Book Description
The amaryllis—elegant, tropical, and breathtakingly beautiful—is the most majestic of all the flowering bulbs. Its distinctive look, long-lasting blooms, and ease of cultivation have made it a favorite of plant lovers and a fixture in their homes around the world throughout the winter months. Now, award-winning photographer Starr Ockenga brings us
Amaryllis, a comprehensive exploration of the beauty, history, and cultivation of this singular flower.
A unique photographic record of a diverse and alluring plant,
Amaryllis is a document of the season that Ockenga spent growing more than ninety varieties in her upstate New York greenhouse. From the papery surface of the bulb to glorious flower to spent bloom, Ockenga’s remarkable photographs capture all the sensuality and drama of the amaryllis. Her images demonstrate the flower’s extraordinary range of color and form, from the iridescent velvety-red ‘Basuto’ to the brilliantly striped ‘Jaguar’ and the awkward grace of ‘Giraffe’s’ long stem and delicate flower.
More than a collection of stunning flower portraits,
Amaryllis offers practical wisdom on growing these plants. Gardeners will appreciate Ockenga’s expert insights on storage, propagation, and hybridization, and new plant enthusiasts will learn how simple it is to grow amaryllis from the bulb or to display its cut flowers. With fascinating information on the historical background of the amaryllis, details on its horticultural requirements, and an illustrated glossary of almost 100 varieties,
Amaryllis is the authoritative guide to the queen of flowering bulbs.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent for amaryllis lover.......2007-09-01
This is an excellent gift for someone who typically forces amaryllis indoors each winter, and especially for those who are then able to plant the amaryllis outside for further enjoyment.
give me a break!!.......2005-04-23
This might have been a good magazine article although it's been done a 1000 times before. But, a book and at that price. Check out the used book prices. That's what this book is worth.
It's about time.......2003-09-25
It's about time that a book comes out devoted solely to this most beautiful of flowering bulbs. Starr does an excellent job of photographing the flowers and other aspects/parts of the bulb. I have not seen in my travels such an extensive coverage of Amaryllis and I have searched far and wide. The pictures are all clear and some are very unique (i.e. a close up of a bud opening or flowers withering etc). The information she gives is comprehensive enough but the only thing I found missing, oddly enough, was the aspect of light. When the plant is growing indoors, how much light does it need after it flowers? Puzzling but otherwise good.
With invaluable, practical growing tips.......2003-02-13
This specialized gardening guide provides a set of full-color photos of different varieties of amaryllis, and represents the author's world journey in an effort to acquire as many varieties as amaryllis as she could. She grew each plant herself, documenting its growth pattern, blooms, and demise: Amaryllis is thus far more than a picturebook, providing gardeners with invaluable, practical growing tips.
Stunningly Beautiful and Truly Informative........2002-11-20
I am an avid grower of amaryllis and have been collecting every article and tip I could find on this lovely bulb for over 10 years. There has been no book exclusively on the amaryllis available. I was skeptical that a book just 95 pages long, including the extensive bibliography, could fill the gap. Starr Ockenga's book will not need another to supplement it. The photographs are extrordinary. Her instructions for planting are thorough. For culture of the bulb she presents prevailing wisdom and states what she herself did, allowing the reader to choose their own course. I was impressed that a beautiful garden book included a pests and diseases page. One minor quibble is that the Glossary of Hippeastrum Hybrids has closely cropped photos. This gives wonderful color depiction but very little info as to how the overall shape and size of the flower as it relates to the plant. I have purchased a second copy of the book to donate to my local library.
Average customer rating:
- I'm sorry to have to say it but I was bored.
- Interesting concept, but world-building not credible
- The Lost Colony romances are great fun!
- paranormal brilliance from JAK
- A Lush Futuristic Romance Fantasy & A Fun Read!!
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Amaryllis
Jayne Castle
Manufacturer: Pocket
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
 Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Fantasy, Futuristic & Ghost | Romance | Subjects | Books
General | Romance | Subjects | Books
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General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0671569031 |
Customer Reviews:
I'm sorry to have to say it but I was bored........2007-08-28
In many ways it seems almost unfair to judge this book (which was published in 1996) by the standards of science fiction/fantasy/romance books written today. These types of books and authors have moved in lightning fast style from what they were when the genre and sub-genre first began to be written. Nevertheless, I have to confess that I found myself bored while reading this first in the Castle series of "flower" books.
Amaryllis Lark, as a character, should have appealed to me since she is the type character I tend to want to read about. But even I found her TOO rigid, TOO prissy, TOO single-minded, TOO straight laced, TOO everything. She was not a psychic detective, as some reviews have stated, she simply fell into investigating the death of her academic mentor because she was too stubborn to let go of her idea that something MIGHT have been wrong in his death. No clear reason for her doubt ever stuck in my mind so I was constantly left wondering why she continued to think he might have been killed. She just went on and on and on insisting on investigating when there did not seem to be anything to investigate. Why? Give me some reason to believe that a mystery actually exists. (In fairness to the author, she did manage to hide the culprit very well, but by the time it was revealed, I just wanted to get it over with and be finished.)
Lucas Trent was a very good character for me. He was portrayed as the opposite of Amaryllis and Ms Castle did a very good job in making me see him as such. I do wish that she had given him more passion. He seemed to be rather lukewarm during situations where his emotions should have registered off the top of the scale. I have read in some of the reviews that this is a "steamy" romance. No, not by today's standards. If you read this book believing that, you are destined to be very disappointed.
I agree with another reviewer, if everything in this book is to be compared to Earth, why not just have the action take place on Earth using a time/dimension vehicle to move it out of our own world? All the descriptions are very shallow; as an example, at one point the characters eat a straw-peach pie. Not one single description of what that fruit looked like, smelled like or tasted like. Coff-tea. What was it? What did it smell like, taste like? Where did it grow? Did it grow? Give me some descriptions to tell me why this was not Earth. A fern-tree. Well, I know it was big but how big? How tall? How wide? Was it even green?
I have read all the Jayne Castle books about Harmony, AFTER GLOW, AFTER DARK, GHOST HUNTER and will receive the newest release in a few days. I just LOVE those books. I can envision the alien world of Harmony. I expected that these "flower" books would give me the same enjoyment level. I was wrong. As I said at the beginning, perhaps it is wrong to judge these too harshly because the writing has moved so far along since these early books were written. But the bottom line is: this book was too long, it did not excite me with any futuristic ideas, it was not a very intense romance and the mystery aspect seemed completely forced. Sorry!
Interesting concept, but world-building not credible.......2006-02-18
Summary -
First futuristic romance by Jayne Castle (also writes historicals as Amanda Quick, contemporaries as Jayne Anne Krentz and Stephanie James). Interesting mystery overshadows the romance between two psychics. World-building very weak and far from credible. Not recommended for those looking for SF romance (such as those written by Asaro), or for those wanting a romance-heavy plot. Will probably be enjoyed by those who like Quick's more recent historicals (with strong mystery and suspense elements).
Details -
I read science fiction (and fantasy) as well as romances and mystery. While I haven't read equally extensively in all these genres (and their sub-genres) I think I have read enough to detect influences of one author upon another. In the past, the first historical romances (Jean Plaidy and Georgette Heyer) that I read were by Amanda Quick (alias Jayne Anne Krentz alias Jayne Castle alias Stephanie James). AMARYLLIS is the first Jayne Castle book of hers I have read. It also happens to be her first futuristic romance.
The problem I have with this book, among others, is that I read it well after I had read Marion Zimmer Bradley's Darkover series (all written by her alone) and Lois McMaster Bujold's Miles Vorkosigan series. So, compared to those books/series, Jayne Castle's world-building could not really match up. Bradley writes fantasy (her characters also have strong mental/psychic powers), Bujold writes what is called military space opera (although she is now writing fantasy). Both authors set their best known series - mentioned above - on worlds cut off from humanity by some mysterious collapse of communications and transport. In Castle's case it was the "Curtain", in Bujold's case, it was a wormhole, and in Bradley's case, I believe it was the total incapacitation of the spaceship on an unexplored and undiscovered planet. So, when I was reading this book, I was constantly comparing how Castle's world St Helens matched up to Darkover (Cottman Four) and Barrayar. This is probably not the perspective of most readers, so they might want to stop right here.
Castle is not a writer of science fiction or fantasy, but one of romance. I do expect, however, that a writer of romance (contemporary, futurististic, alternate-reality/ paranormal, or historical) will still make her world a credible one. Throughout this book, I could not figure out why Castle did not simply bother to set her book on Earth (in an alternate reality or timeline) or in the future. The book constantly told me about differences in the planet's way of life, but rarely showed me. For example, I never found any references to different flora and fauna.
Furthermore, Castle constantly used terms such as "coff-tea" for a beverage, "chick-turk" for some form of poultry, and so forth. [It sounds more likely to me that homesick colonists would call any drink similar to an American popular beverage by that name, using "corn" for anything like corn, "coffee" for anything like coffee.]
This became almost an irritant while I kept on reading.
The cities were named exactly for cities on the Western United States coast, the continental geography sounded nearly the same. So why bother to create a new world? Castle argues that nearly all the colonists came from the north-western part of the United States. Hmm... I might buy that, but not the curious resemblance in geography.
The social structure did not make a lot of sense to me. Marriage is apparently for life; affairs (if discreet) between married people (not married to each other) are condoned, but not an affair between a married man and an unmarried woman. Marriages are considered safer if arranged. These are all apparently based on rules set down by the original leaders (the Founders). There were constant hints that the Founders were more complex (and less decent) than they appeared to their descendants, but not one clue was thrown out to the reader.
The so-called psychic abilities seemed far from supernatural. There are technical talents, agricultural talents, diagnostic/ medical talents, and so forth. Not much different from today, I would think. [I have no green thumb, and clearly have no agricultural talent]. People with talents need people who can focus those talents (called "prisms") to use those talents for a longer period or at a higher level, but the level of talent must be matched to the level of ability to focus those talents. AMARYLLIS (and perhaps its sequels) is about a man with high-level talent and a high-level "prism". The hero Lucas does have some unusual talents, notably the ability to create illusions (which he keeps secret) and the ability to detect others using their talents (which he has officially declared). Later, we learn of other people with unusual talents, not often declared to the authorities.
And the political structure? We meet a candidate campaigning for return to traditional values, but no sense of why this has suddenly become popular (his charisma aside). We have no real sense of how this planet is governed, policed, and otherwise organized on a day-to-day basis. All that is said is that the marriage laws are strict, and people have strong views about legitimate birth, lineage (and pedigree), and the like. St Helens sounds more like a tradition-bound society (where a person's status is determined wholly by his birth status and his family's status) than anything like the modern United States.
The story itself is more mystery than romance - the hero Lucas Trent, a loner like most of Castle/Quick/Krent's heroes, has to solve a case of industrial espionage (more whydunnit rather than whodunnit) initially, which escalates into his assisting the heroine to solve a suspicious death. We learn a little about the hero's past (his parents dying young, the pirate raids in the islands he called home, the deaths of his partner and his wife, and more). We also learn that the heroine Amaryllis Lark was born illegitimate and was rejected by her father's family (her parents too died young). While the romance develops, the mystery actually takes center stage (rather as in Quick's later and most recent historicals). The heroine is excessively naive, and very nearly stupid enough to get herself killed. The hero is smitten by the heroine, despite (or because of) her naivete. Rather like most of Quick's heroines....
And yes, I could tell that there would be stories about at least two other characters, former allies of Lucas Trent whom we meet briefly. Their appearance was not obnoxiously obvious (as in some novels where characters practically scream out "I am going to be in a sequel").
The real problem I had with this book was that I didn't buy the world-building at all. Although I don't dislike futuristic romances, I prefer what are sometimes called SF Romance (or romantic SF) such as those Skolian stories written by Catherine Asaro. And if I want to read about psychic characters, I would prefer to read a good old-fashioned paranormal romance or a Darkover book by Marion Zimmer Bradley.
This is not a discommendation for lovers of futuristic romance. Just be warned that if you want a strong romantic element in your book, this book has a stronger mystery and suspense element than a romantic element (it is pretty obvious that Lucas and Amaryllis are attracted to each other quite early on). If on the other hand, you want a strong world-building element in your book, you might want to pass this up. I am not sorry that I read AMARYLLIS, since I had read Castle in her other alter egos. On the other hand, I will stop right here, and stick to re-reading her early historicals.
-- Reviewed by bookjunkiereviews 18 February 2006
The Lost Colony romances are great fun!.......2005-04-06
I love reading these paranormal adventures with JAK writing as Jayne Castle. Amaryllis Lark is an academic newly arrived in the business world and working as a full spectrum prism for Psynergy, Inc for just the past 6 months. She has dozens of certificates, diplomas and so on and adheres to a strict code of ethics. Lucas Trent was raised in the wild Western Islands with only an old prospector as a guardian. He owns Lodestar which mines jelly ice -- an energy source much needed on this planet!! He also discovered "alien relics" on the Islands that are going on display in a museum. He has an internal company security issue he needs Amaryllis to help him with as he is a "class 9" detector talent. Even though Amaryllis is a very straight arrow and rather prudish, she is excited about this opportunity to work with the famouse Lucas Trent!!
From the first time they link and as the story and murder mystery develops, it is alot of fun reading with some amusing anecdotes, secondary characters and startling ending.
If you enjoy futuristic/paranormal books, read this and the other two books on this planet, "Zinnia" and "Orchid" -- you can learn more about some of Lucas' friends!
paranormal brilliance from JAK.......2004-09-17
Since they repackaged two from this series under the title of Harmony, I got these out and decided to reread them, and found I enjoyed them more the second time around. This is JAK writing as the Jayne Castle she saves for her paranormal tales, and it's her best writing of late. I have been a wee tad disappointed in her last several hardbacks, especially in her Amanda Quicks (her historical romance name). She seems to have polished her diamond too much and lost some of the spontaneity that was her trademark. But in Amaryllis, Zinnia and Orchid (and later with After Dark and After Glow) the off-world of Harmony antics show JAK at her top form. These books original received mixed reviews from fans, not completely used to JAK's paranormals. I often see the complaint JAK is a great writer, but the books are too patterned. It's in her Jayne Castle works where is her most original, yet her fans were initially resistant to the paranormal theme. Now the paranormal market has caught up with her, and is so hot, these are getting better reviews. So if you missed the Harmony tales, don't hesitate to seek them out.
In this off world tale, Amaryllis Lark is a private detective, but she is also a prism. In the Earth Colony of Harmony, people evolved with two supernatural talents: either they were a prism or a psychic. The prisms serve to increase the power of the psychics by channeling their powers through them, amplifying it and keeping it stable. Even the strongest of psychics needs a prism, for without them they cannot control and maintain their powers for long periods.
Lucas Trent, the founder of Lodestar, hires Amaryllis for her prism talents. He is an off the chart psychic who need the talent of a prism of his level. A psychic and a prism have to be matched. They are rated 1-10 levels and if a psychic is stronger than a prism, the prism can experience burn-out. There are few prisms who can handle Lucas Trent's strong psychic abilities, so he is delighted to discover Amaryllis can handle whatever power he channels through her.
Lucas is concerned one of his Lodestone employees is selling corporate information to his competition. He, originally, hired Amaryllis to help catch the industrial spy, and to use her talents as a prism to help his focus his psychic talent to trap the spy. But soon they are involved in a murder mystery. In this case, opposites do attract, and Lucas and Amaryllis sizzle, their attraction amplified by the psy-power between them. However, Amaryllis is undergoing the rigors of a matchmaking
service. All solid marriages on Harmony are founded on this service. While she is falling in love with Lucas, she fears it will only be an affair. Lucas has other plans and is not about to let his true match slip through his fingers.
In order to foil nasty corporate to-dos, they are forced to join talents...and more! A super, brilliant work from the fine craft of JAK, without the narrow POV (point of view) being voiced on writers today. Simply magic!
A Lush Futuristic Romance Fantasy & A Fun Read!!.......2004-09-08
St. Helen's, a lush green world, is an earth colony founded by humans over two centuries before "Amaryllis" begins. The original humans, Founders, were stranded shortly after discovering the planet, and were forever cut off from their home on earth. They adapted to the new environment, utilizing native metals and materials, but much of the science and technology they brought with them was lost over time. Eventually the population of St. Helens evolved into two kinds of humans - "prisms" and "talents," both with psychic ability. Talents have significant degrees of paranormal ability, but cannot focus their energy without a prism. The necessary link between a "talent" and a "prism" has to be mutually consensual in order to accomplish any paranormal activity.
Amaryllis Lark, a professional, academically trained full-spectrum prism, is quite beautiful - but she's also a buttoned-up, prim, proper kind of gal who plays by the rules. Amaryllis is a top psychic detective at Psynergy, Inc., one of the best companies in the business. Lucas Trent, president of Lodestar Exploration and Mining, is a talent of the strongest degree, but he needs Amaryllis to work with him in order to focus his paranormal gifts, and assist him in a simple investigation. Needless to say, Lucas is definitely not prim or proper, nor does he have rules - but when the two join forces, sparks fly! Their business arrangement turns into a murder investigation, and a much closer merger than either of them bargained for.
Jayne Castle has a real winner with "Amaryllis." St, Helens is a fascinating world peopled with some real characters. Lucas and Amaryllis are polar opposites - she's Miss Priss, a real lady - and he lets it all hang out. That's why they're so good together. As a twosome they gravitate toward the middle and compromise, with many arguments and much humor along the way. The romance is steamy and the mystery exciting.
What else is there to say? If you like romance, the paranormal, novels about the future, or just a good story - this book is for you!
JANA
Average customer rating:
- The Sea, a love, and loss...
- "Do you believe in things you can't explain?"
- Mysterious fathoms below
- The Eyes of Excitement!!!
- This is the best book
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The Eyes of the Amaryllis
Natalie Babbitt
Manufacturer: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Action & Adventure | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
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Babbitt, Natalie | ( B ) | Authors & Illustrators, A-Z | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
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( B ) | Authors & Illustrators, A-Z | Children's Books | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books | Bauer, Marion Dane | Baum, L. Frank | Benton, Jim | Berenstain, Jan | Berenstain, Stan | Blake, Quentin | Blume, Judy | Bourgeois, Paulette | Boynton, Sandra | Brett, Jan | Bridwell, Norman | Brown, Marc | Brown, Margaret Wise | Bruchac, Joseph | Bunting, Eve | Burnett, Frances Hodgson | Byars, Betsy
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ASIN: 0374422389 |
Book Description
When the brig Amaryllis was swallowed in a hurricane, the captain and all the crew were swallowed, too. For thirty years the captain's widow, Geneva Reade, has waited, certain that her husband will send her a message from the bottom of the sea. But someone else is waiting, too, and watching her, a man called Seward. Into this haunted situation comes Jenny, the widow's granddaughter. The three of them, Gran, Jenny, and Seward, are drawn into a kind of deadly game with one another and with the sea, a game that only the sea knows how to win.
Customer Reviews:
The Sea, a love, and loss..........2006-03-31
"Your grandfather and I- what we felt for each other just doesn't stop."
Jenny (named Geneva after her grandmother) must go to live with her grandmother while a broken leg is on the mend. She uproots herself from a quiet life in Springfield to relocate to the seaside, in an old house that her father was raised in that has remained unchanged since an eventful date 30 years prior. Her feisty, yet stubborn, grandmother has only one thing in mind, to reconnect in some way with her husband who perished at sea 3 decades earlier.
At first Jenny is ambivalent about her grandmother and the home, knowing that her father left after his father's death has left some presupposed opinions of the life she leads here. Daily Geneva makes Jenny search the tide, desperately seeking some sign from her long dead husband that he is coming for her. Soon rumours of men who walk the shore and other oddities reach Jenny's ears and she begins to wonder if her stubborn grandmother has a good reason to be so, especially when a storm brings exactly what Geneva has been longing for, a sign from her husband.
Written by Newbery Honoree Natalie Babbitt "Amaryllis" is a wonderful tale of longing and the human heart. I still prefer "Tuck Everlasting", but I am quickly becoming such a fan of Babbitt's that I believe every child should read her work. She has wonderful tidbits of morality and the human condition peppered throughout her narratives, and morality tales have always been a huge favourite of mine. I recommend the "Amaryllis" to anyone who enjoys tales of the sea, of love, and a life devoted to loss.
"Do you believe in things you can't explain?".......2005-12-12
"Like things in fairy tales?"
"No, child. I mean - that all the daily things we do, and all the things we can touch and see in this world, are only one part of what's there, and that there's another world all around us all the time that's mostly hidden from us."
- the two Geneva Reades, herein
"'A brig, [the Amaryllis] was, a big two-master. A beautiful thing to see. Your grandfather owned her, and he was her captain, too. He sailed her up and down the coast from Maine to the Caribbean.'
'Did you ever go along?'
'No, I never did. Women aren't welcome on trading ships, you know...and yet in a way I did go along. Look more closely there. Do you see the figurehead? ...It's a likeness of me. That's an amaryllis I'm holding. A big red lily from the islands.'"
- the two Geneva Reades, herein
"Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it."
- Song of Solomon 8:7
For thirty years, Jenny Reade's grandmother has lived alone, refusing all her son's offers to make a new home with him, away from the sea that swallowed his father's ship, the _Amaryllis_, within sight of the house when he was only a boy. For the elder Geneva Reade wanted no other life than the one she'd had with the Captain, and she couldn't accept that it was over. She has kept vigil alone, walking the beach at every high tide, waiting for some relic of the _Amaryllis_ to be washed ashore. But it isn't just chance she puts her faith in...
The week before the story opens, Gran broke her ankle, and now her granddaughter Jenny is finally being allowed to spend a few weeks by the sea her father still fears as an ever-present reminder of his father's death. Gran finally lets Jenny into her confidence, because although she can still look after herself, she can't keep up her twice-daily searches without help.
THE EYES OF THE AMARYLLIS is set in the nineteenth century, in the age of sail, although since it is so taken up with that timeless element, the sea, the story doesn't date much except when Gran and Jenny sometimes go through Gran's treasures, small and sometimes gaudy things brought from ports far away by the Captain long ago, or the occasional intrusions from the outside world.
I've always liked this story, and now that I pause to consider *why* I like it, there are a number of reasons that I can't always explain. The writing is beautiful, while being very clear. The characters and their relationships are complex, with shades of grey that Jenny can't help noticing. Her Gran's fierce love and deep faith in her husband are very fine, and her strength and determination are like rock itself, but she chose to let her son go when he couldn't handle living with the sea as an ever-present reminder of witnessing his father's death. They love each other, but have a troubled relationship.
Also, this isn't a simple, linear plot - there's also the story of Nicholas, who was like a surrogate elder son to the Reades, the sculptor who carved the _Amaryllis_' figurehead, and was lost at sea not long after the ship went down. His story, too, is a bit of fine characterization when Gran finally tells it - and Jenny, being young, sees it as a romantic tragedy, while Gran sees it simply as a terrible, foolish waste.
And not least, there's the open question of what to believe about Gran's long vigil by the sea, and what mysteries the sea might hold. The mysterious human guardian of the sea, Seward - will he interfere? It's a particularly good touch that Seward isn't painted as either good or evil, and neither is the sea - they're both mysterious forces, not properly understood, and in some ways perhaps beyond understanding.
"This place, this house - she saw more clearly than ever, now, that it stood at the edge of another world, at the edge where the things she understood and the things beyond her understanding began to merge and blur. That other world - it brought on transformations, and its blurring edge was marked by the hemline of the sea."
- herein
Mysterious fathoms below.......2005-06-06
Before reading "The Eyes of the Amaryllis", I'd harbored the secret suspicion that Natalie Babbitt's best known work, "Tuck Everlasting", was a fluke. I don't mean to say that the great writing found in that book was of a fluke-like nature. I mean that I thought of Babbitt as a children's author who preferred to write realistic fiction and once, in the case of "Tuck", wrote something fantastical. I don't know where I got that idea. Maybe it came from "Tuck" itself. There's something about that book that feels a little too natural. Like the author would much rather be writing about hardcore issues and is just using the whole "living forever" thing as a metaphor. So when I picked up "The Eyes of the Amaryllis", I thought I'd know what to expect. A straightforward story about a girl and her grandmother by the sea. What I got instead was a supernatural thriller in which two mortal souls go head to head with forces they cannot hope to understand. Thrilling? You don't know the half of it.
Though named after her father's mother, Jenny Reade has never visited the old woman at her house by the sea. This is mostly because Jenny's father is afraid of that cruel old ocean. Years ago, when he was just a teen, her dad watched in horror as his father's ship, the Amaryllis, went down in a catastrophic storm. Since that time he has been afraid of the vastness of the ocean while his mother, the hardened woman Geneva Reade, has waited patiently for a sign from her drowned husband. When Jenny comes to stay with Geneva for a couple weeks, she thinks she's just going to do some chores and play by the seaside. Instead, she becomes enmeshed in a wild adventure. For while Geneva's husband does indeed send his wife a sign, the sea is not happy with the gift and demands it back. By force, as it happens.
Reading this book, I found it was rather similar to "Daughter of the Sea" by Berlie Doherty. Both books praise the ocean to no end, but if I were to choose the stronger of the two, "The Eyes of the Amaryllis" wins hands down. Babbitt's in fine form here. The reader begins the tale with as much healthy skepticism as Jenny herself, and ends up believing her grandmother's wild stories just as the heroine does. There are beautiful descriptive passages here and a wonderfully exciting climax with a hurricane. There are ghosts, drowned men, and mysterious presents that are never meant to be kept. I've little doubt that Babbitt herself has spent a lot of time with the ocean. This book is a love story to a powerful, dangerous thing.
For those readers who enjoyed "Tuck Everlasting" and wouldn't mind a little more Babbitty weirdness in their reading diet, "The Eyes of the Amaryllis" is a fine follow-up. It's not particularly long (so reluctant readers will rejoice) and the plot is fast-paced without ever feeling stilted. For any kid who hungers for tales of ghosts and mysteries, go no farther than this fog-swept tale.
The Eyes of Excitement!!!.......2005-03-10
We just completed reading this book in our third grade reading group, at an independent school in Brooklyn Heights, NY. Say the students, "It was the best book we ever read in reading group."
I also found it amazing--so many themes, including the line between fantasy and reality, between the living and the dead, the sea and the land--memory, moving on after a great loss.
This is not a "kid's" book at all--it's equally enjoyable for all ages. I highly recommend, as do my remarkable students.
This is the best book.......2002-06-16
In 6th grade my favorite teacher had our class read my favorite book, The Eyes of the Amaryllis. I liked this book so much that I told my best friend (in another class) that she had to read it. She did and she loved it. And to my teacher's surprise my whole class loved it too! This book will stick with you forever once you read it. The Eyes of the Amaryllis will keep you reading until you finish, and once you finish you will be in awe of what a wonderful book this is! I LOVE this book!
Book Description
The hybrids of Hippeastrum, also known by gardeners as amaryllis, have long been popular indoor plants, their flamboyant blooms bringing cheer during the dark winter months. Published in association with the Royal Horticultural Society as part of our Plant Collector Guide series, this book for gardeners describes the astonishing range of hybrids now available and explains how to get the best results from these rewarding plants. A wealth of practical advice accompanies the plant descriptions, including a specially formulated growing medium used by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, an effective "hot water treatment" for pests, and essential advice on feeding, watering, and lighting.
Customer Reviews:
A nice book, though not a photo catalog.......2007-01-17
This book is a nice book for those who like Hippeastrums. I ordered it hoping to get a photo catalog of all hybrids (as they were listed in the index). However, for each of hybrids there is only text information (though rather full), but no photos. There are also some nice photos in the colourful middle of the book with some rare varieties and hybrids.
In Depth coverage of Amaryllis species.......2006-05-04
I read this book through in one sitting. As a new Amaryllis enthusiast, I needed help in identifying a mislabeled bulb that I had received in the mail. The excellent pictures and detailed discriptions, in this book, answered my identification question, and many more questions that I had about the proper culture of this beautiful plant. The book identifies many of the more unusal cultivars which are now becoming available through mail order catalogs. The author's enthusiasm and love of Amaryllis is evident on every page.
More (and less) than you want to know.......2006-02-21
Timber Press's horticultural books always present beautifully: glossy paper, colored plates, and densely-packed text that makes you think you'll learn all you ever wanted to know about a particular plant family. Many appear to be written by British horticulturalists associated with some Royal garden or another. And, many appear to be written FOR other British horticulturalists of some Royal garden or another. I was excited to get this book, because I love hippeastrums; but I found many pages that I needn't spend much time on, such as long descriptions of research and researchers in countries around the world. As for learning more about how to grow them, you'll glean a few ideas, but unless you have a tissue culture laboratory, a climate-controlled greenhouse, and access to all the soil and chemical products that are available in the UK (or only given by their UK name or description), you'll probably not do much with the rest of the cultural information.
I've looked over a number of the Timber Press plant guides, and this one seems to be typical of their presentation. The pictures are a joy to look at. But these books are often heavy on varieties and products that the average person will never come across, even in the age of the internet. I'm not saying they'll not be valuable to someone; only that I find they don't live up to their promise to me, and I suspect to most average plant lovers.
Dedicated to the hybrids of this popular indoor plant .......2004-10-12
Hippeastrum: The Gardener's Amaryllis by Veronica M. Read is a 344-page compendium dedicated to the hybrids of this popular indoor plant (commonly called amaryllis) that exhibits flamboyant blooms during dark winter months. An internationally recognized expert who draws upon more than ten years of personal experience, Veronica Read explains how gardeners and horticulturalists can get the best results from their efforts with a wealth of plant descriptions (including more than one hundred beautiful, full color photographs), practical advice, specially formulated growing medium used by the Royal Botanic Gardens, propagation instructions, and even an effective hot water treatment for pests! Hippeastrum is an impressive and strongly recommended specialized addition for personal gardening, professional horticultural reference collections.
Average customer rating:
- Taut suspense with realistic characterization
- what is auhor is author trying to be?
- Good First Novel
- Writing Buddy Swoons
- New Star on The Horizon
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Forcing Amaryllis
Louise Ure
Manufacturer: Grand Central Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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ASIN: 0446615021 |
Book Description
From a gripping new author comes the haunting story of Calla Gentry, a trial consultant determined to discover the truth about her sister's brutal rape. A trial consultant in Tucson, Arizona, Calla Gentry devotes her time and energy to victims in civil cases rather than criminal trials. The rape and near murder of her sister Amaryllis has done much more than affect Calla's career; she hides behind locked doors and jumps at shadows, a veritable victim by proxy after Amaryllis is left in a coma following a failed suicide attempt.When Calla is assigned against her will to the trial of Raymond Cates, a wealthy landowner's son accused of rape and first degree murder, she cannot help but note the parallels between the crime he stands accused of and her sister's assault. Determined to uncover the truth, Calla begins an investigation of Cates and the events of that fateful night. But things are seldom what they seem-and her investigation leads Calla to buried lies and a whole new world of violent rage.
Customer Reviews:
Taut suspense with realistic characterization.......2007-03-15
Amaryllis' sister makes impulsive decisions that end up nearly costing her her life in this readable novel set in the western part of the United States. An unsuspected twist near the end of the novel keeps the pages swiftly turning until our tenacious heroine ultimately solves this very personal and poignant mystery.
what is auhor is author trying to be?.......2006-10-06
Had the potential, all the elements to be a good story, but the outline falls apart as you read on. Plot is implausible. This is a vulgur story, tormenting and sad because it's discussion of serial rape and not a "mystery". Seems the author had a finale she was shooting for and the plausibility of the actions that lead up to it are of secondary importance. Is she trying to be Patricia Cornwell?
Good First Novel.......2006-07-06
"Forcing Amaryllis" is Louise Ure's first novel and it's a good start. Many people consider this one of the best crime/mystery debuts of 2005. It was recently nominated for a Shamus award for best first novel, and may get nominated for some other awards soon.
I enjoyed this book, but it isn't perfect. The major problem I had was with the plotting. This book is REALLY slow in the middle, and doesn't really pick up until the last 100 pages or so. This book also contains very little suspense generally (until the very end). I also had some minor problems with the main character, who was likable but too angst-ridden for my tastes.
Despite these flaws, this book is very well written overall. I very much enjoyed the descriptions of life in the Southwest, and I thought the trial at the end was very well handled. I therefore look foward to future books from this writer.
Writing Buddy Swoons.......2005-08-30
I, like some others, have to say up front that I know Louise personally from a writing group. While I never got to hear the ending during my time in the group, she had me hooked immediately. Louise really hits the mark and all the well-derserved accolades contain no hype. No lulls in this read. It's delightfuly scary and wonderfully clever. I visited Tuscon for the first time last January and since reading her book, I feel like I have lived there. This book will be gifted to many appreciative friends.
New Star on The Horizon.......2005-08-25
Move over, Sue Grafton and Janet Evanovich. There's a new girl in town.
Louise Ure's "Forcing Amaryllis" is a hot Tucson read from beginning to end. Vivid language evokes the true essence of the Southern Arizona experience while drawing the reader into the story with a strangle-hold. Good thing it's a fast read because it was hard to put down.
Where's the next one? Quick, I need it NOW!
Book Description
Is there a flower more mesmerizing than the graceful and gorgeously hued amaryllis? Renowned author and photographer Starr Ockenga captures the beauty of this stunning flower in this vibrant journal.
160 pages (lined), 6 x 8 inches, with a wire-O binding
Customer Reviews:
Beautiful.......2006-02-25
Exactly as promised, would have liked to have seen the inside as it is ruled slightly smaller than I would have liked. Otherwise, it's perfect!
Average customer rating:
- I Was Their in 1968-1969...
- Excellent Book
- Amaryllis
- Intriguing Book About the Relationship Between Brothers!
- Intriguing Book About Family!
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Amaryllis
Craig Crist-Evans
Manufacturer: Candlewick
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0763629901
Release Date: 2006-03-14 |
Book Description
"This is a powerful tale of family, forgiveness, and acceptance of what life throws in our paths - but ultimately, with its almost painful realism, this is the finest depiction of war we've yet seen for young readers." — KIRKUS REVIEWS (starred review)
AMARYLLIS. It was the name of the ship that ran aground on Singer Island, Florida, during a hurricane in 1965. It became a battle cry for Jimmy Staples and his older brother, Frank, and a code word for going surfing together. But now that eighteen-year-old Frank is off battling the enemy (and his own addictive demons) in Vietnam and fifteen-year-old Jimmy is left to deal with the repercussions at home, "Amaryllis" takes on an ominous new meaning - a symbol of what happens when life places the unexpected in our paths.
Craig Crist-Evans has written a wrenching novel of a family whose internal battles chase one son away - into the clutches of a war and an enemy he could never have imagined. Told both from a soldier's view and by the brother he leaves behind, Amaryllis is an ideal choice for students learning about the Vietnam era, or for any reader curious about the reality of war.
Customer Reviews:
I Was Their in 1968-1969..........2006-03-28
I found the little things like the F-U lizards funny. They really sounded like that. I remember the 1st time I heard one. It was on a cold dark rainy night (can't see your hand in front of you even if you are touching your noise) on guard duty at a fire base 40 miles out in the middle of knowwhere. There were a few junkies in my units. Probably more than I knew. I remember one guy named Walker. Guys would start junkie pools and put in a $1 and pick a date when you thought he'd O.D. by. I never really thought of all the families that had kids killed and what they went through. I had a brother 10 years younger than me. Had I been KIA or MIA it would have effected my brother the same way it did Jimmy. My brother & I are very close and talk to each other every day. The Vietnam war was a real waste of time and lives. It is a sad part of US history. To bad we can't learn from history.
Excellent Book.......2004-04-26
I loved Amaryllis!!! I also remember the Vietnam era. I felt I could hear Franks voice in his letters to Jimmy. Craig Crist- Evans captured the helpless feeling of Franks questioned existance while fighting his demons.
Hopefully, a POW story will follow!!!!
Amaryllis.......2003-12-07
Growing up in the time of the Vietnam war and growing up in Florida, I can totally relate to this book. It was, indeed, a time of great turmoil in this country and also brought to the surface many family's individual struggles. Crist-Evans gives us a touching insight into one family's attempts to wrestle with their own personal demons as well as the demons of their country and times. Got a little misty at the end.
Intriguing Book About the Relationship Between Brothers!.......2003-11-02
This book is a great read for teens and their parents! Both will get hooked on the writing style and the communication between father and son. It's great how the two brothers stay in contact through the troubles and confusions! I would definately recommend this book to you!
Intriguing Book About Family!.......2003-11-02
This book caught my attention when I saw the title. I read the first page and I was hooked! This author has a great writing style. He also attracts people of my age with his writing style. If you want to read other books by Craig Crist-Evans please check out Moon Over Tennessee!
Average customer rating:
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Amaryllis Rouge Note Cards
Starr Ockenga
Manufacturer: Potter Style
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
General | Flowers | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0307342131
Release Date: 2006-10-10 |
Book Description
Keep your notes colorful with these brilliant images of amaryllis blooms.
16 note cards, 4 each of 4 designs, with 17 envelopes, 4 3/8 x 5 7/8 inches
Customer Reviews:
Perfect!.......2007-09-08
As someone who collects amaryllis bulbs, I was ecstatic when I discovered these cards. They're beautifully photographed. I got surprised with a copy of my book Wrapped in Comfort: Knitted Lace Shawls signed by every single person who worked for my publisher as a congratulations at the time it was released, and the particular amaryllis that is on the back cover of this box of cards was exquisitely perfect in capturing my sense of jaw-on-the-floor delight and surprise. So you know I used that one to write back and tell them all thank you. Perfect. It was exactly what I needed. And the rest of the cards are just as gorgeous. Thank you, Starr Ockenga!
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