All the Pretty Horses

Amazon.com

Part bildungsroman, part horse opera, part meditation on courage and loyalty, this beautifully crafted novel won the National Book Award in 1992. The plot is simple enough. John Grady Cole, a 16-year-old dispossessed Texan, crosses the Rio Grande into Mexico in 1949, accompanied by his pal Lacey Rawlins. The two precocious horsemen pick up a sidekick--a laughable but deadly marksman named Jimmy Blevins--encounter various adventures on their way south and finally arrive at a paradisiacal hacienda where Cole falls into an ill-fated romance. Readers familiar with McCarthy's Faulknerian prose will find the writing more restrained than in Suttree and Blood Meridian. Newcomers will be mesmerized by the tragic tale of John Grady Cole's coming of age.

Book Description

Now a major motion picture from Columbia Pictures starring Matt Damon, produced by Mike Nichols, and directed by Billy Bob Thornton.

The national bestseller and the first volume in Cormac McCarthy's Border Trilogy, All the Pretty Horses is the tale of John Grady Cole, who at sixteen finds himself at the end of a long line of Texas ranchers, cut off from the only life he has ever imagined for himself. With two companions, he sets off for Mexico on a sometimes idyllic, sometimes comic journey to a place where dreams are paid for in blood. Winner of the National Book Award for Fiction.

Customer Reviews:

A Super Modern Western Adventure!.......2007-09-22

Note: I made some Mormon reader angry over my reviews of books written by Mormons out to prove the Book of Mormon, and that person has been slamming my reviews. This review of "All the Pretty Horses" is pretty good. I didn't want to ruin the story by telling too much. Your "helpful" votes are appreciated.

This memorable novel caught me and wouldn't let go. Around 1948, two teenage boys from Texas ride their horses down into Mexico. From there, the adventure begins. For a while, they live at a cattle ranch where the one boy falls in love with the wealthy rancher's daughter.

Highly recommended.

McCarthy is a powerful writer, and his novel "Blood Meridian" is the most powerful novel I ever read (see my review where I compare his prose to that of Conrad).

Blood Meridian:

"That night they rode through a region electric and wild where strange shapes of soft blue fire ran over the metal of the hoses' trappings and the wagonwheels rolled in hoops of fire and little shapes of pale blue light came to perch in the ears of the horses and in the beards of the men. All night sheetlightning quaked and sourceless to the west beyond the midnight thunderheads, making a bluish day of the distant desert, the mountains on the sudden skyline stark and black and lived like a land of some other order out there whose true geology was not stone but fear. The thunder moved up from the southwest and lightning lit the desert all about them, blue and barren, great clanging reaches ordered out of the absolute night like some demon kingdom summoned up or changeling land that come the day would leave them neither trace nor smoke nor ruin more than any troubling dream."

Compare above lines to similar lines in "The Heart of Darkness" by Joseph Conrad:

"We could have fancied ourselves the first of men taking possession of an accursed inheritance, to be subdued at the cost of profound anguish and of excessive toil. But suddenly, as we struggled round a bend, there would be a glimpse of rush walls, of peaked grass-roofs, a burst of yells, a whirl of black limbs, a mass of hands clapping, of feet stamping, of bodies swaying, , of eyes rolling, under the droop of heavy and motionless foliage. The steamer toiled along slowly on the edge of a black and incomprehensible frenzy. The prehistoric man was cursing us, praying to us, welcoming us--who could tell" we were cut off from the comprehension of our surroundings; we glided past like phantoms, wondering and secretly appalled, as sane men would be before an enthusiastic outbreak in a madhouse. We could not understand because we were too far and could not remember because we were travelling in the night of first ages, of those ages that are gone, leaving hardly a sign--and no memories."
Blood Meridian: Or the Evening Redness in the West

Cowboys!~.......2007-09-18

This book is short but really interesting. Anybody can read it quickly. The only confusing part is that the book has many quotes but it doesn't say who is saying it. This is why sometimes you have to think twice about who said this and that. The lovestory is not like any typical teenage lovestory- in one word it is DIFFERENT.

Part "High Plains Drifter" and Part "Romeo and Juliet.".......2007-09-10

Cormac McCarthy was born in Rhode island and grew up in Tennessee, but now lives in Tesuque, New Mexico. He is viewed by many as one of the more unusual and most talented of the current American writers. For example, Harold Bloom has written a number of things about McCarthy.

Some describe Mccarthy as a loner. Coincidentally, that is what one might call the protagonist in the present novel: John Grady. The novel is set in the 1950s time period and Grady is a young man or mature boy caught between the horse and buggy days of the old west and the new west connected by modern highways. Grady has a fascination for horses and is a talented rider.

The story is about two men who ride their horses into Mexico and work as ranch hands in Mexico. It is part love story and part a tale of justice and adventure, i.e.: Grady meets a woman in Mexico. The protagonist is a sympathetic character and most readers will find it to be a compelling read.

Some might not like it for the prose. The prose is complicated by design. I thought the first thirty pages were sometimes a bit awful but effective as well, but then McCarthy lightens up a bit on his writing. He reminded me a bit of the opening of Farewell to Arms where Hemingway tries to set the mood through the use of prose: Hemingway uses a narrative of the natural surroundings. McCarthy uses expressions such as "the sun sat blood red and elliptic," and these seem out of place when compared to the spartan dialogue of a father and son talking over a breakfast of eggs and coffee.

Also, McCarthy uses what is called polysyndeton, or the use of several conjunctions in close succession, especially where some might be omitted. It is a stylistic scheme used to slow down the tempo. As pointed out by others, polysyndeton is used extensively in the King James Version of the Bible. For example:

"And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark." Genesis 7:22-24

One of the best parts in the book - and exceptional writing by the way - is where he describes a dream in the middle of the book about horses running free on a plain and he does so in 18 continuous lines with no punctuation.

So, this is based on some universal themes, set in Texas and Mexico, and has some interesting and complicated prose. Once you get passed page 30 to 50, it is a novel that is hard to put down. I read most of the novel in an evening.

Highly recommended page turner: 5 stars.

A wonderful reading experience.......2007-09-09

This was one of the best reading experiences Ive ever had. What was most important to me was how true to the how people of this lifestyle actually are. I grew up in this type of atmosphere and its a big part of who I am even though it no longer defines me on a daily basis. Working with horses is a lifestyle. It what you live and breathe. McCarthy captures that. It had such an effect on me and took me back to a life I miss so much. Enjoy this book.

All the Pretty Horses.......2007-08-06

I was disappointed in the style of this book. I had just read "Water for Elephants" and was blown away. The reviews I read lead me to this author and the above book. The story line is good however he is slow to develop it. I appreciate discriptive text however a paragraph (or more) it seems to descibbe a dry river bed is a bit much especially when there is one on every page. Alas the last 1/3 of the book will go unread. And I will search for the next W.F.E.

Average customer rating:

Ella Enchanted ROCKS!!!!!
A New Spin on Cinderella - Bookwyrm Chrysalis Review
A Sweet Cinderella Story
Still my favorite....
Better than the Movie

Ella Enchanted (Newbery Honor Book)
Gail Carson Levine
Manufacturer: HarperCollins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0060275103

Amazon.com

At birth, Ella is inadvertently cursed by an imprudent fairy named Lucinda, who bestows on her the "gift" of obedience. Anything anyone tells her to do, Ella must obey. Another girl might have been cowed by this affliction, but not feisty Ella: "Instead of making me docile, Lucinda's curse made a rebel of me. Or perhaps I was that way naturally." When her beloved mother dies, leaving her in the care of a mostly absent and avaricious father, and later, a loathsome stepmother and two treacherous stepsisters, Ella's life and well-being seem in grave peril. But her intelligence and saucy nature keep her in good stead as she sets out on a quest for freedom and self-discovery, trying to track down Lucinda to undo the curse, fending off ogres, befriending elves, and falling in love with a prince along the way. Yes, there is a pumpkin coach, a glass slipper, and a happily ever after, but this is the most remarkable, delightful, and profound version of Cinderella you've ever read.

Gail Carson Levine's examination of traditional female roles in fairy tales takes some satisfying twists and deviations from the original. Ella is bound by obedience against her will, and takes matters in her own hands with ambition and verve. Her relationship with the prince is balanced and based on humor and mutual respect; in fact, it is she who ultimately rescues him. Ella Enchanted has won many well-deserved awards, including a Newbery Honor. (Ages 9 to 14) --Emilie Coulter

Amazon.com Audiobook Review

Every child longs for the day when he or she will be free from meddling parents and bossy grownups. For young Ella, the heroine of Gail Carson Levine's Newbury Honor-winning debut novel, this is more than a fanciful wish; it could be a matter of life or death. Placed under the spell of a blundering fairy, she has no choice but to go through life obeying each and every order--no matter what the consequences may be. "If you commanded me to cut off my own head, I'd have to do it."

Eden Riegel (As the World Turns, Les Miserables) uses her youthful, energetic voice to lead the listener into a familiar world of fairy godmothers, wicked stepsisters, and handsome princes. But this imaginative retelling of the Cinderella story comes with a welcome twist. Instead of a demure heroine patiently awaiting a prince who will carry her off, this Ella is a feisty ball of fire with the courage and ambition to take matters into her own hands.

Riegel narrates in a youthful, energetic tone that is perfectly suited to Ella's character. Her voice adds charm and immediacy to a wonderful story already rich with excitement, adventure, romance, and mystery. (Running time: 5.5 hours, 4 cassettes) --George Laney

Book Description

How can a fairy's
blessing be such a curse?

At her birth, Ella of Frell was the unfortunate recipient of a foolish fairy's gift -- the "gift' of obedience. Ella must obey any order given to her, whether it's hopping on one foot for a day and a half, or chopping off her own head! But strong-willed Ella does not tamely accept her fate. Against a bold backdrop of princes, ogres, giants, wicked stepsisters, and fairy godmothers, Ella goes on a quest to break the curse -- once and for all.

In this incredible debut novel comes the richly entertaining story of Ella of Frell, who at birth was given the gift of obedience by a fairy. Ella soon realizes that this gift is little better than a curse, for how can she truly be herself if at anytime anyone can order her to hop on one foot, or cut off her hand, or betray her kingdom'and she'll have to obey? Against a bold tapestry of princes, ogres, giants, wicked stepsisters, and fairy godmothers, Ella's quest to break the curse once and for all and discover who she really is is as sharply funny as Catherine, Called Birdy and as richly poignant as Beauty, and has all the marks of a classic in the making.

Customer Reviews:

Ella Enchanted ROCKS!!!!!.......2007-09-06

I really like this new twist of Cindrella! I don't like the fact that Dame Olga, Hattie, & Olive force Ella to be their slave! My friends & I read it all the time! Really good choice for girls & boys of all ages(that can read chapter books)!

A New Spin on Cinderella - Bookwyrm Chrysalis Review.......2007-08-12

Ella of Frell received a fairy gift as a baby, the gift of obedience.

Anything she is ordered to do, she must do, as result of the gift. If she is ordered to jump into an ogre's pot, she will. If she is ordered to kill the prince that she loves, then she must.

Ella Enchanted is the story of Ella's journey to find a way to break her curse, to find the fairy who gave her the "gift," and most of all, to find herself. Filled with ogres, elves, a stepmother and stepsisters who just might be of the evil variety, or at least the self-indulging kind, and a prince who might just be charming, this book puts a new spin on the old Cinderella tale.

This is a classic book in the retelling of fairytales genre, humorous and containing a strong heroine. Ella is kind-hearted and independent, fighting against her curse in every way she can think of. Ella will delight readers of all ages and surprise them as they discover everything that leads up to the famous ball and glass slippers.

Now in its third edition, Ella Enchanted has just been re-released again as a hardcover. The new cover (above) features a real girl and shining gold trim, which matches the other re-releases of Levine's books. All the books have been re-done in honor of her newest book, Fairest. Personally, I like my beat-up copy that comes from the movie release, with Anne Hathaway on the cover. She makes an excellent Ella, and her picture tends to attract an older reader. Even though Ella is fifteen for the majority of the book, the two non-movie covers feature girls who look about twelve. Personally I find this misleading, and I originally avoided the book because it seemed to young for me.

A Sweet Cinderella Story.......2007-07-26

I read this book for a class I took on fairy tales and really really loved it. This is a fantastic read for children and young teens and a great way to give young people a different, more empowering fairy tale heroine story.

The book follows the daughter of a travelling salesman, Ella, who is under a curse from an unpredictable, showy, fairy that 'blesses' people with her poorly thought out birth or marriage greetings. Ella is blessed with the task of obedience, meaning whenever someone gives her a direct command, she must respond to it - although she can find loopholes to get out of doing what people ask her to.

The plot of the story mirrors Cinderella, but also gives explanations for all those things you were ever wondering about the original Cinderella story. After her mother's death, Ella's father realizes he is quite poor and needs to either marry Ella off, or get married himself before other people figure it out as well. He charms a widowed woman with two daughters and they make plans to get married - meanwhile, Ella is sent off to charm school with her stepsisters, one of which figures out Ella's condition. Ella realizes she needs to find a way to not only break the spell, but find a way to save her father from his marriage by entering into a relationship with someone she already has romantic feelings for - the local prince, Char.

Plenty of excitement and drama unfolds as Ella escapes charm school and is united with all sorts of magical beings, Char himself, and the workings of her family. Again, a great telling that adds a bit of logical (if you can suspend your disbelief in the magical setting) sense to this classic fairy tale!

Still my favorite...........2007-07-19

I read this book about three or four years ago, and it still hasn't gotten old to me.

It is also MUCH better than the movie, which completely sucked. If they made the movie exactly like the book, it would have been a hit.

Anyways, I say that anyone should read this! It is and will always be for sure my most favorite book.

I also reccomend books by Meg Cabot, she rocks!

Better than the Movie.......2007-06-28

Up until recently, I had only seen the movie staring Anne Hathaway. I was pleasantly surprised to read a story that was so far from the movie. I am a fan of J. R. R. Tolkien and enjoyed the fact that Gail Carson Levine created her own language for her characters in this novel. I also enjoyed all of the extras that came in the book. Most helpful was the dictionaries of Abdegi, Gnomic, Ogrese, Elfian, and Ayorthaian.

I never get tired of hearing old fairy tales brought to life in new ways with clever retellings. This is a new and exciting way to read the story of Cinderella.

Driving Buddies (Step into Reading) (Cars movie tie in)

Average customer rating:

these book are great
driving buddies
Great for younger fans of the movie
Recite a Memorable Story at night
Fun character book fro a great movie.

Driving Buddies (Step into Reading) (Cars movie tie in)
RH Disney
Manufacturer: RH/Disney
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0736423397
Release Date: 2006-04-25

Book Description

Buckle up and get set for an awesome ride with Disney/Pixar’s newest film Cars! When a hot-shot rookie race car named Lightning McQueen gets lost on his way to the big race, he finds some friends in a small town—and learns some big lessons!

Customer Reviews:

these book are great.......2007-01-11

the step into reading books are excellent for young ones....the cars book is cute..good for new readers!!

driving buddies.......2006-11-07

both my children and found this book to be a delight and very
fun to read. also the pictures were very colorful.
thanks,

debbie pollitt

Great for younger fans of the movie.......2006-11-07

My four year old really enjoys this book. I wouldn't recommend it older kids though.

Recite a Memorable Story at night.......2006-07-29

My son who is 2 3/4 yo loves this story so much that we recite it at night. I tell parts of it, and he chimes in with what he remembers. The first few times we did it, he remembered parts I didn't remember! Very easy read. I wish there were more books like this! I do caution that it gives away the story.

Fun character book fro a great movie........2006-07-25

The step into reading chapter books are just great books in general.
This Cars one is fun, and sweet and perfect for bedtime reading!

Average customer rating:

A Typical Mother & Daughter Book ...
Yup, a mother and a daughter.
Lives of Desperate Fantasy (4.3 *s)
An interesting examination of a mother/daughter relationship
Male point of view: wonderful writing; predictable pitfalls.

Amy and Isabelle: A novel
Elizabeth Strout
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0375705198
Release Date: 2000-02-01

Amazon.com

"It was terribly hot the summer Mr. Robertson left town." For Amy Goodrow and her mother, Isabelle, the heat of that summer is the least of their problems. Other citizens in the New England mill town of Shirley Falls are bothered by the heat and by "other things too: Further up the river crops weren't right--pole beans were small, shriveled on the vine, carrots stopped growing when they were no bigger than the fingers of a child; and two UFOs had apparently been sighted in the north of the state." But Amy and Isabelle have a more private misery: a seemingly unbridgeable chasm has opened between this once-close mother and daughter and nothing will ever be the same again. For Amy has fallen in love with her high-school math teacher, Mr. Robertson, who has gone way beyond the bounds of propriety by encouraging the crush. When Isabelle finds out, she is horrified to realize that her anger at him is dwarfed by her rage at her own daughter for "enjoying the sexual pleasures of a man while she herself had not."

Mother-daughter novels can, by virtue of their subject matter, often seem claustrophobic, a little overwrought; Elizabeth Strout masterfully avoids this problem by placing Amy and Isabelle in the larger context of the community they inhabit. Though her main focus is on the Goodrow women, Strout often detours into the lives and thoughts of her many secondary characters: Isabelle's coworkers Dottie Brown and Fat Bev; Amy's best friend, Stacy Burrows; Stacy's ex-boyfriend, Paul Bellows; and women from Isabelle's church such as Peg Dunlap and Barbara Rawley. She also introduces a chilling frisson of menace with the unsolved abduction of a 12-year-old girl and a mysterious obscene phone-caller. Like the best of Alice Hoffman, Amy and Isabelle offers up a moving yet resolutely unsentimental portrait of people coming to terms with their lives, finding unsuspected nobility in themselves and unexpected kindness in others along the way. Elizabeth Strout has written a gem of a novel. --Alix Wilber

Book Description

National Bestseller

In her stunning first novel, Amy and Isabelle, Elizabeth Strout evokes a teenager's alienation from her distant mother—and a parent's rage at the discovery of her daughter's sexual secrets. In most ways, Isabelle and Amy are like any mother and her 16-year-old daughter, a fierce mix of love and loathing exchanged in their every glance. And eating, sleeping, and working side by side in the gossip-ridden mill town of Shirley Falls doesn't help matters. But when Amy is discovered behind the steamed-up windows of a car with her math teacher, the vast and icy distance between mother and daughter becomes unbridgeable.

As news of the scandal reaches every ear, it is Isabelle who suffers from the harsh judgment of Shirley Falls, intensifying her shame about her own secret past. And as Amy seeks comfort elsewhere, she discovers the fragility of human happiness through other dramas, from the horror of a missing child to the trials of Fat Bev, the community peacemaker. Witty and often profound, Amy and Isabelle confirms Elizabeth Strout as a powerful new talent.

Download Description

With compassion, humor, and striking insight, Amy and Isabelle explores the secrets of sexuality that jeopardize the love between a mother and her daughter. Amy Goodrow, a shy high school student in a small mill town, falls in love with her math teacher, and together they cross the line between understandable fantasy and disturbing reality. When discovered, this emotional and physical trespass brings disgrace to Amy's mother, Isabelle, and intensifies the shame she feels about her own past. In a fury, she lashes out at her daughter's beauty and then retreats into outraged silence. Amy withdraws, too, and mother and daughter eat, sleep, and even work side by side but remain at a vast, seemingly unbridgeable distance from each other.

This conflict is surrounded by other large and small dramas in the town of Shirley Falls -- a teenage pregnancy, a UFO sighting, a missing child, and the trials of Fat Bev, the community's enormous (and enormously funny and compassionate) peacemaker and amateur medical consultant. Keeping Isabelle and Amy as the main focus of her sharp, sympathetic eye, Elizabeth Strout attends to them all. As she does so, she reveals not only her deep affection for her characters, both serious and comic, but her profound wisdom about the human condition in general. She makes us care about these extraordinary ordinary people and makes us hope that they will find a way out of their often self-imposed emotional exile.

Customer Reviews:

A Typical Mother & Daughter Book ..........2007-07-13

When I bought this book several years ago, it was the most-talked about book in the online book clubs. I never had a chance to pick it up till recently when it's my goal to get rid of books that have been sitting there for ages. I recall vaguely that I did pick it up at one time and put it back down, looking for something else to read. I had the same feeling this time again, but stuck with it to see if all the four/five stars are warranted. No. Not really.

For one thing, this book is vaguely vulgar ~~ mentioning body habits that may be normal, but do I really need to hear about them? It isn't erotic but more depressing especially the sex scenes in this book are pathetic. Has anyone ever heard of leaving things to the imagination? Why do authors feel compelled to describe every single thing? Anyhow, those are the negatives of this book and in my opinion, doesn't necessarily add to the story, but detract from the story.

This book is about a mother and daughter who live together, who work together and do everything together ~~ how can two people who spend the majority of their lives together know so little about one another? Isabelle carries the secret of her past close to her heart. She also yearns for her boss, a man who caught her daughter in the car with her math teacher, Mr. Robertson. There's Amy, the daughter, who loved the attention of her teacher ... and you know how it goes ~~ turns out the teacher was just using her, and so on. That relationship almost destroyed the relationship she has with her mother.

Yes, there are other townsfolks in this novel, with little bits of their stories scattered throughout the book. There's Dottie, who had an operation and found out her husband was having an affair. There's Fat Bev, who works with Amy and Isabelle. There's a deacon's wife who is having an affair with the college psychologist. There's Amy's best friend who got pregnant with her boyfriend's child. There's even a case of a missing little girl, who was kidnapped in the middle of the afternoon from her house. All this are tied in together to show that life continues.

If you like these kinds of books ~~ then this one is for you. But after reading dozens of books on this same theme, there are others out there that are much better and more gratifying. This one seems to have fallen short of the mark ~~ which is too bad because I have heard great things about this author.

7-13-07

Yup, a mother and a daughter. .......2006-09-12

Sure, a story about a mother and her daughter. The tangible relationship is not so hard to imagine as a daughter myself, however, the downside of the story, was not so much the story but the writing itself.

The story seemed dry, but I think it was the style as some of the characters I grew to love despite their descriptions and scense.
I am wondering if the movie, with Elizabeth Shue, would have been a bettet choice with my time...

Lives of Desperate Fantasy (4.3 *s).......2005-10-23

Strout has written a riveting and distressing story of the tortured mother-daughter relationship of single mother Isabelle and teenage daughter Amy and more generally of life in a small mill town in New England, with its obvious social pecking order. The story is anchored in the interactions among the working class women working in the mill office, where Isabelle is the secretary to the manager. The extreme heat and dryness of this particular summer seem to have created a climate conducive for the unsettling events that occurred that summer.

Isabelle leads a desperate and lonely existence with her daughter on the outskirts of town. Isabelle has not only constructed a fictitious past, but also is fanatical about her perceived image while imaging a relationship with her boss, despite no demonstrated interest on his part. This ingenuousness creates an unfocused contempt by Amy for her mother. Amy is so desperate for a dose of reality in her life that she is taken in by the kindness and wisdom of a new math teacher at school.

The pace of the book is as slow as the nearly dried up river running down the center of the town which the author uses to great advantage in her ample descriptions of the town and allowing her characters to establish themselves. Though this well-written book is disturbing, the events of the summer do allow Isabelle and Amy to begin moving beyond their personal and mother-daughter limitations.

An interesting examination of a mother/daughter relationship.......2005-09-05

A story about a mother-daughter relationship and some weird and jarring things that happen to change their relationship. I found it interesting enough to finish (which isn't always the case). While I can't say it was stupendous, I can say it was very down to earth and really got into the characters minds to the point where you could believe what they believe and want what they wanted, even when it was coming from an obviously skewed point of view.

Male point of view: wonderful writing; predictable pitfalls........2005-07-21

Actually 3.5 stars. As many have already noted, it is hard to believe that this is Elizabeth Strout's first work. It is so well done, created in technicolor, and digitally mastered. The imagery is splendid, whether her words depict the strength of marigolds, the changing of winter to spring, the daily noise of the mill, or how light falls on a room in a house. The characters are lovable, well, many of them. They come across as human, real, people we are all familiar with. And they have a part in the deliberately-slow-moving plot, coming onto the scene, and touching the heart of the reader. At least the women do.

Not the men. Is it just the grrrl fashion, or is for real in Ms. Strout's eyes? Most of the men depicted have one thing on their mind going into the story, and thus are faulted in the end as having one thing on their mind, whether it is Paul, Joshua, Mr. Robertson, Lenny, Wally, Jake. Even the men who kidnapped and killed the little girl were probably tainted. Why else is that piece there? Avery is somehow at fault for not having that one thing, for Isabelle at least. Isabelle's dad might be the only positive man, but is also a fool for having Jake as a best friend. Moreover, there is little chance for reconciliation, Wally and Dottie aside. Dad dies, Jake dies, Avery dies. I am happy Paul didn't kill himself in his speeding car. Maybe he can reconcile with Stacy, and try to change.

My comments won't bring me a high "helpful ratio" rate, but you all know where I stand.

Reading Deadwood: A Western to Swear By (Reading Contemporary Television)

Average customer rating:

Weak and herniated.
Another great book in the Reading Contemporary Television series
Well done

Reading Deadwood: A Western to Swear By (Reading Contemporary Television)

Manufacturer: I. B. Tauris
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1845112210
Release Date: 2006-09-19

Book Description

With the debut of Deadwood on HBO, a vision of the "Old West" emerged that was unlike anything done before on TV. David Milch, also the creator of NYPD Blue, imbued the series with his signature use of harsh language, complex storylines, and shocking acts of violence. The characters he created redefined the hackneyed stereotypes of the Western genre, from the harassed but defiant "Chinaman," Mr. Wu, to the murderous, ferociously funny Al Swearengen, to the whiskey-drinking Calamity Jane who's only too happy to help her friend run the new brothel in town. Reading Deadwood offers an entertaining and eye-opening look into everything from the use of profanity, the characters, and the way the show bends the genre, to subjects like prostitution, race, and the making of American civil society. Complete with episode and character guides, no fan of Deadwood-and no one interested in Westerns--should be without this book.

Customer Reviews:

Weak and herniated........2006-10-07

Like so many Lavery-edited works, the essays are works of hyper-extension, in which the essayists try ever so hard to find subliminal and subtextual meaning where there is none. It is the blight of popular culture studies that the so-called academics who endeavor to give extraordinary signficance to "art" that is meant more to entertain than to edify. I am not saying that "Deadwood" isn't one of the greatest shows ever to be sent over the airwaves (cable waves?), because it is every bit deserving of the attention this book presumes to give it. Unfortunately, the essays here focus more on the putative "hidden meanings" of the show instead of simply examining why "Deadwood" is, in fact, a great show. I have no trouble with an academic or intellectual approach to TV; in point of fact, James South's "[name of show, e.g., Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The X-Files and The Simpsons] and Philosophy" series is a brilliant exercise in interpreting TV, because it takes the shows at face value, then applies various philosophical disciplines to the actual text of the show. Lavery's collection, here, endeavors, instead, to dig below the surface of this outstanding show, and mine for that which, very well, may not be there at all. In short, he fails to "find the color."

(I am reminded of the student who asked William Faulkner what the significance of the large pillars in front of the plantation house in one of his novels, to which, Faulkner replied, "Oh, by all means, the pillars have tremendous significance...they hold the roof up." Sometimes, the text is just the text, and that can be enough if you are imaginative enough to enjoy it and analyze it as is.)

And to the reviewer who touted Ms. Klein's essay on the opening credits, I thought her entire thesis was undermined by the fact she mistakened a prospector biting into a nugget to see if it was gold (gold is soft, and will dent when bitten) for a man pulling a rotted tooth out of his mouth. It is hard to give much credence to an essayist who bases her thesis upon such blatantly mistaken impressions of the material upon which she opines. Sloppy academics, indeed.

I gave the book two stars instead of one simply because there were a few bits of information about the show of which I was unaware.

Another great book in the Reading Contemporary Television series.......2006-09-22

This is the second title in the Reading Contemporary Television series I have read. Like READING SIX FEET UNDER: TV TO DIE FOR, this volume is a collection of thoughful essays written by academics and media scholars while the series was still in progress. The volume on DEADWOOD covers the first two seasons. This means the authors are not fully aware of all the plotlines that will be pursued in the life of the entire series; nor do they know the ultimate destination of individual characters' story arcs. In the case of DEADWOOD which lasted only three seasons (with rumors of possible movie-length follow-up episode or two), that's a pretty substantial number of episodes, so the authors have plenty to chew on.

Of the fourteen articles in the collection, five really stood out for me: Joseph Millichap's on "Robert Penn Warren, David Milch, and the Literary Contexts of Deadwood"; Sean O'Sullivan's "Old, New, Borrowed, Blue: Deadwood and Serial Fiction," which makes interesting connections to the serialized creations of Charles Dickens; Paul Wright and Hailin Zhou's "Divining the 'Celestials': The Chinese Subculture of Deadwood"; "What's Afflictin' You: Corporeality, Body Crises and the Body Politic in Deadwood"; and David Diffrient's "Deadwood Dick: The Western (Phallus) Reinvented."

The volume also contains an episode guide to the first two seasons, a Deadwood Encyclopedia (not as interesting, helpful, or comprehensive as the word "encyclopedia" implies), notes to some of the articles, and a bibliography/filmography. It does not include a list of characters with the names of the actors who play them, which is frustrating because the way HBO series list credits doesn't make it easy to put a name to a face (the DVDs of season one and two don't help in this regard either; the curious are forced to google the actors' names to find a picture and lists of other films and shows they've appeared in).

This book should be of interest to any serious fan of the show, as well as to people interested in the Western as a literary and cinematic genre and in American history/culture in general.

Well done.......2006-09-16

Great reading for fans of the show. Gets into the nitty gritty and makes points you might have missed. My favorite one was by Amanda Klein who opines about the opening credits. I didn't know that a wagon wheel in the mud could carry so much symbolism.

Flirting with Danger: Confessions of a Reluctant War Reporter

Average customer rating:

Wow!!!
Good Book
great read
More Than A Great Read!
Brilliant!

Flirting with Danger: Confessions of a Reluctant War Reporter
Siobhan Darrow
Manufacturer: Anchor
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 038572134X
Release Date: 2002-01-08

Book Description

Former star correspondent for CNN, Siobhan Darrow covered the world’s hottest war zones over the last two decades, reporting from the front lines in Moscow, Chechnya, the Balkans, Albania, Israel, and Northern Ireland. Her fearless pursuit of stories placed her in countless life-threatening situations, prompting Darrow to wonder what about her character so attracted her to adrenaline, and so alienated her from the family life a part of her longed for. Darrow approaches this question with the same honesty–and seat-of-the-pants courage–that established her reputation as a premiere reporter, and the answers she arrives at form this riveting memoir of a woman assigned to cover history in the making, even as she chases down the most elusive “get” of all: her own happiness.

Customer Reviews:

Wow!!! .......2006-01-02

I read this book so fast, couldn't put it down... Ms. Darrow is a fascinating writer, taking you on a fast paced adventure through some of the most important events that happened in recent years. The book stays with you long after you finish reading it, highly recommend it!

Good Book.......2003-12-07

I thought this book was pretty good. It was really intriguing to hear what a person in those situations really thinks about. She's had a very interesting life. She is a very intellectual writer.

great read.......2002-10-17

I ripped through this book quickly, unable to put it down. the writing style was cynical, quick witted, and a touch raw.

adolescent girls should read this not only to learn the battles that other women have fought for their individuality, but also because the author points out how her personal battle was waged on the hand of a few bad decisions and what the price can be for making such decisions.

More Than A Great Read!.......2002-01-22

This is a great story; well written, humorous, and full of fascinating "behind-the-scenes" glimpses of life as a CNN correspondent. In the end, however, the thing that really makes this book worth the read is the author's willingness and ability to share her own personal journey. Her story moved me deeply and made me freshly aware of the joys and challenges of my own life. It also left me wanting to hear more! When is her next book coming out?!

Brilliant!.......2002-01-21

This is one of the best books I've read this year! Darrow is witty, warm, and wise. I found myself comparing my own childhood experiences with hers, and was amazed by how much we have in common. Darrow was honest enough to share the pain and humiliation she suffered growing up without much money, and I could relate.

Book Description

HBO's award-winning, hit series Sex and the City has changed the face of television. This entertaining celebration of the life and times of Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte, and Samantha looks at the show as a departure for series television-discussing its position in an increasingly com-plex television landscape. The book ex-plores, among many other issues: -Female fandom and fan culture -Fashion and fashion journalism -Male archetypes and the search for Mr. Right -Third wave feminism -Sex and the single girl -Sex and the citizen. Also included: -A full episode guide -Reports from the Sex and the City Manhattan guided tour -A map of Sex and the City's New York. Reading Sex and the City offers die-hard and casual readers alike new ways of looking at the show, the characters, and modern television.

Customer Reviews:

Critical perspectives--thoughtful and personal.......2006-10-31

The essays in this volume cover the first five years of the six-year run of the HBO original series Sex and the City. The first four sections of the book are comprised of scholarly articles on the subjects of (1) Sex, Sexuality, and Relationships, (2) Socio-Sexual Identities, (3) Fashion and Cultural Identities, and (4) Narrative, Genre, and Intertextuality. The fifth section contains mostly brief personal essays about the authors' appreciation of the show, and as such is the weakest in the book. I especially enjoyed Susan Zieger's essay, "Sex and the Citizen in Sex and the City's New York" in which she discusses one of the dilemma's facing third wave feminists, the conflict between identity politics and "do it yourself" citizenship. In it she observes "DIY citizenship is a consumer fantasy which always encounters the reality principle of identity politics." Mandy Merck's "Sexuality in the City" was also noteworthy. She engagingly addresses the often-discussed issue of whether Sex and the City is the product (and projection) of gay men's imagination (i.e., the producers) or an authentic depiction of contemporary women (noting that most of the episodes were penned by women).

There's a lot of good stuff in these essays. While readers need to be fairly familiar with the series, its characters, and plotlines to get the most out of this collection, anyone with an interest in media or culture studies will be able to appreciate what the authors have to say. The book is indexed and has an excellent bibliography. Another fine volume in the Reading Contemporary Television series.

loved it...........2006-10-25

this book is great! it tells you everything about every sex and the citian, every episode, the actors/actresses, trivia, glossary (you'll have to read the book to find out what i mean by gloss.), and much, much more. if you love sex and the city, you'll love this book.

I know this much is true ... Candace Bushnell - you saved my single life.......2006-07-04

Every woman should say "I'll take Manhattan" ... and then do so in her own way....

Enjoyable read and commentary on the single in the city life...for men and women alike. Sex and the City was a God-send for many women during its six-year run. Once upon a time women were brainwashed to believe that they were incomplete without marriage and motherhood. How many an aspiring career women felt she needed to take a break to find a husband and produce babies? Well ... we'll fast forward to a few years later (quoting Alanis Morrissette) .... and urban trends unfold to reveal that Cosmopolitan had it right. Love is for the Harlequin novels because like Avril Lavigne sang "five years from now she sits and home, feeding the baby she's all alone. She turns on TV and guess who she sees ... Sk8tr Boi rockin up MTV"... in the confines of a white picket fence prison. Oh hail Candace ... your Sex and the City tales spawned an entire collective discourse in pop culture's commerical HBO land ... of a rebel feminist yell not seen since the days of Madonna circa Like a Virgin..... with one clear cut anthem - Live it Up Ladies On Your Own Terms! The only baggage you need is a Gucci bag. All a wedding is - is a production - and the bride and groom get to play stars for one day. Why not be a star every day by taking on the world and a big bite out of the Big Apple.

Post-Script: All the people that I knew who got married at 25 and dissappeared from sight ... resurfaced about 3 to 5 years later divorced and some with kids. Those who once felt sorry for the single and solo now yearn for the very freedom that they lost on their wedding day. Thanks to Carrie and her pals! You saved our single lives! Go Candace - bring on more women heroines in the Sex and the City Empire. No Desperate Housewives need apply!

Here is a more personal account of how the ladies in my life see the very empowering impact of Sex and the City in their lives:

There was a young woman who was plump, plain, and finding her way in the world living alone in the big city far from family ....who only wanted to find a boyfriend to validate her. Years passed and she saw all the "love" go to the pretty cheerleader types, mostly blue-eyed blondes, ravishing redheads, or foxy brunnetts. Then a show came on the air called "Sex and the City" and something took root in the psyche. During the six years it was on the air the young lass found her personal heroine in Carrie Bradshaw and her lady pals. And so a transformation began which had a snowball effect... resulting in a quiet miracle - the young woman loved her life exactly as it was! She stopped desiring marriage and motherhood because she never wanted it at all! Who needs a cell mate and sleep deprivation - not me! It was society's rulebook and not hers! And she stopped apologizing for it. She celebrated it! And all the boys who never looked at her - well, they ended up divorced and telling everyone to avoid their mistake. A mistake they now can't take back. And as for all the girls who batted their eyelashes and won the roses ... let's just say Desperate Housewives and the suburban anorexia of their lives didn't live up to the wedding cake promise.

I Miss the Girls, I mean, er..Women.......2005-08-11

Being a critical media scholar and (Yes,fan of the show) this collection of insightful essays is a media scholar and/or feminist scholar dream come true. If you are looking for deep "dishy" style of gossip behind the show you will be sadly disappointed. "Sex and the City" is a show that will go down (no pun intended) for letting women reveal and talk about love, sex and relationships in a honest true fashion, regardless of how you feel about the characters and their "impossible" lifestyles. I always marvel at how this show often broke ground by often crossing gender and cultural guidelines within its audience base. I am intrigued by how universal the show is and how it makes me a little mad that some people want to dismiss it as a silly women/gay show.

Split into five parts the book touches on sex and relationships, the social and cultural impact of the show, female identification, narrative text and intertextuality within the show, and of course fashion. The last essays being a great deal of fun as they look at the famous "Sex and the City" tour in NYC, fandom and the intersection of being a scholar and bridging fan base gap as well. Editors Kim Akass and Janet McCabe should be applaud for their thought-provoking and meaningful work, I would quickly snatch (again no pun) any critical reader that these ladies do on any series. A critical celebration of "Six feet Under" has already been published this spring. I am "dying" to read that one. (ok, bad pun intended!)

The Rainforest Race (Go, Diego, Go! Ready-to-Read)

Average customer rating:

The rainforest race ( GO, Diego,go)
great reading helper

The Rainforest Race (Go, Diego, Go! Ready-to-Read)

Manufacturer: Simon Spotlight/Nickelodeon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 141691756X

Book Description

Today is the Rainforest Race! The winner will get a big, blue ribbon. Who will win the race?

Customer Reviews:

The rainforest race ( GO, Diego,go).......2007-08-27

I brought this for my son who is a Diego fan and he enjoyed this book a great deal.

great reading helper.......2007-01-10

This book really helps young children learn to read. My son is 3 yrs. old, and he does a really good job recognizing the pictures that are placed throughout the book. He loves Diego, and I was actually surprised when we began reading the book. I pointed to the different animals like armadillo, and he knew exactly what it was. These books help children learn words through the pictures....I bought a total of four of these books, and they are great!!

Watching Anime, Reading Manga: 25 Years of Essays and Reviews

Average customer rating:

Pointless, why bother?
An interesting historical document for U.S. anime fans
It's a shame more anime and manga fans don't buy this book!
A 'must' for anime followers
A 'must' for anime followers

Watching Anime, Reading Manga: 25 Years of Essays and Reviews
Fred Patten
Manufacturer: Stone Bridge Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1880656922

Book Description

Anime's influence can be found in every corner of American media, from film and television to games and graphic arts. And Fred Patten is largely responsible. He was reading manga and watching anime before most of the current generation of fans was born. In fact, it was his active participation in fan clubs and his prolific magazine writing that helped create a market and build American anime fandom into the vibrant community it is today. Watching Anime, Reading Manga gathers together a quarter-century of Patten's lucid observations on the business of anime, fandom, artists, Japanese society and the most influential titles. Illustrated with original fanzine covers and archival photos. Foreword by Carl Macek (Robotech).

Fred Patten lives in Los Angeles.

" Watching Anime, Reading Manga is a worthwhile addition to your library; it makes good bathroom browsing, cover-to-cover reading, and a worthwhile reference for writing or researching anime and manga, not to mention a window into the history of fandom in the United States." -- SF Site

Customer Reviews:

Pointless, why bother?.......2006-04-13

Why buy an expensive book about anime when you can experience anime on television or read about it online.
This book doesn't have any new insights on the subject so I'll say again why bother?

An interesting historical document for U.S. anime fans.......2006-04-05

The essays collected in this book offer a fascinating glimpse into the history of anime fandom in the U.S. People who assume that the anime/manga phenomenon is a recent development will be interested to read about how much effort was required, over a long period of time, before the U.S. market became receptive to these "exotic" forms of media. This book also contains the best presentation and analysis of the Lion King/Kimba controversy that I have seen, and that alone is worth the purchase price.

It's a shame more anime and manga fans don't buy this book!.......2006-01-15

To be honest with my title, had I seen this in a bookstore, I probably would have passed. Essays and collected reviews from one person too often give you a slanted point of view, and often not much real information. I like history, and that was the big selling point on this book for me. Too often we buy what's popular, what we know (are exposed to), or from listening to the suggestions of our friends. I'm not speaking of this book purchase now, but of the act of collection, reading, and watching of anime. It's really nice to know the history behind it.

By rights, maybe this book should be four stars instead of five, but I couldn't resist because it filled in a point of interest for me I've wondered about for years. I wrote an Amazon review a few years ago on the anime classic, Spirited Away. In the review I compared the movie to a life changing animated film I had seen as a boy. I've never been able to recall the name, and because of the era, I thought it American or perhaps a Chinese production. I've always looked for it to show up on TV, or in video, hoping I'd recognize the title or the plot. I knew little more than the type of film, plot, and name of the main character.

My dad took me to the film, and I thought it must have been because he was interested in its philosophy. My dad had visited China, and India during WWII as a Cryptographer. After the war, he brought home some items from China, and a good deal of Eastern Philosophy. What I didn't realize is that the movie he took me too, was in reality one of the earliest anime shown in the United States. It was a dubbed film called Magic Boy, that was shown in a limited release in Fort Wayne, Indiana, in June of 1961. Strangely enough, it was another limited release anime, Princess Mononoke, that sparked me to begin collecting anime and manga in 1999. Little did I know that my childhood had been influenced greatly by the earliest film of the anime genre to hit the US. Perhaps I was destined to become an anime lover!

My point here is that this book helped me find out that fact. When I read in the book about the early anime films, I suddenly realized they were from the era when I saw that film. There were three titles, released in the US about then. I looked up the pictures, plots from the web, and got a dead-on match with the film, Magic Boy! As I've read further in this book I find more things I knew little about, milestones that brought about the popularity of anime and manga. As a kind of a time-line, (based on the dates of the articles collected in the book) you can see the growth of anime and manga in the US. You can see as well why there is still a great deal of resistance to it's becoming mainstream, even today.

Just to speak to that issue, inject a little of my own philosophy to a theme expressed in many of the books articles. The answer I speak of is that viewing anime, and reading manga, is justified by the main reason many avoid it. It's new, and its different! While many anime and manga are generic SciFi or Fantasy, often they contain elements of the Japanese culture. If you've watched one too many episodes of some reality show, the same rehashed episode of a sitcom for the 50th time ,you know you too long for something new. Despite cultural differences, most anime stories are easy enough to relate to, we're all humans and many of our goals are the same regardless of culture.

One more thing on the book, this is a good read to put somewhere (you know where I mean) to read in small bursts, periodically. Since it's a collection of anime reviews and small articles, you can read one or two at a time, and pick it back up later. It's not a book you have to read in long sittings.

A 'must' for anime followers.......2005-11-09

Fred Patten's Watching Anime, Reading Managa: 25 Years Of Essays And Reviews reports on the anime culture in America, gathering articles on Japanese animation and comics and examining both its fan world and the business of its production. Chapters cover everything from individual anime artists to overall licensing and theatrical issues and features, anime pornography, Japanese anime and manga culture, and more. The range of issues and considerations come from an active participant in fan clubs and writings over the years and will prove a 'must' for anime followers.

A 'must' for anime followers.......2005-11-09

Trouble on the Train (Backyardigans Ready-to-Read)

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Trouble on the Train (Backyardigans Ready-to-Read)
Catherine Lukas , and The Artifact Group
Manufacturer: Simon Spotlight/Nickelodeon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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