Book Description
What does it mean when a fictional hero takes a journey?. Shares a meal? Gets drenched in a sudden rain shower? Often, there is much more going on in a novel or poem than is readily visible on the surface—a symbol, maybe, that remains elusive, or an unexpected twist on a character—and there's that sneaking suspicion that the deeper meaning of a literary text keeps escaping you.
In this practical and amusing guide to literature, Thomas C. Foster shows how easy and gratifying it is to unlock those hidden truths, and to discover a world where a road leads to a quest; a shared meal may signify a communion; and rain, whether cleansing or destructive, is never just rain. Ranging from major themes to literary models, narrative devices, and form, How to Read Literature Like a Professor is the perfect companion for making your reading experience more enriching, satisfying, and fun.
Customer Reviews:
Every High School Lit Teacher Should Read this Book!.......2007-08-16
Heard about this book in an AP class for teachers. They were right. It's great. I'd love to require my high school students get a copy-but funding would be a problem.
A book by any other name.......2007-08-06
After reading a certain review here I felt I must post. This book is not for English majors only. This book will open a reader's eyes to what is hidden within leterature. It gave me fresh insight into the background and symbols I had not even thought of before and allowed my reading to be what it was meant to be. Yes, Mr. Foster does enjoy refering to his favorite authors for clarity on a theme or idea he has presented, however, this is not a flaw but a preperation to lay a solid foundation in what the reader will need for their goal. The beauty of this book is in its goal. This book was written so that we can learn with our eyes open and our minds ready to recieve whatever an author might throw at us. I had my "ticket punched" in a lit. class but I got more from this book. Thanks Professor Foster.
Great book for anyone.......2007-05-12
I found this book in a catalog that was sent to me at work. As I researched more about this book, I found out that many teachers across the country have thier students read it. As a high school English teacher and someone who rushed through thier English lit. degree, I was instatnly hooked. During our state testing, I have been reading it and chuckled out loud at it. It is well written and funny. It is hard to believe that you are actually learning as you read.
All literature should be taught this way.......2007-03-25
This book asks of literature, "What's going on here?" and of authors, "How did you do that?" Then it supplies clear, understandable answers that surprise and enlighten and delight.
Entertaining introduction..........2007-01-16
An easy read and a nice introduction (or reminder to those who've been out of college a while) what goes into reading and appreciating great literature. People in college or who remember their college English lit classes vividly will find it a bit too beginner-level. I also thought the prose sometimes was a bit too informal and chatty. Still, I liked it.
Book Description
Whether giving back through her patriotism and community service, touring with Fleetwood Mac or performing as a solo artist, Stevie Nicks has mesmerized us for over thirty years. Her life story, with all its highs and lows, provides an opportunity to grow from her tremendous strength, persistence and courage while learning from the challenges she has faced. A widely revered singer/songwriter, Stevie is adored by multiple generations.
Interpretation of her songs gives you a look inside her soul but "not unless she lets you." On "Stand Back" from The Wild Heart, Stevie's second solo album she sings, "No one knows how I feel what I say unless you read between my lines." Her highly personal songwriting tells the story. Stevie's autobiographical songs serve as an outlet for coping with pain and personal sacrifice. Fans have credited her with literally saving their lives!
* Stevie's relationship with Lindsey Buckingham serves as a consistent basis for her songwriting and decisions made along her life journey.
* The book chronicles Stevie's musical accomplishments while highlighting the pain and sacrifice women face leading a rock 'n' roll lifestyle.
Customer Reviews:
Terrible.......2007-09-04
First of all, this author appears to never have even spoken to Stevie Nicks. The book is full of innacuracies and at one point she even gets the title of Stevie and Kenny Loggins duet wrong.
Dont bother read it!
What a Mess!.......2007-08-06
Sandra, I don't know who your contacts were but it's a wonder you spelled Stevie's name correctly. I have never read a biography with more inaccuracies than you log in at. In additon, I can't help but wonder if those postive reviews are from friends of yours. How can anyone with any literary sense call this book a good read? Despite getting the facts wrong --- it bounces around more than a bouncing rubber ball at a dodgeball game in which the participants are blind! There is no chronological order at all. It's as if you just repeated a bunch of quotes you heard over and over -- never bothering to verify the info at all while just kept listing one after another. Like the "Planets of The Universe" - you should "Go Your Own Way" and leave Stevie and her true fans alone. I wish I could give this book negative stars!
The book should be called "Lost in Timespace".......2007-05-22
HI Stevie fans,
Over the years I've been involved in several Stevie e-posters and websites sharing deep info on Stevie Nicks, her life and songwriting. Though I sometimes enjoy reading "independent" writers at times, this book is a fiasco. I was able to read just a couple of pages from this Amazon website and discovered several errors and wrong info on Stevie.
From saying Stevie moved to Arcadia Ca and went to High School there, and knowing fully well she lived in Atherton Ca in Northern Ca, and went to high school there was enough for me. She played in the band Fritz in the Bay Area with Lindsey Buckingham if I'm sure many can attest.....all anyone would have to log on youtube and type in Fritz to see the info gathered there of her early years in the Bay Area. She did go to LA with Lindsey during the Buckingham Nicks years before being "discovered" by Mick, but Sandra's book is scattered like 'dreams" in the "midnight wind"....Bob of CA(of prodigy legend)
Comments on Stevies life........2007-05-13
This book details alot about Stevie, but none of it is directly from her. I would say this book is more a collection of Stevie Nicks interviews and comments from her rock n roll life with comments/story outlines from the author in between, so i found that disappointing from that respect. However overall still some great facts and insight into the rock n roll legend that stevie is.
An "ok" Read.......2007-03-10
As far as biographies go, I found the book to be small, for some one as Great as Stevie Nicks. But all in all was informative. For a beginer reader of anything about Stevie Nicks, and are not sure about getting a great big fat book, and just need quick facts this a a good book for this pupose.
Book Description
An insider's look at life on the lines
To hockey fans, Ray Scapinello's name and face are as recognizable as any star player or coach in the NHL. Scampy, as he is affectionately known has had a long and storied career as a linesman in the NHL. His 5-foot-7 frame and 163 pounds belie his ability and endurance on the ice. When Ray retired in 2004 after 33 years in the NHL, he had officiated in 2,500 regular season matches (never missing a game), 426 playoff games, and an astounding twenty Stanley Cup final series. His untouchable statistics make him a lock to enter the Hockey Hall of Fame as an official, but even they do not do justice to the respect he has earned from officials, players, coaches, and fans alike. On and off the ice, Scampy is considered one of hockey's great personalities, a consummate professional, a chronic practical joker, and a true ambassador of the sport.
Between the Lines gives a rare glimpse inside the world of hockey from an unusual perspective — through the eyes of one of the game's greatest and best-loved officials. Scampy shares his tales of life both on and off the ice as an official, an inside look at what those players and coaches are really like, what they really say and do, and what the game looks like between the lines. Full of fun stories, perspective on how the game has changed and evolved, and stories and interviews about Scampy from players, coaches, and other officials, Between the Lines is a captivating memoir of a truly unique life in hockey.
Customer Reviews:
Hockey fans will like it..........2007-03-28
As an avid hockey fan, I enjoyed all of the stories in the book. It provides incredible insight into the NHL and its officials. I found myself thouroughly amazed at how much extracurricular stuff goes on during a hockey game between the officials and players.
That said, the book itself was dissapointing. It seems to skip around alot, telling a story and then going off on several related tangents before returning to the original point. This causes the author to repeat himself several times, particularly across several chapters.
Perhaps most dissapointing is the general lack of "Scampy" stories through the first two thirds of the book. It's more of a "life of the NHL officials" type of book than a story about the life and career of a specific person. This is why hockey fans will still enjoy this book, reading background stories about NHL games always provides a unique, new, and enjoyable experience. Unfortunately, this book is published as an [auto]biography and that takes away from the overall enjoyment of the book.
A big let down...Scampy held back.......2007-01-20
I really looked forward to reading this book over the Christmas holiday.
However, it's very painful for me to say that this book was a complete and total let down. Based on Scampy's tenure in the NHL, I would have expected so much more, but Scampy held back. Clearly, Scampy didn't want to do a "tell all" book, but this book was so poorly written and organized with weak stories and annecdotes. Scampy certainly had better material that he could have shared with us. Perhaps I can't blame him for not wanting to get into more details on topics the average hockey fan would want to know.
Scampy was the best linesmen I ever saw and his career spanned so many years. It's just too bad the book did not get into the level of detail and stories that Scampy must surely have filed in his memory banks that we all would have enjoyed reading.
Between the lines.......2007-01-15
Fantastic Book - a must have for any die hard hockey fan. Great insight into the game and it's history.
Book Description
Shopping is no longer as simple as whats for dinner. Food labels like organic, low carb, and fat free! scream at consumers from every supermarket aisle. Some claims are FDA-approved, but much of Americas official nutrition information is simply a marketing ploy. In Eating between the Lines, natural foods expert Kimberly Lord Stewart explains what food labels really meanand what they mean to our healthby demystifying the language on every piece of food packaging.
Customer Reviews:
Real world food shopping advice.......2007-05-26
I like this book because it's not agenda-driven or political. Kimberly Lord Stewart focuses on the yawning gap between a lot of people and the healthy food they want to eat, and feed their families. She stays away from the politics and answers questions like "What's the difference between organic and regular milk, and is organic worth the extra money?" and "How can I tell whether this fish is safe to eat?"
Stewart did a ton of research with authoritative sources. She knows her stuff.
If you want to read a philosophical treatise on food, buy The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals . But if you're trying to figure out which cereal to feed your 3-year-old, buy "Eating Between the Lines."
What I didn't know was hurting me.......2007-05-23
I've been a professional chef for 28 years and was startled by the huge amount of product information I was able to learn from Kimberly Lord Stewart's research. I recommend this book to all of my culinary students and anyone who wants to learn more about the foods they cook and eat.
Chef Dan
The Gourmet Spoon
Educational, Entertaining, Excellent!.......2007-05-20
Ten reasons I highly recommend Kimberly Lord Stewart's "Eating Between the Lines":
1. It's informative without being didactic or boring.
2. The anecdotes are entertaining and thought-provoking.
3. Several times during the reading of this book, I found myself saying out loud: "Wow! I didn't know that!"
4. I've gone back to the book several times to use as a reference before grocery shopping.
5. The book now holds an esteemed place in my house--above the stove with my dog-eared cookbooks.
6. It's obvious that Ms. Stewart has thoroughly researched this subject.
7. This has to be the best treatise on U.S. food laws written for the average American consumer.
8. I understand now the differences and similarities between organic, natural, farm-raised (etc, etc.) foods.
9. There is no agenda here---just thorough, reasoned, interesting writing.
10. Ms. Stewart's passion for food leaps right through the pages of "Reading Between the Lines"!
Best Food Resource.......2007-04-30
Even though I am a sustainable food business owner, I found so much new and helpful information in this book. Stewart has done a thorough job of researching and explaining, in language that everyone can understand, the labyrinthine inner-workings of the "natural," and not-so-natural food business. Eating Between the Lines should be the handbook every shopper keeps in his or her grocery cart!
Thank you for this enlightening book.......2007-04-28
If all Americans took this book to heart (and to the supermarket), we would be a far healthier nation. By deciphering corporate food-label speak for us, Kimberly Lord Stewart enables us to make more informed, and better choices about what we feed ourselves and our families. Clearly the work of someone deeply knowledgeable about the subject, Eating Between the Lines is equally clearly, the work of someone who really cares, In fact, I suspect that nothing could make the author happier than knowing that some of us, at least, will eat more wisely (though no less well) because Eating Between the Lines has passed through our hands.
Average customer rating:
- Think carefully about what you want from this book
- Too Much New Age, Not Enough Writing
- Enough Ideas to Keep You Going into Your Wild Old Age
- Enough Ideas to Keep You Going into Your Wild Old Age
- Enough Ideas to Keep You Going into Your Wild Old Age
|
Soul Between the Lines: Freeing Your Creative Spirit Through Writing
Dorothy Randall Gray
Manufacturer: Avon Books (P)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 Creativity | Self-Help | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
General | Self-Help | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
General | Psychology & Counseling | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
General | Writing | Reference | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0380791420 |
Customer Reviews:
Think carefully about what you want from this book.......2004-05-03
Dorothy Randall Gray, author of "Soul Between the Lines," has for many years taught a workshop called "Writing From Your Heartland." This book, which draws heavily on that workshop, has a very informal style that's rather endearing, and keeps a couple of things from becoming annoying. For example, all her tales of benefits people have gained from her workshop would sound self-congratulatory if the tone were more formal. "Soul" is about figuring out your life, trying things until you find out what works for you, and heading off in a better direction than the one you rode in on.
Ms. Gray has a wonderful sense of poetry. Her prose is a little rougher, with some interesting typos and mistakes here and there, but I've seen far worse and did enjoy her style quite a bit. Each chapter (or section of chapter) ends up with several specific sections. One is called "journeys," and suggests topics for freewrites that involve the concepts just discussed. "Food for thought" is a sort of free-association list. Finally, each section ends with "seasonal surrenders." These are little rituals you can use to remind yourself of the divinity and specialness of life.
There are definitely some things about this book I didn't like. It's a bit new-agey for me. In particular, the section on angels annoyed me. The tone of the section left me with the impression that angels were supposed to be silly, cherubic beings playing pranks on people for fun. Ms. Gray sometimes refers to things as being "medical fact," or having been shown through research, as though research automatically confers validity--there's plenty of flawed research out there.
Ultimately, there are several considerations to keep in mind when deciding whether you want to read this book:
1. If you want a serious book on writing, you probably want a different book.
2. If you want a book on exploring spirituality through writing, this is probably a great book for you.
3. If you want a book with some neat new stuff that might inspire your creativity in unusual directions, and you don't mind reading through the spirituality, then this book has some inspiring and unusual writing prompts that you won't find elsewhere.
Too Much New Age, Not Enough Writing.......2004-02-24
Disappointingly new-age with lots of stuff about the magic of colors, and the magic of air, water, fire and earth, etc. etc. Might have been intriguing had I picked this up in the New Age section, but I found it tiresome after a while.
I certainly wasn't able to use her suggested exercises as a jumping-off point. However, I did like the personal anecdotes of her life, and I think she would certainly be an interesting person to meet and have a conversation with.
All in all, however, I was greatly reminded of Luisah Teish's JUMBALAYA, and Teish's book is the one I preferred. I would suggest reading that instead.
Enough Ideas to Keep You Going into Your Wild Old Age.......2000-07-13
Creativity defines our individuality, it's not an unnecessary decoration, like too many bows on a dress. Of course it's in writing, painting, music; it's also in baking a cake, building a distribution system for auto parts, or talking to your cat, and it's in the choices we make in books or music or bed sheets. You're already creative, whether you admit it or not, or even if your grade school grammar teacher wanted you dead. Writing doesn't have to be the goal here, the idea is to use writing to brain-storm your mind and get it to open, and then turn it to any creative endeavor. Ms. Gray's book has enough muscle and exercises to drag something out of you. Even mundane results can provide joy, and you might just create something extraordinary that may, just for a moment, let someone transcend the ordinary world.
One note of caution, some of the exercises tended to get me reminiscing about every dreary thing that ever happened to me. Writing for therapy leads inward and can mire me in self-pity. It may be healing, but creativity expects you to move beyond the pathos and into a larger world where it is the therapy itself.
Enough Ideas to Keep You Going into Your Wild Old Age.......2000-07-13
Creativity defines our individuality, it's not an unnecessary decoration, like too many bows on a dress. Of course it's in writing, painting, music; it's also in baking a cake, building a distribution system for auto parts, or talking to your cat, and it's in the choices we make in books or music or bed sheets. You're already creative, whether you admit it or not, or even if your grade school grammar teacher wanted you dead. Writing doesn't have to be the goal here, the idea is to use writing to brain-storm your mind and get it to open, and then turn it to any creative endeavor. Ms. Gray's book has enough muscle and exercises to drag something out of you. Even mundane results can provide joy, and you might just create something extraordinary that may, just for a moment, let someone transcend the ordinary world.
One note of caution, some of the exercises tended to get me reminiscing about every dreary thing that ever happened to me. Writing for therapy leads inward and can mire me in self-pity. It may be healing, but creativity expects you to move beyond the pathos and into a larger world where it is the therapy itself.
Enough Ideas to Keep You Going into Your Wild Old Age.......2000-07-13
Creativity defines our individuality, it's not an unnecessary decoration, like too many bows on a dress. Of course it's in writing, painting, music; it's also in baking a cake, building a distribution system for auto parts, or talking to your cat, and it's in the choices we make in books or music or bed sheets. You're already creative, whether you admit it or not, or even if your grade school grammar teacher wanted you dead. Writing doesn't have to be the goal here, the idea is to use writing to brain-storm your mind and get it to open, and then turn it to any creative endeavor. Ms. Gray's book has enough muscle and exercises to drag something out of you. Even mundane results can provide joy, and you might just create something extraordinary that may, just for a moment, let someone transcend the ordinary world.
One note of caution, some of the exercises tended to get me reminiscing about every dreary thing that ever happened to me. Writing for therapy leads inward and can mire me in self-pity. It may be healing, but creativity expects you to move beyond the pathos and into a larger world where it is the therapy itself.
Book Description
Drawing from a wide selection of current research and writings, Reading Between the Lines brings together accessible readings that examine a broad range of social problems and reflect different conceptual approaches. The text provides a conceptual framework for understanding social problems and enables an integrated race, class, and gender analysis.
Book Description
Effective storytelling stems from many elements, the most crucial of which are unseen or blended in so unobtrusively that they are difficult to spot and analyze. Still, they are necessary to the wholeness and coherence of a story—to create a work that lingers and resonates in the reader's imagination.
In Between the Lines, author and writing instructor Jessica Page Morrell shows you how to craft a unified and layered novel or short story by mastering subtle storytelling techniques, such as:
· Using emotional bombshells, surprises, and interruptions to intensify cliffhangers
· Enlarging your story world through the use of layered subplots
· Building suspense one scene at a time to maximize the emotional payoff
· Anchoring your premise to your protagonist's character arc
· Transitioning into and out of flashbacks without interrupting the mood of your story
Detailed instruction combined with examples from well-known authors turn seemingly complex topics like subtext, revelations, misdirection, and balance into comprehensible techniques that will elevate your writing to the next level.
Customer Reviews:
LIVES UP TO ITS TITLE.......2007-01-26
Between the Lines, by Jessica Page Morrell, is an in-depth look at a wide range of novel-writing subjects. As the title implies, this is not meant to be a typical A to Z how-to book, and for the most part it lives up to its title.
Between the Lines did quite well on my "Hi-Liter test." As I read a book, I highlight the meaty parts for further reference and note-taking. Books with little substance survive relatively unscathed, while information-packed, insightful books get a heavy dose of yellow ink. My copy of Between the Lines is now awash in yellow. The chapters I found least useful were Tension and Suspense, which included a lot of information I've seen elsewhere.
My "note-taking test" was a little rougher on Between the Lines. After I finish reading a book, I review the passages marked with my Hi-Liter, scribbling notes to be filed by topic. Some of the chapters were packed with insight and juicy tidbits I noted for future reference, but much of the subject matter was a review for me. I took lots of notes about Epiphanies, Revelations, Flashbacks, Foreshadowing, Prologues, and Epilogues. My favorite chapter was Transitions, which by itself is worth the price of the book.
Using a five-star rating system, I rank Between the Lines four stars. I didn't give it five stars largely because of what's missing from the text. Other books cover some of the material with greater insight. And many of the examples could have been better chosen to illustrate the points being made.
Overall, I'm glad I purchased Between the Lines and suspect I will be referring to it again and again in the future.
Lots of ideas and information from a gifted writer.......2007-01-14
I bought this after returning from a writing seminar with the gifted author, thinking that it would summarize the wealth of information presented. It certainly does, but the information in the seminar was just the tip of the iceberg compared to the book. I will buy this as a gift for each of the wonderful writers in my creative writing group.
All in one spot!.......2006-11-25
Finally, all those little things that writers sort of know, all in one spot. Between the Lines isn't a fluffy writer's book that pats the reader on the back without giving substance. This book is about technique. Morrell has brought together all the refinements that authors sort of know, even though that knowledge has been gleaned from so many sources. Here, it's all together. It's all about the small things, the subtle things.
The only caution I would have about this book is that new writers shouldn't read it, not until they've had writing experience under their belt. Why? Because many new writers tend to take books like these far too seriously and try to incorporate everything they've read about into one work. If a new writer tries that with Between the Lines, they'll drive themselves up a wall and maybe out of writing.
This book is best for advanced writers, ones who are seeking to refine their already solid prose and storytelling skills.
Like taking a writing seminar in your home.......2006-11-16
Between the Lines is one of the best books on writing I've ever read. Morrell's relaxed style and depth of knowledge fit easily together and thankfully, she includes lots of examples and illustrations. The subtitle mentions mastering the subtle elements of fiction writing and that's just what the book covers--everything that is common to overlook when you're focused on the story. Everything that makes a story come alive. Whether you're a novice writer or an established author, I recommend this book. Morrell is an accomplished writer in her own right and one of the premier writing instructors in the country.
Finally a writing book that helps!.......2006-11-15
With a book shelf full of writing books, I finally found the help to make my stories vibrate with life. Jessica Page Morrell gets into all the nuances that bring your writing alive complete with lots of examples. I have been gnawing on a manuscript for a couple of years and Between The Lines showed me all the little subtleties that make good writing great. Thank you, Jessica
Product Description
The Line Between Us explores the history of U.S-Mexican relations and the roots of Mexican immigration, all in the context of the global economy. And it shows how teachers can help students understand the immigrant experience and the drama of border life. But The Line Between Us is about more than Mexican immigration and border issues. It's about imaginative and creative teaching that gets students to care about the world. Using role plays, stories, poetry, improvisations, simulations and video, veteran teacher Bill Bigelow demonstrates how to combine lively teaching with critical analysis. Exactly what we need, says writer Luis Rodríguez.
Customer Reviews:
Great resource for teachers!.......2007-06-27
This is a rich, thought-provoking, sophisticated teaching resource to use in the classroom. It offers perspectives that are missing in the public debate about inmigration today. I highly recommend The Line Between Us.
Anahi Walton-Schafer
Gave Me the Confidence to Teach.......2006-12-28
I approached few subjects with more trepidation than Mexican immigration, because every conversation with my students unleashed a torrent of emotions reflecting the everyday stereotypes, fear-mongering and downright bigotry towards immigrants that I hated but felt powerless to address. This book gave me the confidence to teach my 9th grade Comparative Cultures & Geography students about "the line between us".
Author Bill Bigelow's intentions are to break down the `us' versus `them' perceptions that I feared in my students precisely because I could not address them. And he is very successful. His book is chock full of ideas, lesson plans and reproducibles backed up by real-life teaching experience grounded in progressive ideals.
The book covers the historical roots of the border, NAFTA's impact, the drama of border crossing, life in border towns and provides a wealth of additional resources for fun, creative teaching.
Book Description
The first biography in English of the Japanese artist who was a central figure in the dazzling artistic milieu of 1920s Paris
When we think of expatriates in Paris during the early decades of the twentieth century, certain names come to mind: Hemingway, Picasso, Modigliani—and Foujita, the Japanese artist whose distinctive works, bringing elements of Japanese art to Western oil painting, made him a major cultural figure in 1920s Montparnasse. Foujita was the only Japanese artist to be considered part of the “School of Paris,” which also counted among its members such prominent artists as Picasso and Modigliani. Noteworthy, too, was Foujita’s personal style, flamboyant even for those flamboyant times. He was best known for his drawings of female nudes and cats, and for his special white color upon which he could draw a masterful line—one that seemed to outline a woman’s whole body in a single unbroken stroke.
With the advent of the Second World War, Foujita returned to Japan, where he allied himself with the ruling Japanese mili-tarists and painted canvases in support of the war effort. After Japan’s defeat, he was scorned for his devotion to the military cause and returned to France, where he remained until his death in 1968. Acclaimed writer and translator Phyllis Birnbaum not only explores Foujita’s fascinating, tumultuous life but also assesses the appeal of his paintings, which, in their mixture of Eastern and Western traditions, are memorable for their vibrancy of form and purity of line.
Customer Reviews:
Mixed feelings about this...........2007-03-05
On the one hand, I am very grateful to Ms. Birnbaum for bringing to my attention this very interesting artist, whom I had NEVER heard of, despite majoring in art history! On the other hand, I have to echo what the other reviewers said: there is too little emphasis on his art, and too much bogging down in biographical minutiae (e.g., his associations with other Japanese artists whom I'd never heard of), and Japanese history. You get the impression that Ms. Birnbaum is a historian of Japan first and foremost, and not really that interested in art. Why on earth are there NO color repros of Foujita's paintings, other than the gorgeous one on the cover -- and only a few black-and-white repros besides? Can it be that there were problems with repro rights? I ordered Jean Selz's out-of-print monograph on Foujita and kept it by my side while reading Birnbaum's book, just so I could see the works she was talking about.
The earlier (Paris) portion of the book was far more interesting than the second (Japanese) half, which really was a chore to finish. Ms. Birnbaum certainly has done a ton of research, but I just wish the book's emphasis had been different. For my purposes, I think my little Selz monograph is going to be more interesting.
Foujita Re-discovered.......2007-01-23
As I read Phyllis Birnbaum's GLORY IN A LINE, I fought a sense of disbelief. How was it during my 1960s training in art and art history I had never heard or read this artist's name? In fact, if it had not been for Birnbaum's book or my perusal of Christie's or Sotheby's auction catalogs of only recent years, I might not have heard the name Foujita, still. But then, there is a fairy-tale sense of fantasy to this artist's life that may account for my incredulity. Birnbaum reveals in a humorous, sometimes deadpan, gathering-of-facts style, the artist's amazing and vivid life. Leaving it to the reader to configure, Birnbaum reports that Foujita constructed a fabulously successful social life, rather like, this reader supposes, an early modernist Andy Warhol. Despite being newly arrived in Paris, and knowing little French, the Japanese Foujita took to the Bohemian life-style like a duck to water. He displayed far more joie de vivre than any Left Bank artist (among his friends were Modigliani, Soutine and others). Then, after years of celebrity in Paris and more years traveling, the mercurial Foujita returned to Japan and virtually led the Japanese propagandist art program for World War II. Birnbaum has a knack for seting up scenes with great economy: meeting a Frenchman from his former deveil-may-care life in Paris, Foujita entered the room in full military garb,and greeted the visitor with a smile-less, stiff, formal bow,instead of shaking hands. Foujita, the perfect super-chameleon, or better yet--Zelig. Then, this reader thought perhaps it was because of his Japanese war art that Foujita was omitted from earlier art history texts, to be discussed only now. Indeed as of this writing, an American war movie about Iwo Jima told from the Japanese point of view is of recent release. With this in mind Birnbaum's book seems prescient. Read her book as an illuminating and entertaining biograpy of an incredible life, not as a moralizing document or an analysis of Foujita's work in the context of 20th Century art history.
Between two worlds.......2007-01-19
The artist known as Foujita was torn between two worlds: the western artistic community in pre-war Paris and the imperial Japan of World War 2. How he dealt with these conflicting universes is the theme of the book. Not entirely successfully, the author tells of his sometimes madcap life in France, mostly without linking that life to his work. The story becomes more vivid as it recounts his second career, as a combat artist of high military rank in Japan.
The book would have profited from more examples of his painting. There's only a few black-and-white illustrations which are insufficient to match the strenuous descriptions of his work, especially during the war.
The author is clearly knowledgable about the Japanese language and culture and she has done her homework about his stunning switch from bohemian artist to a soldier-painter with the rank equivalent to major general in the Japanese army.
It's well worth reading but it would be best done if the reader had a book of his paintings to relate it to his unusual life
glory in a line: a life of foujita.......2007-01-16
I FIRST BECAME AWARE OF FOUJITA IN 'KI KI'S PARIS'. I LOVE THE BOHEMIAN PARIS OF THE 1920'S WITH ALL THOSE ARTISTS AND WRITERS CREATING AND PARTYING , THRIVING AND STARVING AND BASKING IN THE GLORY THAT WAS PARIS. PHYLLIS BIRNBAUM'S BOOK IS QUITE GOOD, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE DISCOVERED MORE ABOUT THE 'CREATIVE' MAN, THE GENIUS WITHIN. AND I WISH THERE HAD BEEN MORE PHOTOS OF HIS MANY ART WORKS. HE WAS QUITE A COMPLEX MAN AND THE BIO, WHILE INFORMATIVE, DOESN'T CAPTURE HIS CREATIVE PROCESS ENOUGH FOR ME. I DO RECOMMEND THE BOOK. I HOPE SOMEONE WILL WRITE ANOTHER BOOK OF JUST HIS PARIS YEARS.
Book Description
The long-awaited sequel to the popular classic The Last Unicorn is the centerpiece of this powerful collection of new tales from a fantasy master. As longtime fans have come to expect, the stories are written with a grace and style similar to fantasy's most original voices, such as J. R. R. Tolkien, Fritz Leiber, and Kurt Vonnegut. Traditional themes are typically infused with modern sensibilities—reincarnated lovers and waning kings rub shoulders with heroic waifs; Schmendrick the Magician returns to adventure, as does the ghost of an off-Broadway actor and a dream-stealing shapeshifter; and Gordon, the delightfully charming "self-made cat," appears for the first time in print, taking his place alongside Stuart Little as a new favorite of the young at heart. This wide-ranging compilation contains sly humor and a resounding depth that will charm fans of literary fantasy.
Customer Reviews:
The Line Between.......2007-04-13
Short stories are a tricky thing to write - many authors open their own collections with a note about how silly they were to attempt the form. Not surprising, since a short story is not simply a novel with the details cut out. Short story writing requires a precise sense of pacing and an almost directoral view of the subject matter. There are not hundreds of pages to develop characters and create mood; the best the short story writer can do is point out to you the defining moments of a character or a scene and hope you can keep up. Short fiction is most often effective to offer a setup leading to a quick plot twist or a startling ending, not for world-building or profound observations on the human psyche.
That said, the depth of feeling contained in the latest Peter Beagle book is astounding. Twice as much when you consider that this is a short story collection, not a novel. No story spans more than forty pages - a few run no more that five, but many have their own emotional resonance most novelists dream of.
There are plenty of funny, quick reads throughout the collection too. In Gordon, the Self-Made Cat a mouse with no desire to play the traditional role of bait earns his cat card and the respect of his fellow felines. A set of four fables, while feeling a little rushed in execution, have deliciously cynical morals. Salt Wine puts some grand old seagoing-myths on their heads, and Quarry fills in yet another piece of the world of Innkeeper's Song and the short story collection from the same world. There's also A Dance For Emilia - a beautiful story of friendship and love printed here for every fan who missed the much overlooked gift book edition from several years ago.
There is always a strong musical theme running through Beagle's work - and of course there is one musical story here: Mr. Sigerson. Mr. Siegerson is a brilliant violinist and also a persona of the great Sherlock Holmes. In this mystery, Holmes and the conductor of a Norwegian orchestra uncover underhanded dealings and an illicit affair and any musician will recognize one of their own in the narrator and characters of the story.
The real jewels in this book are El Regalo and Two Hearts. El Regalo introduces two new characters, Marvyn and Angie. With promises to tell their whole story in a novel, Beagle introduces two kids growing up in Avicenna and growing into some magical powers. Marvyn, like any well-balanced kid, uses his abilities to take out the garbage and wash the dishes, but Angie is still concerned that his powers might get them into trouble. When Angie makes an embarrassing choice to confess her love to a boy at school, Marvyn rushes in to save the day and lands both of them in last Thursday, possibly permanently. Two Hearts is quite simply a gift to any fan of The Last Unicorn. In Beagle's earlier days he created each book in its own world, and the short stories that he wrote never went back to those places. After more than thirty years, the story is told of Shmendrick and Molly Grue's further adventures, along with Lir and the land he rules. Two Hearts seems almost to be something dug up from the days immediately following the writing of The Last Unicorn. The characters remain as true to themselves as any reader could hope and again, Beagle promises a full-length story of Sooz, the narrator.
Once again, Beagle has topped his previous efforts and not only re-asserted his status as a master of the Fantasy genre, but shown that he still has plenty more stories to tell us.
Peter S. Beagle: Living National Treasure.......2007-02-12
I hereby nominate Peter S. Beagle as a Living National Treasure. How many of us have laughed and wept and felt goose flesh while reading his stories? And for decades!! The Line Between contains the novella for which Peter won (finally, finally) a Hugo Award. What a treat to see Schmendrick, Molly and King Lir again. Rather than seem like an epilogue to The Last Unicorn, this reads more like a prologue to a new epic story of love and adventure. I can't wait to find out what happens to Sooz when she turns seventeen and gets to use her gift of magic. If I were a king I'd build a special wing at the castle for Sir Peter and give him all the food, wine and song (okay, and women too) his heart desires so he could happily and contentedly write me tales until I'm an old man.
(UPDATE: Since first writing this review Peter won the Nebula award for Two Hearts, the coda to the Last Unicorn included in this collection.)
Delightful fantastic fiction -- moving and wise.......2007-01-22
Peter S. Beagle has had a long career and is already a legend for such novels as The Last Unicorn and such short fiction as "Farrell and Lila the Werewolf". But just in the past few years he has produced a string of wonderful shorter works that rank with the best work of his career. This collection includes most of those recent stories, including a few new to 2006, as well as one or two older pieces. Beagle's characters are the heart of his works - thoroughly believable, often a bit battered, often somewhat worldy wise. Though he also depicts much younger characters very well.
The very moving closing story, "A Dance for Emilia", tells of a late-middle-aged actor mourning the death of his childhood friend, a critic, in the company of that friend's young lover, and of his strangely possessed cat. "Two Hearts" is a lovely sequel to The Last Unicorn. "Quarry" is first rate adventure fantasy, with a young man fleeing scary monsters meeting an older man and joining with him, only to face another monster. "Salt Wine", one of my favorites here (though the stories are wonderful throughout - hard to name a favorite) is an absorbing sea story about a sailor and the formula for a special drink he gets from a merman (or merrow), with a sharply pointed moral dimension. "Mr. Sigerson" is a satisfyingly different Sherlock Holmes story, featuring Holmes under the title alias spending time playing violin for a backwoods Central European orchestra - only mysteries to solve find him there as well. "El Regalo" and "Gordon, the Self-Made Cat" are both focused a bit on younger readers - but quite fine for adults - the first about a young Korean-American boy who is a witch, and his long-suffering sister, the second about a mouse who wants to be a cat. We also get "Four Fables", three of them brand new, mostly cynical (though with heart) short pieces about such subjects as a Tyrannosaurus told of the coming asteroid.
What more can I say? There are simply delightful stories - a lovely lovely collection from one of the best contemporary fantasists.
Excellent, excellent, excellent.......2006-09-28
The short and sweet: Get this book. If it helps, know that "Two Hearts" won the Hugo award for Best Novelette. If you loved The Last Unicorn (how could you not?), then you must read "Two Hearts." It's also got the story "Quarry," starring my favorite character from The Inkeeper's Song: the fox.
Warm & Winning.......2006-08-05
Peter Beagle belongs to that vanishing type of writer whose strengths are in strong characterization rather than plot, although their plots are often quite strong. Writers like the late Theodore Sturgeon, Edgar Pangborn, Mary Pangborn & Avram Davidson. Writers like the still living Algis Budrys, Ed Gorman or, on his better days, Stephen King.
He also doesn't write (or at least, publish) nearly enough. Yet here is a collection of short stories, all fairly recent, and many with their first publication herein.
The lead-off tale is a little charmer about a mouse who decides it's a whole lot better to live as a cat than a mouse, so he goes off to cat school, with some humorous and ironic results. Beagle's note to the story mentions that he hopes to turn this into a children's book in the manner of 'Charlotte's Web'. If so, this is a pretty good start.
The next story, 'Two Hearts' is a sequel to Beagle's best known novel 'The Last Unicorn'. I'm always leary when a writer returns to the world of a major work, years after that work's publication. In this case, it's been 38 years but Beagle pulls it off, returning many of the major characters from that novel and developing a new character that will lead into a new novel. Brillant, warm and hearttouching.
Next up are four fables, dealing with moths, a Tyrannosaurus Rex, ostriches and octopi. Funny stuff. In fact, Beagle is so good at this type of writing that one could easily see a complete book of such fables. Listen up, Mr. Beagle!! The world needs more bluejay stories.
Next is 'El Regalo, which deals with two Korean-American kids and their witchy abilities. Another good story that one can easily see expanded into a complete novel.
'Quarry' is a tasty prequel to Beagle's novel 'The Innkeeper's Song', which tells an early tale of one of that novel's major characters.
'Salt Wine' is the best story in the book (and that's saying something, considering that 'Two Hearts' is here too). An old sailor relates the horrific tale of his shipmate who saves a merman and is granted the merman's most cherished secret, the ability to make salt wine. The gift comes with a horrible price, however, that makes itself known in a quiet, understated fashion. This story ought to be in the running for a number of major awards next year. Very disturbing.
'Mr. Sigerson' is a Sherlock Holmes tale, related by a narrator who doesn't appear to like Mr. Holmes at all. There are tons of Sherlock Holmes knockoff stories out there but this is a good one.
The closer is 'A Dance For Emilia', a warm story of a dead man possessing his own cat so that he can leave one last message for the love of his life. Warm, tender and haunting, in the best sense of the word.
You're gonna love this book. Buy one for yourself and one for your best friend. You'll both be happy you did.
Books:
- iMovie HD & iDVD 5: The Missing Manual
- Joy of Cooking: 75th Anniversary Edition - 2006
- Leadership and Self Deception: Getting Out of the Box
- Listening for the Heartbeat of God: A Celtic Spirituality
- Lone Star Lawmen: The Second Century of the Texas Rangers
- Magic Tree House Boxed Set 1, Books 1-4: Dinosaurs Before Dark, The Knight at Dawn, Mummies in the Morning, and Pirates Past Noon
- Mavericks at Work: Why the Most Original Minds in Business Win
- Me, Myself, and Bob: A True Story About God, Dreams, and Talking Vegetables
- Mesmerized
- Mr. Darcy Presents His Bride: A Sequel to Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight: An African Childhood
- The Real Holy Grail: An Orthodox Response to Dan Brown's Deceptions in Angels and Demons and The Da
- Intrinsic Bioremediation
- The Adventures of Augie March
- Painting People: Figure Painting Today
- The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down
- Superpuppy: How to Choose, Raise, and Train the Best Possible Dog for You
- Retail Desire: Design Display and Visual Merchandising
- Painting the Digital River: How an Artist Learned to Love the Computer
- Plantago: A MULTIDISCIPLINARY STUDY
Voice Lessons: Classroom Activities to Teach Diction, Detail, Imagery, Syntax, and Tone
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Critical Reading
The Awakening
Mythology
The Things They Carried
