Book Description
In 2000, Tom Zoellner purchased a diamond engagement ring and proposed. His girlfriend said, "yes" and then, suddenly, walked out of his life making Tom the owner of a used engagement ring.Instead of hitting the self-help shelves of his local bookstore, he hit the road travelling to diamond mines in Africa, Canada, India, Brazil and Russia to discover the true worth of this shining gem.He travelled to Japan to understand how diamonds were linked with engagements and delved into the history of our own American romance with the diamond ring. He gained entry to DeBeers, the London diamond merchants. He visited shopping mall jewellers with starry-eyed couples. Through all of his travels, he searched for an answer to the question "How has one stone created empires, ruined lives, inspired lust and emptied wallets throughout history?" A diamond version of Susan Orleans's The Orchid Thief, Tom Zoellner's The Heartless Stone is a journeyto the cold heart of the world's most unyielding gem.
Customer Reviews:
Facinating journey.......2007-08-15
The possible history of Mr Zoellner's engagement ring is harrowing and the light he shines on the diamond industry is harsh and glaring. This book makes you want to throw away any diamonds you own and never, ever buy another.
Diamonds in the Rough .......2007-07-13
The Heartless Stone: A Journey through the world of diamonds, deceit and desire
-- By Tom Zoellner
I've been discovering, or rediscovering, some of the best non-fiction around this year. By any standard, Tom Zoellner's "The Heartless Stone" is one of the best. A good writer, and Zoellner is one, can take a single topic....salt (` Salt: A World History" by Kurlansky or the spice trade ("Spice: The History of a Temptation" by Jack Turner) and weave a vivid, entertaining story around it.
Zoellner takes us to the impoverished nation (if one can call a collection of ragged children and corrupt officials a "nation") of The Central African Republic and travels to the diamond mines, watching his back for highwaymen and paying off corrupt officials as he goes .These are the "blood diamonds", extracted from the backs of slave labor and used to finance coups d'etats and revolutions. He takes us north to the Arctic Circle, where the discovery of diamond-bearing "Kimberlite" (the soil produced by volcanic eruptions) has fostered a huge investment by multi-national corporations to extract diamonds from the permafrost. His writing is intelligent and graceful...and at times philosophical.
He extracts nuggets of knowledge from those involved in the diamond trade, just as they extract diamonds from the earth. No substance known to man is more concentrated than the diamond. It is portable, easily concealed and sold on the black market. The Diamond's only value is what humans ascribe to it. It is a "Tabula Rasa" on which dreams are etched.
"A Diamond is a philosopher's stone of the existential variety," he writes.
For it is like the world itself, spoken into existence only through whatever meaning we choose to assign to it."
Zollner's quest for meaning begins when he buys a diamond for a girlfriend with whom he later breaks up. It is that quest that takes him to the far ends of the earth. He's probably better off with the new-found meaning, than with the girl.
eye opening .......2007-01-06
and now that a movie is out on the same topic, perhaps the book gains more interest. if you have a heart, you should stop buying diamonds, read this book and then see if you still desire them ... if so, at least you'll know which ones you should buy.
This book will make you laugh AND vomit at the same time.......2006-12-19
I purchased this book on Friday and sat in the parking lot of the book store reading it until I realized two hours had passed.
The authors engaging narrative and extraordinary depth in terms of reasearch for each topic he covers related to the diamond trade is remarkable and so addictive, the book is virtually impossible to put down...which is why I devoured it in one night.
The author relates his experiences in such a way that even though the subject matter is mostly horrifying, there were moments of such outrageous hypocrisy and incredulity that I found myself laughing at the some of the more benign incidents because if I didn't laugh there would be no recourse but to cry myself into a fetal position while hiding under the bed.
The revulsion began when the author related the children eating sandwiches made with shoe polish, the people in Africa whose limbs were amputated to keep them from voting, the miners who were evicerated because thugs dressed as police thought they had swallowed a diamond.
But the waves of nausea that were induced by those repulsive revelations were NOTHING compared to the uncontrollable wretched gagging created by the documented evidence of the greedy machinations perpetuated by the De Beers Diamond Cartel.
I never thought about diamonds the way the De Beers corporation seems to think I SHOULD think about them. As in I should hate myself if I don't have one.
The putrid aggressive marketing campaign related to diamonds was shocking to read about ESPECIALLY when the author relates how De Beers were able to change an entire culture just with a simple but aggressive marketing campaign. The chapter dealing with De Beers shoving diamonds down the throats of Japanese was appalling in the extreme. Especially the ad campaign suggesting men were worthless for not spending three months salary on a diamond for their woman. It was galling to hear about how the De Beers advertisers went into American schools to "educate" girls on why they needed a diamond??? It was breathtaking to finish the book and turn on the tv and see first hand the nature of venal advertising campaigns whose primary goal seems to be toward making people feel small and inadequate if they don't have an iPod, an xbox or in the case of this book...A diamond.
The author has a great line about how nefarious the diamond trade is because the advertising executives have effectively convinced the world to spend millions of dollars on what amounts to nothing more than rocks. And they are not even rare rocks. The reason they are "so hard to find" is because these cartels have a chokehold on the industry by hiding all of them in their underground vaults so they can keep the prices up.
This book was a gut wrenching eye opener especially the final chapter when the author interviews a couple who are in the process of "investing" in their first diamond.
He asks how they feel knowing that the diamond they were about to purchase might have passed through the gastric system of a murdered miner in Angola the man replies.
"why do I care, it doesn't affect me"
And THAT was the worst part of the book. It captured the real horror of the diamond trade. That being the abject apathy of western consumer culture where material ownership supercedes any sense of basic humanity.
This book was shocking, appalling, terrifying, depressing and left me feeling hopeless and sad. For such a visceral reaction I wanted to give it five stars but opted for four because of what was a GLARING and Crimminal omission.
I hope for the paperback edition the author and publishers will offer an epilogue with definitve information on what we can ALL do to affect a change in the industry so that children don't have to polish stones in India, so that voters can keep their arms and so that Americans will put the welfare of fellow human beings ABOVE owning a DAMN ROCK.
Outstanding.......2006-11-17
I think that this book is a marvelous accomplishment and I am so impressed with the author's efforts. I give him an A+ on three counts. First, it seems like an incredibly well-researched that seems like it must have taken a very long time to write, especially when all the travel time is factored in. If we assume that the author was not an expert on diamonds going into the project (which may not be a correct assumption), then everything he learned (and well conveys to the reader) is mind-boggling. Second, it was just beautifully written. Third, he discusses every imaginable "facet" (pun intended) of the world of diamonds and there seems to be not a single issue left unaddressed. I congratulate the author on this book.
Average customer rating:
- Another excellent story from Mary Balogh - this one set in the 1750s
- SUPERB Balogh book
- A tortured hero finds the route to love
- Disturbing twist in this tale
- Fabulous!!!!!
|
Heartless
Mary Balogh
Manufacturer: Berkley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Balogh, Mary | ( B ) | Authors, A-Z | Romance | Subjects | Books
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England | Historical | Romance | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0425150119 |
Customer Reviews:
Another excellent story from Mary Balogh - this one set in the 1750s.......2007-02-17
"Heartless" is the first Mary Balogh book I have read that isn't set in the Regency period. I didn't initially realise that events were taking place in the 1750s rather than early 1800s but was clued into it by the different language used and the descriptions of clothing. And of the hero. Now I have to say that I wasn't 100% convinced by the hero initially - although he's dishy and has waist-length long dark hair (phwoar!) he wears cosmetics (a bit of rouge and powder) and carries a fan. These descriptions of him rather made me think of 1980s pop stars and didn't really work for me as a dashing man with whom the reader tumbles into love.
However, despite these unfortunate downsides, Lucas Kendrick, the Duke of Harndon, is a manly man. He has spent the last ten years in Paris after being banished by his family following a duel with his older brother, and in those ten years he's lived the traditional dissolute rake lifestyle. However his uncle Theo has finally persuaded him to return to England, now that his older brother has died, and take up his responsibilities as Duke. One of these responsibilities is to get married and have sons, and conveniently for Luke he bumps into Lady Anna Marlowe at a ball and finds himself interested in her.
Lady Anna seems bright, engaging and smiley - but as one of Mary Balogh's heroines we know there's more to it than that. She's on the shelf at 25 but has no expectation of marriage - she has a very deep dark secret that prevents it. However she finds herself in a whirlwind romance with Luke and then, lo and behold, they are married.
She and Luke return to Luke's family home, Bowden, and she meets the rest of his relatives whilst having her younger sisters come and live with them too. But things aren't going as swimmingly as one might hope - Luke her husband is heartless, appears to treat his brother and sister unlovingly, and Anna wonders if he can feel more for her than he does for his old flame Henrietta, widow of his elder brother. And then Anna's nemesis arrives in the area and she realises that her secret is still controlling her life and there is to be no happy ending.
As always with a Mary Balogh novel the strength of this book is in the characters - the way that they change and grow. How can a heartless rake learn to love again when love caused him so much pain ten years ago? How can Anna ever hope for happiness when her secret is so all-encompassing. There are a number of other characters through whom we see the story, including Anna's deaf-mute sister and Luke's restless younger brother (whose story continues in "Silent Melody"). "Heartless" is a delicate and yet heartening love story, particularly in the scenes with a newborn baby and the way in which the birth affects the parents. The fact that this book is set before the Regency doesn't really change its overall feel and if you can get over the fact the hero wears blusher (which I did manage to do - eventually - by pretending it didn't happen) you will probably very much enjoy this book.
SUPERB Balogh book.......2007-01-16
This is my favorite of all of Balogh's historicals. It is NOT a Regency, but a Georgian-era book.
Other reviews here describe the basic plots.
What captured me was the depth and detail of the characters, and not just the main ones. I have two copies of this marvelous book and have read it over and over.
Some things about the book are difficult to face, such as the truth of Anna's "secret" and the Duke's initial reaction after their wedding night.
When Anna's story's truth is uncovered, some readers may be puzzled and/or upset. If one keeps in mind her sheltered and yet upsetting upbringing, and the easiness with which a charming man can enthrall a young, vulbnerable woman, her feelings about the "secret", which she feels will kill her marriage, are all too beliveable to me.
The Duke's developing character is enchanting to me, and he has secrets of his own as well.
The story of the development and growth of the main characters, both first smitten with each other and then determined not to love each other, then (of course) finding themselves in love after all is marvelously drawn by Balogh.
It's not a perfect book, and repeated readings have alerted me to minor flaws but in the end the story is too powerful to resist!
A must have book for any Balogh fan!
For new readers of her books, while I don't recommend this one to start with, it is one to add to your reading list!
The first edition has a lovely cover, by the way.
A tortured hero finds the route to love.......2003-01-05
Lucas Kendrick reluctantly comes back to England after ten years of exile in France; now Duke of Harndon since his brother's death, he recoils at the idea of becoming reacquainted with a family that rejected him, and marrying is simply out of the question, even though bringing back his Duchess to Bowden Abbey is part of his duty. Bitter and cynical, he has stopped believing in love since his older brother destroyed his happiness, and yet his wedding to Anna Marlowe, barely one week after their first encounter, could easily turn into a love-match.
Anna Marlowe thought she would remain a spinster for the rest of her life. Years of self-sacrifice to take care of her family brought her to the age of twenty-five without the chance to find a husband; besides, it becomes quickly clear that a man of her past made sure in a most dreadful way that she could never marry. But her attraction to the handsome Duke of Harndon leads her to marriage before she could weigh the consequences.
On their wedding night, Luke discovers that his new wife, for whom he was afraid of feeling more than a simple attraction, isn't a virgin. A feeling of intense betrayal pushes him to confront her about it the next morning, and the cold conversation leads them to deny any feeling they might harbour for each other: their marriage is one of duty, and eventually meaningless pleasure. Love never entered the equation. But can their true feelings be hidden forever?
I'm so glad I didn't let myself be put off by the beginning of the book! At first, Luke appeared like such a heartless hero that I wasn't sure I could ever come to like him. I even wondered why he immediately jumped to conclusions when he discovered that Anna wasn't a virgin on their wedding night: given his past history, he could have considered other options than a past lover. But his cynicism explains his reaction, I believe.
But I shouldn't have underestimated Mary Balogh's talent. Her character development is extremely well-done: Luke isn't the heartless man he appears to be, but the face he shows to the world is the only thing that reaches through to the reader at first. This technique allows us to understand why Anna can't and won't confide in him about what terrifies her, but the downside is that it takes some time to see things from Luke's point of view and realise that he's not as cold-hearted as he seems.
As the novel progresses indeed, we discover a man who's hiding under the tough carapace of a rough exterior, who wants to let everyone (and himself) believe that he turned his back on love ten years before, that love is an emotion that only brings deceit and pain. He hardens himself whenever he feels in danger of showing weaknesses or vulnerability. But the influence of his new wife and the demons haunting her too much to confide in him pushes him to open his heart and progressively reveal his true self.
All the characters are masterfully drawn so as to give to the reader the very same feeling as the heroes experiencing the situation. For example, the man terrorising Anna is wrapped in mystery, making his involvement in the story even more frightening. The tension of a relationship that yet appears very easy-going between Anna and Luke is palpable. And last but not least, the secondary characters are very attaching, particularly Anna's deaf-mute sister Emily, whose story I'm looking forward to reading in Silent Melody.
Heartless is an unpredictable story, full of suspense and emotion, and with a steady evolution of the heroes. Yet another fabulous book by Mary Balogh!
Disturbing twist in this tale.......2002-10-21
I found it very gross that Balogh would not have the heroine state with certainty that she was raped, and indeed the author almost blurred over, the horrendous way that Anna loses her virginity. It most certainly was rape. Otherwise this was a fairly routine romance novel. Ms. Balogh's writing skills are generally above-average but I never get "gripped" by her longer work (some of her short Regencies are exquisite, however). Due to the disturbing twist, I can't really recommend this one except to the die-hard Balogh fan.
Fabulous!!!!!.......2002-03-10
This novel is a must read. I finished it in 2 days and could'nt put it down. I think that I'm in love with the hero and the heroine.
Average customer rating:
- Another great love story by Kat Martin
- Read it if you're looking for some really romantic & endearing moments
- Not as good
- More like spineless and witless
- Fabulous
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Heartless
Kat Martin
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Martin, Kat | ( M ) | Authors, A-Z | Romance | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0312979444 |
Book Description
To escape her life of poverty as a tenant farmer's daughter, Ariel Summers made a bargain with the devil-she would become the Earl of Greville's mistress in exchange for the schooling and refinements of a lady. But she couldn't foresee the earl's untimely death, or her own disturbing attraction to his bastard son and heir, Justin Ross.Justin Ross never meant to demand payment from the tempting young woman his father had so callously planned to ruin. But her innocent allure provoked his ruthless nature, and he vowed he would have her in his bed.Seduction was his plan, but Justin never suspected Ariel's innocent passion would awaken emotions he had long believed dead. Now mistrust and betrayal threaten the fragile happiness the two of them have found, and Justin must convince Ariel he isn't the heartless man she believes.And he will risk his very life to prove his love.AUTHORBIO: Award-winning, bestselling author KAT MARTIN currently resides in Missoula, Montana, and loves history, travel, and snow skiing. More than six million copies of her books are in print and she is published in a dozen foreign countries.
Customer Reviews:
Another great love story by Kat Martin.......2007-03-14
This lady really has a gift. I have been reading all of her books and they are all keepers. This one of Justin and Ariel is truly another winner. So very complicated of Justin's upbringing and that he just has never been loved, he is a rather cold man but not to Ariel. So many of the actions he takes towards her causes her to of course fall in love with him and give herself to him, with no promises towards a future. Then of course Justin believes that Ariel has betrayed him with his most hated enemy and it all really does not go well for Ariel. And when Justin tosses her out with hardly a penny she realizes he is the hard and unfeeling man everyone said. It will take a lot for him to win her love back when he realizes he misunderstood the whole event, but it will also take a whole lot for Ariel to ever trust Justin again. Threats on their lives, of course cause the real feelings to surface. This is a powerful love story. One I am sure most Martin fans will agree is a winner.
Read it if you're looking for some really romantic & endearing moments.......2005-12-08
I first stumble upon Kat Martin's books in Times Warehouse sale. I grabbed Creole Fires since it was selling pretty cheap. I am totally not into history romance but rather into modern romantic suspense. But lo and behold! I found myself gripping onto the book and can't wait to know the story. Since then, I have read most of Kat Martin's books.
I have just finished Heartless in 2 days. I love the hero and heroine. As I read, I could almot picture the scene itself, how Ariel would have look when she is in doubt of Justin's honesty. The writer has painted a portrait of our hero who is hard on the outside, but soft in the inside; a person capable of caring but yet is restrained by the events during his childhood years.
The plot is rather simple, I must admit as the unscrupulous Philip and Barbara's wicked plot came to a sudden abrupt end.
Anyway, when I bought this book, I wasn't really into the suspense plot. I was looking for a sweet romantic encounter and I found it through this book.
Not as good.......2005-02-28
Heartless isn't as good as other Kat Martin books. I found the story very predictable, the plot highly unrealistic, and Ariel very annoying. I've enjoyed other books by this author so much more. I just couldn't find those enjoyable things in this book that the other reviewers did.
More like spineless and witless.......2003-10-01
Ariel must have a martyr complex or something, because she never seems to learn any lessons about what she does, or even who her husband is. He tells her he is no capable of love, and yet acts in ways which quite clearly shows he cares. Because she never brings herself to trust him she brings all sorts of suffering down on himself, and yet he blames himself for hurting her.
Our hero totally lacks depth because she is the center of attention, and is so busy trying to protect himself from bing betrayed again. If he had any spine at all he would have it out with the villain once and for all in front of her and then there wouldn't be these incessant misunderstandings. They are in love with each other within the firstthird of the book-the rest just drags to the melodramatic and absurd conclusion. all the other sex with other people information and material about Kitt and Clay to set up for the next novel in the series, I could really do without.An average read with sentences and dialog so wooden I am surprised I cold bend the pages of the book.
Fabulous.......2003-07-04
This is definitely one on Kat Martin's best. No complaints at all from this one. I flipped the pages so fast in this one I read it on a Saturday afternoon. which is surprising for me, because I like shopping, and I read the book instead. :) People complain about these books at times, saying they are predictable, but they are romance. They are meant to help you escape, not to enrich your mind. When you read it, just take in the story and enjoy it.
Book Description
A HEART IN HIDING
The rakish, independent, and devilishly handsome Viscount Hartleigh needs no one in his well-ordered life--until he discovers a bundle of joy on his doorstep. Overwhelmed by his newly acquired title of Father, the viscount turns to the only expert he knows: Mrs. Carissa Kane.
Abandoned by her husband and cheated out of her inheritance, Carissa is forced to work for the viscount's neighbor to support her young daughter. Then a series of events reveals a most sinister plot--and the astonishing fact that Hartleigh indeed possesses a heart after all!
Customer Reviews:
Diverting.......2005-09-11
As Regencies go, this one was pretty good. Lord Heartless isn't really heartless, in much of ANY sense. Really, it wasn't clear at all why he'd received that appellation. Only the author said so. But Hartleigh is quite amusing, sweet, and kind. And Carissa is a very strong heroine. Male cluelessness is the most common target for fun here. It's sweet with a bit of mystery, though the return of the husband was assured early on. Not particularly realistic, this story, but then I don't read for realism. Could have had more romance, in my opinion. I rate it somewhere around 3 & 1/2 stars.
A real giggle!.......2002-08-15
I just moved house. I just finished Edith Layton's deep and somewhat dark "The Devil's Bargain". Ergo, I needed some light relief! Bingo - Barbara to the rescue!
This author produces some very light, frothy but excellently written and tightly constructed regencies. They say it is harder to be a comedian than a tragedian and I think Metzger demonstrates this. Lord Heartless is one of my favourite examples of this.
The story strains credibility and is certainly told with tongue firmly in cheek. Just allow yourself to be swept up into the nonsensical story of Viscount Hartleigh and his prim, proper and titled housekeeper, Mrs Carissa Kane. There is an abandoned wife, a rake, a foundling, an enchanting child, assorted silly and profane animals and a supporting cast of weird and wonderful servants.
Take it at face value and give yourself a laugh - a farcical tour de force which gave me a moment's amusement whilst unpacking too many boxes off the moving van!
Good,, Fun book..........2000-11-17
Viscount Hartleigh, Lesley,is one of the sexiest, funniest, endearing men I have read in a regency to date. He is an adonis and the poor housekeeper (really, a daughter of an earl) and a widow with a small daughter, ends up being crazy about him and his baby daughter, who is left on his front steps. It was a great story and a fun romance. I did not really like the bit with the ex-husband, whom Carissa thought was dead. It went on too long. Also, the night when Carissa approaches Lesley to sleep with him, he says no, was silly. He was obsessed with her, he desperately wanted to sleep with her; he should not have turned her down. He already wanted to marry her. It really is okay for a regency to have a couple share a night of passion!
What a Read!.......1999-12-18
This book was absolutely delightful. I found Viscount Hartleigh to be an original, and Carissa, thankfully, not one of those ridiculous missish women regency books seem to favor. The dialogue was wonderful and witty. This is the book that should have won the 1998 RITA award.
Lord Heartless is a delicious read!.......1999-02-11
This is another wonderful Metzger romp that I thoroughly enjoyed. Charming and funny, with a wonderfully human hero, a totally sympathetic heroine, suspense and laughter, cats and dogs and babies...Delicious!
Average customer rating:
- Heartless Heartland: A work of absolute perfection
- Dysfunctional Family Horror Fun
- Publisher Review
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Heartless Heartland
Farral Bradtke
Manufacturer: Sense of Wonder
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Dark Fantasy | Horror | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
General | Horror | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1596635142 |
Book Description
For the asking: one tract of prime Iowa farmland, extravagantly fertile, well-situated with plentiful water sources. Comes complete with access to insanity, violence, death, and its very own Indian curse. At the height of the United States' expansion westward, forcing dozens of Native American peoples ever further from their customary lands and lifestyles, four renegade U.S. soldiers torture and kill three young Sauk women. Enraged with grief, a tribal chief curses the land where the massacre took place. He names the place "Heartless" and calls upon the spirits to force the white man to leave it alone or face certain madness and a horrible death. An invisible malignancy lingers in this piece of America's Heartland, but its attractive, innocent appearance draws men to its maw time and time again. For the next 140 years this terrible curse visits tragedy and heartbreak upon the inhabitants of this place until one woman finds the courage to fight its deadly pull. This is the story and the horror of HEARTLESS HEARTLAND.
Customer Reviews:
Heartless Heartland: A work of absolute perfection.......2007-03-30
This book is EVERYTHING a reader could ask for. It includes all the elements required to be a 5 star novel. I simply COULD NOT put it down!!! I read it in less than 24 hours!! I traveled back in time and truly sensed everything described in the book. The author laid out the descriptive details of this book to perfection. Events in the book flow smoothly; it kept me glued to my seat to find out what was going to happen next. I would recommend this book to ANYONE who truly enjoys a good read!!!!
Dysfunctional Family Horror Fun.......2006-11-25
Heartless Heartland is actually a book with a lot of heart in it. I was intrigued by the description of it as a story of a piece of Iowa farmland with a terrible curse on it that haunts people over 140 years. I expected something more typical of horror films where stupid teenagers go into places they shouldn't go and consequently are killed by chainsaw murderers or the like. Instead, it is a very well-thought out tale of a family over the course of generations who through no fault of their own, end up being terrorized for generations because they settle on a piece of cursed property. Heartless Heartland is very much in the tradition of the Gothic novel where Gothic plots are family plots.
What Bradtke does so well in the novel is detail the family's inner-workings, their struggles and the family members' relationships with one another. The back of the book states of the author that "she has a special interest in both the human psyche and in paranormal events and how the two sometimes interact". That interest is apparent throughout the book where people with weaknesses, due to alcoholism, or greed, or being in an abusive family allow that weakness to overcome them to the point where the haunted land can get a hold on them and use a person's weaknesses to carry out its thirst for revenge.
The book starts out reading almost like a collection of short stories about the haunted land for the first hundred pages, befire focusing on the family of Rudy Baumann in the 1960s and 1970s. Rudy is in many ways the victim of the land already because his parents have died as a result of the curse and he is raised in another family. He grows up with some serious emotional problems but tries to live the right way as he marries and raises children, yet his inner demons overpower him, and when he moves back to the family farm in hopes of making a better life, the story climaxes. To say more would give away the plot, but since the story ends in the 1970s, I would be curious if Bradtke intends to write a sequel to bring the story up to the present day.
Overall, the novel is fast-paced and a fun page-turner to read. One comes to care about the characters and their struggles and to hope everything will work out for them. The conclusion is well-conceived rather than just a prearranged ending the story leads up to. It may even make you think twice about ever visiting Iowa.
Publisher Review.......2006-08-20
For the asking: one tract of prime Iowa farmland, extravagantly fertile, well-situated with plentiful water sources. Comes complete with access to insanity, violence, death, and its very own Indian curse.
At the height of the United States' expansion westward, forcing dozens of Native American peoples ever further from their customary lands and lifestyles, four renegade U.S. soldiers torture and kill three young Sauk women. Enraged with grief, a tribal chief curses the land where the massacre took place. He names the place "Heartless" and calls upon the spirits to force the white man to leave it alone or face certain madness and a horrible death.
An invisible malignancy lingers in this piece of America's Heartland, but its attractive, innocent appearance draws men to its maw time and time again. For the next 140 years this terrible curse visits tragedy and heartbreak upon the inhabitants of this place until one woman finds the courage to fight its deadly pull. This is the story and the horror of HEARTLESS HEARTLAND.
Customer Reviews:
Cryptic conservatism.......2006-05-16
I really disliked this book for several reasons. Lasch isn't a clear writer; he rarely makes his own opinions or arguments apparent. Despite the book's polemical title, it mostly recounts intellectual history, namely the evolution of the concept "family" in the social sciences from the late 19th century. Lasch's style shifts abruptly from dryly summarizing and analyzing the positions of those he likes (Waller, Parsons to a degree, anyone remotely Freudian) to offhandedly dismissing those he doesn't (most radicals and feminists). He wastes a lot of space on marginal figures and keeps the really important ones (Marx, Freud) in the background as a sort of assumed ground for his analysis. This might be the most irritating aspect of the book: he's heavily invested in Freudian psychology and treats it as gospel, at times making grossly unfounded claims based upon Freud's speculations. The book is uneven too: these Freudian ideas appear mostly in the final chapters, while the book begins in a very Marxist frame of reference. Oddly, Lasch seems to use all these theories for rather conservative ends. And Lasch's own smarmy preface shows that other readers have had the same reactions that I do.
The main point of the book seems to be that the modern "haven" form of the family needs to be preserved against the "progressive" forces of modern society, especially the medical and psychiatric and other professions (i.e., Jacques Donzelot's "the social") that seek to replace it. Lasch seems to think that the haven family-by combining love with authoritarian discipline-is perhaps the only thing that can create strong, integrated, individual personalities. The permissive, friendly family and the intervention of "the social" professions only creates weaklings, nihilists, and totalitarian personalities. Lasch's support for this conclusion is unconvincing: he basically says that without the combination of love and discipline in the same unit (a mother and a father), the child will eventually come to see authorities as simultaneously personable and distantly oppressive. The result is the antisocial or "narcissistic" personality, premised on the avoidance of conflict and "liberation" from emotional entanglements. This personality also demonstrates a reliance on institutional forms of authority (e.g., mass media) combined with a conspiratorial suspicion of authority (due to lack of any real disciplinary figure-a strong father in other words). This seems like a conservative twist on Susman's character/personality distinction, Riesman's self/other-directed personalities, and the Frankfurt School's analyses of totalitarianism.
If the "haven" form of the family arose-ironically, as Lasch notes-out of modern society and capitalist culture, as a counterbalance to competition and so on, then how can it ever hope to be anything but a palliative measure? If work was ever to be "reorganized" along more humane lines (xvii), as he calls for in crypto-Marxist fashion, then why would the family even be necessary? Assuming that the intervention of the social actually is undermining privacy, why is privacy a good thing? Why try to prop up the haven rather than make the world less heartless? I think Lasch is a neo-liberal; he assumes that experts can't be controlled by society, he expects that any collective will be totalitarian and oppressive, and he defends privacy (the essence of private property) without question. He's also quite sexist, presupposing that only a father's authority can create a well-adjusted child.
If you're interested in family studies, I'd recommend the following books instead:
- Barrett & McIntosh. The Anti-Social Family.
- Coontz. The Way We Never Were.
- Foucault. History of Sexuality, Vol 1.
- Coontz. Social Origins of Private Life.
- Zaretsky. Capitalism, the Family, and Personal Life.
Compelling social commentary.......2000-09-30
Compelling social commentary, and brilliantly written, perhaps not surprising since Lasch was not a social scientist, but rather a professor of English Literature, at Columbia if I recall right, but in any case, at one of the Ivy League colleges. Lasch became interested in social trends, and ended up writing this fine book on the decline and destruction of the family in American life. Although the book is 20 years old at this point, Lasch's ideas are if anything more relevant now than they were back in the 70's.
A familys' responsiblity for the shaping of society........2000-06-21
When people wonder why people turn in to who they are and form the society in wth which we live this book will help clarify things for them. If one wants a deep look at society's ills and its being formed by families, Christopher Lasch presents a very good insight, that for reasons of accuracy may not make everyone happy.
Customer Reviews:
Older Harlequin Presents.......2007-06-08
I really enjoyed reading this book. I am a great fan of the older romance books. And this one was mentioned to me a while back. As a older book it was harder to locate until I searched amazon.
My favorite Helen Brooks book so far!.......2000-10-05
I read this book in one sitting. It was really good. It featured the kind of hero and heroine and setting that I may find in a Lynne Graham (my all-time favorite author) novel. The hero is Raoul de Chevnair, 32 years old French billionaire. He is super gorgeous (like Lynne Graham's heroes), with black hair and beautiful blue eyes. The heroine is Leigh, 25 years old and English. She is ordinary and poor (like a Lynne Graham's heroine). Because her husband is so wealthy and devastatingly good-looking, and because so many women are attracted to him, she felt very insecure. She often wondered why he is with her. But he finds her beautiful and is crazy about her. In fact the thing that stands out is that based on his actions and his behavior towards her, it is clear that he loves her so much, even though he does not tell her until the end of the novel. There are some poignant moments.
They first met on a beach when he was 25 and she 18. They fell for each other like mad and married soon after. For 18 months they lived in an idyllic world where he pampered her and devoted his full time to her. He took time off from his business and just spent all his time with her. Then when she found a naked woman on their bed and he coming out of the bathroom naked, she thought he had betrayed her so she left him. He tried to explain but she would not listen. He let her go because he felt she needed time to grow up away from him. For five years he kept an eye on her from afar. Then he felt it was time for them to be reunited so he came and demanded that she came back to be his wife. She agreed on a three months trial basis.
You can tell he loved her so much but because of her insecurities she could not see this. Through the five years they were apart, he remained faithful to her. She was one lucky woman!
I only wish the heroine was less resistant and that the love scenes were more elaborate.
Brooks' Best!.......2000-06-12
This is one of Helen Brooks best works. I am a big Helen Brooks fan and have pretty much read all of her works. This book ranks with And The Bride Wore Black. Her older books are better than newer ones. The hero in this book is truly a hero who has married a young girl only to have the marriage destroyed by a misunderstanding. He lets her go for 5 years to spread her wings and then comes back to claim her. In the years while waiting for his wife he stays faithful to her during the entire time. He tries to explain the misunderstanding but she refuses to listen until she overhears a conversation at a party. The characters are well suited for each other and it is easy to see how much he loves her. Worth reading!
heartless marriage-the best of helen brooks.......2000-02-12
This is the best story of helen brooks, I like the cruel male character and Leigh very much, if you are a romantic reader, you must not miss this story, and I am not a book publisher or any advertiser, I am only a big fan of helen brooks.
Book Description
“A quietly astonishing work of art.” – Starred, Quill & Quire
In the midst of a heaven-rattling summer storm a young stranger blows into a small prairie town. On the run after taking her latest boyfriend’s truck, with a pocketful of stolen money and a heart full of pain, seventeen-year-old Noreen Stall seems to invite trouble. And trouble comes soon enough as Noreen’s new mistakes trigger calamities that shake the lives of the residents of Pembina Lake: Lynda Bradley, a divorced mother and owner of a failing café who’s given up on life and love; Dolores Harper, the village elder who, in spite of her signature sweatshirt that says MEDDLING FOR JESUS, has lost her enthusiasm for helping others; and Del Armstrong, a middle-aged bachelor farmer who is still paying for the tragic events of his own seventeenth summer.
Set against the vast skies of a prairie landscape, with a rich cast of unforgettable characters and an unlikely heroine as endearing as she is tough, this affecting novel reminds readers that it’s never too late for forgiveness – and that sometimes the most unlikely messenger can deliver a small miracle.
Customer Reviews:
True Confessions of a Heartless Girl.......2007-01-03
Everybody has secrets and obstacles they have to cross. Pembina Lake just seems to attract people with hidden pasts that seem unreal to the people around them. Noreen is a troubled young woman who runs away from her apartment where she lived with her boyfriend Wesley. She ends up in a small café there owned by Lynda, a widower with a son named Del. Throughout the story Noreen has to deal with countless hard times, such as a family who was never there for her, becoming pregnant and losing her child, and ruining the restaurant. I would indeed recommend this book. It toys with your emotions and has a very good plot. At times it can be confusing however. It would be better if things were more clear and drawn out. I would recommend this book to anyone between the ages of 13 to 17 due to a more mature writing style and the context of the novel. Read as you discover the exciting rise and fall of Noreen.
an amazing story.......2005-12-14
The novel, True confessions of a heartless girl, is about a girl Noreen who lives in a place called Pembina Lake. She lives a dreadful, gloominess life at the age of seventeen. Noreen seems to be one of those "heartless" types, or in other words, one who doesn't actually feel for anything or anyone. Although everyone does have feelings, she seemed to not have any. She's contemplated in whether or not she had love for her boyfriend, Wesley. Is it passion? Or is it really true love? That is the question.
As Noreen continues to live her dreadful life, she was in a large desperation of
help. She's moved from one place to another. And while leaving her boyfriend's apartment, she has taken along with her Wesley's money and keys. Not only did Noreen cause trouble for herself, but she has also caused a lot for others. She's created a whole new situation for people to deal with and discuss. Noreen has greatly affected people like Lynda Bradley, Dolores Harper, and Del Armstrong. Lynda is a divorced parent who is also the owner of an unsuccessful café. On the other hand, Dolores Harper is more of an elderly woman who began to lose her passion for helping others. Last but not least, Del was an old man who was impacted with his own past. From what he had experienced in his own past, he advised Noreen to "take what you want. And pay for it." These people's lives were basically affected by the trouble that Noreen has done.
While beginning to feel lonesome, Noreen has discovered something new about herself- something that would change her future and maybe a life of another. She has struggled with what has become a new part of her life. Great effort and consideration was a necessity for Noreen's surroundings. At this time, a lot of doubting began to take its place.
Although trials and disappointment come natural in every life, forgiveness
and acceptance is the key to fixing such problems. Therefore, forgiveness and acceptance are essential to friendships. In the novel, Martha Brooks has portrayed a message to her readers. She has expressed her inner, deep feelings of forgiveness and acceptance. Brooks had written a very real and unpredictable novel in which it reminds us that it's always better to forgive and forget. In this case, she is telling us that we accept people who have caused damage to us when we forgive them. It's never too late to forgive; you might as well save a friendship then throw it away.
A Crossover Book.......2005-09-30
As I read this book in one sitting, I couldn't help think that this seemed to be more of an adult book than any of Martha Brooks other novels. Perhaps it was the many adults that surrounded the main character. In most young adult books the teenaged main character is surrounded by her peers, but in this book, it is mostly adults who help her to reveal her pain and to make a new life. Rather than be on the sidelines, the adults are front and center and we learn about their own sometimes unhappy lives.This is a good book for teenagers and their parents to share. A quick read with substance.
Try Martha Brooks' other books as well.
Not Subtle and Realistic, Just Dull.......2005-06-21
Trouble is a typical event in 17-year-old Noreen Stall's life. After a terrible childhood and bitter relationships with her family, she's had trouble with her boyfriend, Wesley. Desperate, she cold-heartedly steals his truck and money, discovers she's pregnant, and lands in the small town of Pembina Lake. In this small town, filled with adults with sorrows of their own, Noreen slowly moves past her hatred and hidden sorrow.
After reading this book's jacket, I was convinced that I would love it. "True Confessions of a Heartless Girl" appeared to be the type of book that would have intriguing characters and be insightfully written yet effortlessly readable.
Well, it wasn't.
Initially, the book is promising, as it is filled with quick and riveting descriptions of Noreen during her childhood and her time with Wesley. But once Noreen actually arrives in Pembina, the plot slows so much and becomes somehow so sparse that it was hard to read more than ten pages of the book at a time. The events were painfully and almost artificially "normal" and dialogue can only be called run-of-the-mill. Brooks also has a habit of drably describing all of the characters' mundane activities (like coloring with crayons) and all of the town's scenery that becomes more aggravating with each chapter.
The "subtle" writing style (if we must be polite and call it that) is made worse by that fact that the story is, well, cliche. There are so many young adult books explore similar themes-teen preganacy, the effects of a bad childhood, and how a stranger can change people's lives-that another one is unnecessary unless it is actually compelling.
It is impossible to imagine why this book won such praise in Canada. A few well-done passages do nothing to hide the fact that this book is as bleak and colorless as Noreen is heartless. Instead of this book, try Sharon Creech's "Walk Two Moons" or Margaret Wild's "One Night."
Confessions of A Heartless Girl .......2005-04-22
Noreen runs away from her boyfriend and sketchy pass taking her boyfriend's truck and savings with her. What she finds is a reality check-she's pregnant!- and a quiet town with nice people who make her realize she needs to grow up. Can she do it before she completely ruins everyone around her's life? What about her own child?
Noreen is a lot like the average teen-she's not perfect, her family's not normal, and she can't seem to make the right decions about love. Many teen girls could probabily relate to Noreen. Although I've never done some of things Noreen has, I know people who have. This book is a story that brings confusion, love, and hope all into light.
If you like real life stories that are stright forward and not always all happy-go lucky you'll like this book. The part I liked about this book was it wasn't written to be all mushy and happy. This book was real and real life isn't all mushy and happy. My least favorite part of the book was the ending. If there was one thing I could change it would be the ending. I would recommend this book to someone who likes to read a lot, because then after they read the book's ending they don't figure it as a complete waste of time. Bottom Line: This girl need not confess!
Average customer rating:
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Most ruthless rhymes for heartless homes
Harry Graham
Manufacturer: Edward Arnold
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
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