Customer Reviews:
Superfluous; Not Enough Info on the Cast/Series.......2003-03-23
"Twin Peaks: Access Guide to the Town" opens with a puzzling, rather humorous letter from Mayor Milford (isn't he always?), which gives the pace to the rest of this tongue-in-cheek, pseudo-guide of Twin Peaks, Washington. There is some fun stuff in here, like mini bios and mug shots of the more relevant cast members (but why did the waitress from the Great Northern get such a large bio?), town maps, and even the jukebox selections at the Double R Diner, plus some recipes for any Twin Peaker's diet: cherry pie, coffee, and doughnuts.
However, this book is absolutely brimming with useless facts, like an excerpt from Andrew Packard's will, a ten-page section on Packard Sawmill (oh, thrills), Washington State history, first explorers, Native American tribes, flora, fauna, geology, weather, and a bizarre advertisement for Tim and Tom's Taxi-dermy (one part blind taxi driver; one part taxidermist). Even if you condensed the more important stuff, it would never reach the current 112 pages, but less than 1/4 of that, if that much.
I wouldn't consider this book necessary reading, even if you are a Twin Peaks fan; but if you love to collect Twin Peaks stuff (like I do), then you might consider buying this book. Even so, Twin Peaks fans looking for info on the series will more than likely be disappointed, because this book reads more like a boring tourist guide or junior high history textbook than a TV tie-in. I'd recommend checking out "Welcome to Twin Peaks: A Complete Guide to Who's Who and What's What" and/or "Twin Peaks: Behind the Scenes" instead.
A map, some clues, and some damn fine coffee.......1999-02-10
What would a third season of this great television show provided? This book provides the clues as well as other interesting tidbits, including a drawing of the Owl Cave petroglyph and other oddities. Some entries are sketchy a best, but this is a must have for any fan of the little town with a popualtion of 51,201
Customer Reviews:
A Captivating Read With an Unsatisfying Ending.......2006-11-18
Yes, I am familiar with the whole Laura Palmer story, but even so, I was not that impressed. I will admit that it grabbed me, and I ended up finishing the entire book in a few hours. The BOB dialogue bugged me, and I thought it was sort of cheesy. It made the whole idea of it being a "real" diary sort of unrealistic. I can, however, appreciate the way the story was about how drug/sex addiction and child abuse are interwined. So, for that I give it TWO stars, instead of one. (Oh, and by the way, to the person who mentioned the book "Go Ask Alice" --- it was a fake diary.)
A lot like Go Ask Alice: but even more sad if that's possible.......2006-06-19
I was a big Twin Peaks fan and watched the show faithfully, right up to the end. I even saw Fire Walk With Me in the theaters opening weekend.
I have to say reading this book gave me the chills. It was very heartbreaking,sad and terrifying as you read how Laura Palmer's life unfolded from ages 12 to 17.
I know there are a lot of theories from fans regarding whether BOB was real or someone Laura's sub-consciously made up to block any truth that her father was abusing her. But as Agent Cooper said in the show: Would it be any easier if I told you a man would rape and murder his own daughter?
In reading this you can almost hear Sheryl Lee's voice: from joy to sadness, terrified to angry, hopeful to hopeless: all the emotions are conveyed here.
In a way this would be a companion piece to the young adult novel "Go Ask Alice" , which was based on a true diary. Both books delve into the world of the All Amercan Girl and see their dreams go horribly astray.
Kudos to Jennifer Lynch for writing a very powerful work that may in fact help people who have beeen victims of abuse break free so that they don't become Laura Palmer herself.
Not worth the time.......2006-04-22
I'm a big Twin Peaks fan but this was a bit of a stretch for even me. It gave a couple of insites, but really. Why didn't they do a book on the history of Bob or any other topic that was touched upon in the show but not fully explored? It's just not worth the time.
IT SUCKS YOU IN..........2005-11-03
I am the first to admit that this is a book for die-hard Twin Peaks fans only, but doesn't that kind of go without saying? I doubt anyone else would even consider reading this book or even know of its existence. So this review is from the perspective of a Peaks fanatic.
This book grabs you from the start. I received it in the mail when I got home from work last night around 5:30, and I had it finished by 11:00--it's about 180 pages. Its conversational tone makes it a fast read, for sure, but it's Laura's completely unusual, fascinating experiences that really get the pages turning. The great thing about it is that it gives you further insight into the world of Twin Peaks, specifically Laura Palmer, obviously. TP is a very layered, complex "world" that requires multiple viewings to truly appreciate. Fire Walk With Me provided much appreciated insight into Laura's final week, but this diary goes so much further than that and highlights Laura's life from the age of 12 and off and on until 17, when she died. It is genuinely fascinating to see Laura change from a generally happy, if somewhat "different" 12-year-old into a tormented soul who welcomes death. The influence of Bob increases over time, though he had always been there. The pain seems so real, you can't really blame her for some of her outrageous and even hurtful behavior. I'm not going to give away anything specific, but suffice it to say that there is ample support for Dr. Jacoby's statements in the first season: To Agent Cooper that Laura should not be faulted for her cocaine addiction, and to Bobby that she didn't mean to hurt him, she just had no control over her own life.
Speaking of Bobby Briggs, this book goes into quite a bit of detail about their relationship. Although he softens considerably over the course of the show, this diary cements the idea that he was always misunderstood. If there was any doubt that Laura's relationship with Bobby was actually much deeper than her relationship with James Hurley, this book puts that doubt to rest for good. Here Bobby emerges as someone who understands Laura better than almost anyone, even though he didn't know her "secret." But he sensed it was there.
There are some pretty surprising revelations in this book, quite a feat, really.
Jennifer Lynch really succeeded in capturing the essense of Laura Palmer's struggle with Bob. I'm guessing she was briefed by her Dad beforehand--David Lynch has said that he has the world of Laura and Twin Peaks mapped out in his mind, and that TP will always be there, just no one is pointing a camera at it right now.
I must also comment on one poster's assessment of Bob's speaking through Laura as "dumb." How is it dumb if that was the reality in Laura's life? As for the poster who suggested that Jennifer Lynch was working through her own issues in writing this book, that is just uncalled for. Nothing in this book is inconsistent with what we already knew about Laura Palmer. Was there any doubt that she was one seriously screwed-up chick?
Only for the most ardent Peaks fan..........2005-06-27
I finally had a chance to sit down and read this book. Unless you are a die-hard Peaks fan who has to know everything about the Laura's life was like up until her death - don't read this. It's very hard to read the erotic dreams that Laura was having (at the hands of her father/BOB) and you can't help but wonder if author Ms. Lynch (David's daughter) perhaps wasn't working through some of her own personal issues in writing it.
Customer Reviews:
Aces!!.......2007-08-20
This book - if you can find a copy - is a witty and entertaining companion to the television series. It covers Cooper's life from childhood [and his first audio recorder] through his FBI career [including the tragedies surrounding his partner Windom Earle], and finally ends where the TV series begins. It offers more insight and exploration into Cooper's character beyond what we already see in the show and film.
This, along with The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer (A Twin Peaks Book) by Jennifer Lynch and the faux travelguide: Twin Peaks: An Access Guide to the Town by David Lynch and Mark Frost, completes a set of official book companions to the series.
One last note: as with "The Secret Diary..." there are a few inconsistencies between the description of some events in the books versus the TV series and the film prequel "Fire Walk With Me", but not enough to detract from the book's value overall.
^o^
Book Description
Now these two hot authors come together in this sensational trio of stories that exquisitely explore the erotic adventures of twins-desires that cross the boundaries of the flesh and the imagination.
Fantasy comes daringly to life in this unique collection.
Customer Reviews:
A yummy steamy read.......2007-07-02
Twin Peaks consists of three stories - one written by Susan Johnson and two written by Jasmine Haynes. Each story deals with twins.
In Susan Johnson's story "Wedding Surprise", it's the hero who has a twin. Sophie Piper is a teacher and she's been hot for Jake Finn, the football coach, since she met him six weeks ago. They're both at the same wedding and Sophie decides to take advantage of the situation. What she doesn't know is that Jake has a twin, Jasper. And that guy she's just seduced? Well, that's not Jake... I found this to be an enjoyable read - great dialog and steamy sex.
"Double the Pleasure" by Jasmine Haynes tells the story of Kristin Prescott, the shy twin who generally fades in to the background, and who has the hots for her boss Ross Sloan. To give herself confidence, Kristin pretends that she's her sister, Kirby and goes after Ross. Though this seems to be a common plot in twin stories, this was a fun read. My only problem with this story is a minor nit - I don't know of too bosses who use formal names for their assistant ("Miss Prescott"). I know, it works as part of the story, but it bothered me.
"Skin Deep" also by Jasmine Haynes is the prize in this trilogy. Jasmine is super confident. After being burned, she likes her relationships casual. And the man she really enjoys is Jack Taylor, a sales rep for her cosmetics company. They've been having phone sex and now Jack wants to meet her. Bravo to Ms. Haynes for creating a hero who doesn't have a lot of hair or height, but is still a sexy man. This was a nice change from your typical hero and a terrific read.
I bought this book because I enjoyed Somebody's Lover by Jasmine Haynes and wanted to see if that was a fluke or if Jasmine Haynes is really that good. After reading this book, I've discovered she's really that good - I'm off to find more of her books!
In your face sex........2007-05-13
OK, I like sex too but how about some believable story to go with it. The first story, "Wedding Surprise", is just too unbelievable and not a turn on in the least. She mistakenly sleeps with the wrong brother and the other brother forgives her and they live happily ever after? Hmm. Now, the 2nd and 3rd stories of twins Kirby and Kristin fare somewhat better. Kirby is a fantastic heroine and her boss, Ross, is so sexy and romantic that I overlook the fact that she pretends to be her sister to get him to sleep with her. Hot! Kristin and Jack's story was straight up in your face sex. No sneaky-deaky. Just two hot and horny people doing what our bodies were made for.
Different and enjoyable.......2007-05-01
This book consists of 3 novellas about twins. I give 4 stars to Wedding Surprise written by Susan Johnson and Skin Deep written by Jasmine Haynes. I give 3 stars to Double The Pleasure written by Jasmine Haynes. I found Wedding Surprise to be great fun. Fun characters, neat guys, surprising predicament, neat ending. I look forward to reading more from Susan Johnson. The 2nd story, Double the Pleasure was entertaining, not great, but still fun to read. SPOILER: I did not like that Kirby had a conversation with Ross with the door open. It was obvious that there would be a crisis if Kristen overheard them which was what happened. The 3rd story, Skin Deep, was different from typical romance novels. The hero was short and bald, and they had an unusual relationship. They had never met in person but had a phone sex and phone friend relationship for many months until he came to her town to meet her. I was surprised that I continued to think about this story and the characters days later. I plan to try another book by J. Haynes also. Sexual content: strong.
*OKAY*.......2006-07-22
This was okay. I wish Susan Johnson would stick to historical erotic romance. This is hot, good sex, a little hokey. Not my favorite. Light read, quick read. Hope this helps.
Jasmine Haynes is a writer to watch!.......2005-08-04
Twin Peaks is a collection of three stories that includes Wedding Surprise by Susan Johnson and Double the Pleasure and Skin Deep by Jasmine Haynes.
In Wedding Surprise by Susan Johnson teacher Sophie Piper had been lusting after Coach Jake Finn for awhile. When she gets the chance at a friend's wedding to make her sexy dreams of Jake come true she jumps right into bed with him, little realizing that it's actually his twin brother Jasper. She soon realizes her error and her feelings for Jake haven't changed but now that it looks like she's finally got a chance with him how does she tell him that she ended up with his brother?
Susan Johnson's stories are always steamy and Wedding Surprise is no exception. I had a little trouble with the brother switch but I still enjoyed Wedding Surprise and fans of Susan Johnson will enjoy this short story.
Jasmine Haynes' Double the Pleasure and Skin Deep are by far the best stories in this collection and focuses on twin sisters Kirby and Kristin Prescott. In Double the Pleasure Kristin Prescott has been in love with her boss, Ross Sloan, for a long time. However Kristin has always been the shy and overlooked twin. In order to make her fantasies of Ross come true she pretends to be Kirby and seduces him. But once she become involved in a passionate affair with him how does she tell him that she's really his reliable secretary? Or does Ross already know? Skin Deep is Kirby's story. For two years Kirby has been having a "phone relationship" with Jack Taylor. Now Jack is moving to the same city as Kirby and is determined to make their relationship more than just talking. Kirby finds herself falling for Jack but after a devastating relationship she's afraid to let Jack inside her heart. Jasmine Haynes, who also writes as Jennifer Skully and JB Skully is quickly becoming a writer to watch. Her stories are sensual but the sensuality doesn't overload the emotional connection between the main characters. Readers who are new to Jasmine Haynes will enjoy these stories so much that they will find themselves looking for her other titles.
Melissa
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed
Amazon.com
It's fashionable to assert that television is bad and is inherently doomed to be worse, even evil. However, every now and then, the rabbit ears capture spasms of glory -- and this book makes a reasonably convincing case that shows such as Hill St. Blues, Moonlighting, Twin Peaks, Northern Exposure, and ER are not only good television, but possibly even works of high culture. The flip side of the story is also compellingly reported: that in many cases, these anomalous movements towards quality will be suppressed or even suffocated by the industry, regardless of public sentiment. A good book -- possibly excellent.
Customer Reviews:
An essential book for understanding the development of TV in the past quarter century.......2006-06-23
This excellent book on the development of what is widely known as Quality TV remains one of the finest books published in the field of television studies. Although television has now been around for sixty years, good writing about television shows has only developed in the past twenty years. Not that there wasn't a great deal of writing about television before then; it is merely that most writing was about the medium of television in a somewhat sociological/anthropological mode rather than in a textual analysis mode. Many earlier television scholars were as or more apt to write about the interaction of shows and commercials embedded within them as the shows themselves. In fact, prior to the last fifteen years it is difficult to find many writers who wrote directly about the shows as artistic productions.
The book's greatest strength is in its identification of the qualities that make up quality television shows and the discussion of the development of a series of shows in the eighties and early nineties that encapsulated those qualities. These parts of the book are very, very good indeed and one will be hard pressed to find better discussions of why HILL STREET BLUES, ST. ELSEWHERE, and MOONLIGHTING were great shows. The lead-up chapters that detail the pre-history of quality TV are also outstanding. Most of my review is going to argue with several of Thompson's points, but I want to be explicit that one of the virtues of a good book is that it makes you want to argue with it. Ludwig Wittgenstein told one of his students that a mark of a great book was that it made you want to throw it across a room and yell at it. I think Thompson is very wrong at several points, but he is wrong in important ways, and a reader can learn a great deal by debating Thompson as he or she reads.
One of the parts I want to argue with he is characterization of what counts as a Quality TV show. I'm not quite sure he is correct in dismissing, for instance, STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION, as a quality TV show. I guess my complaint is that Thompson wants to establish a genre, one that would exclude unrealistic shows such as STAR TREK. But what of BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER? This is very widely considered to be one of the truly great series of the past decade. Several of the television critics he quotes with approval--in particular David Bianculli and Ken Tucker--were both passionate admirers of BUFFY, lavishing praise on the show unequaled by any other show. Furthermore, Thompson seems to view the way that shows are received on college campuses as a mark of a show's quality. No show comes anywhere close to BUFFY in the way that it has been received by the academic community. In fact, academic papers on BUFFY come close to matching all papers written on all other shows combined in the past ten years. Yet, Thompson clearly states that two marks of quality shows are that they tend to win awards and that they are realistic. BUFFY received vast critical acclaim (and its reputation seems to grow with each passing year), but much to the consternation of the critics that praised it, it failed to receive any Emmys (apart from some minor ones) or even major nominations. And while it was a hybrid show (a blend of fantasy, drama, comedy, romance, and teen genres), one of the marks of a quality show as identified by Thompson, it was a show about vampires, which would clearly seem to violate the realism rule. Perhaps Thompson would have adjusted his criteria with the appearance of BUFFY (and perhaps he already has). My point is that the criteria of quality TV as outlined by Thompson describes no necessary or sufficient conditions, but more in the way of the "family resemblances" of which Wittgenstein (to refer to him again) wrote in his work. There are qualities that shows tend to have, though some will lack. But I suggest the "realism" criterion should be jettisoned entirely.
The book's greatest flaw is in more or less assuming that the age of quality television had ended. In fact, the group of shows that came after this book went to press far surpasses in literateness and intelligence the group of shows Thompson focuses on. If you watch an episode of THE SOPRANOS and then watch an episode of HILL STREET BLUES, you will immediately be struck by how much more complex and intelligent the former is. I recently started rewatching MOONLIGHTING and doing so confirmed how far television has come since that show, both in intellectual complexity and in production quality. The latter is an important point since as Thompson points out MOONLIGHTING was one of the most expensive shows ever produced. But my main point is this: I'll take THE X-FILES, BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, THE SOPRANOS, FARSCAPE, SIX FEET UNDER, ANGEL, THE GILMORE GIRLS, DEAD LIKE ME, THE SHIELD, OZ, FIREFLY, SMALLVILLE, LOST, DEADWOOD, WONDERFALLS, THE WEST WING, ALIAS, 24, and VERONICA MARS over Thompson's group of shows any day.
I should note that in the final chapter Thompson does express some hope that the age of quality television has not ended, but there is definitely an overarching "rise and fall" tone to the book as a whole. The fact that he bizarrely finds such shows as TWIN PEAKS and NORTHERN EXPOSURE as harbingers that quality TV has pretty much exhausted its possibilities shows this. Thompson may hope that the era of quality TV is not over, but it is pretty clear that he fears that it is.
How did Thompson get it so wrong? I think the answer comes from his assessment of the effect that TWIN PEAKS had on television. Late in the book he writes, "TWIN PEAKS had an overall negative effect on quality drama." This is an absurd statement and I think it stems from Thompson's missing the overall effect that TWIN PEAKS had on television narrative. Although Thompson writes penetratingly and insightfully about most of the shows he takes up, he neglects one aspect of television that TWIN PEAKS changed. Thompson was a contributor to a book on the soap opera entitled WORLDS WITHOUT END: THE ART AND HISTORY OF THE SOAP OPERA. One thing all of the shows Thompson writes about except TWIN PEAKS is that none of them is structured around a master narrative. ST. ELSEWHERE and HILL STREET BLUES might contain six or seven or more lesser story arcs, but there isn't a real overarching story. There is a sense in which none of these shows is about anything in particular. The closest would be MOONLIGHTING with the ongoing flirtation between David and Maddie. What Thompson misses is that TWIN PEAKS introduced for the first time into a series an overarching master narrative. Although the show itself failed to produce a compelling long story arc in its second and disastrous season, the notion of a show being structured around a very long central story had been introduced. The first show that would profit from this would be THE X-FILES, with its seasons-long narrative dealing with alien colonization. The form would first be perfected in BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER with each of its seven seasons structured primarily around a single main narrative, although there were also a host of smaller arcs as well, some extending over several seasons. This narrative form has been taken to its logical extreme by LOST, which will in the course of its currently projected six seasons tell a single story, very much the way an epic novel would. A substantial number of the shows that I list in the previous paragraph have absorbed the formal structures developed by TWIN PEAKS, THE X-FILES, and BUFFY.
In fact, while Thompson was lamenting what he imagined to be end of television's second golden age, what he was writing about was a group of shows that laid the foundation for an even better group of shows in the nineties and our decade. I have searched to see what Thompson has written since the publication of this book to see if he has repented of his own prophecies, but without success. It is quite possible that Thompson disapproves, but hopefully he has been delighted that television not only did not regress to standards of a previous age, but has actually continued to improve.
The book is out of date in other ways as well. For instance, Thompson speculates that the reason the hour-long drama was fading from the airwaves (a fading away that turned out not to occur) was its poor performance in syndication. This is true, but Thompson was writing before the advent of the DVD and one thing that we have learned is that hour long shows excel on DVD. BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER has dramatically out performed on DVD most half-hour shows (as well as most hour long shows) that out did it in ratings during that show's seven-year run. LOST with its enormously complex plot, has done exceptionally well on DVD. The economics of DVD packaging is still being worked out, but in conjunction with syndication quality shows have a economic life that continues to make them viable in the industry.
Despite my disagreements with the book, this remains essential reading for anyone interested in the development of television in the past twenty-five years. Unlike Thompson, I remain optimistic about the future of quality TV. I have had my heart broken by a number of asinine cancellations (especially on FOX, where I have had to witness the demise of such great shows as WONDERFALLS, FIREFLY, and ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT). I suffer a bit in reading this book about how networks would stick with shows that were doing poorly in ratings to develop and promote them. That happens so rarely now, though I am delighted that the new CW network has stuck with VERONICA MARS, a ratings failure despite being one of the most critically acclaimed shows on TV. But as excellent as the book is, it remains a cautionary tale about prognostication. The unstated theme of the book seems to be the rise and decline of quality TV, whereas actual history has proclaimed the rise and further rise of it.
Memories of Great Television.......2006-06-14
This book is great at enhancing the viewing pleasure of classic TV shows now coming out on DVD. I read this book after viewing the first season of Hill Street Blues and the first three seasons of Moonlighting. I loved reading this and learned a lot about my favorite TV shows.
The case for television dramas as the mediums high art form.......2003-06-26
The title of this book is provocative but something of a serious misnomer. Robert J. Thompson points out early on that the original "Golden Age of Television" took place in the Fifties and was built on the variety shows like "Texaco Star Theater" and "Your Show of Shows," the anthology dramas like "Playhouse 90" and "Studio One," and, of course, "I Love Lucy." Thompson also acknowledges that in the Seventies the situation comedy reached its "literate peak" with "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," "All in the Family," and "M*A*S*H." However, the argument for "Television's Second Golden Age: From 'Hill Street Blues' to 'ER'" covers a period from HSB's debute in 1981 to the present, where "ER" continues to be one of the top dramas on television. That is a period of more than two decades and while Thompson devotes a chapter to "The Second Golden Age of Television: "Cagney & Lacy," "Moonlighting," "L.A. Law," "thirtysomething," and "China Beach," essentially focusing on the Eighties, it is hard to say that the following decade, with "Twin Peaks," "Northern Exposure," "Picket Fences," "NYPD Blue," "Law & Order," "Homicide," "The X-Files," "Chicago Hope," and "ER" was not at least as strong (feel free to add to the list). Even if we are talking about the first decade of the 21st century we have "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," "24," "The Practice," "Ally McBeal" and short-lived series like "My So Called Life" and "Once and Again" (and that is without dipping over to HBO and talking about "The Sopranos," "Six Feet Under," and the rest of their kind), all of which speak to quality dramatic programming.
That is why in the final analysis I see Thompson's argument as being not so much for a specific time period of great television, but rather advancing the proposition that the hour-long dramatic television series is the chief art form of the medium (yes, even more so than the situation comedy). I would even extend this argument to the mini-series, from "Roots" and "Shogun" to "War and Remembrance" and "Lonesome Dove," because the guiding principle of the extended narrative form remains the common denominator. "24" takes the idea of season-long story arc a unique extreme, but "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" did all of its complete seasons have a first-half story arc (e.g., Spike & Dru in Season 2) that then merged with a second-half story arc (e.g., the return of Angelus) that provided a framework for all of the individual episodes. Then there was "Murder One," which rather successfully devoted an entire season to one sensational murder trial. When a series loses its driving story arc, as when Dave and Maddie consummated their love on "Moonlighting," or when what was supposed to be the hook becomes the line and sinker as well, as when the question of who killed Laura Palmer ultimately derailed "Twin Peaks," the demise of the show simply affirms the principle in the negative.
Thompson's starting point is January 1981 when prime-time television was about to make a sudden and dramatic turn towards quality because of "Hill Street Blues," the show that Steven Bocho did not want to make and that nobody wanted to watch, but which became "television's first true masterpiece." However, Thompson argues that it was "St. Elsewhere" that was "TV's greatest show, ever" (having to do with key notions of "intertextuality" and "self-reflexivity"). Ultimately he is not defining a particular time period (especially since the "golden age" in question is clearly not over), but explaining why in the "vast wasteland" that Newton Minnow bemoaned so many years ago "quality" television is flourishing in terms of hour-long dramatic programming. Within that context Thompson clearly makes his case for much of the best television ever made having appeared on the networks since 1980. The book is half critical evaluation of these programs and half insider's tour looking at the decision-making process as well as the social, economic, and artistic forces that ended up revolutionizing the medium. Thompson also more than adequately proves he knows his television history, which is necessary to help convince those of us who are true students of the medium. Consequently, the fact that the title of this book is not a fair representation of its most significant claim, is not to be held against the author, because he has made in public an argument I have been making in private (okay, in class as well), for several years.
the place to start.......2002-10-07
It's all too easy to assume that simply because we vegetate in front of the TV all day, that we have some kind of understanding of its history and how it works. This book summarises the importance of several landmark shows of the 1980s and 1990s, helping to show how a few select producers (chiefly refugees from The Mary Tyler Moore Show) were able to transform the quality of television, at least for a while. Note that the shows are discussed in their American context -- British viewers may be surprised to hear that anything was innovative about the "MASH without the laughter track", because MASH was always broadcast in the UK without a laughter track. But for placing the history of American TV in its natural home habitat, this remains an important and interesting introduction to quality television.
Required reading for students of television.......2002-02-20
This is a brief but entertaining and convincing argument for the artistic value of one of the most unfairly condemended media outlets -- television. Working from the hypothesis that the quirky dramas that dominated television from the '70s to the '90s (Hill Street Blues, St. Elsewhere, thirtysomething, ect.) actually made up television's second golden age, author Robert J. Thompson actually makes a pretty good argument for taking TV seriously. Each chapter provides detailed (and refreshingly witty) analysis of all the TV shows that we previously took for granted and shows how the writers and producers of those shows were able to create great art in the guise of great entertainment. Of particular worth was Thompson's long and informative chapter on St. Elsewhere, over the course of which he manages to break down a few of that show's intricate inside jokes and show how the show's controversial final episode actually served as a powerful and still-relavent statement on the state of television and American culture today. This book is a must read for anyone who sees television as more than just a distraction.
Book Description
A collection of essays on "Twin Peaks" and the postmodern mediascape.
Customer Reviews:
Essential Reading for the Peaks Freak.......2007-06-30
After there was no hope for the show's return, I found some of the essays from this book at my college library during the mid 90's. It is great to be able to own them!
Sure, some of the essays are somewhat pretensious and in some cases in accurate, but you will not find the series analyzed like this anywhere else. This book is a very unique resource. If you are a fan of the show, then you will absolutely love this book.
full of revelations.......2007-05-14
Twin Peaks offered a door into that which is below the Matrix that we assume is "reality." In many ways it is like the red pill that Morpheus offers Neo. This book explores the various elements in the show that opens up vision. To see more does not mean there is some final answers. What does happen is-- what we assume proves to be wrong. When we hear the music of the show it is not just supportive sound, when we see people act they are not carrying out the cliches of the ordinary. We see the typologies of our pop culture but the cliches of their characters are violated or turned upside down. There is humor in the show because humor liberates and the apparent order of the town is seen to be an accomplishment of all kinds of human evnergy and possibility hidden below the cliches. If you hated the show-- the book will be of no value. IF you liked the show or are passionate about the work of David Lynch-- this book can give you words and pathways to walk to learn why.
Leaves no owl unturned.......2003-09-03
If you've been wondering what serious academic scholars think about Twin Peaks,
this is the book for you.
On the other hand, if you want fun reading about a fun show, Agent Cooper's
Autobiography or Welcome to Twin Peaks: Access Guide would be a better bet. ;-)
A dozen in-depth analyses of the unique TV series, written by a raft of PhD's,
including professors from leading universities. No matter how many times you've
watched the programs, I guarantee that this book will tell you things you've
never noticed . . . or even imagined. There's a complete listing of characters,
a calendar/timeline, and 50 pages of scene-by-scene descriptions of all the
episodes, plus the movie.
The last chapter is a sort of free-for-all panel discussion (or, as the eight
co-authors describe it, "a writing strategy that privileges the dialogic
interchange rather than the monologic pronouncement"). Here are the concluding
remarks:
REEVES: Maybe David Lynch is possessed by BOB so he is not responsible
for his actions.
ALL: Hmmmm . . .
In my opinion, this book's sometimes pompous, sometimes far-fetched, sometimes
incomprehensible attempts to dissect the products of David Lynch's wild creativity
are--if one takes a step back--wryly appropriate to Twin Peaks' own blending of
the mundane and the weird.
1/2 Simplistic garbage, 1/2 Pseudo-intellectual nonsense.......2003-01-04
"The echolalia and subvocal signs of the semiotic - what we might call feminine Twinspeak - therefore co-exist with and challenge both the patriarchal canonization of Laura Palmer and its Freudian subtext. (104)"
The above sentence comes from arguably the best of the twelve essays contained within this book, Christy Desmet's "The Canonization of Laura Palmer." She makes some extremely insightful points, but to reach them, you have to wade through pretentious written-with-thesaurus-in-hand idiocy like the preceding paragraph.
In general, those expecting to find opinions on what the Red Room really is, or whether coffee and cherry pie are a metaphor for something deeper, will have to parse through endless masturbatory babble, and for the most part will be ultimately disappointed by the lack of any revelations about the show itself (one notable exception is Angela Hague's interesting "Derationalization of Detection," which delves briefly into what actually happened to Cooper in the Black Lodge).
Some essays, such as Jonathan Rosenbaum's "Bad Ideas..." might simply be re-titled "Why I liked Twin Peaks," as it comes off more like high-brow film criticism than anything else, revealing nothing about the show other than why the writer thought it was good. Ditto Marc Dolan's essay "The Peaks and Valleys...", which contains only speculation as to why the show might have lost its audience. Henry Jenkins' is awful, doing nothing more than chronicling ultimately irrelevant discussions on alt.tv.twinpeaks while the show was airing.
A few of the feminist writers are equally terrible for different reasons. Martha Nochimson's "Desire Under the Douglas Firs..." had potential to be very interesting, but went on a "phallocentric" tangent, and from her we read insights like "The phallic nature of the thumbs up sign, and the phallic incapacity of the Old Bellhop, who cannot stand up straight, are complemented by the visionary presence of The Giant, a phallic presence, as emphasized by the visual foregrounding of The Giant's crotch. (153).
In addition, I fear, some of these writers seem to be a little out of their depth, and readers who are specialists in any of the fields contained within might be able to find numerous mistakes. For instance, in the essay about music (my own area of specialty) Kathryn Kalinak misidentifies leitmotifs, writes musical examples in the wrong key AND mode, and generally reveals herself to be musically illiterate. She also assigns import and symbolism to things that deserve none. She notes that in one scene, "a country and western selection on the jukebox mysteriously disappears for Shelley and Norma's entrance only to reappear a few moments later," citing this as proof that Lynch is trying to make us aware of the line "between illusion and artifice." Nonsense. It was an editing mistake. I could wax philosophical that the chess game between Cooper and Earle (which contained impossible positions/illegal moves) was Lynch trying to symbolically demonstrate any number of things, but it was really just Lynch being lazy, and that's fine.
The essays alone really only merit two stars, but following them "Full of Secrets" has several excellent appendices which contain writing/directorial/acting credits, a Twin Peaks calendar of events, and a complete scene breakdown from the pilot through FWWM, all very well done and useful.
For the rest of the book, well, you've been warned.
Full of Delight.......2002-09-27
David Lavery's book is, beyond any doubt, a book to purchase for any fan of "Twin Peaks" or related Lynch material. This book of essays, focusing on different themes and messages in David Lynch's tv-serial, is most likely the best of its kind on the marked.
Take a mesmorising trip through the fantastic of "Twin Peaks" or go looking for clues to unlocking its strange mysteries - this book will give you all the leads. So whether you are into exploring doubling, postmodern culture, detective fiction, the fantastic, or merely the world of David Lynch, I strongly recommend getting a hold of this book. An amazing a thorough read - even better than the otherwise strong "Weirdsville USA"!!!
Customer Reviews:
[...].......2006-07-06
Originally part of Rancho San Miguel, the West of Twin Peaks District was among the last to be developed in San Francisco. Behrend Joost, using the fortune he made to start dredging the Panama Canal, built a railway in 1891 to bring people out to his "crème de la crème" subdivision next to the forest planted by Comstock Lode millionaire Adolph Sutro. After the streetcar tunnel was bored through Twin Peaks in 1918, A.S. Baldwin found gold in the neighborhoods he planned on Sutro's estate around the City's highest hill, Mount Davidson. With noted architects and engineers, he created "residential parks" with well-built craftsman, art deco, English, and Spanish style homes on curvilinear landscaped boulevards. To these "suburbs in the city" in the heart of San Francisco: Sunnyside, Balboa Terrace, Ingleside Terraces, Westwood Park, Westwood Highlands, Monterey Heights, Mount Davidson Manor, Sherwood Forest, and Miraloma Park came the children of the Gold Rush in pursuit of the American dream.
Local historian, Jacqueline Proctor, offers a view of San Francisco's development from its highest point. Home to some of the city's most beautiful neighborhoods and influential citizens, this story of those who dared to dream is part of the tapestry that makes San Francisco the city it is today. See a preview of her book at www.MtDavidson.org.
Customer Reviews:
yeah, it was good. especially the part when coop meets fred.......1999-08-07
yeah, this book is good. hehehe, i iliked to read it because it was good, yeah to read. yeah, especially when i was in the navy, yeah, the knights.
Supermarket checkout style paperback.......1998-08-04
Tricked me for being the "Official" guide, but still great for the details connecting this character to that otherproject they did ( i.e., Donna in Lynch's Obsession commercial, et al.)
Also, makes some of the episodes not directed by Lynch to maintain some deeper mysteries, conexions- like Leo's seemingly soapy "you broke my heart," yelled at the burning mill and Shelly to be pointed to the heart necklace... blah blah blah ..
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Movie Tie-Ins | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer (A Twin Peaks Book)
Welcome to Twin Peaks: A Complete Guide to Who's Who and What's What
Twin Peaks - The Second Season
Full of Secrets: Critical Approaches to Twin Peaks (Contemporary Film and Television Series)
Twin Peaks (TV Soundtrack)
