Amazon.com
Such is Ian McEwan's genius that, despite rambling nature walks and the naming of birds, his subject matter remains hermetically sealed in the hearts of two people.
It is 1962 when Edward and Florence, 23 and 22 respectively, marry and repair to a hotel on the Dorset coast for their honeymoon. They are both virgins, both apprehensive about what's next and in Florence's case, utterly and blindly terrified and repelled by the little she knows. Through a tense dinner in their room, because Florence has decided that the weather is not fine enough to dine on the terrace, they are attended by two local boys acting as waiters. The cameo appearances of the boys and Edward and Florence's parents and siblings serve only to underline the emotional isolation of the two principals. Florence says of herself: "...she lacked some simple mental trick that everyone else had, a mechanism so ordinary that no one ever mentioned it, an immediate sensual connection to people and events, and to her own needs and desires...."
They are on the cusp of a rather ordinary marital undertaking in differing states of readiness, willingness and ardor. McEwan says: "Where he merely suffered conventional first-night nerves, she experienced a visceral dread, a helpless disgust as palpable as seasickness." Edward, having denied himself even the release of self-pleasuring for a week, in order to be tip-top for Florence, is mentally pawing the ground. His sensitivity keeps him from being obvious, but he is getting anxious. Florence, on the other hand, knows that she is not capable of the kind of arousal that will make any of this easy. She has held Edward off for a year, and now the reckoning is upon her.
McEwan is the master of the defining moment, that place and time when, once it has taken place, nothing will ever be the same after it. It does not go well and Florence flees the room. "As she understood it, there were no words to name what had happened, there existed no shared language in which two sane adults could describe such events to each other." Edward eventually follows her and they have a poignant and painful conversation where accusations are made, ugly things are said and roads are taken from which, in the case of these two, the way back cannot be found. Late in Edward's life he realizes: "Love and patience--if only he had them both at once--would surely have seen them both through." This beautifully told sad story could have been conceived and written only by Ian McEwan. --Valerie Ryan
Book Description
A novel of remarkable depth and poignancy from one of the most acclaimed writers of our time.
It is July 1962. Florence is a talented musician who dreams of a career on the concert stage and of the perfect life she will create with Edward, an earnest young history student at University College of London, who unexpectedly wooed and won her heart. Newly married that morning, both virgins, Edward and Florence arrive at a hotel on the Dorset coast. At dinner in their rooms they struggle to suppress their worries about the wedding night to come. Edward, eager for rapture, frets over Florence’s response to his advances and nurses a private fear of failure, while Florence’s anxieties run deeper: she is overcome by sheer disgust at the idea of physical contact, but dreads disappointing her husband when they finally lie down together in the honeymoon suite.
Ian McEwan has caught with understanding and compassion the innocence of Edward and Florence at a time when marriage was presumed to be the outward sign of maturity and independence. On Chesil Beach is another masterwork from McEwan—a story of lives transformed by a gesture not made or a word not spoken.
Customer Reviews:
Simply Divine...and Heart-Wrenching.......2007-10-02
I only finished reading McEwan's diminuitive tome this morning, and my heart is still a puddle in my shoes. Not only is On Chesil Beach exquisitely written and moving, it is also a beautiful and tragic dance between conflicting dualities. Modernity vs. Tradition; Rich vs. Poor; the Said vs. the Unsaid; the Mind vs. the Body. The conflicts are palpable.
McEwan's characters Florence and Edward and his settings, whether in Dorset, London, or Oxford seem as real as can be. I found myself becoming emotionally involved in the lives and times of these people, and as though witnessing a slow motion train wreck, I wanted to reach into the fiction and mediate, shake the two lovers, and have them kiss and make-up. This is, in a nut shell, why I am only a humble reader and not a writer, because whereas I might try to polish and Disney things up, McEwan takes us on a passionate and unforgetable journey.
a character study.......2007-09-29
This is in some ways an odd little book--it seems almost as if McEwan has given us with "On Chesil Beach" a fragment from some larger piece of work. It is quite short--quite intense and detailed about the period of time dealing with the marriage at the center of it all, but almost dismissive, and certainly distant, about the subsequent lives of the husband and wife. (The epilogue seems unsatisfyingly unbalanced to me because we do not hear very much, with one exception, about what direction the young wife's emotional life took. What, if she allowed herself to make anything of it all, did she make of this experience as she aged?)
The thing I most enjoyed about the book was the tenderness with which McEwan dealt with both the newlyweds, and how beautifully fleshed out they both were. The reader therefore understands them both far better than they are able to understand each other, hampered as they are by both the limitations imposed on them by their particular family circumstances as well as the conventionality of the period. (Among other things, I think it is pretty clear that Florence has been abused by her father.) And this makes it so very painful when things go wrong, as they do. I kept thinking, as Edmund and Florence must have themselves in later years, "if only"...
There are explicit sexual scenes in the novel, but they are far from sensational in nature, and seem totally organic to the development of the characters.
If you enjoy a really character-driven novel, I think "On Chesil Beach" will please you.
Back to another era.......2007-09-22
As always, Ian McEwan's writing is amazing and this book is worth reading just for that. The story is thought-provoking and frustrating. Here are two people who have spent time together and build what you think is a relationship. They waited so long for one moment in time only to simply walk away when the moment is not as they both had hoped. You cannot believe that they would throw it all away without either party putting up any sort of fight. Maybe that is suppose to show us that they are truly not in love?
I have read several of his books now and Atonement remains my favorite but this is worth a rainy afternoon of reading.
Collapsing at the bed posts..........2007-09-21
ON CHESIL BEACH is the dispassionate love story of a young couple whose entire relationship collapses at the bed posts upon their first failed night spent as husband and wife. Edward wants to be sexually intimate with Florence only he's too inexperienced, too desperate to physically connect with her. His pumped-up passion, so it seems to him, is "mishandled" for all it takes is Florence's touch and instantly he flows flaccid. As for Florence, she's so fearful of sexual contact that she flees from his advances in a most hysterical fashion. She goes so far as to jump off the bed and vigorously remove all traces of him with a pillow case, reacting as if his sperm might burn through her skin like battery acid.
Is this exaggerated representation of sexual repression intentional? Of course. Edward and Florence come from drastically disparate backgrounds. She's cultured. He isn't. He's ardent in his desire for her. She recoils at his touch, presumably sparked by a dark encounter with her father some years before which McEwan never develops. Is this story supposed to be a sign of the times before the sexual revolution? Maybe. Or maybe it's just a sign that somewhere along the way McEwan simply confused sexism with satire.
I do recommend this book as it's beautifully written.
Chesil Beach = Boring Beach.......2007-09-19
This was so boring that I kept skipping pages at a time - which is something I never do. And, I have always been frustrated when a couple in love don't communicate - and this is a classic non-communication "love" story. Very frustrating.
Book Description
Good news! Fannie’s back in town--and the town is among the leading characters in her new novel.
Along with Neighbor Dorothy, the lady with the smile in her voice, whose daily radio broadcasts keep us delightfully informed on all the local news, we also meet Bobby, her ten-year-old son, destined to live a thousand lives, most of them in his imagination; Norma and Macky Warren and their ninety-eight-year-old Aunt Elner; the oddly sexy and charismatic Hamm Sparks, who starts off in life as a tractor salesman and ends up selling himself to the whole state and almost the entire country; and the two women who love him as differently as night and day. Then there is Tot Whooten, the beautician whose luck is as bad as her hairdressing skills; Beatrice Woods, the Little Blind Songbird; Cecil Figgs, the Funeral King; and the fabulous Minnie Oatman, lead vocalist of the Oatman Family Gospel Singers.
The time is 1946 until the present. The town is Elmwood Springs, Missouri, right in the middle of the country, in the midst of the mostly joyous transition from war to peace, aiming toward a dizzyingly bright future.
Once again, Fannie Flagg gives us a story of richly human characters, the saving graces of the once-maligned middle classes and small-town life, and the daily contest between laughter and tears. Fannie truly writes from the heartland, and her storytelling is, to quote Time, "utterly irresistible."
Download Description
FANNIE FLAGG¿s writing career began behind the scenes of television¿s Candid Camera and progressed to out-in-front as performer-writer. Her acting achievements led to roles in motion pictures including Five Easy Pieces, with Jack Nicholson; Stay Hungry, with Jeff Bridges and Sally Field; and, most recently, Crazy in Alabama, with Melanie Griffith. For the theater in New York she did Patio Porch and Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean, and played the lead role in the Broadway musical The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.
Her first novel, Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man, was on the New York Times bestseller list for ten weeks. Her second, Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe, praised by Harper Lee and Eudora Welty, was on the Times list for thirty-six weeks. It was made into the memorable hit movie Fried Green Tomatoes, starring Jessica Tandy and Kathy Bates. The screenplay, also written by Flagg, earned her the coveted Scripters Award and was nominated for an Academy Award and the Writers Guild of America Screen Award. Her reading of the Random House audiobook received a Grammy nomination.
That book gave way to an even bigger hardcover success for Welcome to the World, Baby Girl!, a New York Times Notable Book of the Year, which The Christian Science Monitor called ¿captivating . . . a comic novel to open with open arms.¿ Flagg lives in California and in Alabama.
From the Hardcover edition.
Customer Reviews:
Awesome read.......2007-09-14
I wonderful book, hard to put down. I did not want the stories to end.
I highly recommend the uplifting pages to anyone and everyone.
A wonderful tale of southern life.......2007-07-31
This is an engaging book by Ms. Flagg. It gives thoughtful and deep insight into the lives of persons in the South and how they change and develop over the different decades. The characters are multidimensional and their thoughts and feelings are expressed quite clearly. I found myself being able to understand and identify with what was going on with each of them and what they were going through. The plot of the story is also clear and it is easy to follow. I gave this novel five stars because not only was it entertaining, but it was educational as well.
A Wonderful Summer Read.......2007-06-27
This is really a good book. Perfect for light reading that makes you feel good when you finish the story.
You will not be disappointed.
I loved this book.......2007-02-09
It is wonderfully written. The characters come to life while you're reading and it's hard to put the book down. I was sad to finish the book, it was almost like saying goodbye to a friend.
Just not for me.......2007-01-10
I have a friend who loves this book & that's why I got it but I just couldn't get into it. In fact I can't get into any of her books.
Average customer rating:
- Bob Dylan Chronicles -- No Direction Home -- Never Ending Tour
- Almost Inside Dylan
- One of the best books on creativity ever
- I am not he, Babe?
- Erratically Mesmerizing.
|
Chronicles: Volume One
Bob Dylan
Manufacturer: Thorndike Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 Rock
| Composers & Musicians
| Arts & Literature
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Entertainers
| Arts & Literature
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Dylan, Bob
| ( D )
| People, A-Z
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Memoirs
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Performing Arts
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Literature & Fiction
| Large Print
| Formats
| Books
Biographies & Memoirs
| Large Print
| Formats
| Books
All Titles
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Similar Items:
-
Bob Dylan - No Direction Home
-
Lyrics: 1962-2001
-
Modern Times
-
BOB DYLAN: THE ESSENTIAL INTERVIEWS
-
Bob Dylan - Don't Look Back (1965 Tour Deluxe Edition)
ASIN: 0786273410 |
Amazon.com
One would not anticipate a conventional memoir from Bob Dylan--indeed, one would not have foreseen an autobiography at all from the pen of the notoriously private legend. What Chronicles: Volume 1 delivers is an odd but ultimately illuminating memoir that is as impulsive, eccentric, and inspired as Dylan's greatest music.
Eschewing chronology and skipping over most of the "highlights" that his many biographers have assigned him, Dylan drifts and rambles through his tale, amplifying a series of major and minor epiphanies. If you're interested in a behind-the-scenes look at his encounters with the Beatles, look elsewhere. Dylan describes the sensation of hearing the group's "Do You Want to Know a Secret" on the radio, but devotes far more ink to a Louisiana shopkeeper named Sun Pie, who tells him, "I think all the good in the world might already been done" and sells him a World's Greatest Grandpa bumper sticker. Dylan certainly sticks to his own agenda--a newspaper article about journeymen heavyweights Jerry Quarry and Jimmy Ellis and soul singer Joe Tex's appearance on The Tonight Show inspire heartfelt musings, and yet the 1963 assassination of John Kennedy prompts nary a word from the era's greatest protest singer.
For all the small revelations (it turns out he's been a big fan of Barry Goldwater, Mickey Rourke, and Ice-T), there are eye-opening disclosures, including his confession that a large portion of his recorded output was designed to alienate his audience and free him from the burden of being a "the voice of a generation."
Off the beaten path as it is, Chronicles is nevertheless an astonishing achievement. As revelatory in its own way as Blonde on Blonde or Highway 61 Revisited, it provides ephemeral insights into the mind one of the most significant artistic voices of the 20th century while creating a completely new set of mysteries. --Steven Stolder
Book Description
A New York Times Bestseller
Greenwich Village, circa 1961. As seen through Bob Dylan's eyes and open mind as he first arrives in Manhattan, New York is a magical city of possibilities. Side trips to New Orleans, Woodstock, Minnesota and points west make for an intimate recollection of extraordinary times. With his unparalleled gift for storytelling and the exquisite expressiveness that characterizes his music, Dylan reflects on life and the people and places that helped shape the man and his art.
Download Description
" ""I'd come from a long ways off and had started a long ways down. But now destiny was about to manifest itself. I felt like it was looking right at me and nobody else."" So writes Bob Dylan in Chronicles: Volume One, his remarkable book exploring critical junctures in his life and career. Through Dylan's eyes and open mind, we see Greenwich Village, circa 1961, when he first arrives in Manhattan. Dylan's New York is a magical city of possibilities -- smoky, nightlong parties; literary awakenings; transient loves and unbreakable friendships. Elegiac observations are punctuated by jabs of memories, penetrating and tough. With the book's side trips to New Orleans, Woodstock, Minnesota and points west, Chronicles: Volume One is an intimate and intensely personal recollection of extraordinary times. By turns revealing, poetical, passionate and witty, Chronicles: Volume One is a mesmerizing window on Bob Dylan's thoughts and influences. Dylan's voice is distinctively American: generous of spirit, engaged, fanciful and rhythmic. Utilizing his unparalleled gifts of storytelling and the exquisite expressiveness that are the hallmarks of his music, Bob Dylan turns Chronicles: Volume One into a poignant reflection on life, and the people and places that helped shape the man and the art. "
Customer Reviews:
Bob Dylan Chronicles -- No Direction Home -- Never Ending Tour.......2007-10-02
I'm making way again reading Chronicles, it's my second time through. It takes the entire book to understand what makes an artist an artist, and when Columbia Records signed Bob, it had the power to make him become as the one whom we all know him as today. He follows along the tradition of folk music, and yet, within that tradition he learned so well the ways of the past that he would be accepted as an artist even before he has written the music.
Knowing the book is Dylan's autobiography, I expected to read from the perspective of, or, having a given notion that a story would be told about how the songs were written, by the manner they could be inspired. The latter meaning that finding the inspiration is the deeper more profound nature of the story as Bob does write constructively in the similar form as are his lyrics and music. The catch phrase there being the musical form and with this he tells a lingering story of meeting up with Bono who leads him on to record another record in New Orleans with Danny Lanois.
It is fair to say that even to this day most of the songs are still sung with an affliction of a dialect that captures our time as the measured space from that time the song was first inspired. The passages written throughout the storyline of the book put together a grandeur more complex understanding of just how omni-present ones life becomes to have achieved what Bob has accomplished, beginning within the moments he knew he could play guitar, so handedly playing the music he enjoyed whilst underlying his own talent allowing him to simply play along... In the course of such sanctity he reads one great book after another, as it is the same way he listens to records, and then seeks for artists following relentlessly his own spirit until finally meeting his immortal icon Woody Guthrie, bed ridden. Woody listens to Bob play and Bob stays with Woody until they each can find no end to the meaning of the words their music could have lived for himself.
On the surface the story writes about the times he grew up as a child amongst friends and family living in the iron ore range that is still the driving force of America's industrial revolution. Virtually every car made in Detroit would have been fabricated with the ore that was for a time Dylan's boyhood home and upbringing.
It is in New York though, that if you were from the area yourself or in the same way knew of any other place brought into the discussion, then pieces fit together about the goings on of the emerging cultural lives in such backgrounds as Greenwich Village. It's the most intricate detail to understand how Bob goes about learning an insightful dictation of knowledge that elapses his own will and eventual transformation of self to the impresario that lives the life his words give rise to within the lyric of their own musings.
Ones immediate impression is within the forces of living about New York City, as an artist, Dylan travels in this virtuous manner of that as a performer to such brevity and light, guided by this talent that the magnitude he reveals himself as, is that merely as a person who lived through folk music learning to sing while playing guitar. Generally speaking it's more than just a good time.
It's Alright Ma From deluxe edition Don't Look Back outtakes
- 1965
Almost Inside Dylan.......2007-09-15
This is a surpisingly readable book, told as if you were sitting chatting over a cup of coffee (or a few drinks) with the author. Dylan is amazingly down to earth and candid, and in some cases downright self-deprecating. Sometimes insecure over his position, accomplishments, and legacy, Dylan never wavers in his devotion to, and ability to achieve, his purpose: to make good music. BD comes across as human and frail in some areas, and extremely tough in many other and different ways.
Hearing how impressed this icon is and was about those who guided, formed, and helped him in his salad days is heart-warming. Sometimes you have to remind yourself that this is BOB DYLAN writing, not some second-tier also-ran.
If you expect to find the answers to all the accumulated questions about him, or revelations about his deeply private or personal matters, you will be disappointed. He refers to relationships, but does not go into any great detail. I cannot recollect if he even mentions Sara by name, but often refers to his 'wife'. His recall of important moments often include common pedestrian activities like going to the beach with the wife and kids. His chagrin at his failure to accomplish a truly private place for him and his family is charmingly naive in its hopefulness, while distressingly disturbing in its reality.
So, you're not going to get the smoking guns, or smoking guitars for that matter, but you will come away with new consideration for this American enigma that is well worth the time to read it appreciably, and finish anxious for a possible Volume Two.
One of the best books on creativity ever.......2007-07-20
And, you get a look inside the mind of a creative genius, both his philosophy and a detailed look at the steps taken to reach his goals.
"...it dawned on me that I might have to change my inner thought patterns...that I would have to start believing in possibilities that I wouldn't have allowed before, that I had been closing my creativity down to a very narrow, controllable scale...that things had become too familiar and I might have to disorientate myself."
This book is worth reading and keeping.
I am not he, Babe?.......2007-06-16
What a delightful read! This book is a terrific insight into how an artistic mind finds a way to express itself. I've always liked BD. I like him more now.
Some may object to flawed grammar in this memoir. Bob chooses his language carefully and deliberately and the result is a sort of stream-of-consciousness that speaks to the reader like his songs speak to the listener. BD reveals the incredible impact that lyrics and words had upon him.
I would have loved to hear more of his commentary on the music of the 60's and beyond and more experiences with other artists, but to see how he was impacted by Woody Guthrie and Robert Johnson was fascinating.
Erratically Mesmerizing........2007-06-09
Much of the Dylan mystique has been eroded over the last couple of years with the semi-critical No Direction Home film getting released along with his memoirs in Chronicles. Here we see that Dylan is, without question, a man completely and utterly devoted to music. It fuels most of his thoughts and we witness the way that he thinks about his art in these pages. He definitely regards himself as an artiste and is well aware of his status and reputation. His discussion of the old blues legends--particularly Robert Johnson--highlights the immense importance the works of his predecessors had on his development. Also fascinating was his recapitulation of the creation of Oh Mercy with Daniel Lanois. It's an unusual sequence in the book and quite unlike anything I've ever read.
My main problem with Chronicles is Dylan, unfortunately. It seemed to me that he hasn't experienced much in the way of intellectual growth since the 1960s. He tells us of the reading he did back in the day but one never gets the impression that his mind has grown much since that time. Furthermore, it appears that Dylan has a lust for surface information but rarely studies topics in great depth which means he relies on hearsay for a lot of his opinions. At times, Chronicles seems to be a series of book reports and music reviews implying that the mighty legend values art more than he does people. Perhaps "impressions" would have proved a better title than "chronicles." Either way, this is important material and I'll happily buy whatever new books he puts out.
Book Description
Internationally bestselling husband and wife Jonathan and Faye Kellerman team up for a powerful one-two punch with Capital Crimes, a gripping pair of original crime thrillers.
MY SISTER’S KEEPER: BERKELEY
Some of progressive state representative Davida Grayson’s views have made her unpopular. Although her foes are numerous no one suspects that any buttons Davida might push could evoke deadly force.
But now Davida lies brutally murdered in her office, and Berkeley homicide detectives Will Barnes and Amanda Isis must unravel Davida’s complex, before the killer pulls off a repeat performance.
MUSIC CITY BREAKDOWN: NASHVILLE
Baker Southerby was a child prodigy performer. But something leads him to become a Nashville cop. His partner, Lamar Van Gundy, is a would-be studio bassist who earned himself a detective’s badge. As part of Nashville PD's elite Murder Squad, they catch a homicide that’s high-profile even for a city where musical celebrity is routine.
Capital Crimes is page-turning, psychologically resonant suspense–just what we’ve come to expect from two of the world’s most successful crime writers.
Customer Reviews:
Disappointing.......2007-06-24
I am a fan of both authors, but did not care for these novellas at all. Both Kellermans usually flesh out the main characters so that they are more interesting than the ones presented in this book.
Social Commentary?.......2007-05-10
This mystery may be commentary on our society today. You'll enjoy this read as you race to solve the murder with the characters.
Capital Crimes.......2007-03-08
I really enjoyed reading this book, and I recommend it to anyone that love mysteries. They are a great writing team.
Capital Crimes.......2007-02-09
Jonathan and Faye Kellerman as always have succeeded in writing an intriguing book. They were able to bring as much depth and understanding to the characters in this book as they do in their more lengthy novels and the inclusion of their more famous and noted characters made for a very enjoyable read. Definitely a 5 star rating!
For fans of the Kellermans.......2007-01-27
Anyone who waits avidly for the newest Kellerman novel, either by Jonathan or his wife, Faye, will want to read "Capital Crimes", which has two novellas, one by each author.
The major theme of both stories seems to be love. Or rather, the lack of it. Davida, in "My Sister's Keeper", is a lesbian activist, who lives in the midst of people who have tossed out any standards of behavior except fretting about their own feelings. Certainly no one seemed to care about fidelity, and no one seemed capable of loving another human being. The landscape is thick with monsters. In "Music City Breakdown" singer Jeff Jeffries was once at the top of the music heap. His fame and wealth allowed him to squander his life in a sea of casual sex and drug abuse. And led to his murder.
The entire time I was reading these novellas I kept recalling that the authors were a married couple with four children. And wondering if these stories weren't their comments on our current society.
Average customer rating:
- a self serving autobiography from a self-serving man
- memories are made of this and that
- Some Interesting Stories But Overall Disappointing
|
Memories: The Autobiography of Ralph Emery (G K Hall Large Print Book Series)
Ralph Emery , and
Tom Carter
Manufacturer: G K Hall & Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Theory, Composition & Performance
| Music
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
| Appreciation
| Composition
| Conducting
| Exercises
| Instruction & Study
| MIDI, Mixers, etc.
| Sheet Music & Scores
| Songbooks
| Songwriting
| Techniques
| Theory
| Vocal
General
| Foreign Languages
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
Large Print
| Formats
| Books
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Children's Books
| Health, Mind & Body
| History
| Literature & Fiction
| Mystery & Thrillers
| Nonfiction
| Philosophy
| Poetry & Short Stories
| Reference
| Religion & Spirituality
| Romance
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| Alternative Reading Formats
Similar Items:
-
The View From Nashville
-
50 Years Down a Country Road
-
More Memories
ASIN: 0816155801 |
Customer Reviews:
a self serving autobiography from a self-serving man.......2005-04-27
One only has to read this hodge podge of vignettes from one of the most self-serving, conceited individuals in country music to realize that Skeeter Davis told the truth about him in her autobiography. This man is arrogant and prejudiced in every sense of the words. Hillbilly music put your name of the map Mr. Emery......and the same people you met on your way up are the same ones you will meet on your way down. Shame on you and your bigoted, one sided views!
memories are made of this and that.......2004-01-14
maybe i'm naive but i think Ralph Emery is first and foremost a broadcaster. he did interviews and played country songs for most of his radio career (dating from the mid '50s to the early '90s). His broadcasting skills border on the "tough" talking style of Mike Wallace. Emery clearly stated that he wanted to bring 'style' or 'respect' to the genre, commenting that in urban America country music is seen as "redneck" music for the un-educated. Emery's vision, from what i've read, was to showcase country singers as witty and topical/informed as the pop artists seemed to be. Emery, as he should be, prides himself on his Mike Wallace style. He talks about his short stints as gospel and rock stations before migrating to country stations. This doesn't indicate that Emery isn't a country music fan. it shows that Emery was a BROADCASTER first...one that would take the work anywhere it was available. his on-air presence obviously galvanized his listeners because he stuck with the country format throughout his career and on into television. This book is called Memories. It's an autobiography of Ralph Emery and the celebrities/artists he's been associated with. Everything in the book are 'memories' from Ralph. His child-hood upbringing and his insecurities are in the beginning chapters. His opinion of ex-wife Skeeter Davis is in no way less harsh than her opinions of him that i've heard her say on numerous occasions on the Opry. The little typ-o's from the book brought up by the other reviewer, saying Fan Fair is in July and not June or when Keith Whitley won or didn't win an award, seem petty when looking at the book's overall purpose. i will admit that Ralph can be a bit jaded, which some take as "arrogant". You must understand that in Ralph's profession he has to put up with a lot of BS from his bosses, advertisers, record labels, critics, etc. A person who has to deal with that, at the same time doing a job they love to do, it tends to dampen the 'mood' a little bit. As a result, a person becomes depressed or jaded because of all the crap they have to put up with simply for an interview to get set up. In Emery's case, he hated record labels that over-hyped their artists. On his shows, a listener got to hear a country singer "up close" with all that industry hype stripped from them. He wouldn't allow the artist he interviewed to hold the airwaves hostage with an on-slaught of promotion of their new album or single. Instead, Ralph would promote the product periodically throughout an interview but that was it. the remainder of the interview was Ralph talking to the guest about their private life or their experiences on the road or making an album...never taking it to level 2, always keeping the flow of the conversation 'loose' where it never turned into hyping. if some find this style of "no BS" professionalism arrogant, well, i feel sorry for you. i give it 4 stars because the segment on the great Ray Stevens could've been longer and more in-depth because Ralph is the only one who actually knows legitimate Ray Stevens stories.
Some Interesting Stories But Overall Disappointing.......2000-08-01
Back when The Nashville Network cable channel was new and still country, "Nashville Now" was its flagship program. Host Ralph Emery seemed like a friendly, easy going member of the extended family. In this collection of "Memories" (most of which are the memories of what other people did) he comes across as arrogant, self-serving, and somewhat bitter.
He makes insidious allegations against ex-wife Skeeter Davis, and while there are two sides to every story, her tale is not needed for this version to sound dubious on its own merits. Among the anecdotes he includes are juicy vignettes about many country singers. Some such as Merle Haggard's lamentation seems like they were obviously intended to have been kept off the record.
Perhaps the book's biggest drawback is that it lends credence to the long whispered rumor that Ralph Emery was never a true country fan. In it he refers to the late Keith Whitley as having won the CMA Horizon award the year before he died. In reality, he was nominated but lost. The supposed epitome of country radio also states that Nashville's annual thank you party Fan Fair is held every year in early July, but it is actually held in early June. These embarrassing misstatements suggest that the editors were also not well versed in country music info.
Average customer rating:
- I may be from Ohio, but I'm no hick!
- the wonderful vc andrews
- Around and around we go where it stops nobody knows!
- Anyone from Ohio should be insulted
- Read the book itýs wonderful better yet read the series
|
Honey
V. C. Andrews
Manufacturer: Thorndike Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Andrews, V. C.
| ( A )
| Authors, A-Z
| Horror
| Genre Fiction
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Horror
| Genre Fiction
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
United States
| World Literature
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
| 18th Century
| 19th Century
| 20th Century
| African American
| Asian American
| Classics
| Collections & Readers
| Drama
| General
| Hispanic
| History & Criticism
| Humor
| Jewish American
| Letters & Correspondence
| Native American
| Poetry
| Short Stories
| Women Writers
Suspense
| Thrillers
| Mystery & Thrillers
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Mystery & Thrillers
| Subjects
| Books
Literature & Fiction
| Large Print
| Formats
| Books
Similar Items:
-
Rose (Shooting Stars, Bk. 3)
-
Ice (Shooting Stars)
-
Cinnamon (Shooting Stars)
-
Falling Stars (Andrews, V. C. Shooting Stars.)
-
Into the Woods
ASIN: 0783897529 |
Book Description
In her music, she found sweet salvation....
Honey grew up on a farm under her strict, fanatically religious grandfather's disapproving eye. To him, everything is a sin -- from her natural-born talent for the violin to her innocent interest in boys and dating -- and life is a treacherous path to be walked in fear. When Honey is paired for music practice with a brilliant piano student, wealthy Chandler Maxwell, she discovers a true soul mate. But when a shocking family secret comes to light, Honey discovers the startling cause of her grandfather's bitter fury. And her own precious joy may be lost forever....
Download Description
Honey grew up on a farm under her strict, fanatically religious grandfather's disapproving eye. To him, everything is a sin -- from her natural-born talent for the violin to her innocent interest in boys and dating -- and life is a treacherous path to be walked in fear. When Honey is paired for music practice with a brilliant piano student, wealthy Chandler Maxwell, she discovers a true soul mate. But when a shocking family secret comes to light, Honey discovers the startling cause of her grandfather's bitter fury. And her own precious joy may be lost forever....
Customer Reviews:
I may be from Ohio, but I'm no hick!.......2004-06-02
I have to agree with the person who said this book contains horrible stereotypes of Ohioans. I live in Columbus, which is one of the 20 largest cities in the United States. Other large cities in Ohio include Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Dayton. There are very few farms here, and I've never seen one remotely similiar to the one described in this book. Ohio is actually best known for the Ohio State Buckeyes (the 2003 NCAA Football Champions), and its ever-increasing crime rate. You would think that after an extremely inaccurate portrayal of Londoners in "Lightning Strikes", the ghostwriter would be a little more careful with this type of stuff.
I've also noticed this trend in the other Shooting Stars books. Ice is from Philadelphia, so she's a poor ghetto black girl. Rose is from Georgia, so she's a somewhat inarticulate beauty queen. Cinnamon is from upstate New York, so let's make her some sheltered social outcast. Let's grow up a little, Mr. Ghostwriter, okay?
the wonderful vc andrews.......2003-06-30
Wonderful once again she writes about issues that are going on in the world and noone is brave enough to talk about.I buy her books every time they come out and not once have i been disappointed.
Around and around we go where it stops nobody knows!.......2003-02-22
Madness, skeletons in the family closet, and an innocent girl pulled undertow by her families secrets. Where have I read this before? Um, Let me see...Dawn, Ruby, Heaven, FITA, Melody. Two hundred or so pages is not long enough to really get to know the character and only allows enough pages for the bare bones of the plot to be laid down. And that plot had already been done in um, let me see...Dawn, Ruby, Heaven, FITA, Melody. Still, I made my way through Cinnamon, then Ice, and now Honey. By the time I got to Honey I was pretty much ready to give up. I thought it couldn't be more boring then Cinnamon. I was wrong! There's Honey living on a farm, playing her (fiddle? cellio? I can't remember!) and living with a (bible spouting Grandpa? Again can't remember!) All I remember clearly is the level of dissapointment I felt. And yeah there probably was some bible spouting relative thrown in the mix (think FITA, Melody, Dawn, and Darkest Hour)and you don't have to be a psychic to figure that out!
If you find Honey tastes more like garbage don't give up hope! V.C. Andrews does redeem IMO with Willow ( a full length novel Halleleuigh!!)And adult readers might want to check out The House in Thorton Wood by Anne Knoll. It's a gothic novel I just read about a young girl (first person like V.C. Andrews) who goes to live on a manor as a nanny and finds love and discovers the secrets of her past.
Anyone from Ohio should be insulted.......2002-08-05
This book rots. I am from Ohio and am very upset by his stero-type of Ohioans. Not all of us are farm living bible thumping backwood morons. Also there is no such amusment park in Ohio so get you map out peabrain. Beyond that Honey was just stupid. It's like she fell out the dumb tree and hit every branch and then the roots. I think most girls from Ohio would know enough not to go to New york then run off to any unkown aparment with the first man she meet. Typical for a man to write a book were the women are nothing but stupid mindless spineless slobs. Get a clue take some writing class and stop trashing V.C. Andrews good name.
Read the book itýs wonderful better yet read the series.......2002-05-16
I encourage you to read this book because it's filled with a lot of irony, suspense and controversy. This is one of the best books I've read out of the V.C. Andrews collections of series. Honey was a short novel but part of a 4 collection series. Honey was a young lady who lived on a farm and worked to help run the family farm. She was a young lady who was always accused of committing sins. Her boyfriend Chandler Maxwell was part the reason she got blamed for those sins and punishments, but he had no idea what was going on. The Best part of the story that I liked is after the grandfather dies and the family gets whatever they want and they all live happily ever after. They even move Uncle Simon back into the house and build him his own green house. The worst part of the story is when Honey gats blamed for her uncle's death.
Book Description
BiographyLarge Print EditionCountry music legend Johnny Cash is an icon of rugged individualism whos been to hell and lived to tell his tale. Now in this unforgettable autobiography, he recounts the highs and lows of his remarkable life. Its all here: his childhood on an Arkansas cotton farm, the Grand Ole Opry, and the years of addiction. Here, in his own words, Johnny Cash sets the record straight as he looks unflinchingly at his own turbulent past. Cash is a revealing look at the man behind the legend.
Customer Reviews:
Cash, The Autobiography.......2007-08-24
I really liked the book and I am glad I bought it but it wasn't as in depth as I was hoping it would be. Some of the names he drops would have been easier to follow if he had used last names and the book assumes you have kept up with his history and his career but what it does do is makes me want to purchase "Man in Black" just that much more.
Cash does what he does best.......2007-08-21
In this book Cash does what he does best and that's tell stories. Anybody who's even remotely familiar with his career and music knows he is a master storyteller. Cash the Autobiography is the perfect forum for the man to bear his soul and talk about his life. Never one to hold back he gives us highs lows and everything in between. This legend lived harder and faster than most rock stars could ever dream of. Get this and listen to the man in black tell you his story.
"Why Do I Always Wear Black?".......2007-07-27
This book is something like a guilty pleasure for me. Don't get me wrong-- Johnny Cash is no guilty pleasure, but that's his music. I have no guilt at all about how much I have appreciated his music over the years. One of my biggest musical regrets is that I never had the chance to see either him or June live before the end.
But writing isn't singing. I enjoyed the book, because I'm a real fan. I also enjoys it because Cash clearly likes to write. If you've got any of the Rubin recordings, then you've seen the liner notes. I have to say that I enjoy him a little bit better when not filtered through a ghost writer. But I also have to admit that Mr. Carr probably keeps it as readable and as structured as it ends up being-- I get the impression that neither of those skills were really high on his literary list.
Many readers are turned off by the very Christian nature of this book. It didn't bother me. It is a big part of Cash-- you can't take him without taking his devout Christianity. I never get the sense that he is judgemental or unfair or part of any kind of Christian right. He credits religion, together with June, as being the things that kept him from dying like Faron Young. I tend to think that one needs to give him credit for that-- and also credit for speaking out about his faith.
What I mostly got out of it was little anecdotes that filled in the history that I already knew. It also sent me scrambling for some artists who I knew existed, but didn't know exactly what they sounded like. I've been listening to my Faron Young all morning (shamefully, all I have is the Greatest Hits) and wondering why I don't listen to it more often.
I can't really imagine that this book would appeal to someone who isn't a fan. But if you are, you may well enjoy it. I did. Great vacation reading.
He walked the line.......2007-07-22
Johnny Cash is one of my heroes. I could never aspire to the kind of artistic achievement that he left us with and I don't particularly want to become a musician. But he was a real man of faith and an insightful observer and participant of the human condition. His songs reach deep into my soul and his words in this book inspired me no end. He has so many great stories to tell that it's hard to believe he's just lived one lifetime. There is much to admire in his character and also much to deplore. Which means that he was a genuine human being with faults but also a greatness that transcends generations.
The book's style is breezily conversational, which gives you the sense (as at least one other reviewer has noticed) that you are with him, relaxing over a cup of coffee, sharing in his most intimate experience. To be sure, the pacing and structure are quite uneven. This is not a conventional biography, starting from birth up till the present. The material to some extent is organized around his various domiciles (like Bon Aqua, Cinnamon Hill, his bus which he affectionately calls Unit One) but even so there's no clear structure. He just tells the stories as he remembers them. While affecting, this style occasionally makes for a disjointed reading experience. But the stories he has to tell are well-worth hearing, whether it is of the people he's worked with professionally (a veritable who's who of music legends, such as Carl Perkins, Waylon Jennings, Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis Pressley, etc.), those dearest to his heart, how he came to write some of his songs or what have you.
Reading this book makes you realize that the movie "Walk the Line", great as it was, exaggerates or distorts certain events in his life. While sometimes this is necessary to fit the format of a movie, there are instances in which events omitted would have had a greater dramatic effect. He recounts the story of his first music teacher, who upon hearing his performance of several songs immediately refused to teach him, so that she wouldn't change the amazing voice that he had.
All in all, this is a thoroughly enjoyable read. As a Christian I was inspired by his profound but simple faith which thoroughly infused every aspect of his life. I have no doubt that he was inspired by God to reach the lonely and the downtrodden and to be a witness for Him.
Honest writing........2007-05-26
After seeing the movie, I was compelled to pick this up . I wasn't disappointed . I enjoyed his writing style and his raw honesty about his addictions. If you liked walk the line , or his music, pick this up.
Book Description
Soupspoon Wise is dying on the unforgiving streets of New York City, years and worlds away from the Mississippi delta, where he once jammed with blues legend Robert "RL" Johnson. It was an experience that burned indelibly into Soupspoon's soul -- never mind that they said RL's gift came from the Devil himself. Now it's Soupspoon's turn to strike a deal with a stranger. An alcoholic angel of mercy, Kiki Waters isn't much better off than Soupspoon, but she too is a child of the South, and knows its pull. And she is determined to let Soupspoon ride out the final notes of his haunting blues dream, to pour out the remarkable tale of what he's seen, where he's been -- and where he's going.
Winner of the 1996 Black Caucus of the American Library Association Literary Award in Fiction
Customer Reviews:
Middle of the Road.......2005-04-29
This book is just okay. I would give it 2.5 stars if I could, to reflect the true averageness of this book. It starts out well, with colorful characters in desperate circumstances. The parts about Kiki's life, Soupspoon's battle with illness, and his early introduction to the blues lifestyle are interesting and well-told. The story peters out about halfway in, however, and one never really shares or believes in Soupspoon's obsession with his past with RL. The last half of the book seems hurriedly written, and contains some unexpectedly hackneyed story elements--the stuff with Chevette, in particular. (Didn't this same ridiculous male fantasy crop up in that other truly average novel "About Schmidt?")
Original, engaging, confronting.......2004-12-13
I don't know that I've read anything like this before - the guy has his own very readable style. It starts a bit like the movie `Paris, Texas', where you suddenly are in the middle of seemingly unbelievable people in extreme circumstances, and then over time you realise how credible they are.
I don't know how `real' these characters are - everything is always life or death, intense pain and/or emotional climax: is it that Mosley's skipping the bits where `nothing much happened that afternoon', or is he suggesting that this sort of overwhelming life is actually happening constantly? At times it feels like a `Pulp Fiction' style sensory overload fantasy, at others a `serious' character novel.
The issues they're facing are not mine, but the stories and characters are engaging (and confronting), and well told. There's some background thriller/suspense - well done too - but this is a million miles from a formula paperback.
Redemption.......2003-07-20
RL's Dream is a haunting story that will change the way you see your life. Through this book, you will see ways that facing up to your pain can bring redemption.
The book opens as elderly black Jazz musician, Atwater "Soupspoon" Wise, painfully returns to his apartment in lower Manhattan. His respite is brief when the landlord's men evict him for many months of not paying his rent and call Social Services to pick him up to be returned to a homeless shelter. It's cold as Soupspoon lies amidst his few belongings on the sidewalk, and it's getting dark. He's so sick he can barely speak, and has a horrible pain in his hip. He feels death standing over him.
While he's been going through this, one of his neighbors, Ms. Kiki Waters, a young white woman is also painfully coming home after being released from a hospital after being stabbed by a young boy. She is appalled to find Soupspoon on the street, for he is the man whose happiness had just cheered her a few days before the attack on her. Knowing her duty as a human being, she orders the men to move Soupspoon into her apartment along with some of his belongings.
Kiki nurses Soupspoon back to health, but uses methods that leave her life at risk.
In the course of their evolving relationship, each one learns how to turn pain into beauty and goodness. Soupspoon does it by playing and singing the blues. Kiki does it by facing up to and overcoming her fears.
The story is beautifully developed around the memories that Soupspoon and Kiki carry around of their younger days in the South. Soupspoon is frustrated that he cannot reach the heights as a musician that his friend RL Johnson could. Kiki carries intense fear from the abuse she suffered at her father's hands. Both are prisoners of those memories until they take steps to move beyond them. Those steps are their redemption.
To me the most powerful part of the book is the opening. Imagine yourself riding home on the subway full of stitches from a knife attack. Emerging, you see a poor, old man lying on the street who is your neighbor. Would you stop to help? What would you do to help? Chances are that you would not do as much as Kiki does. Yet we are supposed to love our neighbor as ourselves. Kiki hasn't known much love, yet she gives all she has to Soupspoon. It's a beautiful story, and shows how beautiful life can be.
If you also love the Blues, this book will reward you with wonderful sketches of what is was like to create that rich music that grew out of pain in the South during the early 20th century.
Wonderfully touching.......2001-12-22
There are some writers whose talent is so special that you want to save their books and make the reading of them an occasion. Walter Mosley is one of those writers. He invests his characters with such depth, such full histories that you cannot help but care about them. RL's Dream is populated by a cast of such characters; even the most minor ones (including a baby) are fully fleshed and very real. Soupspoon and Kiki are two almost-lost souls who bring each other back to life in unexpected ways. It is a credit to Mosley's rare and splendid talent that the book itself resonates with music; its cadence is almost audible in the spare prose, the all-too-human behavior of people who, often, do things without even really knowing why. To comprehend the blues, to put words, literally, to a musical theme and to do so in a kind-hearted and deeply understanding fashion is to deliver magic in the form of a book. This is a "must read" novel.
first mosley experience, probably not the last.......2001-07-12
this is the first book i have purchased written my mr. mosley. his descriptions and character development are very good as is the plot. the only issue i have with his work were the romantic relationships and the sexuality described in them. i am hardly a prude and i know that this is fiction but i felt that the sexual liasons that took place were not beleivable and not relevant to the storyline. other than this one issue, this is a very good book and i would recommend it.
Book Description
I am convinced that at birth the cake is already baked. Nurture is the nuts or frosting, but if you’re a spice cake, you’re a spice cake, and nothing is going to change you into an angel food.
Tall, slender Violet Mathers is growing up in the Great Depression, which could just as well define her state of mind. Abandoned by her mother as a child, mistreated by her father, and teased by her schoolmates (“Hey, Olive Oyl, where’s Popeye?”), the lonely girl finds solace in artistic pursuits. Only when she’s hired by the town’s sole feminist to work the night shift in the local thread factory does Violet come into her name, and bloom. Accepted by her co-workers, the teenager enters the happiest phase of her life, until a terrible accident causes her to retreat once again into her lonely shell.
Realizing that she has only one clear choice, Violet boards a bus heading west to California. But when the bus crashes in North Dakota, it seems that Fate is having another cruel laugh at Violet’s expense. This time though, Violet laughs back. She and her fellow passengers are rescued by two men: Austin Sykes, whom Violet is certain is the blackest man to ever set foot on the North Dakota prairie, and Kjel Hedstrom, who inspires feelings Violet never before has felt. Kjel and Austin are musicians whose sound is like no other, and with pluck, verve, and wit, Violet becomes part of their quest to make a new kind of music together.
Oh My Stars is Lorna Landvik’s most ambitious novel yet, with a cast of characters whose travails and triumphs you’ll long remember. It is a tale of love and hope, bigotry and betrayal, loss and discovery–as Violet, who’s always considered herself a minor character in her own life story, emerges as a heroine you’ll laugh with, cry with, and, most important, cheer for all the way.
Download Description
Praise for Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons
“Highly entertaining . . . almost as hard to put down [as] Mary McCarthy’s The Group.”
–The Seattle Times
“A lively story as delectable as a five-pound box of chocolates . . . a thoroughly engaging chronicle of friendship and the substantive place it holds in women’s lives.”
–Anne LeClaire, author of Leaving Eden
“It is impossible not to get caught up in the lives of the book group members. . . . Landvik’s gift lies in bringing these familiar women to life with insight and humor.”
–The Denver Post
“A guilty pleasure . . . This light, snappy read may be [Landvik’s] best yet.”
–Midwest Living magazine
From the Hardcover edition.
Customer Reviews:
Don't miss this one.......2007-08-29
Hands down, Landvik's best work. I loved it, everyone I've loaned it to loved it, you will too!
Another Winner from Lorna!.......2007-02-13
I was hooked on Ms. Landvik after reading Patti Jane's House of Curl. This is another great read from her. The first chapter was a little hard to get into but I was quickly hooked! And very surprised with the turns the book took. I have to agree with the reviewer's remark about the historical information. I read things I had no idea about! The characters are real and unforgettable. I highly recommend this book.
Lorna never disappoints her readers.......2007-02-09
Once again Lorna Landvik presents a novel that is full of unique and endearing characters. How can we not fall in love with Kjel or want Violet to succeed? In a story that deals with both outer and inner beauty, readers are taken on a road trip that is not only memorable, but life-changing for each of the characters. Landvik's storytelling abilities are unsurpassed. I've enjoyed all of her novels and this one was one of her best. I can't wait until her next release.
Good but Forgettable........2007-01-30
Save this book for a rainy day. The main characters - Violet, Kjel, Austin, and Dallas - are all sympathetic, but slightly underwritten. It was a nice story, but nothing to sink your teeth into. I particularly felt that the author was thinking of what a nice Lifetime movie this would make as she got deeper into the book. How else to explain the immediate transference of love and loyalties following a tragedy befalling one of the characters? (When you read it, see what I mean, and try and tell me that I'm wrong.) The author seemed to run out of plot 3/4 of the way into the book, and cobbled together a hasty ending that not only didn't jibe with the rest of the story. It was a good read, but not satisfying, and completely forgettable 24 hours after reading it.
very enjoyable.......2007-01-22
Don't be put off by the corny title of this book (for me, it gives the impression of a sappy romance) - this book is great. I was pulled in right from the beginning and could not put this book down.
I loved Violet's character and enjoyed seeing her transformation. I loved the other characters as well - the band members, Elwin, the Clamshells, etc. My only (very slight) criticism is that the book got a tad slow for me at the very end but not enough that I wanted to stop reading it.
This is definitely one I will be recommending to my friends and to my reading group.
Book Description
In rich, atmospheric mysteries set against the backdrop of modern-day Mississippi, Carolyn Haines has given the southern belle a brilliantly hip makeover. Now Haines and her unforgettable heroine, Sarah Booth Delaney, are back with a tale about skeletons in closets--and elsewhere.
Crossed Bones
Sarah Booth Delaney is no ordinary P.I. A born-and-bred Mississippi belle, she struggles to hold on to her family’s plantation and keeps up a running conversation with the ghost of her great-great-grandmother’s nanny, a busybody who decks herself out in a stunning new outfit every day--and schemes to save Sarah Booth from spinsterhood. Not one to wait around for a white knight, Sarah takes on the kind of cases no one else will touch. Like trying to exonerate a man accused of murdering Sunflower County’s most popular musician.
The two men met in prison: Ivory Keys, a gifted black blues pianist, and Scott Hampton, a rich white boy turned racist. Somewhere between the two men, a spark was lit. And by the time he came out of the joint, Scott Hampton had not only renounced his racist ways, he had learned to play a blues guitar that made grown women go weak in the knees. So why did Scott plunge a steel shank into his mentor’s chest? Ivory’s widow doesn’t think he did, and she’s paid Sarah Booth to prove it. No easy task, especially since the delicate racial harmony of Sunflower County is threatening to come undone under the heat of Sarah Booth’s investigation.
For a woman feeling a little heat of her own--navigating between a rich, available businessman, a married lawman with a waffling heart, and the sexy bluesman who is angling to become much more than her client--this case is taking dangerous twists. A town’s slumbering passions have awakened with a jolt, a matchmaking ghost is dressed up like Jackie O, and Sarah Booth is caught between her need to know the truth and the consequences it will have on her town--and on her life.
With riveting suspense and a sparkling cast of unforgettable characters, Carolyn Haines has woven a rich portrait of a part of America grappling with its past, its illusions, and its hopes.
Crossed Bones is the most dazzling work yet from a uniquely gifted writer.
Download Description
In rich, atmospheric mysteries set against the backdrop of modern-day Mississippi, Carolyn Haines has given the southern belle a brilliantly hip makeover. Now Haines and her unforgettable heroine, Sarah Booth Delaney, are back with a tale about skeletons in closets -- and elsewhere.
Sarah Booth Delaney is no ordinary P.I. A born-and-bred Mississippi belle, she struggles to hold on to her family's plantation and keeps up a running conversation with the ghost of her great-great-grandmother's nanny, a busybody who decks herself out in a stunning new outfit every day -- and schemes to save Sarah Booth from spinsterhood. Not one to wait around for a white knight, Sarah takes on the kind of cases no one else will touch. Like trying to exonerate a man accused of murdering Sunflower County's most popular musician.
The two men met in prison: Ivory Keys, a gifted black blues pianist, and Scott Hampton, a rich white boy turned racist. Somewhere between the two men, a spark was lit. And by the time he came out of the joint, Scott Hampton had not only renounced his racist ways, he had learned to play a blues guitar that made grown women go weak in the knees. So why did Scott plunge a steel shank into his mentor's chest? Ivory's widow doesn't think he did, and she's paid Sarah Booth to prove it. No easy task, especially since the delicate racial harmony of Sunflower County is threatening to come undone under the heat of Sarah Booth's investigation.
For a woman feeling a little heat of her own -- navigating between a rich, available businessman, a married lawman with a waffling heart, and the sexy bluesman who is angling to become much more than her client -- this case is taking dangerous twists. A town's slumbering passions have awakened with a jolt, a matchmaking ghost is dressed up like Jackie O, and Sarah Booth is caught between her need to know the truth and the consequences it will have on her town -- and on her life.
With riveting suspense and a sparkling cast of unforgettable characters, Carolyn Haines has woven a rich portrait of a part of America grappling with its past, its illusions, and its hopes. Crossed Bones is the most dazzling work yet from a uniquely gifted writer.
Customer Reviews:
Enough already.......2007-09-27
I have been a faithful reader Ms. Haines, but this time, she did not come through. The main character of the books, Sarah Booth Delaney, has turned out to be too much of a slut. In love with a married man!!! Where is the true Southern Belle, don't kiss and tell?? By the time Sarah drops her panties, and she drops them all the time, the whole town knows about it. Does Sarah have everyone in town on speed-dial? A southern lady - Sarah is not! I don't believe I can struggle through another book.
Series going downhill instead of up - pretty mediocre.......2007-09-02
Ugh, who cares about Sarah Booth at this point. Where is the mystery? These books can be figured out in nanoseconds. The author seems intent on creating her main character as a femme fatale. I don't buy it (though to my regret, I did buy this book.) Who else thinks it very unsexy that the main character is becoming hooked up with a married man?
Beyond that, the book was tiresome. How many times do we have to be told that the guitar man is sexy in order for us to believe it. Apparently, many more times that the author forced down our throat.
Mystery? As soon as the bikers showed up, I figured them for the murderers.
Weak, weak, plot. Characters are becoming card board and predictable. I'm sick of the author's gimmick of having her character be haunted by a black, ex-slave. Wouldn't the ghost have family members of her own? She is obsessed with her former owner's bloodline and has to ensure that it continues. Why? Who cares?
Tinkie continues to be the one bright spot in this lackluster series.
Fun, fast read.......2006-11-11
Just wonderfully enjoyable reading. This series is quirky (a ghost with a past we have yet to be told), a decaying but well loved southern mansion as background, and an otherwise regular woman, with hopes and dreams, foibles and strengths. Characters become less two dimentional as the series unfolds, but the situations continue to surprise. I like the weaving of the background stories, the southern culture (up to a point, the "daddy's girl" references and some of the female stereotypes are tedious and stop the flow of the story, but all in all a series to read, enjoy, if not to ponder deeply.
Best of the Series.......2004-10-20
I really enjoyed this entry in the Mississippi Delta series. It deals with a more serious subject than previous entries - that of a racism that is, unfortunately, still prevalant in some communities.
In this episode, P.I. Sarah Booth Delaney is asked by the widow of a murdered black blues musician to find out who really killed him as she doesn't think the man accused, a white formerly racist bluesman, is guilty.
Sarah Booth must deal with, among the normal problems an investigation brings, a town that is divided along racial lines due to the killing, a son of the murdered man who hates all white people, two biker friends of the accused (also racist), and, of course, Jitty, her house ghost. I must admit that I agree with one of the other reviewers that Jitty can be tiresome as she contradicts herself repeatedly and, for some reason, the author insists on describing her various outfits down to the smallest detail.
Also in the plot is some romance - Sarah Booth is in love with the married sheriff, she is falling in love with the accused, and she has a few dates with a rich northerner who is in town to buy the club that the murdered man owned.
I think that this book is the best of the series thus far - it seems to reach a new level of competence in its style of writing and tackles a very serious subject with sensitivity. For me, it was almost a 5-star book, and would have been even closer to 5 stars if Jitty had been dropped completely or been a smaller part of the book.
Will definitely be reading the next in the series, "Hallowed Bones."
Too much romance, too little mystery.......2004-04-26
And no wonder. Sarah Booth, our Mississippi broke-but-upper-class private investigator, has three romantic interests in this book: the sheriff, who is married; a wealthy businessman who is pursuing her; and a bad-boy blues musician who is charged with a vicious killing -- he's her client.
So -- although there was mystery at the beginning and mystery at the end, most of the middle seemed to be romance. If you like a lot of romance, you'll probably really like this book, but if you're more of a fan of mysteries, you may find all of Sarah Booth's dates and endless soul-searching about who is the man for her, etc. rather tedious after a while.
The plot involves racial tensions in the Mississippi delta town of Zinnia. A black man who owns a blues club has been viciously killed, and the white man who is the star musician in the club (they met in the penitentiary) is accused of killing him. The black man's wife hires Sarah Booth to prove that Scott the star musician didn't commit this murder. Scott has an unsavory past as a racist (not to mention the stretch behind bars) and he's belligerant and rude, but Sarah Booth comes to believe that he is indeed innocent and sets out to find the proof. The motive for this murder is the key to solving the crime, if she can only find out why he was killed.
Racial tensions are rising in Zinnia, and a lot of people are not happy that Sarah Booth has taken this case, so she is in some jeopardy herself. The dead man's son Emmanuel is convinced Scott killed his father and wants to see him convicted, but Emmanuel is a racist in his own right.
I really enjoyed Them Bones, so I picked up this book expecting to be equally delighted. I wasn't. As I said earlier, too much time spent on romances and too little on the mystery. This book could have been shortened by at least 50 pages and would have been improved. I think that the author needs to let the editor edit. I will try another of this author's mysteries to see if this book was the exception, or Them Bones was.
Books:
- Owning Your Own Shadow: Understanding the Dark Side of the Psyche
- PC Annoyances, Second Edition
- People Who Play God: How Ultra-Authorities Enslave the Hearts, Minds and Souls of Their Victims
- Pimps Up, Ho's Down: Hip Hop's Hold on Young Black Women
- PLAYING WITH THE ENEMY: A Baseball Prodigy, a World at War, and a Field of Broken Dreams
- Pouring Light: Layering Transparent Watercolor
- Pride and Prejudice: Music from the Motion Picture Soundtrack
- Real Time UML: Advances in the UML for Real-Time Systems (3rd Edition) (The Addison-Wesley Object Technology Series)
- Rick Steves' Europe Through the Back Door 2007: The Travel Skills Handbook (Rick Steves)
- Road Trip USA: Cross-Country Adventures on America's Two-Lane Highways (Road Trip USA Cross-Country Adventures on America's Two-Lane Highways)
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- The Official Guide for GMAT Review, 11th Edition
- National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees: Eastern Region
- El Banquero De Los Pobres/ Banker of the Poor: Los Microcreditos y la Batalla COntra la Pobreza en
- Introductory Botany, Part II: The Anatomy and Physiology of Seed Plants
- It's Not Okay Anymore: Your Personal Guide to Ending Abuse, Taking Charge, and Loving Yourself
- Tales of the City
- Multisensory Control of Movement
- Spanish Complete: The Complete Language Course : 3 Level Set
- Financial Accounting Fundamentals: CIMA Inter@ctive CD-ROM
- Towards High-Performing Health Systems
A Thousand Splendid Suns
Divisadero
Falling Man: A Novel
The Yiddish Policemen's Union: A Novel
The Maytrees: A Novel
