Now Face to Face

Book Description

The beloved heroine from Koen's bestselling Through a Glass Darkly returns in a passionate, unforgettable, romantic tapestry. A widow at age 20, emotionally devastated and financially ruined by the death of her husband in scandalous circumstances, Barbara Devane leaves colonial Virginia for London to confront her enemies and to pursue a deeply satisfying yet dangerous clandestine love.

Customer Reviews:

Let me try to say something nice about this book..........2007-05-28

Karleen Koen's brief biography says that she was led to write Now, Face To Face and its prequel, Through a Glass Darkly through her interest in the period. I knew little about the Jacobite intrigues of the early 18th century. Ultimately, this is what drove me to finish the book, since even though these were historical events, I was ignorant of them, and I wanted to know how it all worked out. I am also drawn to big, meaty books, and at nearly 700 pages, this volume looked great for my week-long trip.

Koen's Protagonist, Barbara Montgeoffry, Countess Devane, is someone who I'm sure I couldn't stand if I met her. In the story, this would be written off as my jealousy of her physical perfection, mental superiority, high rank, excellent connections, and ability to charm any any man living. True enough, in real life such people are hard to take too. Barbara has suffered losses both personal and financial as the story opens, but luckily everything works out by the end of this lengthy story.

Karleen Koen is an author is more likely to tell rather than show, and this diminishes the effect of the events she portrays. For example, when Barbara finally gets together with Mr. Right, they have a little flirtation, he leaves her a flower, and then there's a fade until "three weeks later", when they are an established couple. What's the point of waiting 544 pages for this woman to find love after she's been wondering if it would ever come to her again and then not showing us the delightful early stages of love?

Readers who are knowledgeable about the 18th century and care about details might be frustrated by some of the anachronisms that creep in. I'm sure the historical facts are accurate, but the devil is in the details in a good historical novel (see Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series). Some of the daily details just don't ring true.

If you are a huge Barbara fan, you will probably love this book because it features the Georgian Barbie you loved in Through A Glass Darkly. Plot and character-wise, I didn't regret reading the first book, so don't let that put you off.

Continuation lacks the luster of book one in the series.......2007-05-23

In 'Through The Glass Darkly', Roger dies, leaving Barbara a widow and responsible for his enormous debt from the South Sea Bubble scandal. 'Now Face To Face' picks up where Barbara flees London and heads to her grandmother's plantation in Virginia. In the isolated wilds of the new world, Barbara learns to carve out a space for herself in spite of her nasty neighbor Bolling. She makes friends, winds out freeing her slaves, looses her personal slave Hyacinthe, and almost finds romance.

While Barbara is away, London bustles with activity. The Jacobites are the talk of the town, supporting the return of King James and the overthrowing of King George. Jane's husband Gussy finds himself knee deep in intrigues with newcomer and actor Laurence Slane, who's not who he really says he is. He's a gosling, one of James' most trusted informers. Barbara's grandmother, the Duchess of Tamworth, comes from the country to attend cousin Tony's wedding. Her mother Diana continues her liaison with Robert Walpole, the man responsible for Barbara's debt being unforgiven and a major force for King George.

The intrigue becomes, if this is possible, a little too thick, swarming over the storyline and drowning the characters in its overwhelming description. There's a lot of repetitiveness in the intrigues of James vs George and the who's who of the Jacobites. Tony went from simple to cunning, and it wasn't a good transition. No reason for it, nor any rhyme to it until later in the book when he'd already shown his feathers. It was as if a shade had drawn over his innocence in our absence and left a character that little resembled the Tony from the first book.

Also, if your expecting a little 'Gone With The Wind' action from Barbara in Virginia, you won't find it. Barbara went from a spirited, saucy personality to a rather droll and reflective one. Between books one and two, she lost much of the spunk that made her so charming. After the tightly woven 'Through A Glass Darkly', 'Now Face To Face' comes off as a thick (733 pages) "middle" book that basically goes nowhere. We're left hanging at the end waiting for the third book in the series.

Still, 'Now Face To Face' earns a solid 3.5 stars from me in spite of its obvious faults, because the characters are fleshed out, the times are interesting, and the prose is smoothly woven into a rich, though somewhat slow paced, tale. Faults and all, I still read it through in just a few sittings, finding myself absorbed in the tale. If you're a fan, purchase it, otherwise check it out from the library first. Enjoy!

enjoyable, but does not compare to TAGD.......2007-04-24

I read Now Face to Face after reading Through A Glass Darkly and Dark Angels. Of the three books, Now Face to Face is by far the weakest and least satisfying. The ending leaves room for another sequel, but as another reviewer noted, the material left by Koen may be too weak to continue. I was dissappointed at the author's portrayal of the "mature" Barbara. I loved her character in TAGD, but felt there was something missing here. Maybe it was the lack of Roger's spirit and passion, maybe it was the not entirely believable deep love for Slane that appeared out of nowhere, maybe it was the lack of spunk that Barbara showed in the other novel (and that the Duchess shows in Dark Angels) I was also deeply dissappointed in Tony's development. Why did he need to become an angry young man who, like the rest of Barbara's amours, ignored his wife and sense of self? The author should have chosen a different direction for his life to follow.
Hyacinth's story should have been fleshed out more, and I felt that many of the episodes and sub-stories could have had more drama in order to fill in some of the holes in the Jacobite/Hanoverian plot. And what happened with the smuggling issue, Diana, and Beth/Colonel Perry?
That being said, I did enjoy the book, and was overall pleased with the work Koen produced. However, I would recommend Dark Angels to a reader before Now Face to Face, and of course, I would recommend Through a Glass Darkly to ANYONE. So fantastic it should be in everyone's personal collection. (and for those who can't find a reasonably priced copy, I obtained mine right here through Amazon and it was under 20 bucks)

Hijackers .......2007-02-02

I liike Through the Glass Darkly and was looking forward to reading Now Face to Face, but obviously it is out of print. I am not so interested in reading it that I would pay the exhorbinant prices that are being charged for a used book. I understand the concept of supply and demand from my college economics class, but really, I would be ashamed and fear for my soul if I sold a used book at such prices and certainly can live without giving my hard earrned money to hijackers for a novel. Koen's Through the Glass Darkly was good, but irritating at some points, so I cannot fathom why people would actually purchase books at hijacked prices, which results in even more higher prices for everyone else. Retarded!

I never wanted it to end!.......2007-01-16

This was a wonderful follow up to Through a Glass Darkly. While it is not quite up the the perfection of TAGD, which I would have given 8 or 9 stars if I could, it's still pretty darn good. Although most of the story was wrapped up in the end, albeit too briefly there is more story to tell and I wish there was another sequel or two (PLEASE).

Most of the original characters return, Barbara, Hyacinthe, Theresa, Grandmama, Tony, Phillippe (ugh) and Diana -- plus some new ones. The first part takes Barbara to Virginia giving her time to work through her grief over Roger's death and the South Sea Bubble scandle.

The second part of the book brings a stronger Barbara back to London and to take it by storm once again, and she's caught up in the Jacobite rebellion. And throughout, we see Barbara mature and change, as we all do in real life. It was heartbreaking to see how Tony changed over his unrequited love for Barbara -- which can also happen in real life.

As in TAGD, you will laugh and cry, just as in real life, and gather a history lesson at the same time. Some reviewers complained because there was not a whole lot of romance, but this book should be classified as historical fiction, not historical romance.

Average customer rating:

Treasure on Treasures
Want to know more about Mata Ortiz and its potters?
Mata Ortiz Pottery
The Next Best Thing To Owning A Pot
The Many Faces Of Mata Ortiz

The Many Faces of Mata Ortiz
Susan Lowell , Jim Hills , Michael Wisner , Jorge Quintana , Robin Stancliff , and James Hills
Manufacturer: Rio Nuevo Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | History & Criticism | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1887896082

Book Description

For the past twenty-five years an extraordinary art movement has been underway in the remote countryside of northern Mexico, a renaissance of ceramic art in the tiny village of Mata Ortiz. As unlikely as it may seem, this phenomenon was sparked by the genius of a village woodcutter of rare artistic talent and equally rare determination, Juan Quezada.

Over the years, by trial and error, Juan Quezada gradually recreated the technology of the ancient pre-Columbian masterpieces, until modern masterpieces also emerged from his own hands. Now this reawakening of the ancient art is taking many forms in the hands of some three hundred villagers.

Noted Arizona author Susan Lowell has written a fascinating traveler's introduction to the region, the town, Juan Quezada, and many other village artists. Lowell's essay is followed by a biographical survey of a cross-section of 100 potters along with color photographs of their work and portraits of the potters. Included is a guide for travelers planning to visit the village, an index of Mata Ortiz potters, a schedule of exhibitions in the U. S. and Mexico of Mata Ortiz pottery featured in this book, a glossary, and a bibliography.

Customer Reviews:

Treasure on Treasures.......2007-01-10

"The Many Faces of Mata Ortiz" is a treasure trove of information about the treasures that are the Mata Ortiz people and pottery. It is well laid-out, well written, and well...wonderful!! The only thing that would make my copy better are autographs by Juan Quezada himself and every other potter in the book.

Unfortunately for whatever reason, Juan's son Alvaro is not featured in the book. He is indeed an exceptional artist.

I was able to meet Alvaro and Juan Quezada in Nov 2006 in their family gallery in Mata Ortiz and found them and their entire family to be humble friendly and genuinely thrilled that people love their wonderful creations.

If you have not had the opportunity to visit Mata Ortiz, "The Many Faces of Mata Ortiz" will inspire you to go. If you have, it will make you pine for it and it's people.

Want to know more about Mata Ortiz and its potters?.......2005-09-24

This is a great book for all that are curious about Mata Ortiz pottery and the people who make it. If you want to start collecting, it's a great book to have for a reference source. All artists mentioned in this book are of high caliber, as good, some even better than the Native American potters of the Southwest. At this time, these wares are also less expensive and affordable to most people. Hopefully they will be a good investment for the future.

Susan Moesch

Mata Ortiz Pottery.......2005-07-19

A wonderful collection of photographs combined with dialoge about this remote village in Mexico. It describes the journey to get there, then details the lives of the talented people who live there. The photogtaphy is outstanding. A must for any person collecting or thinking of collecting pottery from this village.

The Next Best Thing To Owning A Pot.......2003-07-18

Almost 40 years ago Juan Quesada from the village of Mata Ortiz in Chihuahua singlehandedly revived Casa Grande style pottery. This book is a beautifully illustrated account of his success, along with the other artists of the village who learned from him. Becoming familiar with these artists should lay to rest the notion held by many Americans that Mexican imports are second class. These paper-thin pots are as beautiful as any you will ever see. This book has color photographs of many of the potters from Mata Ortiz as well as pictures of their pots. There is information on how the pots are made-- they are all built by hand from native materials, painted with brushes made from the artists' children's hair and fired over cow dung.

The book has a lot of interesting details-- for instance, when the Pope visited Mexico a few years ago, he was given three of these magnificent pots. Another fascinating tidbit is that one of every seven citizens of this village makes these pots. They have gone from doing manual labor to creating works of art.

Owning this book is the next best thing to owning a Mata Ortiz pot.

The Many Faces Of Mata Ortiz.......2000-09-08

This is the best pottery book I have ever found! It is layed out in an informative, and beautiful manner. Not only is the pottery exquisite, but the photographs represent the pieces at their best. It is easy to understand, and gets one passionate about an art movement, that we can actually be a part of, in this twenty-first century. It is highly unsual to be living during a time when a new art movement is going on, and still striving for it's pinnacle. We see this with the unequalled workmanship of the Matiz Ortiz people in their Casas Grandes/Matiz Ortiz pottery. I really enjoyed getting to know each potter by name and photo, coupled with seeing their work, and feeling a part of their extended family. Juan Quesada, the founder of this artistic movement, is a highly spiritual individual, generous and gifted beyond belief. He is the reason that this wonderful pottery is being shown to the world. I am an artist that does pottery, and a retired teacher. I would recommend this book to all art teachers, and anyone who appreciates great art.

Radical Hope: Ethics in the Face of Cultural Devastation

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An alternative to the Ghost Dance
Courage in the Face of Meaninglessness
almost useful

Radical Hope: Ethics in the Face of Cultural Devastation
Jonathan Lear
Manufacturer: Harvard University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Ethics & Morality | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

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Psychoanalysis | Psychology & Counseling | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0674023293

Book Description

Shortly before he died, Plenty Coups, the last great Chief of the Crow Nation, told his story--up to a certain point. "When the buffalo went away the hearts of my people fell to the ground," he said, "and they could not lift them up again. After this nothing happened." It is precisely this point--that of a people faced with the end of their way of life--that prompts the philosophical and ethical inquiry pursued in Radical Hope. In Jonathan Lear's view, Plenty Coups' story raises a profound ethical question that transcends his time and challenges us all: how should one face the possibility that one's culture might collapse?

This is a vulnerability that affects us all--insofar as we are all inhabitants of a civilization, and civilizations are themselves vulnerable to historical forces. How should we live with this vulnerability? Can we make any sense of facing up to such a challenge courageously? Using the available anthropology and history of the Indian tribes during their confinement to reservations, and drawing on philosophy and psychoanalytic theory, Lear explores the story of the Crow Nation at an impasse as it bears upon these questions--and these questions as they bear upon our own place in the world. His book is a deeply revealing, and deeply moving, philosophical inquiry into a peculiar vulnerability that goes to the heart of the human condition.

Customer Reviews:

An alternative to the Ghost Dance.......2007-07-25

In a time when any and everything can be pulled out from under one due to devastating political and cultural de-evolution, a growing and decadent mass media driven delusion and the bulk of wealth being in the hands of a small percentage of soulless idiots, this book offers an "a way."
At time when one might be tempted, like many Native American tribes were, to lament the past and vainly attempt to bring it back through the sad but hopeful ritual of the Ghost Dance (instead we listen to the Oldies Radio while media encourages us to celebrate some anniversary of some event that had meaning rather than helping us give meaning to current events).
It offers a vision of how a person, a culture and humanity itself can keep what is valuable and authentic from one's past and one's culture while navigating chaotic upheaval.
It's about keeping one's humanity intact in dehumanizing times and both keeping and building a personal and cultural integrity that endures.
So, if you have been a victim of mortgage lenders, student loan rip-offs, downsizing, corporate greed, credit card companies or the crisis in our lack of a health care system, this book lets you know that it just something you're going through.
It helps you become active rather than passive in your emotional and philosophical response. So, instead of feeling like a sitting duck, you begin to feel like someone facing challenges and helping others do the same.
Enduring and radical hope eventually trumps the temporal power of any oppressive junta in a way they cannot see coming.
At the same time, it builds heart, soul and culture.
This book has come at a good time.

Courage in the Face of Meaninglessness.......2007-04-19

This book is a psychoanalyst's philosophical meditations on the words and experience of the last great chief of the Crow, Plenty Coups, a man who witnessed the complete erasure of the culture that formed him, and whose virtues he exemplified. The book is not completely satisfying. It seems unnecessarily repetitious and wordy at times. It seems to promise a tale of psychological and moral triumph, but to fulfill that promise ambiguously. Nevertheless, it provides a penetrating analysis of what one might call paradigm collapse and the suffering of the individuals who experience it. Courage is the core virtue necessary to one's survival of such damage, but, as Charles Taylor, writing in The New York Review of Books, explains more lucidly than I can, this is a special kind of courage, the courage to hope for a future good that cannot yet be conceived. As our society, and indeed societies around the globe, are facing partial or complete collapses of the assumptions that frame the experiences of their members, these ideas will have an immediate personal significance to the reader who understands that the rules of the game are changing, and that he must change too, or perish.

almost useful.......2007-02-16

"Radical Hope: Ethics in the Face of Cultural Devastation" by Jonathan Lear is the title of a book that brings together the history of the collapse of Crow Indian culture and established philosophical thoughts from works by Aristotle, Freud, and Plato. In this book, Lear has achieved a melding of philosophy and history that should be fascinating to both historians of Native American history as well as students of classical psychological philosophy. The main character appears to be Plenty Coups, who helped steer the transition of the Crows from their traditional lives to the new reality that the U.S. Government had brought forth in the 19th and 20th centuries. Plenty Coups' featured contributions, however, are not the details of U.S.-Crow negotiations but certain acts and statements that the author has deemed worthy of extrapolation. These key dreams and symbolic gestures are expanded upon by Lear with the adaptation of thoughts from Aristotle (on courage) and Freud (on dreams). For example, dreams are categorized in the following manner: no-account dreams, where one merely observes; wish dreams, where a wish is realized within the dream; property dreams, where one acquires properties, e.g. a horse, that comes true while one is awake; and medicine dreams, which "give powerful insight". Dreams experienced under a dreaming ritual are shared to the rest of the tribe, and a collective interpretation of the dream ensues. In this manner, dreams, such as the medicine dream that Plenty Coups had, were "used . . . to struggle with the intelligibility of events [e.g. loss of land to rival tribes and the U.S.] that lay at the horizon of their ability to understand."

Lear has demonstrated how classical philosophy and psychology can help us understand the tumultuous transition of a culture, yet at the same time he falls short of a masterpiece. While his title suggests a framework for having hope with an example so that the reader can become a living example of Lear's ideas, the actual text appears to not go much further beyond extrapolations of pivotal symbols. It is as if Lear is the child at the seashore that finds seashells of different sizes, but that child is not yet able to figure out that equally sized clamshells fit together on clams in the ocean; and that the clam has practical value as lunch.

Lear does make an effort to generate some practicality, but it falls short. For example, he tried to compare radical hope and optimism, yet he does it in a manner that is convoluted into the text. How are hope and optimism similar, and how are they different? If Lear is willing to rehash decades-old thoughts of Freud and Aristotle as a well-timed review for understanding Crow history, it doesn't seem to be too much more work to have a chart or a table entitled "some ways that hope and optimism are different." Such key tables would probably enlighten the reader in ways that greatly augment the organizing structure provided by Plenty Coups' key statements.

While the selling point was "how to have hope, even if you're the leader of a culture under deterioration," the actual take-home message is a referral to Freud and Aristotle. Are written works by Freud and Aristotle better than Lear's book in helping the reader understand cultural transition? That is open to debate. I had a bookstore clerk search the entire bookstore, yet there were no recently published books I had not yet read on the art of having hope at a societal level. Therefore, Lear's contribution to contemporary thought with this book is significant. He would do great good to his readership if he would only use some key tables and lists. I look forward to more works by the author on his efforts to apply abstract ideas to factual history and arrive at a framework that has practical value.

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I did not care for it.
LOVE IT
Fantastic Series
grabs you from the start
Fleshing out the bones of a fine thriller ... !

The Face of Deception
Iris Johansen
Manufacturer: Bantam
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Suspense | Thrillers | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0553106236
Release Date: 1998-10-06

Amazon.com

After losing her beloved child to a serial killer, forensic sculptor Eve Duncan survives by focusing on her career. The best in her field at rebuilding faces from bare skull bones, Eve specializes in identifying missing children. When billionaire John Logan requests her help in identifying an adult skull, Eve--already swamped with work--tells Logan that she isn't interested. But when he volunteers to donate a large sum of money to a charity for missing children in exchange for her time, Eve reluctantly agrees. Logan neglects to tell her that there are powerful, desperate people who are determined to keep the skull's true identity a secret at any cost. Eve's gut instincts tell her that Logan is holding back vital information: Does the billionaire really believe that he's uncovered new insight into the Kennedy assassination? Or does the skull tie him to a mysterious murder? Eve's wildest guesses don't even come close to the stunning truth that she discovers when she at last studies the restored face. Now she and Logan have proof of a dark secret that could get them killed. And it will take all of their combined cunning and sheer nerve to survive. Well plotted, meticulously researched and spine-tingling, The Face of Deception is a fast-paced game of hide-and-seek, as Eve and Logan race to stay one step ahead of relentless pursuers while accomplishing the delicate, high-tech restoration for which Eve is famous. Leave all the lights on if you read this one at night alone. --Lois Faye Dyer

Book Description

An unidentified skull...a trail of terrifying secrets...and a woman whose talented hands hold the truth behind the most shocking deception of our time...

From Iris Johansen, the nationally acclaimed New York Times bestselling author of And Then You Die and The Ugly Duckling, comes her most electrifying novel yet, a relentless buildup of suspense from the first page to the riveting conclusion.

Forensic sculptor Eve Duncan has a rare--and bittersweet--gift. Her unique ability to reconstruct the identity of the long dead from their skulls has helped bring closure to parents of missing children. For Eve, whose own daughter was murdered and her body never found, the job is a way of coming to terms with her personal nightmare.

When she is approached by billionaire magnate John Logan to reconstruct the face of an adult murder victim, only his promise of a sizable charitable contribution persuades her to accept. It's a simple bargain, yet it's the most dangerous one she'll ever make.

The warning signs are clear. There is the specially equipped lab Eve is taken to, in a country inn turned high-tech security fortress in rural Virginia. Surveillance cameras monitor her every move. The telephones are tapped. And then there is Logan himself--by turns ruthless, charming, and desperate.

But it's too late for Eve to walk out. The skull has begun to reveal its shocking identity, trapping her in a frightening web of murder and deceit. To free herself, she has no choice but to expose that identity and to trust Logan, the man who put her life in danger, a man who may see her as an expendable pawn.

Already she has made very powerful enemies. Their only agenda is covering up the truth, and their method of choice is cold-blooded killing. To them, Eve needs to be silenced forever. Because the secret of the skull must remain in the grave--no matter who gets buried with it.

Download Description

An unidentified skull...

A trail of terrifying secrets...

And a woman whose talented hands could reveal the shocking truth...

As a forensic sculptor, Eve Duncan helps identify the dead from their skulls. Her own daughter murdered and her body never found, the job is Eve's way of coming to terms with her personal nightmare. But more terror lies ahead when she accepts work from billionaire John Logan. Beneath her gifted hands a face emerges from the skull he has given her to reconstruct -- a face no one was ever meant to see. Now Eve is trapped in a frightening web of murder and deceit. Powerful enemies are determined to cover up the truth, and they will make certain that truth goes to the grave... even if Eve gets buried with it.

"One of her best... a fast-paced, non-stop, clever plot in which Johansen mixes political intrigue, murder and suspense."
   USA TODAY

"The book's twists and turns manage to hold the reader hostage until the denouement, a sure crowd pleaser."
   PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

Customer Reviews:

I did not care for it........2007-08-03

I enjoyed one of Johansen's other books but this one is very irritating. One of the lead characters does such dumb things I quit reading 2/3rds of the way through.

LOVE IT.......2007-03-09

I LOVE IRIS JOHANSEN!!!! ALL OF THE BOOKS I HAVE READ OF HERS ARE GREAT!!!!! READ THEM, YOU WON'T BE DISAPOINTED!

Fantastic Series.......2006-12-22

Eve Duncan is a forensic sculptor, who is drawn into a web of intrigue and deceit dealing with the Oval Office...I have now read all the Eve Duncan Books to date and can not wait for the next in the series. Always suspenceful, full of romance, jet setters, and exotic locations.

grabs you from the start.......2006-09-25

This story held my attention from the beginning to the end. Great start and ending to the book. Without knowing they were part of a series, I actually have the next two books and can't wait to read them. I would compare her to Patricia cornwell in writing. Although not as dark as Post mortem. Good quick read

Fleshing out the bones of a fine thriller ... !.......2006-06-20

Eve Duncan, the finest forensic sculptor in the world, just can't seem to get past the grief of losing her daughter to a serial killer who was executed without disclosing the location of the body. As a method of dealing with her own psychological issues, she has chosen to help other parents find closure to their grief over the loss of a child by focusing her extraordinary skills on the identification of children's remains. Billionaire John Logan is a man who is used to having things the way he wants and working with nothing and nobody but the best. So when Eve initially refuses his request for her help in identifying a mystery skull, he turns the screws of manipulative persuasion by promising to make an obscenely large donation to her favourite children's charity. Of course, Eve cannot find it in herself to deny the children such an incredible gift and the game is afoot!

When Joe Quinn, Eve's long-time detective friend and confidante, digs a little more deeply into Logan's affairs, he and Eve become convinced that Logan fancies himself on the trail of yet another hair-brained JFK conspiracy theory and that he believes the skull, rather than resting in Arlington Cemetery where it ought to be, is Kennedy's. But as she applies all of her skills, art, science and technique to the rebuilding of the face that belonged to the skull, she discovers that the truth is far more horrifying and sinister than she could possibly have imagined. Logan, Quinn, Duncan, their families and their staffs are all in danger for their lives as a cabal that reaches to the highest levels of the government will do whatever it takes to cover up the truth of the skull's identity!

I don't think Johansen will ever pretend that "The Face of Deception" is literature but you can be sure it's a fine heaping helping of page-turning brain candy that will keep you mesmerized from first to last. Plot aside, she has presented us with a strong female and a strong male lead that produce plenty of sparks when they're rubbed up against one another. Conflict, sarcasm, warmth, incipient romance, tension, wit, confusion and intelligent conversation - it's all there in abundance! Johansen even takes an occasional breather from action and provides some fine descriptive and atmospheric writing along the way!

As Eve is such an incredibly strong-willed, intelligent lady, I would criticize Johansen for making far too much out of the fact that the daughter's body was never found and allowing it to play on Duncan's psyche in such an overwhelming, never-ending and almost debilitating fashion. But, without giving any of the details away, the ending does seem to suggest that she has at long last come to grips with it and is willing to let her daughter rest at peace. Small, small criticism indeed for a fine thriller that leaves plenty of room for a sequel to come with return appearances for both Quinn and Logan. Hip hip hooray!

Paul Weiss

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The best Cinderella story
The best book on earth
One of the Best Children's Books Ever Made
The Rough-Faced Girl
The Magnificiant Story of an Indian Girl!

The Rough-Face Girl
Rafe Martin
Manufacturer: Putnam Juvenile
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0698116267

Customer Reviews:

The best Cinderella story.......2007-08-25

I read this book back when I was in middle school & I remember thinking to myself - "He loved her for how beautiful she was as a person". How many books do that for kids?? Even as an adult now, I love the memory of this book. I'm buying simply to enjoy it all over again & pass it on to my future children to read ( even boys can get a good lesson from it!).

The best book on earth.......2006-12-01

I thought the book was very interesting. It was a good book and it was a fun kid's book. When I read it the book reminded me of Cinderella, but I didn't know it was an Indian version. I think many girls who like nature will like this book.

One of the Best Children's Books Ever Made.......2006-08-24

On one level, it's a Cinderella story in a different setting. But it's more than that. On a little deeper level, it's a story about true beauty being inside, but it's more than that. The book seems to have so many layers of meaning depending on how you look at it, all in what seems at first like a simple picture book. Confidence, ties to the Earth, insight into others, and more. I've read this book to my sons and daughters more than any other, and never tire of it. I hope they don't either, and more, I hope they come to understand the richness of the kind of lives lived by the rough face girl, and her sister-in-law to be, and husband to be.

The Rough-Faced Girl.......2006-08-01

This is a story about a girl who is not beautiful on her outside, but is beautiful on her inside. The story takes place on the shores of Lake Ontario. She and her hard-hearted sisters are three of many women who want to marry an invisible being. But only someone who can see him, can marry him. The lesson is on the importance of having a good heart more than beautiful clothes or looks. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in Native American culture and people who need to learn the importance of having a good heart.

The Magnificiant Story of an Indian Girl!.......2006-05-24

The Rough Face Girl is a beutiful book. It had alot of description and many morals hidden in the words of the book. The young girl was despised by everyone in her village but she always stayed true to herself and others and she ended up with the best person that every girl wanted to marry. I learned that true beauty comes from inside and if you are honest then good things will happen to you. I also learned to be yourself because sooner or later people will start to accept who you are. And I learned to remember that there is always room for improvment. So in conclusion, I feel that this story can be enjoyed by young and old people!

$Thriller: Stories To Keep You Up All Night: James Penney's New Identity\Operation Northwoods\Epitaph\The Face In The Window\Empathy$
Average customer rating:

Good Sampler and Introduction to Various Authors
Thrilled to have this one available
A lot of great stories here...
Good Stories About One or More Killer, but As Well the Occasional Filler, High Expectations Due to Hype Not Met With Thriller
A Little Disappointing

Thriller: Stories To Keep You Up All Night: James Penney's New Identity\Operation Northwoods\Epitaph\The Face In The Window\Empathy
James Patterson
Manufacturer: Mira
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0778322998

Book Description

Be prepared to be thrilled as you've never been before

Featuring North America's foremost thriller authors, Thriller is the first collection of pure thriller stories ever published. Offering up heart-pumping tales of suspense in all its guises are thirty-two of the most critically acclaimed and award-winning names in the business. From the signature characters that made such authors as David Morrell and John Lescroart famous to four of the hottest new voices in the genre, this blockbuster will tantalize and terrify.

Lock the doors, draw the shades, pull up the covers and be prepared for Thriller to keep you up all night.

Customer Reviews:

Good Sampler and Introduction to Various Authors.......2007-09-28

I enjoyed the bios of the authors at the beginnings of the stories.
As a writer myself, listening to the stories on the audio cd was very helpful in discerning the varied rhythms and voices of the stories. I am a psychologist by day and The Portal was my favorite.
What a wonderful group affilation between all these talented authors.
I hope they will continue to welcome new thriller writers into their fold!

Thrilled to have this one available.......2007-08-29

There are a few reasons you should read this book. First, it is likely you will get a taste of the writings of authors you otherwise would not have ever tried.
Second, there are variations here on what defines a "thriller." Don't be prejudiced by your own definition of the term -- read these with an open mind to possibilities.
Third, if your life is as hectic as mine, it is great to be able to dip in for 20 or 30 minutes and enjoying a complete quality story; there are many of them in this collection.
Finally, many reviewers here write about how the collection was weak except for... and then they name the few stories they think were best. Peruse the reviews and you will see they are not all the same few stories... all in all, most of the stories were enjoyed by someone here! Which is to say that the lower ratings are because of TASTE, not QUALITY. Enjoy the breadth, indulge in your favorites, and don't be deterred by the selective ratings of the reviewers here.
A quality anthology -- can't wait for Vol 2!!

A lot of great stories here..........2007-08-28

I really enjoyed the variety in this collection of short thrillers. Definitely worth checking out. After reading the selections by Heather Graham, James Siegel, Michael Palmer, David Morrell, Chris Mooney, John Lescroart, M.J. Rose, and Denise Hamilton, I plan to check out more of their stuff.

I also enjoyed the contributions by J.A. Konrath and Preston/Child...but I'm already addicted to their books.

Good Stories About One or More Killer, but As Well the Occasional Filler, High Expectations Due to Hype Not Met With Thriller.......2007-07-22

Thriller is like a sporting team that looks good on paper and should have a runaway scoreline but for some reason doesn't live up to its fans' expectations. Like a good rep side a lot of the comp's top players are here but unfortunately on the day they played (wrote their stories) their minds weren't on the job or they just didn't put in the effort, maybe the coach (editor in James Patterson) didn't push them hard enough or he let them get away with slacking off and putting mediocre efforts whatever the reason, this team underperformed. Sure a few of the high profile players still had great games, some of the lesser names did a great job as well, but overall this team did not live up to the hype it was marketed as. I should be sitting here typing this review telling you this is a five star book and these are all high quality reads, disappointingly though I can't do that, this team did not perform up to expectations.

Like any various author anthology (or collection of short stories if you prefer to call it that) you are always going to have various quality stories and a range of subject matters covered. This collection had mostly top writers, granted they are the top in the full length novel field and not short story field but top writers none the less. What separates this novel from your normal anthology though is that a lot of the authors have used characters famous from various successful series they have written which may well be great for the fan who has read them but those discovering these authors for the first time may well be confused at times as to what is going on. Some of the stories in here as well seem to lack a conclusion.

James Patterson in his author introductions before each story also sometimes gives away key plot elements of the previously written novels meaning your enjoyment of those novels is going to be less, even if you did enjoy the short story. For example I have read and enjoyed a lot of work by David Morrell but have not read the books the characters are in which he brings back for his story The Aberland Sanction in this collection. I feel Patterson gave away far too much for me to enjoy to their full extent reading those novels now.

The best stories within this collection in my opinion are Disfigured by Michael & Daniel Palmer about a plastic surgeon who along with the mother have to face a terrifying moral dilemma to save the life of their child. Empathy (not to be confused with his full length novel Epitaph) by James Siegel is a brilliant story of a man told by an empath that she knows one of her clients is a paedophile and he has to decide what to do about it. Brad Thor's Greek terrorist story The Athens Solution is also great, I had not heard of him before but will definitely check out more of his work. Gone Fishing by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child is also a great tale of museum thieves who get their comeuppance.

Fans of James Patterson will be disappointed not only in his plot spoiler introductions but also by the fact that even though his name is used to promote this anthology he has no story at all in Thriller. Although Thriller claims to be the first anthology for Thriller stories this is no where near the truth, there are heaps of others out there. I would recommend getting Thriller from your library but if you're looking for a collection of short thriller stories by various authors to purchase I'd suggest Dangerous Women edited by Otto Penzler, or Death Do Us Part edited by Harlan Coben (who actually has a story in there as well).

A Little Disappointing.......2007-07-13

Thrillers are thrillers, but I just wasn't that thrilled with this collection of short stories. Many of the stories come to fruition with little thrill, as if you saw it coming. Some of the stories come off more like action movies, but not so much a thriller. While a few are "hang on to the edge of your seat" good, I found myself disappointed that the James Patterson touch I was looking for just wasn't there enough to keep me interested though all 14 CDs.

A Face in the Rock: The Tale Of A Grand Island Chippewa

Average customer rating:

You just have to go there.
You can't judge a book by it's cover.
I thought it kept you interested throughout the whole book.
A fine book about a beautifual people and place.

A Face in the Rock: The Tale Of A Grand Island Chippewa
Loren R. Graham
Manufacturer: Island Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Environmental Science | Earth Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1559633662

Book Description

The Harvard historian of science Loren R. Graham has written a richly entertaining story of the Grand Island Chippewa Indians, one combining extensive oral histories, original documents and his own well-informed musings to fill in the gaps.... Mr. Graham has a firm grasp of narrative storytelling and a deep understanding of the customs and mythology of this tribe." -The New York Times Book Revie.

"Loren Graham's steady vision and painstaking research result in a fascinating and poignant story. A Face in the Rock is very true, very touching." -Louise Erdrich, author of The Blue Jay's Dance and The Bingo Palace

Customer Reviews:

You just have to go there. .......2007-06-29

This was an interesting historical account of the original Indian inhabitants of Grand Island in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. A Face in the Rock is more meaningful for those who have made the trip to this beautiful island. The water is crystal clear and the lack of tourists are surprising. Kyle and I actually took a kayaking trip to near by Pictured Rocks which provides breath-taking sites all along the coast of Lake Superior. If you are interested in the outdoors or just love to go to the beach this is a wonderful location for you.

You can't judge a book by it's cover........2001-09-11

I came across A Face in the Rock in a bargain bin and picked it up because 1. it was so [inexpensive] and 2. it was local history. In truth, I didn't expect much from it---the edition that I bought had a badly designed cover---and it ended up sinking down my pile of "to read" books. I finally got around to it months later on a rainy, dreary, ... autumn day and, lo and behold, got totally sucked into it. A Face in the Rock as a book does everything a history should do: it captures the inherent drama, maintains an intimate, personal approach, sets the story against the framework of forces at work on the larger stage. It's also fairly short and to the point---the author keeps things moving nicely. It's nearly perfect, and a remarkable and poignant tale. Recently it has been reissued in a snappier edition (with praise from the NY Times and Louise Erdrich, among others) and, hopefully, this will help it find a wider audience. If you're at all interested in the history and development of the Great Lakes region, in native American history, or in sweeping dramas, get this book.

I thought it kept you interested throughout the whole book........1999-10-27

I thought this book was very good.I read it as a class project, and I thought it would be very very boring at first.Like oh yeah A Face In The Rock sounded really interesting to me!I think Powers of the Air was a very brave Grand Islander.He stood up for what he believed in.I thought Loren Graham wrote this book very well.I also thought it was interesting how he got his resources.Overall i think the book was very good.I will probably read it again.I would reccomend it to everyone because it is a good book for children because they can learn about the Grand Islanders and some of their legends.Thank You!

A fine book about a beautifual people and place........1999-04-20

I found this book very enjoyable reading. Being of Northern Michigan Anishnabe descent, it was a pleasure to read about the area where I grew up. This book is a genuine read about the Grand Island experience of the past. Munising, AuTrain and Grand Island are beautiful places to be and this is a must read about the history of the area, about a single life more or less, about an original people that the tourists in the area really don't get enough info about.

Making Face, Making Soul/Haciendo Caras: Creative and Critical Perspectives by Women of Color

Average customer rating:

another classic in women of color feminist theory
another classic in women of color feminist theory
A must have resource for women of color activists!

Making Face, Making Soul/Haciendo Caras: Creative and Critical Perspectives by Women of Color
Gloria Anzaldua
Manufacturer: Aunt Lute Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Women Writers & Feminist Theory | Books & Reading | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Women's Studies | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

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All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

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ASIN: 1879960109

Book Description

A bold collection of creative pieces and theoretical essays by women of color. New thought and new dialogue: a book that will teach in the most multiple sense of that word: a book that will be of lasting value to many diverse communities of women as well as to students from those communities. The authors explore a full spectrum of present concerns in over seventy pieces that vary from writing by new talents to published pieces by Audre Lorde, Joy Harjo, Norma Alarcon and Trinh T. Minh-ha.

"At one level or another, all the work in the collection seeks to find ways to understand and articulate our multiple identities and senses of placeÃ¢Â€Â¦.Making Face/Making Soul is an exciting collection of dynamic, important writings that all women of color and white feminists will learn from, enjoy, and return to again and again and again."-Sojourner

"...the pieces are stunning in what they risk and reveal..."-The San Francisco Chronicle

Customer Reviews:

another classic in women of color feminist theory.......2001-05-13

I have read & re-read essays in this volume over and over again. I think of this as among those texts that remind me there are those who went before me--and that the struggle for recognition is not over. Among the key texts here are Sandoval's essay on racism & feminism, a report based on a real conflict that took place in the NWSA and Alarcón's pathbreaking essay on Chicana subjectivity. But there are so many others as well...my main critique is that the anthology is not as representative as it could be with a leaning towards the "Santa Cruz circle"--and yet the truth of the matter is that there was an incredible grouping of women of color studying & writing there in the mid to late 1980s!

another classic in women of color feminist theory.......2001-05-13

A must have resource for women of color activists!.......1999-01-12

This collection of writings by women of color truely challenge and inspire the consciouness through essay and poetry. A reaffirming voice for women of color who are working on radical social change on on a personal to a global perspective.

Saving Face: America and the Politics of Shame

Average customer rating:

Collective Responsibility of Shame
Timely and Provocative

Saving Face: America and the Politics of Shame
Stuart Schneiderman
Manufacturer: Knopf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Social Psychology & Interactions | Psychology & Counseling | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Book Description

Schneiderman explores the differing effects of shame and guilt on such institutions as government, the military, war, and work, and in people's personal lives--on sexuality, marriage, and family. His fresh insights help readers solve mysteries about themselves, their relationships with others, with society, and with other nations.

Customer Reviews:

Collective Responsibility of Shame.......2004-04-10

Every culture should have to face its own shame. Unfortunately, shame is a variable concept according to the times, and the ability of the culture to properly identify what is shameful, who can be shameful, and the events that constitute a shameful event. Prior to the 1960's and 1970's nearly everything was "shameful," in that women without gloves, and men without hats were considered shameful. Characterized much as the course of civil rights and the recognition of individual rights for humans, shame has always been a public evaluation, and measured by group politics so that propriety became the urge to resist, if not to rebel against. In a shameful culture, inhumane things were possible - lynchings, torture, animal sacrifices, etc. - even while upon the surface, propriety was worn like a badge of honor. The hypocrisy revealed in years hence, is that shame did not exist where it was private or unrevealed, adding to a culture where transparency became the idol rather than to embrace the boundaries of what constituted shame. Fortunately, America has moved beyond the narrowminded principles that so bound one to another that behavior and conduct, as well as dress, has been allowed a degree of freedom that embraces the ideas of difference so people need not examine each and every action, including speech, that brands them improper. While there are a few, generally job related, environments where rigid and shame-oriented cultures prevail, the concept of freedom has taken on greater significance recently as a privilege, if not a right, provided no laws are broken. This healthier environment that honors the individual works for all persons previously discriminated against, and offers breathing room for those who were not quite attuned to the proprieties of life who were interested in watching their every movement to be evaluated by the group or community. Neither healthy relationships nor flexibility in thinking were aided by former designs of acceptance, and many were condemned by society for that reason, many of whom were simply responding to their own unique social environment, or ethnic environment. While guilt still survives as an effort to restrain, it is fortunately much less likely to be the "blackball" it was years earlier, allowing everyone to breathe much easier. Coming through that period of gender bias, racial bias, ethnic bias, and even religious bias is not totally behind us, but great progress has been made to minimize the importance of those effects. We now are making inroads and efforts at behavior or conduct bias by everyone to overcome the tendency to typecast persons by superfluous events that are not considered within the mainstream but still cognizant of safety, and dignity in the things we do as humans, to each other, and the things we do to animals, or the environment, offering the new design of social freedom with responsibility but without social restraint, definite progress in the eyes of most people.

Timely and Provocative.......1996-10-15

Saving Face is a look at American culture and identity through its early roots in shame (when you do not do something you are supposed to do) as opposed to the post-Vietnam guilt culture (when you do something that you are not supposed to do) that we have become. Schneiderman spends most of the book basing America's modern problems on the results of the War in Vietnam; not a rehash of an old subject, but a fresh insight into the modern American psyche. He hypothesizes that the country's loss of face in Vietnam was a clear result of a lack of leadership willing to face the shame and debacle of Vietnam. The vacuum of leadership willing to take responsibility for the results left the nation as scattered individuals, looking for a way to bury the past and restore self pride. Surprisingly, Schneiderman doesn't play politics and lays equal blame both on political leaders for failing to guide the country and on Americans for making poor choices in leadership. Only through self-evaluation and the bearing of shame and personal responsibility can the country as a whole preserve a national culture and move forward. This book is comparable to Philip Howard's Death of Common Sense in that both authors look for a return to personal responsibility, a culture built on respect for others, and decisionmakers who take responsibility for their decisions . Scheiderman prods the reader to "end our romance with telegenic candidates who lack the qualifications for office. We should seek leaders of unimpeachable character who command respect, not quasi-celebrities who lack a sense of shame.....Identifying the qualities we seek in those who would guide us places us in a far better position to know which qualities we should use to guide ourselves." Well put as we choose between leaders to guide the nation to the next millenium

Principles Of Photography In Facial Plastic Surgery (AMERICAN ACADEMY OF FACIAL PLASTIC & RECONSTRUCTIVE SURGERY)

Average customer rating:

Principles Of Photography In Facial Plastic Surgery (AMERICAN ACADEMY OF FACIAL PLASTIC & RECONSTRUCTIVE SURGERY)
M. EUGENE TARDY
Manufacturer: THIEME
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
ASIN: 0865771480

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