe to winter in the author's yard, promise a garden to be proud of--and then bring plans for some very ordinary rectangles.
Not to be daunted, Alexander picks heirloom plants to grow his produce. He is determined to have the same fruit and experiences he remembers from his father's gardening. Organic gardening should be easy when he has only four trees and a small garden. He can pluck off the hungry worms and organically protect his crops from predators of all types.
After learning how much time is involved in using the organic bug sprays--first you find the caterpillar, then you spray him--how much it costs to put in something other than grass walkways, and that some animals are not deterred by six thousand volts, he gets down to serious gardening.
His wife and children begin to question his sanity. His plants don't always grow the way he expected. Who knew growing roses would kill the corn? Sitting down to calculate the cost of his succulent heirloom tomatoes gives him a jolt he thought he'd only get from his electric fence. Did his dad really do it this way? Had he been hoodwinked about how much fun this all was? When did the hobby become a second job?
You needn't be a gardener to enjoy the humor in this book. The history of tomatoes and potatoes, and insights on the Anasazi Indians thrown in with ridding the garden of Superchuck, the groundhog, is true fun for the reading. Cultivated entertainment.
Armchair Interview says: Humor and hoeing, planting and waiting, bugs and bug sprays flow together to give you an enjoyable read.
Enjoyable memoir of a man and his garden.......2007-07-26
I am by no means a gardening expert, more of a beginner, but I enjoyed this memoir of one man's obsession with and relationship with his garden. I found it informative and funny. I took as much what not to do, as what to do, from the book. I mean, you can see the excessiveness of his spending and learn from it as much as you can learn from the ways he fights pests on his fruit trees. I read books like this for inspiration and I was inspired by his mistakes and successes. All in all it was an enjoyable light read.
For the Gardening Obsessed.......2007-07-26
This book speaks to every obsessed gardener in America. The majority of the public, however, won't get it. They put in a few pansies, water them when they think of it and go on with their lives. But a few of us have an insatiable drive to work the soil, wage a constant war with the elements and beat off ravaging beasts just so we can be overwhelmed with too much produce.
Our neighbors think we're nuts--why would someone put themselves through all that labor and expense to get something they could buy at the corner market for $0.85 a pound? (Yeah, well I don't get the mountain climbing thing either.)
I like Alexander's writing--it was cute and witty and perfectly illustrated a man trying to work in his career, family and home improvement projects around his gardening obsession. All 2,000 square feet of it.
Although organic gardeners will be disgusted with how often Alexander reaches for the spray can, most will be able to relate to his journey.
A really cute read but I can't review the recipes as I didn't try them out yet.
As an animal lover..........2007-06-28
... I too was distressed by the chapters where the authors obsession defies his place at the top of the food chain and his "logical" abilities. When the local fauna decide that his exorbitantly expensive garden is the local salad bar, he goes on the war path and attempts to destroy everything alive that is not a plant.
While this is somewhat disheartening, it is also illuminating. I place this book alongside ElectroBoy on my bookshelf, and alongside The Omnivore's Dilemma, because it makes such a natural segue between the two.
William Alexander is truly obsessed with his garden. What ought to be a nice, pleasant way to pass time and to get some exercise and food turns into a dangerous obsession, resulting in damage to his finances, his health, his psyche, and his marriage.
It is amusing, in parts, however.
Read it, if only to see what lengths people will go to in order to save their hobby. It is an interesting study, really. Probably not a book I will read again, but it is one that I will think of from time to time.
Harkius
Book Description
Tall, dark, and handsome, the heir to the Earl of Hargate, Benedict Carsington, is known for his impeccable manners and good breeding. Benedict knows all the rules and has no trouble following them--until Bathsheba Wingate enters his life. Now, the two must embark on a rescue mission that puts them in dangerous, intimate proximity. Fortunately, Benedict is in perfect control--despite his mad desire to break all the rules. Perfect control. Really.
Download Description
Tall, dark, and handsome, the heir to the Earl of Hargate, Benedict Carsington, is known for his impeccable manners and good breeding. Benedict knows all the rules and has no trouble following them--until Bathsheba Wingate enters his life. Now, the two must embark on a rescue mission that puts them in dangerous, intimate proximity. Fortunately, Benedict is in perfect control--despite his mad desire to break all the rules. Perfect control. Really.
Customer Reviews:
Perfect End.......2007-08-21
Lord Perfect is the perfect end to the Earl of Hargate son's trilogy after Miss Wonderful and Mister Impossible and was my favorite of the three books. Benedict, the heir to the earldom, has been considered by the town to be the perfect aristocrat, no scandal, his marriage to his late first wife was the perfect arrangement she was from good family and all his decisions and actions have been in line with the upper class' expectations, therefore earning him the name Lord Perfect. He has temporary guardianship of his wayward nephew Peregrine or "Lisle" who wishes to be an Egyptian explorer like his aunt Daphne but his drawing leaves a lot to be desired and this leads Benedict to seek a drawing tutor for Lisle. When his search leads him to society outcast Bathsheba, Benedict is stunned to find himself tempted by a woman. Her looks are beautiful but Benedict finds himself also fascinated by her wit. Knowing society will disapprove, Benedict throws caution to the wind and hires her to tutor his nephew. When Bathsheba's hoyden daughter gets Lisle involved in a plan to run away to search for some hidden treasure, Benedict and Bathsheba must go after them. Along the way, the passion between Benedict and Bathsheba explodes and for once Benedict decides to turn his back on society and do what's right for him. However, Bathsheba who was one of the infamous outcasts the Delancey's, refuses to let Benedict ruin his life for her.
I really liked Benedict, he was the true aristocrat with all the attributes down to a fault but still showed he had character. Bathsheba was refreshing in that she just admits that she wants the man and goes for it. The kids are typical and the story fun. Good ending.
Yes its a perfect regency! onbe of our most loved authors.......2007-08-08
This series just gets better and better. Benedict is the heir to the Earl of Hargate, Viscount Rathbourne. He's one of those marvellous heroes who never puts a foot wrong - the epitome of the perfectly mannered, perfectly behaved, perfectly dependable, perfectly everything aristocrat. Until his nephew Peregrine clashes with Olivia, the daughter of widowed Bathsheba Wingate, one of the `Dreadful DeLucey's' who create havoc and scandal wherever they go. You'll be delighted as scandalous havoc does ensue! Olivia secretly persuades Peregrine to run away on a Grand Adventure to dig up her great-grandfather's pirate treasure, in the grounds of her ancestral mansion. Only with the treasure will her Mama lose that haunted, tired look, and be accepted into society (aww). The hoo-ha escalates as Benedict and Bathsheba take off after the children, with great speed and alarm - and intimate proximity. (Another road trip, yay, just like Mr. Impossible!) Of course - of course - Benedict and Bathsheba fall in love, both knowing the other is totally unsuitable. But love Will Not Listen to polite society, will it? Benedict's control unravels so fast it's hysterical, and Bathsheba continually tries to push him away - but of course he's irresistible. Glorious fun, rollicking romance, everything to enjoy in this book.
P.S. The part where Bathsheba introduces Benedict to her estranged relatives as her `mad brother Derek' is priceless. He's fuming (`throbbing in silence') and she's sweetly desperate to maintain his sterling reputation. And that's only one of the fun scenes!
Wonderful Chase book.......2006-12-09
Reminiscent of her earlier works, this book is a lively tale of love and adventure.
Neither as deep as "Captives of the Night" nor as hilarious as "Lord of Scoundrels" and "The Last Hellion", it is still a wonderful read. Of the three in this new series so far ("Miss Wonderful", "Mr. Impossible" and this book), this is my favorite.
The story of how "Lord Perfect" becomes "Lord Mussed, Fussed and In Love" is delightfully told and fun to read.
Once again, the author shows her versatility in her drawing of characters.
(PS: The cover art is AWFUL! ;D)
Enjoy!
Hilarious & Sexy Regency .......2006-09-17
Loretta Chase's books are always good. I have read & enjoyed them all. 'Lord Perfect' is a new title and the book more than met my high high expectations. It is funny, touching, exciting and extremely sexy. The characters are fully developed and very appealing. I expect to re-read this book as I have all of Chase's earlier books. It is really a SIX ****** star keeper.
Perfectly enjoyable.......2006-09-04
I've never read a novel by Ms. Chase that I didn't enjoy thoroughly and this book was no exception. The characters were well developed and the story was well-paced. As always, the dialoge was well-written, full of humour and wit, and very enjoyable to read. This book is definitely a keeper and will be reread often. I'm anxiously looking forward to Ms. Chase's next offering.
Book Description
The Complete Idiot's Guide(r) to the Perfect Marriage, Second Edition is an excellent resource for married couples, whether newlyweds or celebrating their bronze anniversary and beyond, on how to keep a marriage working, repair any damages, enhance the strength of their relationship, and more, brought up-to-date for the 21st century. The new edition contains additional chapters on spirituality and partnership, how being a more giving person in other areas -- volunteering, helping others, and joining in community activities -- can strengthen a marriage, planning ahead, learning how to handle potential difficulties before they happen, and schedule secret getaways and "dates" that keep a marriage exciting.
Download Description
The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Perfect Marriage takes the anxiety out of working on your marriage. Feel confident discussing sex, money, even the in-laws! In this Complete Idiot's Guide you get down-to-earth strategies for improving your communication skills; idiot-proof steps for dealing with times of transition, such as moving and career changes; expert advice in an easy-to-understand format; and plenty of quizzes and exercises to help you along the way.
Customer Reviews:
The Perfect Marriage.......2005-11-19
What does the word "perfect" suggest? "Everything it should be", right? Meaning "everything I want".
Don't be an idiot. Did you ever get what you wanted, and NOT have it snatched away by other people, accident, the Evil Eye, or the sudden insight into your own foolishness?
So, stay single and fantasize. Dream your dreams in peaceful repose, rather than suffer dirty reality in uproarious agony.
Fantasic reading..........1999-08-19
As a married woman for almost 15 years, I considered myself blessed to have a good marriage. Having read this book upon the recommmendation of a close friend, I was amazed to find how much better a good thing can become. My husband and I enjoyed discussing the book and have adopted quite a few suggestions. This has resulted in us becoming even closer. Although some of the points seem elementary at first glance, we were surprised that we had never thought of them ourselves. A very special thanks for the tips on how to deal with my in-laws.
Average customer rating:
- what if he is right?
- -Bible says, our body's a temple, perhaps not only for God,
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The Temple in Man: Sacred Architecture and the Perfect Man
R. A. Schwaller de Lubicz
Manufacturer: Inner Traditions
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The Temple of Man
ASIN: 0892810211
Release Date: 1981-11-01 |
Book Description
This book contains the first published results of Schwaller's 12 years of research at the temple of Luxor and its implications for interpreting the symbolic and mathematical processes of the Egyptians through their sacred architecture.
Customer Reviews:
what if he is right?.......2003-03-26
This book strikes me as the author's own philosophy projected onto ancient Egypt, which is mysterious enough to allow for any interpretation. But what if he is right? What if they really were the advanced scientists and mystics and founders of alchemy he believes? That would make this an important work indeed.
-Bible says, our body's a temple, perhaps not only for God,.......2000-04-29
This book delves deep and is philosophic in origins.
Book Description
An important new work from one of our premier cultural historians.
Houdini, Tarzan, and the Perfect Man considers the surprisingly complex evolution in representations of the white male body in late-nineteenth-century America, during years of rapid social transformation. John F. Kasson argues that three exemplars of physical prowess -- Eugen Sandow, an international vaudeville star and bodybuilder; Edgar Rice Burroughs's fictional hero Tarzan; and the great escape artist Harry Houdini -- represented both an ancient ideal of manhood and a modern commodity. They each extolled self-development, self-fulfillment, and escape from the confines of civilization while at the same time reasserting its values. This liberally illustrated, persuasively argued study analyzes the thematic links among these figures and places them in their rich historical and cultural context.
Customer Reviews:
Not quite sure what it wants to be.......2006-07-21
I think the combination of the academic sounding subtitle, and the rather lurid cover art illustrate the problem this book presents; it never seems to be sure whether it's trying to be PH.d thesis or a potboiler.
The story it tells is fascinating, to be sure. It's remarkable to reflect how much social and technological turmoil the US was in during the time period examined, and how much of a struggle life was for many. This is the context from which Sandow, Houdini and Borroughs arose, and the authors thesis seems quite sound. But it's not particularly coherently developed. And the biographical details are a bit uneven. I found myself wishing for a deeper discussion of the flaws of the "Perfect Man" that Sandow, Houdini and Tarzan represented, perhap unfairly, for the book sets out to tell the start of Beefcake as an ideal, not it's whole sorry history.
A worthy read, but not as compelling as I wanted it to be.
Three biographical tales linked loosely by a simple thesis.......2002-11-18
This relatively short and well-illustrated book presents brief portraits of three contemporaries from the turn of the last century: bodybuilder Engen Sandow, escape artist Harry Houdini, and the fictional Tarzan (as well as his creator Edgar Rice Burroughs). Kasson's thesis is twofold: that their popularity was emblematic of the insecurity that white males felt in an increasingly bureaucratic world that threatened racial, sexual, and cultural hegemony and that their semi-mythical qualities were instrumental in changing the collective sense of the ideal man.
These stories are undeniably fascinating and informative, and Kasson's thesis is fairly straightfoward. Because Kasson's argument seems easily supported, he is able to focus more on biographical rather than thematic details and includes much information that is not necessary to his argument. As a result, I found myself wishing several times that I were reading instead the three major biographies on which much of his narrative is based: David Chapman's "Sandow the Magnificent," Kenneth Silverman's "Houdini!!!," and Irwin Porges's "Edgar Rice Burroughs."
A terrific storyteller, Kasson is likewise unable to avoid including several vignettes that have no direct bearing on his thesis. This is not necessarily a bad thing: his account of female impersonator Julian Eltinge is certainly intriguing, but this section seems peripheral to his discussion. Likewise, he discusses Houdini's obsession with debunking spiritualists, especially Mina ("Margery") Crandon, but it's never really quite clear what this has to do with societal perceptions of the white male body. Kasson attempts, unconvincingly, to present this as a battle of the sexes, but admits that Houdini directed his ire toward all psychic charlatans, regardless of their sex. Margery just happened to be among the most "talented" of the spiritualists. When he does finally return to his thesis, the prose turns to semi-parodic academic-speak: "In exposing Margery's fraud, Houdini also exposed her as a woman who, despite all her guides and talents, could only sham the phallus."
Fortunately, these occasional faults seldom mar the overall presentation. Not only did I enjoy these tales, but Kasson has piqued my interest enough to make me want to read more about these three paragons of "masculinity."
Average customer rating:
- Book Review
- THIS IS A WELL WRITTEN BIO THAT KEEPS YOU INTERESTED
- Robert Taylor Deserved More
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Robert Taylor: The Man With the Perfect Face
Jane Ellen Wayne
Manufacturer: St Martins Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0312029721 |
Customer Reviews:
Book Review.......2007-02-24
I bought this for my sister; she was surprised that the book was in such good condition. She enjoyed it; we would buy other books such as this.
THIS IS A WELL WRITTEN BIO THAT KEEPS YOU INTERESTED.......2003-05-11
THE MAN WITH THE PERFECT FACE is the third release of the biography that Jane Ellen Wayne first released in 1973. The introduction is different and some of the pictures are different but it is the same book. Ms. Wayne showed a lot of respect and admiration for Mr. Taylor. Her book is very funny and at times very poignant. She quotes Mr. Taylor so often that at times it seems more like an autobiography. The book is never trashy or sleazy like some biographies. She doesn't waste time on rumor or heresay but only presents documented facts. She answers most of the questions that people have had about Mr. Taylor through the years and makes a point of showing his flaws and weaknesses as well as ALL of his well known assets. After reading the book one thinks of Mr. Taylor like a family member instead of a matinee idol. One gets a real insight into old Hollywood. I do not agree with Ms. Wayne's opinions of some of his films but other than that I applaud her for a job well done. The book is written with class and style.
Robert Taylor Deserved More.......2003-03-03
Robert Taylor: The Man With the Perfect Face is a book that tells of Taylor's life, and it does a decent job. It published just four years after his death in 1969, and the author, Ms. Wayne, was able to meet him, so that lends credibility to her biography of this Hollywood heartthrob.
But the book doesn't go deep enough. It reads like a compilation of data, with little life added in. It paints Robert Taylor as almost a "goody two shoes."
Yet there was more to him, & I for one hope to read a book that uncovers and tells the truth about many other factions of his life. He WAS a good, solid family man. He had no shocking secrets. Yet he DID harbor demons, and this is the story Ms. Wayne should've told.
Average customer rating:
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How Perfect Is Your Partner? 50 Ways to Get to Know Your Lover
Philip Hodson
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
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Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0142196363 |
Book Description
Just in time for Valentine's Day, this beautifully designed book by relationship expert Phillip Hodson offers couples a complete collection of 50 proven self-tests, questionnaires, and ancient oracles to help them discover how compatible they really are. With wide-ranging topics that assess all the essential areas of compatibility, from their looks and personality to their goals and beliefs, How Perfect Is Your Partner? will give readers new insight into their relationship and allow them to understand each other in an astonishing new way. Just as important, each test contains practical advice on how to talk about differences and overcome them. Fun to use and perfect to do alone or together, this book will help new couples and long-term partners alike make their love even stronger.
Book Description
Now Norm Wright's bestselling classic Finding Your Perfect Mate has a new, updated cover that's fresh and exciting. In this helpful book, Norm offers thoughtful words of wisdom, encouragement, and guidance on one of life's most important decisions. He also contributes valuable insights based on years of premarital counseling: * What role does God have in helping find a future mate? * How can I know when I've found the right person? * How can I overcome the frustrations of singleness? * What if I've already been married before? A dynamic book with a great message for people who seek God's guidance in finding a perfect lifetime companion
Customer Reviews:
Almost Excellent ..........2003-08-12
I really liked this book. What I did not like was chapter 5 "Where Do I Meet Them and What Do I say?" In this chapter, the author suggests making yourself available to be in places where people with similar interests are sure to also frequent. There's pros and cons to that idea. The point is that women should not be making themselves "available" to meet other singles. We are "good things to be FOUND" according to the Bible. Eve was presented to Adam, the man she was made for. She didn't make herself available to meet him or anyone else, she was made "for" him and therefore was presented "to" him by God.
The website "Eharmony.com" was promoted for single Christian dating. We Christian singles are not to be "dating" rather we should be "courting". Dating does not mean today what it meant in the past. In the past, "dating" was similar to what "engagement" means today, that definition is far from what dating means in this day and age. In the courting process you are getting to know the individual with the intent to marry. If we are doing God's business, He will make sure we meet our intended. When it is truly God, you won't have a series of trial and error periods.
I appreciated that the author touched on "The Second Time Around" which is for those who have been married before and are now divorced. The points in that chapter were thought provoking. In all of the books that I've read regarding courting and relationships, this is the first book I've read that referenced this topic.
So you're letting God provide a mate for you....now what???.......1998-10-04
This is an excellent book because not only it discuss topics about finding the perfect mate, it also discusses if you were meant to be married in the first place, some people forget to ask that question about themselves. I like this book because Wright shows that relationships have advantages as well as disadvantages, and if both people in the relationship focus is God, things can be worked out. At the end of the book there are so many questions you can ask about yourself and you mate as well. This is a great books for singles to read, so when they encounter a future relationship, they are ahead of the process and are not ruled by there emotions, God is leading the relationship.
Book Description
Winner of the Commonwealth Writers' Prize for Europe and South Asia.
Identity, friendship, and a long-hidden crime lie at the heart of Naeem Murr’s captivating novel about five friends growing up in a small 1950s Missouri river town. A contender for the Man Booker Prize, this exhilarating story beautifully evokes the extreme joys, as well as the dark and shameful desires, of childhood.
Young Rajiv Travers hasn’t had much luck fitting in anywhere. Born to an Indian mother who was sold to his English father for £20, Raj is abandoned by his relatives into the reluctant care of Ruth, an American romance writer living in Pisgah, Missouri. While his skin color unsettles most of the townsfolk, who are used to seeing things in black and white, the quick-witted Raj soon finds his place among a group of children his own age.
While the friends remain loyal to one another through the years, it becomes clear that their paths will veer in markedly different directions. But breaking free of the demands of their families and their community, as well as one another, comes at a devastating price: As the chilling secrets of Pisgah’s residents surface, the madness that erupts will cost Raj his closest friend even as it offers him the life he always dreamed of.
Taking us into the intimate life of small-town America, The Perfect Man explores both the power of the secrets that shape us and the capacity of love in all its guises to heal even the most damaged of souls.
Customer Reviews:
Good, but not perfect.......2007-08-14
I read all the amazing reviews of this book and thought the premise was very interesting: young unwanted boy from India winding up in small Missouri town. The writing is excellent, but I just could not really connect with the characters and found some of the lesser characters simply unbelievable. I tried very hard to "get into" this book, but it just didn't click.
Raj's transformation from a naive young boy to a professional man who seems to know exactly who he is and what he wants is interesting but I don't find it extraordinatry. I'm pretty familiar with small Missouri towns having grown up there, and I never felt that the town with its rather strange assortment of people was realistic; some of the events bordered on "soap-operaish." And the switching back and forth between time frames was confusing although I can see how it did add to the suspense of the story.
Still, the concept of the book is engaging and I'm glad I read it. I would recommend it just because I do think it is a book that can envoke a variety of responses.
I couldn't put it down.......2007-08-09
This is an incredible book with vivid and unforgettable characters - spend the money and enjoy a very good read. I'm going to buy his two earlier books.
great read.......2007-07-07
This is quite an absorbing book. I'm surprised to see so few reviews. For me it started off slowly, but I gradually was drawn into the intimate stories of the people in this town. I love the way the author details the sometimes shocking secrets of these seemingly ordinary characters, and also the ways mysteries are ultimately revealed. Excellent writing.
Under the influence of Truman Capote.......2007-05-24
This is an AMAZING book! If schoolchildren all read "Other Voices, Other Rooms" we might see more work of this quality. As it is, this book is a one off, a unique vision, a real original. How do you fit into a strange world that keeps changing as fast as you can? How can you love despite abandonment and betrayal? How can you find a way into other people's hearts when your own is still a mystery to you? Naeem Murr adresses these big questions among others in this passionate, literate and deeply satisfying novel. I can't recommend it highly enough.
thrilling, mysterious, disturbing, beautiful.......2007-05-10
I just read "The Perfect Man" on the recommendation of a friend from the UK (it came out there last year). I sat on the couch for hours and hours, unable to put it down. You're introduced to this forlorn, unwanted child who is dragged from India to Britain to the small-town U.S., and as he gets to know the complexities of this little Missouri backwater (its crimes and sexual secrets and interrelationships and rumors and histories), you get to know them, too. You end up longing for the happiness of some characters and the downfall of others, and wanting desperately to know WHAT HAPPENED to a little boy who died years before. There are many twining stories over the course of many years, but you never get lost or bored. The people all have such vividness, with so much at stake--especially the survival of vulnerable children through pain, neglect, confusion and love. And there's such a rich sense of the cycle of life. I was tearful a number times while reading. I highly recommend it.
Average customer rating:
- well written but WAY too self-absorbed and angry
- wonderful, true, and quite funny!
- A must-read for all critically-thinking and conflicted moms
- This just couldn't keep my attention
- Boring
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Dispatches from a Not-So-Perfect Life: Or How I Learned to Love the House, the Man, the Child
Faulkner Fox
Manufacturer: Three Rivers Press
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The Mother Trip: Hip Mama's Guide to Staying Sane in the Chaos of Motherhood (Live Girls)
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Because I Said So: 33 Mothers Write About Children, Sex, Men, Aging, Faith, Race, and Themselves
ASIN: 1400049407
Release Date: 2004-11-16 |
Amazon.com
"Frequent Parenting Miles." Mothers of the 21st Century may not be familiar with this term, (coined by author Faulkner Fox), but they'll quickly catch the gist, no doubt about it. In her irreverent, smart, thought-provoking memoir, Fox raises a lot of questions, and even answers a few. A biggie is this: "If you love someone and he's a feminist, and you create children together...shouldn't the groundwork for peace and generosity be laid? Perhaps Duncan [Fox's husband--not his real name] was a fake feminist, an armchair spouter of equity-talk." Fox agonizes over what is just, for her little family and for womankind. She obsessively (and hilariously) counts the hours she spends caring for her two sons versus the hours her husband spends doing the same thing (a.k.a. frequent parenting miles). She reflects on the social, political, and health ramifications of pregnancy, birth, and motherhood. In her professional life she ponders the time-honored tradition of paying women less to do the same jobs men do. And she returns, again and again, to a fantasy she had in her 20s, in which she writes peacefully in a house by the sea while a man cooks in the kitchen and a small child plays quietly in the corner. Why does real life look so different, even with a swell husband, much-loved children, a part-time job, and a little time to write?
Dispatches from a Not-So-Perfect Life is packed with the kind of ambivalence and unexpected humor and joy that so many women find in life today. It should be required reading for any woman or man contemplating marriage, parenthood, or simply life as an adult. --Emilie Coulter
Book Description
When Salon.com published Faulkner Fox’s article on motherhood, “What I Learned from Losing My Mind,” the response was so overwhelming that Salon reran the piece twice. The experience made Faulkner realize that she was not alone—that the country is full of women who are anxious and conflicted about their roles as mothers and wives.
In Dispatches from a Not-So-Perfect Life, her provocative, brutally honest, and often hilarious memoir of motherhood, Faulkner explores the causes of her unhappiness, as well as the societal and cultural forces that American mothers have to contend with. From the time of her first pregnancy, Faulkner found herself—and her body—scrutinized by doctors, friends, strangers, and, perhaps most of all, herself. In addition to the significant social pressures of raising the perfect child and being the perfect mom, Faulkner also found herself increasingly incensed by the unequal distribution of household labor and infuriated by the gender inequity in both her home and others’. And though she loves her children and her husband passionately, is thankful for her bountiful middle-class life, and feels wracked with guilt for being unhappy, she just can’t seem to experience the sense of satisfaction that she thought would come with the package. She’s finally got it all—the husband, the house, the kids, an interesting part-time job, even a few hours a week to write—so why does she feel so conflicted?
Faulkner sheds light on the fear, confusion, and isolation experienced by many new mothers, mapping the terrain of contemporary domesticity, marriage, and motherhood in a voice that is candid, irreverent, and deeply personal, while always chronicling the unparalleled joy she and other mothers take in their children.
Customer Reviews:
well written but WAY too self-absorbed and angry.......2007-10-01
While I could relate to many of Fox's feelings on marriage, motherhood, and work, the intensity of her feelings and the anger behind all of it was far too much to take. Her husband sounds incredibly involved, but she trashes him mercilessly. Her kids sound like bright, engaging kids, but all she can do is talk about the drain on her time that they represent. This book could have been saved by humor, but instead it is a relentlessly bleak, dark, and resentful tirade. How is she going to feel when her kids are teenagers and they read the book? For that matter, are other people's feelings important to her at all? Or just her own? A complete downer...
wonderful, true, and quite funny!.......2007-05-02
Faulkner has created a wonderful book for women, parents or not, married or single. This was a page turner and ultimate comfort book for me. Where ever you are in life Faulkner gives you stories that relate and entertain.
A must-read for all critically-thinking and conflicted moms.......2006-08-29
The writing style of this book is, as many other reviewers have pointed out, a bit repetitive and rambling. However, if you can get past that in the quest for meaty social and emotional content (and it's in there), this book is for women like I.
Shortly after I had had my first child, people would breathlessly ask me: "Don't you just love being a mom?!" That question symbolized a larger conflict of mine. Although it was all-too-clear that there was a right answer to the question, I couldn't compromise myself by simply gushing back the expected reply. The truth was that although I really liked the little monkey, the biggest surprise of motherhood was how little it had really changed me as a person. Those around me seemed to see motherhood as a destination at which I had finally arrived--the happy sunset at the end of a long journey. To me, it felt like another role I was trying to incorporate into the self I already knew and liked. That's where Faulkner's book spoke to me.
This book is not for women who have an easy answer to the question of loving motherhood; it's for those who typically try to understand life by analyzing it, sometimes ad nauseum. This book is for women who are unsatisfied and frankly pissed off by the pat and pretty suggestions of how we "should" be feeling about the role or who resist the idea that honesty is necessarily the same thing as whining. I have already recommended "Dispatches" to friends who share the challenge of feeding their own souls while doing their best to love, guide and learn from the little lives entrusted to them.
This just couldn't keep my attention.......2006-06-22
A couple of friends recommended this book to me, so I was really looking forward to reading it. I too have tried to balance writing, academia and parenthood, so I thought I would relate. But this book just couldn't keep my interest, and I admit that I only got about 2/3 of the way through before giving up. I don't mind motherhood memoirs that aren't all sunshine and flowers - in fact, I prefer ones that aren't - but this just seemed relentlessly dark without being compelling. Fox is a fine writer, but I don't know as though her talent is best suited to writing memoirs.
Boring.......2006-04-30
Seems like people either love this book or hate it. Unfortunately I am in the latter category. This book was not what I'd expected or hoped. Although I could relate to the author's constant state of chaos as a mother, I could not relate to her incessant analysis of the world, chronic anxiety and unnecesary self-examination. I found it too sociological and political and not at all funny. It is the first book I have ever stopped reading & returned to the store.
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