Average customer rating:
- really like Nicholas Evans
- Compelled to write a review A +
- Awesome Book! Nicholas Evans Can Write! A++++
- Hearts of Fire
- The most absorbing novel I have ever read
|
The Smoke Jumper
Nicholas Evans
Manufacturer: Dell
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
 Contemporary
| General
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Psychological & Suspense
| Thrillers
| Mystery & Thrillers
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Romance
| Subjects
| Books
Contemporary
| General
| Literature & Fiction
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
Psychological & Suspense
| Thrillers
| Mystery & Thrillers
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
General
| Romance
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
All 4-for-3 Deals
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
Similar Items:
-
The Divide
-
The Horse Whisperer
-
A Bend in the Road
-
The Rescue
-
Message in a Bottle
ASIN: 0440235162
Release Date: 2002-07-30 |
Amazon.com's Best of 2001
New York born and bred, Julia Bishop has no warning that spending the summer counseling troubled teens in Montana will change her life forever. Happily in love with smoke jumper and musician Ed Tully, she looks forward to spending the summer weekends with him in Missoula and is stunned and disturbed by the instant connection she feels to his best friend, Connor Ford. Connor, a Montana rancher and smoke jumper, loves fighting fires almost as much as he loves photography, and before the summer is barely started, he loves Julia Bishop just as deeply. The bond between the three is strong but the work of a smoke jumper is fraught with danger and the trio soon face death by fire. Survival changes their lives forever and places them on paths that divide Julia, Ed, and Connor just as surely as their individual journeys bind them irrevocably together. The Smoke Jumper is a tale of loyalty and guilt, honor and selfless love, and the human cost of choices made. --Lois Faye Dyer
Book Description
In a searing novel of love and loyalty, guilt and honor, the acclaimed author of the #1 New York Times bestseller
The Horse Whisperer gives his millions of readers another hero...
The Smoke Jumper
His name is Connor Ford and he falls like an angel of mercy from the sky, braving the flames to save the woman he loves but knows he cannot have. For Julia Bishop is the partner of his best friend and fellow “smoke jumper,” Ed Tully. Julia loves them both--until a fiery tragedy on Montana’s Snake Mountain forces her to choose between them, and burns a brand on all their hearts.
In the wake of the fire, Connor embarks on a harrowing journey to the edge of human experience, traveling the world’s worst wars and disasters to take photographs that find him fame but never happiness. Reckless of a life he no longer wants, again and again he dares death to take him, until another fateful day on another continent, he must walk through fire once more...
Customer Reviews:
really like Nicholas Evans.......2007-04-02
The Smoke Jumper is another one by this author that keeps you on the edge of your chair, wondering how it will end. Its another stay up until 2 a.m. to finish it-type book. I have read 2 of his other books and really liked them as well.
Compelled to write a review A +.......2006-05-23
I read this book over 2 years ago. It is by far the best book I have ever read. I can still think back on the book as if it was a movie. If anyone is considering reading this book, I urge you to do so.
This is the kind of book that you will never forget!
Awesome Book! Nicholas Evans Can Write! A++++.......2006-04-15
I enjoyed this book from the first page until the last of it. Ed, Connor, and Julia were the three musketeers that made up the story. Ed met Julia early on in the book, and the two fell in love and planned to marry. Julia was a child psychologist, and Ed a musician. Ed always had serious diabetes problems, and throughout this book events will change their lives. Connor was a photographer, and interestingly, when he and Julia meet after she and Ed travel to Missoula Montana, Connor and Julia find an instant attraction to one another.
One of the saddest events of this book was about a child, Skye McReedie, who is lost, and her stepdad is very abusive to her. So she is a runaway, and gets into trouble with the law. Skye is then placed into a program called the WAY, for disturbed youngsters, or those that have been in trouble. Julia runs this group and does wonders with these kids. Skye is a bitter angry person, but Julia is finally able to reach out to her. Then something happens with one of the boys there on the campsite and Skye, and this frightens Skye and makes her run away again. But not without danger. A big fire starts there on a hot day in the campsite, and Julia tries to run after Skye and rescue her, knowing she is in danger with the fire. And unfortunately, as she tried to rescue her, or herself, Skye burns away. This was about the saddest part of the story, and Julia carries the guilt forever.
Life goes on though of course with the three of them, and Ed is sadly blinded after this horrible fire takes place. But that is not all coincidental; his diabetes played a big role in this. In spite of his blindness though, Ed is a happy man. He and Julia want a child of theirs after this happens with Ed, but of course, he is unable to biologically be a father. This is where Connor steps in, and after much careful thought, they have him be the sperm donor for their child. Julia finds herself pregnant shortly, and 9 months later she has Amy, a beautiful girl.
Amy is a delightful child who brings them a lot of joy, and loves Ed dearly. Ed's health continues declining as he goes into kidney failure and needs dialysis. This continues through the story.
Connor withdraws more and more, especially after making Amy possible, as he feels like he doesn't want to interfere and is not comfortable. So the friendship with he and Ed falls apart there. Connor goes over to Africa to be a smoke jumper there, mainly rescuing kids that were injured and held hostage there.
Sadly, Ed has a major heart attack, and he dies later in the story. Julia has an ambition to travel to Africa, so after she finds work there as a teacher for underprivleged children, she and Amy leave. They know Connor is there, and he doesn't even realize that Ed has passed on. her real motive is to try and find him there, which she does. And it is in the middle of a huge fire that they cross paths again. Connor rescues many people there, but unfortunately many die.
Julia and Amy along with Connor return to the states. Amy is traumatized for many months. Julia and Connor try to pick up the pieces and move on, which in time they do, and have the romance that was so meant to be.
This book would make a great movie no doubt. It is one of the best books I have read to date.
Hearts of Fire.......2006-02-18
Connor Ford is a beautiful loner with an enchanting talent for photography.
Ed Tully is an exburent musician with dreams of fame and fortune.
They're best friends and every summer they smoke jump with an elite group from Missoula,Montana. This one summer shall be one that either of them won't forget.
I loved the book so much. I felt like I was really seeing Montana,Bosnia,and the many reaches of Africa. Nicholas Evans used so much imagery that I actually felt like I was seeing the suffering that Connor photographed. All of the characters were well written and I felt that I was friends with them as well. I could almost hear Ed's laughter and bad jokes,see into Connor's pale blue eyes,and see the determination across Julia's face. The one thing that bothered me was the death of Ed. Why did he have to die? Every scene he was in almost made me laugh out loud. I loved him so much but I had a huge crush on Connor. I loved this book and I highly recommend it.
The most absorbing novel I have ever read.......2005-10-27
I have read this book several times and i have to say I dont ever get bored by it. One of the many things I find appealing about this book is the way you can relate to the characters on a personal level. The emotions are so vivid that when you read the book, you find feeling what the charcters feel. The stories depth holds no boundries. The author is not afraid to get a little sappy at times, most authors I find try to avoid this and I think it robs the characters of personality and even the readers sympathy towards the characters.
My favorite aspect about the book is that it is extremely easy to follow and read. I hate it when authors try to impress you by using uselessly big words and complex structure. Not that this makes the story uninteresting, but that I find them exhausting to read. You find yourself stopping on a regular basis to figure out what the hell is going on, but not in this book. Evans is able to draw a picture with crystal clear detail, so much so that you could believe your are there. At the same time, he is able to say what he needs to say without wasting time with complex language.
The first time I read the book I got so absorbed that I read it in two days. The book is filled with twists and turns that leave you itching for more. Ranging in settings that take you from the mountains of Montana to the jungles of Africa, this story will leave no reader disapointed.
Book Description
Trade secrets from a leading hunter and hunt seat equitation trainer that will take riders from the basics of a sound position to the cultivation of show-ring polish.
Customer Reviews:
Review of Geoff Teall's text of hunters, jumpers and equitation.......2007-09-15
Geoff Teall's book is by far one of the most thorough and comprehensive book of all aspects of riding hunters, jumpers and equitation. In my opinion, it compares to the classic riding manuals by the best riders, trainers and authors of the 20th century.
This book is easy to read and understand; as it uses philosophy, pictures and how-to's for its content. The best part is that it is so enjoyable to read ! One can pick it up and put it down - and take imaginary lessons - visualize - then go out and practice the principles !
valuable resource.......2007-01-10
This book would appeal most to the amateur competitor on the 'A' circuit or an aspiring trainer who is just about to start coaching at that level. It's essentially an experts recipe for success at this competitive level. If you're already a competitor at that level and don't understand certain aspects of the sport, you may find some great answers. From the importance of goal setting to exercises that develop correct position to riding the intricacies of and equitation course, you'll find some valuable information pertaining to it all.
If you ride this book is a must!!!.......2006-08-02
This book explain everything that will help you place first when in the show ring. It is a must for a beggining rider to an advanced grand prix rider.
I have anxiously awaited this book!!.......2006-06-16
Geoff has his finger on the pulse of the hunter/jumper industry.
I have known him personally and professionally for MANY years.
This book gives the reader a well thought out game plan that Geoff has perfected over the years. I thank him for continuing to give back to the industry and always being willing to share his views.
This is a MUST read....for anyone involved in the hunter/jumper industry.
motivational.......2006-06-13
Throughout this book Geoff Teall discusses aspects of riding different than those found in other books I've read. For instance, muscle memory, mental imaging, the age old issue of anxiety in the show ring and tips on the judge's perspective are addressed.
He encourages goal setting for riders of all abilities.
This book is motivational to both students and their trainers, and includes a chapter dedicated to the professional. I've recommended that all my students read this book.
Book Description
A lively and intelligent guide to training winning jumping horses in the 21st century.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent ,focus on the welfare of the horse........2007-01-04
The author has a sympathic,kind,knowledgable plan of training with the emphasis on the individual horse's needs in mind. Conformation,prospect selection and getting the right start are discussed. Jumper flat work is defined and described vs.classical dressage. Many useful exercises are described to improve the horse's ability to become a more ridable jumper.
The jumping exercises are well planned and well written.
A very useful book,with nice photos and a helpful sections on problem correction.
I most enjoyed the obvious love and respect he feels for his horses.
Very readable and comprehensive book that deserves a place on your bookshelf!.......2007-01-03
While I'm not intent on producing Grand Prix showjumpers, I found this well-written book immensely helpful in giving me guidelines, ideas and inspiration for training my own young horse who I ultimately hope to event. It isn't a step-by-step recipe book on 'how to teach your horse to jump', but it's packed full of information, diagrams and photographs on every aspect of training a jumper from evaluating their potential, to jumping training, to keeping the horse healthy and sound. No stone is left unturned, and I was very impressed with the amount of bookspace devoted to correct flatwork training.
It's a very readable book, especially to an amateur rider like myself. This book also includes photos that, for instance, demonstrate the less than perfect jumping poses (or, 'how not to do it') in amongst the examples that paint the perfect picture. 'Bad' examples are not always included in books even though they are just as essential in making understood a point, and it's refreshing to see these included! I also really liked the chapters on evaluating a horse's potential and maintaining soundness - good education for me and with great diagrams and photos.
Definitely a book that deserves to be added to your equestrian bookshelf!
Great Information.......2006-04-22
I got this book for my girlfriend who is interested in showing jumpers. She has read it from cover to cover. It's packed with information and ideas and overall gives a good overview of the sport and provides the average horse person with enough information to get started.
Book Description
Every style of music is represented in this giant volume of over 200 songs arranged for the 5 string banjo in easy-to-play tablature. Includes complete lyrics to folk songs, sentimental favorites, Christmas and Chanukah songs, sing-alongs. Tin Pan Alley, funny and sad songs, and more.
Customer Reviews:
Well-presented and a lot of fun.......2000-05-13
Simple clawhammer arrangements of a lot of folk and other songs, grouped by category ("A parcel of rogues", "All over this land", etc.) and with a short introduction to each song.
Most of the tunes are what you'd expect from a book of this type (Shady Grove, Sweet Betsy from Pike, etc.) but there are a few from left field - a whole section on Stephen Foster, for example, and a few Jewish tunes which are arranged quite well.
If you already own a book or two of folk tunes, you can probably do without this, but it's a great book for someone just starting out on the banjo (it was for me!)
Product Description
In & Out is a horse tale like no other. A sprawling narrative filled with romance, intrigue, and excitement, it also provides a clear-eyed and wholly realistic view of the equestrian world, offering the kind of authentic details about horses, riding techniques, and business practices that only an insider could provide. At the center of the story stands Jericho Brandeis, an ambitious yet untamed man who seeks glory on his own terms. An intriguing cast of characters surrounds him, including the wealthy patron Bob Marx, the only man who can help Jericho realize his dreams, Marx's sexy young wife, Darien, whose illicit love could become Jericho's downfall, U.S. Chef d'Equip Chuck Frankel, the closest thing to a father figure Jericho has ever known, hunk bartender Trevor Braeden, Jericho's friend and rival, and the indomitable stallion Chasseur de Lion, an alluring yet potentially fatal challenge to Jericho's considerable horsemanship. Jericho must maneuver his way through a hazardous maze of violence, corruption, and seduction if he is to fulfill his aspirations at the World Equestrian Games. The adventures of Jericho Brandeis, full of passion, promise, and turmoil, will thrill all lovers of horses and of adventure and romance.
Customer Reviews:
Mercedes Raye.......2007-08-20
This is one of my favorite books. Yes it certainly is an adults book but it has a great story line. I only hope that Barbara Moss write a sequel. Great book!!!
In and Out.......2007-08-05
This is a wonderful book esp. if you are a educated jumper rider. I can't even put it down and have recommended it to many of my other horse friends. The story line and details are right on... it sounds like it is written by someone who has "been there and done that" in Wellington and on the nitty gritty jumper circuit as well as climbing to the top in the horse competition world. I can't wait for another book written by Barbara Moss regarding any story line on the competitive horse world with its background in Wellington and Europe.
Loved the horsey talk, hated the characters.......2007-06-27
Jerico Brandeis is a Grand Prix level rider who has set his sights on quaifying for the Olympic team and running his training/showing business. He is a cocky, and arrogant personality who has loads of psychoanalyisis to get through. He also has some serious difficulties with women and definitely waffles between viewing them as objects to falling desperately head over heals in love with them. While I agree that this is very stereotypical of trainers in this industry, that's just it... it's a stereotype.
Of course such a self involved individual needs a roommate; welcome Starbucks; this is a character that I think is supposed to be a foil/comedic relief for the story. I hate this guy; he is a former Starbucks employee/ photographer who has the brain of a pea and the looks of a male model. Come on!
Now we get to the conflict. Much of the drama in this book arises from him crossing over professional lines; as in having an affair with his main patron's wife, oh, and getting caught at it, then doing it again and getting her pregnant when the spouse is STERILE (DUH!). This book was pure soap opera drama in the human relations department with a little porn thrown in for flavoring.
The only redeeming value in this book is the depiction of the horses, the jumping and the actual mechanics of the show jumping industry (which was still a bit stereotypical) In terms of the descriptions of the riding and show jumping component, I felt that the book did a good job in giving us a glimpse into that world. Jericho's career was sped up a bit for the sake of the plot line, but you do get a good idea of how hard it is to make it in that world.
Second Book.......2007-06-15
Any word yet on a second book for the series?
Couldn't put it down.......2007-03-15
The story sweeps you along. Horses, adventure and romance (yes, and sex)combine with intriguing characters, humor and plot twists to produce a great story. I can't wait for her next novel.
Average customer rating:
- Another Great Teleportation Novel by Gould
- wow ! totally cool story !
- Super Reader
- Sadistic. Not very much fun.
- About what you'd expect
|
Reflex (Jumper)
Steven Gould
Manufacturer: Tor Science Fiction
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Gould, Steven
| ( G )
| Authors, A-Z
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Science Fiction
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| Subjects
| Books
( G )
| Authors, A-Z
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
| Gemmell, David
| Greenberg, Martin H.
General
| Science Fiction
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
All 4-for-3 Deals
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
Similar Items:
-
Jumper: A Novel (Jumper)
-
Wildside
-
Jumper: Griffin's Story (Jumper)
-
Helm
-
The Accidental Time Machine
ASIN: 0812578546
Release Date: 2005-08-02 |
Book Description
Davy has always been alone.He believes that he's the only person in the world who can teleport. But what if he isn't?A mysterious group of people has taken Davy captive.They don't want to hire him, and they don't have any hope of appealing to him to help them. What they want is to own him.They want to use his abilities for their own purposes, whether Davy agrees to it or not. And so they set about brainwashing him and conditioning him.They have even found a way to keep a teleport captive.But there's one thing that they don't know.No one knows it, not even Davy. And it might save his life....
Customer Reviews:
Another Great Teleportation Novel by Gould.......2007-10-11
I read 'Jumper' when I was in high school and I thought it was a great read. I feel just as strongly as this novel as I do his first about teleportation. Please read this book, but only after the first. Althought the book does take a little further into the future than I had hoped, it was still a great read. Steven Gould takes it to the next level again with concepts such as "twinning" and bringing back Brian Cox. Please read this book! An amazing story
wow ! totally cool story !.......2007-09-25
I have always wanted to be a teleporter. I mean, it is the ultimate for a lazy man
. I picked this book up on a lark and was extremely surprised at how good it is. The characters are well developed and suck you into their stories. BTW, this is a sequel.
Super Reader.......2007-08-26
Teleportation disease is catching.
The main character from the first book, Davy, is drugged and abducted after his government minder is killed. An extremely ethically challenged group based around a company that gets involved in wars, political coups and other such things for business reasons wants him to use his power for them.
They make two mistakes, in that their testing of his abilities allows him to discover more ways to use his power, and the fact that his wife is now also able to jump after travelling with him so many times.
Sadistic. Not very much fun........2007-05-30
I loved Jumper, and have given copies to friends. But I don't recommend this to anybody. There is too much suffering and misery for the lead character as he is kept prisoner. I usually have no problem with the protagonists overcoming adversity. But this just seemed sick to me.
About what you'd expect.......2007-05-08
A decent followup to Jumper, though set farther in the characters' future than I'd expected. Where I think Jumper was aimed at a young adult audience, this deals with decidedly adult characters and emotions that are mature and by no means angsty. I think it's interesting to see the changes that have happened, but it also feels, at times, as though there's a lot of history that the reader somehow missed out on.
The writing is also not quite as strong and feels hurried at times. The dialog and internal thoughts especially fall prey to this. The action scenes are well done, however, and I have to admit, I was turning pages pretty quickly towards the end. The best part of the book, however, was re-watching someone learn about "jumping", discovering that again through their eyes. It made me realize how that had made the first book so much fun.
In all, Reflex could have benefited from some editing, but it's not so lengthy that it's unenjoyable. If you liked Jumper, you will enjoy parts of Reflex a great deal as well. And we may even see a third book; the edning leaves that possibility very open.
Book Description
"Schneider's characters, like Kundera's, are sentient and sophisticated figures at a time when the constraints of Communist rule persist but its energy has entirely vanished."—Richard Eder, Los Angeles Times Book Review
When the Berlin Wall was still the most tangible representation of the Cold War, Peter Schneider made this political and ideological symbol into something personal, that could be perceived on a human level, from more than one side. In Schneider's Berlin, real people cross the Wall not to defect but to quarrel with their lovers, see Hollywood movies, and sometimes just because they can't help themselves—the Wall has divided their emotions as much as it has their country.
"An honest, rich book. . . . It is one those rare books that come back at odd moments to intrude on your comfortable conclusions and easy images."—Robert Houston, Nation
Customer Reviews:
An engaging novel of Berlin before the fall of the Wall........2000-09-05
This completely frank, thought-provoking, and often wryly humorous account of life in Berlin before the fall of the Wall will go straight to your heart with its fascinating stories and tales from both sides of the Divided City. With poignancy and warmth, the author creates believable characters who adhere to their own truths, not necessarily the expectations of the reader.
The personable, unnamed speaker in this first person narrative is a writer trying to create the story of a man "caught in a back-and-forth motion over the Wall, like a soccer goalie in an instant replay, always taking the same dive to miss the same ball." Virtually all the Berliners we meet here--from both East and West--are in the same situation as the unfortunate goalie, as they, too, go back and forth, repeatedly mistaking the moves of people from the other "side," misinterpreting signals, and often, in their ignorance, failing to "get it."
The author provides an amazingly complete, though somewhat sanitized, picture of the Wall-jumpers--not those poor souls who were brutally machine-gunned by Wall guards, but people like the speaker who come and go across the Wall with relative impunity because they do not call attention to themselves. And Schneider is quick to point out that most of the East Berliners are fairly satisfied with their lives, which are depicted with much warmth, as families and friends spend a great deal of time with each other, undistracted by the responsibilities of "freedom."
The fascinating philosophical discussions and personal revelations that occur among friends from both sides may sweep away your preconceptions about life in Berlin, as they did mine, and you may find yourself reevaluating your thinking about society and politics in general, and about Germany, in particular. Mary Whipple
Customer Reviews:
A Much Needed Companion to John's Book.......2007-07-03
This book makes up for the one key deficiency in John's Grammar which is that it lacks an answer key. Jumper gives more than answers in this book. He explains how the answers were arrived at and he also provides alternatives. Anyone using John's Grammar needs this book.
A Necessary Supplement.......2004-05-27
Jumper's Answer Key provides what has been lacking for decades. As Alger Johns's Grammar has been an excellent resource for the study of biblical Aramaic, it offers the student helpful exercises without a full explanation of the answers. That is where Jumper meets the reader's need. By offering answers to Johns's exercises along with thorough annotations, he provides information which is invaluable to the student desiring a full explanation of the methods for interpretation of each exercise. The cross-referencing to Johns's book is very useful. One text should not be used without the other!
Jumper's Annotated Key to Johns's Aramaic Grammar.......2003-12-16
As one who teaches Aramaic annually, I can attest that Johns's "A Short Grammar of Biblical Aramaic" is a quick, efficient way to learn biblical Aramaic well. Yet its exercises contain practice sentences that are purposely very challenging, and therefore can be offputting to students. James Jumper has put together, with the permission of the publishers (Andrews University Press), a clearly annotated key to all the exercise sentences in Johns' grammar, de-mystifying those sentences and adding a lot of helpful comments and grammar reminders in the process.
Johns's grammar has some real advantages for learning Aramaic. For example, it takes seriously the proto-semitic reflexes for virtually all forms (great for those interested in comparative Semitic grammar, but not necessary for using the book to learn Aramaic). It also treats the Peil as a separate conjugation, which is certainly how native speakers in OT times understood it, however certain modern grammarians may "theorize" about its role.
Jumper's "Key" makes Johns's grammar more accessible than ever -- a real gain for Aramaic students. I think that anyone who uses Johns's Grammar would find it advantageous and time-saving to purchase Jumper's Key along with it.
Douglas Stuart, Ph.D.
Book Description
The true history of a legendary American folk hero
In the 1820s, a fellow named Sam Patch grew up in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, working there (when he wasn’t drinking) as a mill hand for one of America’s new textile companies. Sam made a name for himself one day by jumping seventy feet into the tumultuous waters below Pawtucket Falls. When in 1827 he repeated the stunt in Paterson, New Jersey, another mill town, an even larger audience gathered to cheer on the daredevil they would call the “Jersey Jumper.” Inevitably, he went to Niagara Falls, where in 1829 he jumped not once but twice in front of thousands who had paid for a good view.
The distinguished social historian Paul E. Johnson gives this deceptively simple story all its deserved richness, revealing in its characters and social settings a virtual microcosm of Jacksonian America. He also relates the real jumper to the mythic Sam Patch who turned up as a daring moral hero in the works of Hawthorne and Melville, in London plays and pantomimes, and in the spotlight with Davy Crockett—a Sam Patch who became the namesake of Andrew Jackson’s favorite horse.
In his shrewd and powerful analysis, Johnson casts new light on aspects of American society that we may have overlooked or underestimated. This is innovative American history at its best.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent biography and social history.......2006-11-04
This is a biography of Sam Patch, the famous jumper from high places into swirling chasms. Yet it's more than a biography; it's also a social history of the times (1820s) and the places where Sam made his daring leaps (Paterson, NJ, Niagara Falls, and Rochester, NY). Sam's early life was spent working in the cotton mills of first, Pawtucket, RI, and then Paterson, NJ. He learned the "art" (Sam's word, and an important one in defining how Patch saw himself) of jumping while a boy performing daredevil stunts in the Blackstone River of Pawtucket. Later, in Paterson, he leaped into the Passaic Falls more as a "rebel-victim" - Timothy Crane had erected a bridge across the falls, which was considered a social good; but when he bought land adjacent to the falls that was popular as a recreational retreat for the working people of Paterson and turned it into a private park for the wealthy, Crane became a villain to the many factory workers of Paterson. Sam timed a number of his jumps there to coincide with events designed to honor Crane, to humiliate him or at least take away some of his thunder. In these instances, Sam Patch was a jumper for Democracy.
After Paterson, Sam leaped off the mast of a sloop anchored off Hoboken, NJ into the Hudson River, which was reported widely in the press, and Sam became a celebrity. Now his leaps would be for fame and fortune. He jumped twice at Niagara Falls to great success, and then went to Rochester to leap the Genesee Falls. His leap was successful, but a second jump on a cold November day proved to be his undoing; his body wasn't found until the following spring.
Then of course, Sam Patch the legend took off. The real Sam Patch was a drunkard and millworker, raised in poverty, who discovered he had a talent for surviving high leaps into dangerous waters, and decided that exploiting this talent brought a big improvement to his otherwise futile existence. (It's the classic American story: think of all the ballplayers, actors, singers, etc. who saw even the worst of times in their chosen endeavors as better than "going back" to the mines, or the mills, or the empty windswept towns on the bleak prairie.) But for the decade or two after his death Sam was transformed into a gentleman's son who overcame timidity and learned to face danger and be "a man." Then, of course, even this made-up image of Sam disappeared from the scene - until 1945 when folklorist Richard Dorson rediscovered him and grouped him with such legendary characters as Davy Crocket and Mike Fink.
Johnson does a superb job in rescuing Patch from the annals of folklore and presenting him as a real historical figure. This is not an easy task since very little in the historical record is known about Sam, and much of that is contradictory. He devotes much space to what life in the cotton mills was like, how Niagara Falls was perceived in the American imagination at the time, and what the young and bustling cities of Paterson and Rochester were going through when Sam visited them. Johnson is an interesting writer - detailed and learned, but not dry and scholarly. It's a fascinating book. Highly recommended.
Character(s) Make America Great.......2006-02-17
Sam Patch was an American original who escaped my attention for forty-eight years. Professor Johnson's study of this mostly forgotten, irreverant showman has piqued this reader's thirst for more of the bold, eccentric and sometimes ambivalent personalities that have shaped this nation in often subtle ways.
Not long after completing the author's chronology of the Patch family's slide from the respectability of the rural New England landholder and the influence of Calvinism, it becomes apparent
that a documented record of just what manner of man Sam Patch really was is not to be had. From the standpoint of social status, Patch was a non-entity, a skilled textile laborer his sole identifying trait; that is, until he made public his hobby.
Just what spurred Patch to leap the Passaic Falls at Paterson,NJ on July 4, 1828, effectively upstarting the elaborate holiday ceremonies planned by one of the city's wealthy and genteel manufacturing elite is uncertain. One effect of the feat was the galvanizing of the local labor force into an awareness of their potential to force reform in mill working conditions. No sooner had Patch had dried himself off when a consortium of mill owners issued an edict altering the daily work schedules of its employees, needlessly disrupting the domestic routines of thousands. Patch then betrays a political motive in answer to management with an encore jump during work hours just one week after the new schedule had taken effect. Patch's exploit was followed by a strike, arbitration and comprimise. The Paterson jumps gave birth to Patch's intriguing motto "Some things can be done as well as others."
The cynical critic questions the depth and genuineness of Patch's social altruism based upon his lack of education, predilection to alcohol, and the complete absence of any concern, stated or implied, other than self-promotion during the remainder of his career. In fact, Patch, at the age of twenty-seven, having worked in the mills for twenty years, resigned his vocation permanently upon departing Paterson shortly after the second jump. After a brief exploit from atop a ship's mast in Hoboken,NJ, Patch emigrated to Niagara Falls for bigger game.
Now an avowed professional jumper, backed by resort developers and sporting gentlemen, Patch thrilled crowds of commoners and elicited enmity from the Whig sophisticates and press. After a few successful performances, the venue shifted to Rochester,NY and Genesee Falls where class distinctions and responses to such behavior were at a premium. After an initial jump, a plan was hatched to erect a platform some forty feet above the millrace which paralleled the falls, raising his leap to an uprecedented one hundred-thirty feet. Unfortunately for our hero, he met his ultimate fate that day in 1829 when, unable to contain his passion for the bottle, he endeavored to jump while in a well-lubricated state, lost his form early in the air, hit the water on his side, and disappeared for four months before his body was hauled from under the ice of the Genesee River some seven miles downstream.
On reconsideration, it is perhaps the case that Patch had an angle along reformist lines. Though unsophisticated in its method, the very inanity of Patch's nonconformist act served as a slap in the face to the righteous, overbred conceit of the upper classes and their proclivity for circumscribing the limits of self-determination for those less fortunate. In appropriating a mere mill-boy's pastime Patch defied the ruling gentry and diletantes of morality to prevent his freedom of expression. Although his jumps lacked the ingenuity, utility or permanence of the engineering marvels which buoyed the emerging industrial revolution, they gave notice that democracy entitles a man to make his mark after his own fashion and, notwithstanding limited means, proof that "Some things can be done as well as others."
Despite the absence of source material Professor Johnson has done a comendable job of resurrecting Patch's story from the confines of legend. Johnson's tedious labor is evidenced by his notes--drawn almost entirely from periodical literature.
While it is not possible to forge an intimate acquaintance with Sam Patch, Johnson has provided the detailed social, political and religious mileau needed to understand his role in history.
Johnson is also to be credited for the modesty of his prose, which makes this book smooth and entertaining.
Jumping into Jacksonian Democracy.......2003-07-07
If you have never heard of Sam Patch, it is because you are not living in the nineteenth century. Sam Patch was America's first celebrity daredevil, someone who made his fortune and his fame by spectacularly endangering his life, jumping from waterfalls. Paul E. Johnson, in _Sam Patch, The Famous Jumper (Hill and Wang), has not exactly brought Patch back to life. As Johnson explains, people like Patch did not have linear careers that lent their lives to being told as stories; they had episodes, not biographies. Patch only lived thirty years, and jumped professionally only for the last two of those, but he did have a wonderful career, and even some meaning within American history and sociology. Johnson has, though Patch's story, examined some details of Jacksonian America, industrialization, philosophies of art, and aspects of fame from self-endangerment and self-promotion rather than self-improvement and civic involvement. Patch was, after all, a lout and a drunkard, but it must mean something that he achieved such a level of fame that his feats could be cited by Melville, Hawthorne and Poe. Even Andrew Jackson's favorite steed was named Sam Patch.
Sam was around seven years old when he took up work in a mill; families in the early eighteenth century were being drawn to mill towns since mothers and children could easily get work. He was good at the work, and fiercely independent in the craft of "mule spinner". The independence manifested itself in his jumping as well. He learned the craft of jumping as other boys did, but when he moved to another mill town, his jumping acquired a social and political aspect that endeared him to the populace. He jumped to spite a rising industrialist in Paterson, New Jersey, and then in support of his own class when there was a dispute over how the town should celebrate the Fourth of July, and jumped again during the first labor walkout. People loved the jumps, and newspapers reported them. Patch became a working-class hero. He went on to jump into Niagara Falls twice, and finally in Rochester. On 13 November 1829, he took a plunge into the Genesee Falls, into which he had jumped successfully a week before. He was drunk, and hit the water out of control. It was months before the body was found, but respectable Americans had found a new cause to rail against; one preacher spoke of the "strange and savage curiosity" of the crowds who came to see the jumps, and another told his Sunday school class "... that any of them who had witnessed Patch's last leap would be judged guilty of murder by God."
Sam Patch could have been an emblem against the masses, but it did not work out that way. He became the subject of poetry, comic stories, and stage plays. "What the Sam Patch!" became a common way of swearing. There was a Sam Patch cigar. He has even recently been the subject of a novel. Rochester has welcomed his memory as if it were that of a favorite son, and you can buy souvenirs at Sam's Gift Patch. There are those who insist that any American Dream must be built on hard work, domestic harmony, and sobriety. Johnson's able and well-researched portrait, with its many digressions into aspects of our fledgling democracy, shows a different sort of dream and a new sort of celebrity. Americans, bless their hearts, had from the beginning a delight in one who tweaked the nose of his betters and got fame for lots of wrong reasons.
Book Description
A biography of Olympic and Grand Prix show jumping rider Margie Goldstein Engle.
Customer Reviews:
Read the Chronicle instead.......2005-10-06
Mom, who is rightfully proud of her daughter, is a retired schoolteacher, and boy does it show. To say the book was written on a third grade reading level, which another reviewer has claimed, is completely accurate. The corny, quoted dialogue that supposedly takes place between mother and daughter reads like an elementary school play: "How did the grand prix go?" "Very well, thank you. I got first, second and fourth." "That's wonderful. How do you feel about the Olympic outcome?" This would be a delightful read for a preteen that aspires to be a top rider, but it's merit ends there. If you want to follow Margie's career, but a subscription to the Chronicle of the Horse instead.
Not for adults.......2005-04-20
This would be interesting reading for a young rider. I expected explanations and descriptions about how Margie achieved her successes. Instead, it is more like her mother's walk down Memory Lane. It might be fine for a young fan of Margie's, but it is not for a mature, serious rider. I also do not understand why the Kelso family review was repeated and included twice in averaging the rating.
A determined young woman.......2002-03-20
I have read "No Hurdle Too High" and thoroughly enjoyed it. I thought that the author by choosing to write it from a third person, objective point of view, as a parent, as opposed to Margie-Engle Goldstein's first person, subjective, point of view
was the author's prerogative. And by using this approach, she made the book intriguing and heart-warming. Either approach, if used would have satisfied some people and left others unhappy.
The book conveys a good sense of the difficulties (hurdles0 that Margie faced and conquered. The purpose of the book, I believe, was to learn not about the technicalities of Horse Jumping, but to tell Margie's story it more personal and less technical.
I found it very inspiring and recommend it strongly.
Herb
Delightful Diversion.......2002-03-19
This is one of those unforgetable stories. In this world of terrorists and unrest, we found it a Delightful Diversion. We laughted and cried tears of joy at Margie's antics and accomplishments.We thought the book was well written, and easy to read. We highly recomend it.
Delightful Diversion.......2002-03-19
This is one of those unforgetable stories. In this world of terrorists and unrest, we found it a Delightful Diversion. We laughted and cried tears of joy at Margie's antics and accomplishments.We thought the book was well written, and easy to read. We highly recomend it.
Books:
- The Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier: Coat of Honey — Heart of Gold (Howell's Best of Breed Library)
- The Tao of Photography: Seeing Beyond Seeing
- Typhoid Mary: An Urban Historical
- Ultimate Fantastic Four Vol. 5: Crossover
- Vagabond (The Grail Quest #2)
- Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook
- Welcome to Oz: A Cinematic Approach to Digital Still Photography with Photoshop (VOICES)
- Win Your Child Custody War: Child Custody Help Source Book--A How-To System for People Serious About the Welfare of Their Child (11th Edition)
- Wizardology: The Book of the Secrets of Merlin (Ologies)
- Working the Boundaries: Race, Space, and "Illegality" in Mexican Chicago
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- WORDS THAT WORK: IT'S NOT WHAT YOU SAY, IT'S WHAT PEOPLE HEAR
- Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind
- Gut Symmetries
- Hungarian Puli
- In Another Man's Bed
- Planet Earth: As You've Never Seen It Before
- Memories Are Made of This: How Memory Works in Humans and Animals
- In Denali: A Photographic Essay of Denali National Park & Preserve, Alaska
- Henry VII: The First Tudor King
- Making the Most of Your Money Now
