The City of Falling Angels

Amazon.com

Past Midnight: John Berendt on the Mysteries of Venice

Just as John Berendt's first book, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, was settling into its remarkable four-year run on The New York Times bestseller list, he discovered a new city whose local mysteries and traditions were more than a match for Savannah, whose hothouse eccentricities he had celebrated in the first book. The new city was Venice, and he spent much of the last decade wandering through its canals and palazzos, seeking to understand a place that any native will tell you is easy to visit but hard to know. For travelers to Venice, whether by armchair or vaporetto, he has selected his 10 (actually 11) Books to Read on Venice. And he took the time to answer a few of our questions about his charming new book, The City of Falling Angels:

Amazon.com: The lush, cloistered southern city of Savannah was the locale of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. Venice, the setting for The City of Falling Angels, is vastly different. Was it the difference itself that drew you to Venice?

John Berendt: Savannah and Venice actually have quite a lot in common. Both are uniquely beautiful. Both are isolated geographically, culturally, and emotionally from the world outside. Venice sits in the middle of a lagoon; Savannah is surrounded by marshes, piney woods, and the ocean. Venetians think of themselves as Venetian first, Italian second; Savannahians rarely even venture forth as far as Atlanta or Charleston. So both cities offer a writer a rich context in which to set a story, and the stories provide readers a means of escape from their own environment into another world.

Amazon.com: I enjoyed your rather declarative author's note: that this is a work of nonfiction, and that you used everyone's real names. In your previous book you did use pseudonyms for some characters and you explained that you took a few small liberties in the service of the larger truth of the story. Why the change this time?

Berendt: When I wrote Midnight I thought I would do a few people the favor of changing their names for the sake of privacy. But when the book came out, several of the pseudonymous characters told me they wished I'd used their real names instead. So this time, no pseudonyms. As for the storytelling liberties I took in writing Midnight, they were minor and did not change the story, but my mention of it in the author's note caused some confusion, with the result that Midnight is sometimes referred to now as a novel, which it most certainly is not. Neither is The City of Falling Angels. In fact, I dispensed with the liberties this time and made it as close to the truth as I could get it.

Amazon.com: In The City of Falling Angels, a number of fascinating people serve as guides to the city, each with a different idea of the true nature of Venice. Who was your favorite?

Berendt: I don't have a favorite, but Count Girolamo Marcello is certainly a memorable, highly quotable commentator. "Everyone in Venice is acting," he told me. "Everyone plays a role, and the role changes. The key to understanding Venetians is rhythm, the rhythm of the lagoon, the water, the tides, the waves. It's like breathing. High water, high pressure: tense. Low water, low pressure: relaxed. The tide changes every six hours."

I nodded that I understood.

"How do you see a bridge?" he went on.

"Pardon me?" I asked, "A bridge?"

"Do you see a bridge as an obstacle--as just another set of steps to climb to get from one side of a canal to the other? We Venetians do not see bridges as obstacles. To us, bridges are transitions. We go over them very slowly. They are part of the rhythm. They are the links between two parts of a theater, like changes in scenery. Our role changes as we go over bridges. We cross from one reality ... to another reality. From one street ... to another street. From one setting ... to another setting."

Once I had absorbed that notion, Count Marcello continued: "Sunlight on a canal is reflected up through a window onto the ceiling, then from the ceiling onto a vase, and from the vase onto a glass. Which is the real sunlight? Which is the real reflection? What is true? What is not true? The answer is not so simple, because the truth can change. I can change. You can change. That is the Venice effect."

I was not terribly surprised when he later told me, "Venetians never tell the truth. We mean precisely the opposite of what we say."

Amazon.com: Now that you know Venice well enough to be a guide yourself, what would you say to a visitor looking for insight into the character of the city?

Berendt: Tourists generally shuffle along, on narrow streets so crowded as to be nearly impassable, between the major sights of St. Mark's Square, the Rialto Bridge, and the Accademia Museum. All you have to do is to step off these heavily traveled alleyways, and in a few moments you will find yourself in quiet, much emptier surroundings. This is more like the real Venice. Another thing to do is to go into the wine bars where Venetians stand around drinking and talking. They will very likely be speaking the Venetian dialect, so you won't be able to understand them, but you will get a sampling of the true Venetian ambiance enlivened by the pronounced sing-song rhythm of the language. I'd also suggest stopping someone in the street and asking for directions. Almost invariably, you will be rewarded with a genial smile and the instructions, Sempre diritto, meaning "Straight ahead." This will only leave you more confused, because when you attempt to follow a straight line, you will be confronted by more twists and turns and forks in the road than you thought possible, given the instructions. This is part of what Count Marcello described as "the Venice effect."

Book Description

The author of the record-breaking bestseller Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil unveils the enigmatic Venice as only he can

Twelve years ago, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil exploded into a monumental success, residing a record-breaking four years on the New York Times bestseller list (longer than any work of fiction or nonfiction had before) and turning John Berendt into a household name. The City of Falling Angels is Berendt's first book since Midnight, and it immediately reminds one what all the fuss was about. Turning to the magic, mystery, and decadence of Venice, Berendt gradually reveals the truth behind a sensational fire that in 1996 destroyed the historic Fenice opera house. Encountering a rich cast of characters, Berendt tells a tale full of atmosphere and surprise as the stories build, one after the other, ultimately coming together to portray a world as finely drawn as a still-life painting.

Customer Reviews:

The City of Falling Angels.......2007-10-08

This is a book I could not put down. I suggest this to anyone who is planning a trip to Italy (or not!)

Life in the City of Venice.......2007-10-03

In 1996, a fire started in the Fenice Opera House in Venice, Italy. And not just any fire. A fire that would consume not only most of the beautiful building, along with it paintings, frescoes and history in this last of it's kind building. No, this fire consumed almost a decade in the life of Venice. How did the fire start? Was it arson? Was it negligence? Who had the most to gain? Was it the Mafia or was it the contractors that were working on the remodeling? These are just some of the questions that drew John Berendt to extend his stay in Venice and try to capture the city and it's people in print.

In the course of the investigation, Berendt introduces us to many of the citizens of this city. We meet Archimede Seguso, a renowned glass maker, that watched the Fenice burn and then created over one hundred glass vases to memorialize it. Of course, most of these pieces still haven't been seen by the public because they are tied up in a litigation of a weird brotherly feud. We meet the Rylands - Jane, an American Expat and her British husband that waylaid a poor old lady and took her incredible achieves for their own profit. The woman was Olga Rudge, the famous Mistress of writer Ezra Pound, who's writings and letters were worth a small fortune. And we meet members of the Save Venice foundation, a non-profit organization that was created to help restore buildings and art in the city of Venice. But an implosion of the group was caused by mixing too many people with large egos wanting the Title and prestige involved with this organization.

I will readily admit I had high hopes for this book. I thought Berendt's Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil about the city of Savannah, Georgia was fantastic! He did such a wonderful job describing the beauty of the city, as well as the eccentricity of it's people. Not so much with Venice, although he certainly tried. Maybe it's the fact that I just don't understand the Venetian culture the way I do culture in the US. Or maybe this book was more about the glitterati instead of just the average folks. Either way, it fell short for me. I really didn't get a chance to CARE about the people in this book. There were too many exceedingly shallow people that cared more for their titles and their parties than they did about anything else. The back story of the Fenice fire just seemed to get lost in it all. And since reality is never as cut-and-dried as fiction, we still don't know what really happened that night at the Fenice.

I did enjoy learning more about Ezra Pound and Olga Rudge. And I was intrigued about the side story of the poet Mario Stefani, a man that took his own life during this time period. But reading about the Save Venice Organization and their constant bickering over whose name would be at the top of the stationery and who got the best seats for a gala rather turned my stomach. As did the story of the Rylands and how they swindled a poor elderly woman AND her family out of their birthright. Maybe my expectations were just too high for this one. Venice is a beautiful city, one I'd love to visit some day. But this book didn't do much for me! Like a Seinfeld episode, it was a whole lot about nothing.

Only 'ok'........2007-09-19

I prefer books with a strong plot. This didn't really seem to have a strong plot and the pieced never really seems to come together as strongly as I had hoped. It may just be the style of this author... and if you like that type of style this would be a book for you.

Immensely enjoyable, but not up to Midnight in the Garden standards..........2007-09-03

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt is one of my favorite books, so I decided to read his latest, The City of Falling Angels. While the formula for both books is pretty much the same, Midnight is a much better book--only because Savannah is a much more quirky city than Venice, Italy.

As with Midnight in the Garden, Berendt combines many elements to create The City of Falling Angels. He provides a little history of Venice. He interviews dozens of colorful characters. And he focuses on a possible crime. In Falling Angels, this is the burning of Venice's famous opera house, La Fenice. As far as history, I felt the author could have provided a little more information about Venice's rich past. Venice has many interesting characters, and Berendt did his best to seek them out. He interviewed Murano glass blowers, city officials, American expatriates, artists, and even a man who considers himself a culinary expert. His specialty is making the world's best-selling rat poison. He also looks into the many famous Americans who made Venice their home, including Peggy Guggenheim and Ezra Pound. But the characters in Venice fell short of Savannah's eclectic bunch including The Lady Chablis, the Voodoo priestess Minerva and antiques dealer Jim Williams. Also, the Fenice fire didn't quite have the drama as the murder in Midnight in the Garden

But I still enjoyed The City of Falling Angels immensely, and John Berendt is a fine writer with a keen eye when it comes to describing places and sites that he visits. After witnessing the opera house fire, glassblower Archimede Seguso goes to his shop and starts creating glass vases like he's never made before. "Against an opaque background as black as night, he had set swirling ribbons of sinuous diamond shapes in red, green, white, and gold, leaping, over-lapping, and spiraling upward around the vase. He never explained what he was doing, but by the second vase, everyone knew. It was a record of the fire in glass--the flames, the sparks, the embers, and the smoke--just as he had seen if from his window..." As for why he chose this city, "Venice was uniquely beautiful, isolated, inward-looking, and a powerful stimulant to the senses, the intellect, and the imagination....Because I could not imagine a more enticing beat to assign myself for an indefinite period of time."

I don't think that The City of Falling Angels is going to do to Venice what Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil did to Savannah. However, after reading The City of Falling Angels, I'm certainly considering a trip to Italy.

Gave up after 103 pages.......2007-09-01

If a book cannot grab me within the first 100 pages, then I have to stop. Not only that, but it was due at the library, and there is a waiting list (why?). I just have little time, and so many other books to read.

I will say that what I did read was somewhat interesting, and the writing was good. I just wasn't that interested in the story - at least at 100+ pages. It must get better, but I wish that I was made to care earlier in the writing.

Sorry if this wasn't very helpful, this review is more of my opinion than a critique.

History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

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Calculations are only as good as your numbers
Pants on fire?
Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed.
Very Interesting
History as Science Fiction

History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
Anatoly Fomenko
Manufacturer: Mithec
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 2913621058

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

How to Succeed in the Game of Life: 34 Interviews with the World's Greatest Coaches

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A Great Read
What a great read!
Game of life
Coaching advise from athletic coaches
Overcome Adversity

How to Succeed in the Game of Life: 34 Interviews with the World's Greatest Coaches
Christian Klemash
Manufacturer: Andrews McMeel Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0740760653

Book Description

What would legendary Boston Celtics coach and 16-time NBA champion Red Auerbach say is the most critical quality for a person to be successful? Would his advice differ from 10-time NCAA championship coach John Wooden's? What would each say to a young person just starting out in pursuit of their dreams? What is the best advice they were ever given?

It took author Christian Klemash more than two years of research, persistence, and original interviews, but now he's ready to pass on the best advice you'll ever get. Only the rare individual has had the opportunity to pick the brain of just one legendary sports coach—let alone thirty-four of the best sports coaches of all time. Klemash gives sports fans a once-in-a-lifetime chance to learn valuable life lessons from the most famous, intelligent, and victorious coaches ever. The legends span the sports world, from gold medal-winning gymnastics coach Bela Karolyi and three-time college football championship coach Tom Osborne to four-time World Series-winning baseball manager Joe Torre and hall-of-fame boxing trainer Angelo Dundee.

These coaches know how to teach top athletes about character and winning, how to manage pressure at crunch time, and how to bring out the best in their players when it matters most. How to Succeed in the Game of Life shares their insights into sports, life, and the most vital keys to sustain success.Featuring Exclusive Interviews with:

Red Auerbach, 16-time NBA World Champion

Bobby Bowden, College Football's All-Time Winningest Coach, 2-time National Champion

Scotty Bowman, 9-time Stanley Cup Champion

Bill Cowher, Super Bowl Champion

Tony Dungy, Super Bowl Champion

Dan Gable, 15-time NCCA Champion

April Heinrichs, Gold Medal Winning Coach of the U.S. Women’s Soccer Team

Bela Karolyi, The World’s Greatest Gymnastics Coach

Bill Parcells, 2-time Super Bowl Champion

Emanuel Steward, Boxing Trainer of 30 World Champions

Joe Torre, 4-time World Series Champion

Bill Walsh, 3-time Super Bowl Champion

Lenny Wilkens, NBA’s All-Time Winningest Coach, NBA Champion

John Wooden, 10-time NCAA Champion

And More!

Customer Reviews:

A Great Read.......2007-08-26

Wow!Could not put it down.An extraordinay self help book.Gave it to my kids they loved it.Don't miss this one

What a great read!.......2007-07-25

I took it on vacation with me and I couldn't put it down. A great book for aspiring athletes and coaches as well as your average Joe who works 9-5. The coaches discuss a variety of topics from their childhood to how they motivate their players. Any easy read for all ages.

Game of life.......2007-07-24

I've read through Game of Life and I enjoyed it very much. There are so many things to take from this book, not just into sports, but also some reflections on life. I would recommend this book to everybody.

Coaching advise from athletic coaches.......2007-06-27

A fun read, especially if yoiu're a sports fan. I read it in search of things that would help my own ability as a coach in my company. Much of it is light stuff but the easy read makes it fun nonetheless and there are few golden nuggets laced throughout the book.

Overcome Adversity.......2007-04-12

Anyone looking for inspiration, either for their own life or to share with others, will find a gold mine of quotes here. This book isn't just for sports fans.

Average customer rating:

it was awesome
I LAUGHED AND I LAUGHED AND I LOVED AND I LIVED
briiiiiiilllliant
Courtesy of Teens Read Too
good,fun read

The Hills: City of Angels
Andrew Perry
Manufacturer: MTV
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1416537570

Book Description

NEW CITY, NEW LIFE

Lauren Conrad -- known as "LC" on the hit MTV series Laguna Beach -- is all grown up. She's left behind her family, friends, and the sheltered life of Laguna to pursue her dreams of conquering the fashion world and making it on her own in the high-pressure, beauty-obsessed land of the rich and famous -- Los Angeles.

But Lauren finds herself torn in different directions as she starts this new chapter in her life. She has to juggle a dream internship at Teen Vogue, a full course load at a brand-new college, and a whirlwind social life with her three closest friends: Heidi, her party girl roommate who does PR for L.A.'s nightlife scene; Audrina, an aspiring model and actress; and Whitney, a fellow Teen Vogue fashionista. Lauren is determined to have it all as she runs with the young and fabulous in Hollywood's "it" crowd.

The Hills: City of Angels gives you an all-access pass to what you didn't see on TV. Take a closer look at Lauren, Heidi, Audrina, and Whitney: the tight friendships they've formed, the laugh-out-loud moments that didn't make it on the show, and their ups and downs with the boys in their lives -- including Jason, Jordan, and Brian. Packed with exclusive photos and revealing stories, here is the ultimate insider look at what it's really like to be a girl from The Hills.

Customer Reviews:

it was awesome.......2007-08-17

im a BIG fan of the Hills and this book really fills you in on what was missed on the tv show. i highly recommend it if your a Lauren, Whitney, Heidi and Audrina fan!

I LAUGHED AND I LAUGHED AND I LOVED AND I LIVED.......2007-02-16

FEMINISTS? DEFINITELY. SOPHISTS AND PHISOPHISTS? OUI. CATHOLIC CHURCH LOOKS OUT I GOTS I NEW BIBLE!!!!

briiiiiiilllliant.......2007-02-12

I so loved this book. It was wonderful reading more about Heidi, Lauren, Whitney and Audrina. Those girls are hilarious. I didn't know that Heidi and Lauren met in San Francisco. The pictures inside are so good. The chapter about Lauren and headbands had me laughing out loud. I wish there had been more stories about Blaine. He was great on the show and I think he could have his own show. I heart Blaine! what's with jason and his burger list?

Courtesy of Teens Read Too.......2007-01-24

Just when Lauren Conrad, or "LC," thought that she had escaped all the teenage drama in Laguna Beach, she discovers that drama follows her wherever she goes. Lauren finally moves to Los Angeles to fulfill her lifelong dream in the fashion industry. When she lands the internship at Teen Vogue, it feels like Lauren is one step closer to achieving her dream.

But along with the internship Lauren has other things she has to worry about, such as school, which takes up most of her time, and Jason, the one who broke her heart but is now finally back in her life, hoping to give their relationship a second chance.

Of course it doesn't help matters that her crazy roommate, Heidi, has her own set of problems, like quitting school or having relationship problems with her boyfriend, Jordan. So now Lauren has to worry about her roommate's problems as well as her own. It seems like there are obstacles wherever she turns.

Jam-packed with pictures and stories about every character from the show (The Hills - The Complete First Season) including Audrina, Whitney, Brian, and of course Lauren, Heidi, Jordan and Jason, CITY OF ANGELS is like watching another episode of The Hills. The reader gets an inside look at all the problems that the girls go through, from relationships to intimidating bosses. The perfect read for any fan of The Hills. Who knew that one girl's life could be filled with so much drama?

Reviewed by: Randstostipher "tallnlankyrn" Nguyen

good,fun read.......2007-01-15

For anyone who is fan of The Hills, or of LC and the girls. I learned some interesting tid bits and backstories, even shopping tips! As one might expect, this is an easy read, just light-hearted fun.

Average customer rating:

Best so far
Good, but not the best of the series
Non-stop action, a sexy protagonist, magic, and China. A great mix
Another good one!
Definitely more like 4 1/2 stars!!

Forbidden City (Rogue Angel, Book 5)
Alex Archer
Manufacturer: Gold Eagle
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 037362123X

Book Description

A stunning artifact holds the key to an untapped power of global destruction—

While working on a dig in the California wilderness, archaeologist-adventurer Annja Creed uncovers evidence of a tragedy that's linked to Chinese miners during the days of the Gold Rush. A sudden attack on the site by shadow if gures drives Annja to if nd the connection to a mysterious buried city in China. Lured by legends of gold, betrayal and the vengeance of a Han Dynasty overlord, Annja travels on the Orient Express, battling avaricious treasure hunters and a modern-day descendant of an ancient league of assassins. Her adversaries will stop at nothing to stake their claim on the fabled lost city, where a Han leader's dark past promises doom for those who dare to reveal its evil power.

Customer Reviews:

Best so far.......2007-09-04

I fell behind in this series but have picked it up again. When people see the nams Forbidden City and China together they tend to think of things other than thos in this book. Annja has decided to help a Chinese man find out if an ancestor was murdered in the old West. Annja talents as an archeologist are put to good use and she soon discovers the right location. One of the things recovered on the dig is a belt plaque that Annja thinks could help prove a pet theory. Unfortunately for her the dig is a sham and everyone wants the artifact. Meanwhile in China a young woman is returning to see her father after too many years. She arrives just in tome to find that he has been murdered. She vows vengeance on those that killed her father. The belt plaque seems very important to many people. Even Roux and Garin get involved on opposite sides as they have motives of their own.

The artifact may have the clues to find a city lost in the deserts of China. Once known as the City of Thieves there should be large amounts of treasure to any who find it. But is there more than treasure in the old city? Surely Roux and Garin would not go to such leangths for mere wealth. You will have to read the book to find out what it is all about.

This is a very well-crafted tale. Multiple plots are woven together seamlessly. The action is fast and wild. It was good to see Roux back as more than just a cameo. Kelly, the young Chinese woman, is a wonderful character and I hope we see more of her in future volumes. All in all I found this to be the best volume in the series to date. Check it out.

Good, but not the best of the series.......2007-07-04

I was a little disappointed in this one. I have been following the series and find this one much less satisfying at the end.

Unfortunately, the books don't seem to build on one another aside from the premise of the sword (and even that is explained/summarized in every book to allow readers to jump in at any place in the series), so we'll never really know what tragedy was averted.

Escapist reading... it was enjoyable, just not as much as the others.

Non-stop action, a sexy protagonist, magic, and China. A great mix.......2007-03-18

It seemed like a great job offer. Archeologist Annja Creed takes some time off of her TV career to help a Chinese businessman look for the bones of his relatives who were lost in a racist incident during the California Gold Rush. When she discovers bones--along with an ancient artifact, though, Annja's client attempts to kill her. Annja doesn't think the bones are worth that fuss--which means that the artifact--something that appears to be of Sythian design, must be important.

Annja is not unfamiliar with important artifacts. She is the current carrier of a sword which once belonged to Joan of Arc. This weapon has the handy ability to be summoned from thin air--useful if you're being attacked, which Annja frequently is.

The Chinese gangster looking for the artifact is also seeking other clues--clues that might lead him to the rediscovery of an ancient city of assassins along the silk road in China. This lost city may be full of treasures, but it may also be subject to ancient curses, including the curse of the Fox Spirit Woman. What he doesn't realize is that he's stirring up a lot of trouble. Annja is a lot more dangerous than he'd anticipated and he also makes an enemy of a Chinese-American CIA assassin. But making an enemy out of Annja comes with one positive result--from his perspective. Annja has powerful enemies including a man who fears his immortality is threatened by Annja's sword.

Author Alex Archer continues his ROGUE ANGEL series with an exciting thriller. CIA Assassin Kelly Swan is an intriguing new character to the series--one I hope we see more of in the future, and the Chinese setting and the Chinese legends underlying this investigation give the story an exotic feel--but also remind us of race problems in American history--problems that are too-frequently ignored in popular history books.

I've found the ROGUE ANGEL series to be of consistently high quality and FORBIDDEN CITY is definitely a welcome addition. If you enjoy kick-butt female protagonists, non-stop action, magic, exotic locations, and powerful shadowy underworld villains (and who doesn't), you'll definitely want to grab FORBIDDEN CITY.

Another good one!.......2007-03-14

Another installment in the adventures of Annja Creed. Annja is up to her neck in murder, mystery and mayhem again, this time from California's gold rush ghost town to the desert of Eastern China.
Annja is asked by Huangfu Cao to help find the remains of a Chinese immigrant who was murdered in Volcanoville, a gold rush shanty town in the hills around San Francisco.
Cao claims he is searching for the remains of an ancestor to return him home for burial. Annja agrees to help, because that ancestor happened to own an ancient plaque carved by the Scythian people thousands of years ago. When Annja finds the plaque she is targeted for murder by Cao. It seems no one is what they seem.
Huangfu Cao fails to kill her, leading to a chase through the forested hills. Annja'a knack for survival, not to mention the Sword of Joan of Arc, keep her alive an one step ahead of death. Annja escapes the killers and is rescued by park rangers.
The police try to protect her, but fail and she loses the plaque, but our girl is smart, she took pictures. Her investigation leads her to a local historian who knows something about the plaque and its curse.
No good Rogue Angel story is complete without Roux, who puts in an appearance. He wants the plaque also. The plaque is the key to an ancient city in China, the City of Thieves. The City of Thieves was home to a group of assassins that worked for the ancient Emperor of China, Qin. Qin fought and won wars and eventually forged the nation that is now China. He was a great warrior, who had the services of these assassins and their leader, Sha Wu Ying.
Sha Wu Ying betrayed Qin, but in doing so, led to his own destruction. His cabal of assassins died with him and the City of Thieves disappeared into history and mythology. Enough hints have survived that can lead back to the treasure of the thieves and Cao works for a ruthless Chinese crime lord, Ngai, that wants that treasure for himself. Roux wants the treasure also, but only to keep another mystic talisman from falling into Garin's hands. Garin aligns himself with Ngai and the hunt is on.
Another new character is Kelly Swan. Kelly is the daughter of a poor Chinese fisherman who is murdered by Ngai and she is out for revenge. Lucky for her, she is a CIA trained assassin who has the skills and drive to go for it. Her character is interesting. Interesting enough to warrant her own book or at least further appearances in the Rogue Angel series.
The only negative comment I have is the cover. It is spectacular artwork, but it shows Annja submerged in water, her head and sword barely peaking above the surface. But nowhere in the book is there a scene like that. As a matter of fact, the climax of the book is in a desert! Other than that one little thing, I loved the book. Good job,Alex.

Definitely more like 4 1/2 stars!!.......2007-03-12

Nothing is ever easy with archaeologist Annja Creed. She sets out for a deserted Chinese mining town in California to help Huangfu Cao recover the bones of his ancestor while seeking an unusual belt depicting Scythian art. Soon she finds herself embroiled in a deep archaeological mystery with roots in China. When Roux joins in on the search, Annja realizes that the stakes are much higher than a mere belt. Annja's most recent adventure may be her deadliest one yet.

Rogue Angel is a series that only deepens with each ensuing book. FORBIDDEN CITY takes readers into the heart of Chinese mythology and history. Once again, the history is provided through a series of flashbacks, internet postings, and dialogue between the characters, all of which makes the complexity of the storyline much more palatable than one would expect. Normally, one would not expect a story about Chinese miners to be entertaining but when you throw in assassins and a possible treasure, well, what more can you ask for?

The strength of the Rogue Angel series rests solely on the phenomenal combination of action and superb character development. Annja's role as a modern day Joan of Arc continues to take some unusual twists and turns as new revelations are made in the relationship between Annja, Roux, and Garin. Kelly Swan is a fantastic secondary character and one hopes she makes a reappearance in future Rogue Angel books.

FORBIDDEN CITY is another powerful addition to what is quickly becoming one of my favorite series. Annja Creed is an almost superhero-like female heroine but yet she manages to remain likeable and realistic, despite being the reincarnation of Joan of Arc. FORBIDDEN CITY is one thrill-packed adventure in this highly addictive series!

COURTESY OF CK2S KWIPS AND KRITIQUES

Average customer rating:

City of Angels (Demon the Fallen)
Steve Kenson , Alan Kravit , and Chuck Wendig
Manufacturer: White Wolf Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 158846752X

Average customer rating:

Courtesy of Teens Read Too

Angels on Sunset Boulevard
Melissa de la Cruz
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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Love & Romance | Literature & Fiction | Teens | Subjects | Books

Being a Teen | Social Issues | Teens | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1416927670

Book Description

Pay to get in,
Pray to get out.

Johnny Silver is the world's soon-to-be biggest rock star, but on the eve of his debut concert in Los Angeles, he mysteriously disappears, causing global pandemonium. His friend Taj tries to discover the truth about his disappearance, which leads her to TAP.com and its shadowy founder, Sutton Werner, who throws the wildest parties in Bel-Air.

TAP started out innocently enough, as a website that dishes the dirt on the kids of Sunset Boulevard and beyond. But it has become something more. Membership is a privilege with responsibilities and consequences.

At Sutton's parties, anything goes, especially in the legendary backroom rituals nicknamed The Angels Practice. Rumors abound of a special drink handed out at the parties that tap into otherworldly sensations.

One night Taj meets Nick, a Westside preppie who doesn't buy into the TAP mayhem, especially since his kid sister never came home from attending one of its blow-out bashes. Slowly the two of them are drawn to TAP and to each other. But Taj just might know more than she's letting on....

Are you ready for the darker side of Tinsel-town's brightest lights?

Customer Reviews:

Courtesy of Teens Read Too.......2007-02-24

TAP, The Angels of Practice, is all everyone can talk about. This website/drink/drug is intoxicating and no one can get enough of it. No one can explain what TAP really is, since it is all around them and they are so dependent on it. The company that owns it holds the most exclusive parties, grants everyone's material wishes, provides all the gossip and promotes the biggest rock star that everyone loves, Johnny Silver.

But then strange things begin to happen. Kids all over Sunset Boulevard are beginning to disappear, including Johnny Silver. No one knows why this is happening, and others are too busy with TAP to worry about what is going on. Everyone except for Nick and Taj, who are the only ones that don't buy into the whole TAP industry.

Before they know it, Taj and Nick find themselves together, trying to solve the mystery of what is happening and even developing a strong relationship with each other. Unfortunately, it may be too late for them to actually do anything about it.

Told through Nick and Taj's points of view, Melissa de la Cruz takes us into a world that is far from The Au Pairs. ANGELS ON SUNSET BOULEVARD captures the reader from the very first page with its unusual uniqueness. Each character brings a certain atmosphere that captivates the audience into wanting more. The reader becomes so involved in the story that they will soon become disappointed when the book has to end.

Now the only thing left to do is wait for the next novel, which may be a long wait (well, for me that is).

Reviewed by: Randstostipher "tallnlankyrn" Nguyen

The River Is Home: And Angel City. a Patrick Smith Reader

Average customer rating:

Not as good as "A Land Remembered"

The River Is Home: And Angel City. a Patrick Smith Reader
Patrick D. Smith
Manufacturer: Pineapple Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Family Saga | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0910923647

Product Description

The River is Home, Smith's first novel, is the story of Skeeter, a young boy whose family is poor in material goods but rich in their appreciation of the beautiful natural surroundings. The river figures strongly in their lives as a source of life and death. Angel City is the powerful and moving expos? of migrant workers in Florida in the 1970s that was made into a critically acclaimed film. Smith's depiction of conditions in migrant labor camps drew attention to this appalling situation.

Customer Reviews:

Not as good as "A Land Remembered".......2006-03-01

"The River is Home" is very "Yearling"-esque and a good study of life on the bayou many years ago. The end seemed to simply trail off, leaving me a little unsatisfied. "Angel City" was good, but the situation the family was in was frustrating and made me angry, so it accomplished its purpose well.

Janet Frame: An Autobiography; Volume One : To the Is-Land, Volume Two : An Angel at My Table, Volume Three : The Envoy from Mirror City/ 3 Volumes in One Book

Average customer rating:

Brilliant
Frame saves herself and achieves, in spite of all!
Excellent Autobiography
She Gives Us Good Reason To Write
To The Is-Land

Janet Frame: An Autobiography; Volume One : To the Is-Land, Volume Two : An Angel at My Table, Volume Three : The Envoy from Mirror City/ 3 Volumes in One Book
Janet Frame
Manufacturer: George Braziller
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Authors | Arts & Literature | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0807612596

Customer Reviews:

Brilliant.......2007-07-31

Like some of the other reviewers I discovered Janet Frame through the movie,'An Angel at my Table," and I knew I had to read something of hers.
I started with her autobiography, and I'm so glad that I did.
This is perhaps the finest piece of writing, bar none, fiction or non-fiction that I have ever read. I think Frame is a genius, she should be awarded every prize for literature in the world. This is a funny thing to say about such a humble woman who endured so much to become one of the greatest writers the world has ever known.
I was completely bowled over, enthralled, by her recounting of her life. Her word pictures, her recollections of places and things are incredible. I don't know another writer who has as fine a capacity for detail and description. The book is utterly lyrical as she weaves a painful, at times, story through decades of her life. I could not put this book down at times and I grieved when I had finished it. Stories like hers are instructional and give us all a reason to go on living. I sometimes wonder, I'm a memoirist myself, but a baby compared to Frame, how did she do it? It may be crazy to think this but I wonder if those numerous shock treatments she endured rearranged her brain in some magical fashion and gave her the capacity to be a superwoman writer? The line between genius and insanity is permeable. I think writers, for good and ill, are exquisitely fine-tuned, sensitive people. Unfortunately some of them are so beyond ordinary human beings they can't survive living in the world, but what they have left us is priceless as we make our own life journeys. Frame has allowed millions of readers, I hope, to accompany her on her challenging journey through life and she shows how she coped with fate and a set of circumstances given her courageously, copiously, and heart breakingly. I am in awe of her acheivement.
She is a writers writer. Her musings on art and the capacity of the imagination are among the finest I have ever read. She is an inspiration to artists everywhere.

Frame saves herself and achieves, in spite of all!.......2007-07-03

I came to this book by way of the movie "An Angel at My Table" [which was fairly true to the book]. I had never heard of Janet Frame, and was so intrigued by the film that I knew I had to read her autobiography. The book introduces you to her impoverished life in New Zealand [she was born in 1924], and includes about two dozen pages of photos of Janet's family [it was wonderful putting the real faces to the ones we were introduced to in the movie]. From the epilepsy of her brother, the drownings of her two sisters, her own mental breakdown in college [which was erroneously diagnosed as schizophrenia], you understand how all of her traumas and perceptions are incorporated later into her writing career. She overcomes daunting events and social alienation to become a novelist, poet, and short-story author.
I have continued to read more of her writings.

Excellent Autobiography.......2007-01-06

I do not know of any author who can retain so much authencity in his writing and yet produce such beautiful and imaginative prose, other than Janet Frame.

Her excellent autobiography is definitely worth a reading and offers an insight to her other works which are, at times, more experimental and harder to grasp. I have seen the film adaptation but this book has even more to offer: the heartfelt descriptions of the family members, some beautifully written passages which could hardly be translated into film, the 24 pages of delightful photos of Frame and her family...etc.

Excellent.

She Gives Us Good Reason To Write.......2005-01-09

Janet Frame was an amazing woman. She died on Jan 30, 2004. I had this book on my 'need to read' shelf when I read an obituary in the NY Times about her death at age 79. She endured so much and wrote so keenly. She was thought to be a schizophrenic and wrote about her periods of madness in mental institutions. This autobiography was fascinating for me. There is a gentleness and everlasting patience about her that will make anyone like her. If you want a real treat...find the film AN ANGEL AT MY TABLE (from 1990) that Jane Campion (famous for the film THE PIANO) to complement the book. If only I could have met this woman. I would have loved to have tea and crumpets with her.

To The Is-Land.......2003-04-19

To forever capture the past in the present - to be always telling the tale, towards the destination and yet always on the go, postponing the end of self-perception and portrayal: one does not write an autobiography about what one gained but what one lost. Janet Frame shows an intense desire (and flair) in retaining her possessions - a place, an object, a thought, an emotion, a fragment of memories - in writing. It deals with loss and trauma in an honest, realistic, and fairly subdued manner, making it more geniune than a lot of best-selling memoirs. Frame has been described as an ego-centric writer in her fiction - always writing about and examining herself - but in her autobiography she reminds us of existential moments when one detaches from one's self and looks at the world: the unnamable sadness that we do and do not experience. The imagery here is also a lot richer than most autobiographies - if you enjoy down-to-earth and yet beautiful and touching stories, this is something you should read.

Average customer rating:

Terrific score, unplayable reduction
The Complete City of Angels

City of Angels: Vocal Score
Larry Gelbart , Cy Coleman , and David Zippel
Manufacturer: Alfred Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Vocal | Forms & Genres | Sheet Music & Scores | Formats | Books

Songbooks | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

General | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
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ASIN: 0897241428

Customer Reviews:

Terrific score, unplayable reduction.......2004-07-15

This is one of the great scores of late 20th century musical theatre, with one of the all time great orchestrations, worthy of Nelson Riddle at his best. It is also indisputably one of the smartest sets of lyrics in recent musical theatre memory, with a consistently high standard of humor and poetry. Unfortunately, the vocal score is reduced in a very unpianistic way, which makes it almost totally useless as a performing edition. In a score which is so oriented to the big-band and jazz tradition, there are almost no chord symbols to help the pianist along, which leaves the pianist to the exact voicings indicated in the score. That might be fine, if it weren't for the fact that many of the voicings are really impractical. In several places, it would be physically impossible to play all the notes, and the reduction doesn't make some of the notes smaller to indicate what is essential to the playing. Other times, when the reduction does indicate with smaller notes which parts are unessential, the performance of the notes left over are really unreasonable. For example, on page 71, in the song 'The Buddy System', in measures 54 through 56, the right hand plays the trombone part, a single e held all three bars, while the left hand plays quarter notes that hop up and down four octaves at 152 beats per minute. For the benefit of holding what is essentially a left hand 'thumb-line' for a full 8 beats with the same finger, we lose the sense of where the phrase goes on the piano with two clef changes and the passage, which is really rather simple musically, becomes so confusing and hard to read as to warrant significant practice or rewriting to accomplish it in performance. The accidentals are all musically accurate throughout the piece, but chord symbols would help any working pianist play the fast swing sections much more accurately and idiomatically. This is admittedly an extremely complicated score, with a lot of nuances, but the reduction makes it unnecessarily one of the most difficult scores in the world to play, I would say even more difficult than Candide, West Side Story or Night Music, which aren't walks in the park. And for a pianist who is actually going to play and help a singer along, the brainpower required to muddle through the score will make it impossible to really listen to the singer properly. Get it for the songs in the right key, but if you plan on playing it, give yourself a LOT of prep time.

(Incidentally, the piano reduction is by Dale S. Kugel, who did a much better job on the Beaumont version of 'Anything Goes. I don't know why this one is so much less readable/playable)

The Complete City of Angels.......2000-10-02

The full score to the popular darkly synical but comic musical, "City of Angels", is a very useful score for any true fan of great musicals. All the songs are in there original keys compared to the vocal selections book where some of the songs (example: Funny) are in lower keys. This was extremely irritating to me so I had to get the full score. It also contains all the diologue which helps one understand the backround to each song. Overall, it is an extremely worth while buy for anyone who wants an accurate version of the musical. Good Stuff!

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