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I found a 1955 printing of this book in an old waterfront cabin and was struck by the care with which the previous owner had read it. Eve (the name inscribed inside the front cover and then again above the heading for chapter 3) made pencil marks on nearly every paragraph of the book, underlining a phrase, highlighting many passages with strong vertical marks, scratching out some words that she seems to have found superfluous and even x-ing out whole sections that apparently missed their mark with her altogether. Two rusting paper clips isolate several pages, absent any marking at all. Anne Morrow Lindbergh's lyrical words are still relevant and presage so many of the themes of today's most popular books: simplicity, peaceful solitude, caring for the soul, a woman finding her place in society and life. I heard that the woman who had lived in the cabin had actually passed away some time before. Thank you, Eve, for your gift... from the sea.
Book Description
In this inimitable, beloved classic—graceful, lucid and lyrical—Anne Morrow Lindbergh shares her meditations on youth and age; love and marriage; peace, solitude and contentment as she set them down during a brief vacation by the sea. Drawing inspiration from the shells on the shore, Lindbergh’s musings on the shape of a woman’s life bring new understanding to both men and women at any stage of life. A mother of five, an acclaimed writer and a pioneering aviator, Lindbergh casts an unsentimental eye on the trappings of modernity that threaten to overwhelm us: the time-saving gadgets that complicate rather than simplify, the multiple commitments that take us from our families. And by recording her thoughts during a brief escape from everyday demands, she helps readers find a space for contemplation and creativity within their own lives.
With great wisdom and insight Lindbergh describes the shifting shapes of relationships and marriage, presenting a vision of life as it is lived in an enduring and evolving partnership. A groundbreaking, best-selling work when it was originally published in 1955, Gift from the Sea continues to be discovered by new generations of readers. With a new introduction by Lindbergh’s daughter Reeve, this fiftieth-anniversary edition will give those who are revisiting the book and those who are coming upon it for the first time fresh insight into the life of this remarkable woman.
The sea and the beach are elements that have been woven throughout Anne Morrow Lindbergh’s life. She spent her childhood summers with her family on a Maine island. After her marriage to Charles Lindbergh in 1929, she accompanied him on his survey flights around the North Atlantic to launch the first transoceanic airlines. The Lindberghs eventually established a permanent home on the Connecticut coast, where they lived quietly, wrote books and raised their family.
After the children left home for lives of their own, the Lindberghs traveled extensively to Africa and the Pacific for environmental research. For
several years they lived on the island of Maui in Hawaii, where Charles Lindbergh died in 1974.
Anne Morrow Lindbergh spent her final years in her Connecticut home, continuing her writing projects and enjoying visits from her children and grand-children. She died on February 7, 2001, at the age
of ninety-four.
Reeve Lindbergh is the author of many books for both adults and children, including the memoirs Under a Wing and No More Words.
Customer Reviews:
A beautiful book........2007-08-17
I found an original print of this book, and have loved every single page. She just gets it.
Timeless wisdom for all women.......2007-08-07
My grandmother gave this to my mother. When I was in my mid thirties, my mother passed it on to me. Originally written in 1955, Anne Morrow Lindberg has captured a timeless understanding of the stages of life that women experience. Using the metaphor of the shells she finds on the beach one summer, Lindberg provides insight on topics like love, marriage, motherhood, the loss of identity, the subtlety of living and finding meaning in even the smallest events of life. Outstanding! Since I don't have a daughter to whom to pass this on, I only hope I can convince as many women as possible to obtain their own copy--or two: one to underline and keep on their nightstand, another to pass on to their best friend, mother or daughter.
What a beautiful book.......2007-08-05
This short little book makes a great gift to any women in your life. It is my favorite nonfiction book. I highly recommend it.
A beautiful, ageless book of insight.......2007-07-23
My mother had loaned me her 20th anniversary edition of this book and i was completely struck by it. I was thrilled to see Amazon offered it and had a 50th anniversary edition! I ordered four copies for my friends and they were all delighted (they read them on our recent trip to the beach!) The entire book was gorgeous with a silver foil emboss and rich deckled thick paper on the inside.
This book is for all women and is one that could be and should be read every year to reevaluate your stage in life.
I absolutely recommend this book!
Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh.......2007-07-11
I first listened to this book on CD and was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. It is pretty much just the musings of a wife and mother about her life and relationship with her family. She talks about her need for alone time, simplification of her life, and her marriage. I read it quite a while ago and I still reflect upon insights from the book. I would highly recommend that everyone take a chance to read this book. It's not long, but it is truly a gem.
Average customer rating:
- A must have for the Yohji Fan
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Yohji Yamamoto: Talking to Myself
Peter Lindbergh , and
Nick Knight
Manufacturer: Steidl/Carla Sozzani
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Comme Des Garcons: Unlimited
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Yohji Yamamoto (Memoirs)
ASIN: 3882438258
Release Date: 2002-11-02 |
Book Description
French electronic musician Jean-Michel Jarre once defined Yohji Yamamoto's style like this: "For me, a woman in Yohji is like a nymphomaniac nun. His clothes are at once sensual and very ritualistic." This about a man whose reputation marks him as a designer of clothes for earnest intellectuals. This about a man whose 1998 "wedding" show featured a bridal striptease which took models from inflated Victorian crinolines down to slim-line dresses and pants. This about a man who is one of the most revered and idiosyncratic of 20th century designers. In Talking to Myself, Yamamoto has created an illustrated notebook that recounts the phases of his life. A work in progress punctuated with multiple images, Talking to Myself is the only book in which Yamamoto has become personally involved, making it a veritable extension of his own private world. In it, he "talks to himself" and with philosopher and art/fashion critic Kiyokazu Washida about himself and the objects he creates, objects that meld, blend with, and are assimilated by the person they seek to enhance. Pages marked by Yamamoto's pen and brush with Japanese ideograms, striking sketches, and abstract compositions help decipher his desire to achieve anti-fashion through fashion itself. Yamamoto's world is one of black and white symbols, a world in which color makes only a fleeting appearance.
Customer Reviews:
A must have for the Yohji Fan.......2003-11-28
Just beautiful...Unfortunately it is completely focused on the women's collections. They really must do one for the men!
Book Description
This Petite is our companion piece to our popular Guided Journal, Gift from the Sea, offering more excerpts from the original Anne Morrow Lindbergh bestseller on love, happiness, solitude and contentment. The cover has an elegant translucent vellum overlay, highlighting the beautiful photo beneath.
Includes silver-plated seashell charm.
Customer Reviews:
Wisdom from Gift of the Sea.......2007-08-20
This little book is perfect for taking the quiet moment we all need ~each and every day. I carry mine in my purse so it will be handy whenever needed. Think I first ordered one for myself; then, twelve for my colleagues; now, six more copies for Christmas gifts!I believe one copy for everyone would be ideal!
The Journey Home.......2007-01-15
I was guided to the parent book "Gift From the Sea" at a time when my life was falling apart. Sometimes just having the shells when beach living is impossible at the time make all the difference between living and dying. "Wisdom From Gift from the Sea" goes everywhere with me and I use it often - the perfect pocketsized lifeline. I further recommend "Return to the Sea: Reflections on Anne Morrow Lindbergh's Gifts from the Sea" by Anne M. Johnson as a companion read to both books.
Book Description
Peter Lindbergh is courted by international fashion magazines and is loved for his sensitive portraits of the most beautiful women in the world. The renowned photographer who lives in Paris and New York and works all over the world has also published two earlier books with overwhelming success:
Ten Women (1996) with dream shots of ten dream models, and Images of Women (1997), a collection of famous fashion photographs of beautiful women.
As a climax in his third book, Untitled 116, Peter Lindbergh presents a collection of his most impressive photographs of 116 stars in the world of pop music, cinema and fashion, such as
Monica Bellucci, Juliette Binoche, Naomi Campbell, Geraldine Chaplin, Catherine Deneuve, Linda Evangelista, Aretha Franklin, Daryl Hannah, Milla Jovovich, Jennifer Lopez, Madonna, Demi Moore, Jeanne Moreau, Charlotte Rampling, Anna Nicole Smith, Sharon Stone, Tina Turner, Isabella Rossellini, Veruschka, and many others.
Book Description
Autobiography of Lindbergh's historic adventure piloting his single-engine plane, the Spirit of St. Louis, from New York to Paris on the first nonstop flight over the Atlantic Ocean in May 1927. "It was in this book, written over a period of seventeen years, that he tried to represent as accurately as he possibly could both the story and the meaning of his 1927 flight. In doing this, inevitably, he also told the reader who he was."--Reeve Lindbergh, "Introduction"
Customer Reviews:
Eyes ove the Atlantic.......2006-11-10
I think the book is wonderful. I wanted to attain a better sense of Charles A Lindbergh and what better
way then to read something he wrote. He is a good writer and his character comes through. It is also very
enterntaining and down to the practically of having real substance of history in the book. I am greatful to have read it and attained a glimps of a cherished individual in our aviation history.
An Enthralling Saga.......2006-04-03
Lindbergh took some risks with this book. He wrote it out first person, present tense. (A big "no no".) And he broke up the storyline with frequent flashbacks. Somehow it all works anyway, in spite of or because of these risks.
But, then again, Lindbergh was a risk taker. He put his life on the line with his Paris flight and succeeded gloriously. He does the same thing here, in the literary world, winning the Pulitzer prize.
We should all stop to reflect a moment on how great a coup this was. And how improbable. Lindbergh published this book in the decade following his ill-fated attempt to prevent America's entry into World War II. In many ways his star had fallen with the American public, politically and otherwise. Yet, he was able to resurrect himself through this first-hand story of his great experimental flight. You can't keep a good man (or woman) down.
My favorite part of this book is the section where he refers to his metaphysical experiences during his flight over the Atlantic. He recounts these experiences in more depth in Autobiography of Values, but it is here that they first see the light of day.
This is an enthralling saga of a great moment in the history of aviation, told by the flier himself. It is a unique contribution to world literature, and as such, scarcely needs me to recommend it. Yet, I do so, unreservedly.
A very suggested reading .......2005-04-08
If you want a complete portrait of one of the greatest but most controversial heroes of modern times, you can do no better than Scott Berg's outstanding biography Lindbergh (1998). But if you want to understand what made the Lone Eagle an iconic figure in the first place, you should really read his own Pulitzer Prize winning account of his 3600 mile, solo, trans-Atlantic flight from New York to Paris in 1927.
The caricature of Lindbergh that has been passed down to us in popular history is so negative that I'd always sort of assumed that this book must have been written in the immediate afterglow of his trip. And, naturally I assumed that it must have been ghostwritten, a la Profiles in Courage. In fact, he had written a hasty take on the trip entitled We years earlier, but had never been satisfied with it. So over a period of more than ten years, starting in 1939, he wrote and rewrote numerous drafts of a more detailed account, incorporating suggestions from his wife and his editor, stripping away excess verbiage and making his prose more direct until finally in the last drafts he switched the whole narrative from past tense to present.
The final result is a surpassingly exciting day to day and moment by moment recreation of the immense effort that went into gathering investors, building the plane and planning the trip and then a detailed recounting of the trip itself. The whole suffused by Lindbergh's extraordinary vision and his supreme sense of mission.
As we recede further from the events of his life and the miraculous achievements of the pioneers of aviation lose their luster while the dark deeds of Nazi Germany lose none of their theirs, it seems likely that Lindbergh's legacy will come to consist of little more than isolationism mingled with the faint fetor of antiSemitism. This would be really unfair to the man, who for all his faults was much too complex and interesting a character to warrant this fate. If nothing else, one hopes this terrific book will survive and continue to find an audience;
Strong, clear, accurate, sometimes poetic writing.......2004-12-28
Great account of an adventure. Includes all the early stages, including conception, financing, building, testing, and monitoring the competition. Especially relevant these days with all the X prize comparisons.
The writing of the actual flight is exhaustive, and sprinkled with autobiographical anecdotes to give context and color. His accounts of growing up on a Minnesota farm surely add to the American mythos of self-determination. And his days spent learning to fly through barnstorming and the Army are notable for being enchanting, yet completely straightforward and accurate.
Lindbergh says accuracy is one of his major aims. This adds to the substance of the book, since he examines his mistakes at least as much as his successes. The writing sometimes waxes poetic, as when he says "The dull blade of skill is sharpened on the stone of experience."
Overall, this is a valuable book on many levels. For the historical record of a groundbreaking flight. For the description of the early days of flight, and the adventure and pioneering spirit it embodied. And for the tale of a man who conceived a great project, found the friendly cooperation of others to help him achieve it, worked through many obstacles and setbacks to prepare for it, and then finally executed it well, despite his own human imperfections and mistakes along the way.
Inspiring.......2004-02-03
Lindbergh's flight solo New York to Paris is still hard to repeat with a small, prop driven, aircraft. It is hard to summarize or constuct a methaphor to measure the impact of Lindbergh's historic flight in today's setting, it was such a great leap forward for mankind.
The flight inspired my father, 14 years old and living on a farm in Wisconsin in 1927, to become a graduate aerospace engineer, and later to work on the design of the P-38, X-15, and the Apollo capsule, among others, many of which he could not even tell me about. It had similar effects and results for thousands of others.
This book is well written and documents not only the flight, but the life of Lindbergh, and the logistics of pulling off this incredible event. After reading this book, I came to the opinion that the planning and logistics (including fundraising and sponsorship) may have been more difficult than the actual flight. We owe much for this leap forward to a group of individuals from St. Louis, who told Lindbergh, "you worry about the design, building, and flying of the aircraft, we will take care of the money". Reading about this portion of the effort alone, provides much food for thought about current corporate management and government projects. A case study in delegation! I found this book interesting, fascinating, well written, and inspiring. The event and the book are timeless. Reading it makes you realize the difference one person can make when perseverance is applied in a large dose.
Amazon.com
"May every creature abound in well-being and peace." (Buddhist)
Around the world and throughout time, people have found words for comfort, strength, rejoicing, and mourning. Prayers, proverbs, poems, songs--every culture has these simple gifts. In this beautiful, oversized volume, Reeve Lindbergh, daughter of Anne Morrow Lindbergh and Charles Lindbergh and author of many picture books, including The Circle of Days, gathers 77 poems and prayers in this warm, lovely collection. Each of the four sections (For the Day, For the Home, For the Earth, and For the Night) is illustrated by a different contemporary artist. Some two-page spreads consist of just one poem with a big, gorgeous illustration swirling all around. Others fit two, three, or even four proverbs or verses, nestled gracefully among the pictures. The book will make a lovely gift for families that want to embrace spirituality in many forms, from Christian to Papago to Jewish to African to Sioux to Hindu to Celtic, and beyond. Featuring well-known prayers and poems (from the Bible and Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass) and less familiar words (from Lao-Tzu and Hildegard of Bingen), this anthology, with its wonderful variety of colorful illustrations, will bring joy and beauty to every home forever and ever. Amen. (All ages) --Emilie Coulter
Book Description
Around the world and throughout time, people have cherished and spoken simple words that make them feel better when they are sad, brave when they are afraid, and befriended when they are alone—or just pleased to be alive on God's earth.
Here, gathered together by Reeve Lindbergh, are 77 treasured poems and prayers from many cultures and faiths. With fresh, bright, and joyous illustrations by acclaimed artists from four different countries, IN EVERY TINY GRAIN OF SAND is a diverse and beautiful collection of poems, praise, and pictures for families of all beliefs to contemplate and to cherish.
Customer Reviews:
Beautiful Gift.......2003-09-21
If you are looking for "spiritual" instead of "religious" this is a beautifully illustrated and touching book that makes a perfect gift for new parents, baptisms, etc.
Disappointed Parent.......2003-05-12
I wanted to read easy-to-understand payers and verses to my 6-year old son, so I searched Amazon and reviewed many books on this subject. I was sold on this book's illustrations and was not disappointed on that score: The Illustrations are wonderful. However the "take a closer look" guide did not offer an opportunity to review the text or prayers themselves. The pictures alone piqued my son's interest and we bought the book. Unfortunately, many of the prayers are long and tedius, losing a younger child's interest within the first six lines. The text content is incongruent with the illustration's message of young, light-hearted, age-appropriate prayer. The attempt at multiculturalism and non-demonitionalism misses the point of delivering short, sweet, enjoyable verse suited for children; prayers that will encourage children to want to pray instead of associating prayer with tedium and boredom. The book review should have indicated an age-appropriate range. My son is a smart and attentive kid who loves to listen, but he grew quickly disappointed with and disintersted in the prose.
for the young at heart.......2000-09-04
A wonderful book, and not just for children! Charming illustrations by several artists and 70 beautiful prayers from around the world. Anyone interested in spirituality should love this book.
Wonderful!.......2000-08-30
This is a fabulous book that shares spiritual words from many worldwide religions and uses beautiful illustrations to accompany them! As a person who embraces different aspects of many religions, I found this to be a valuable resource for teaching my child. And after reading the book, you get a sense of how all religions are very similar and striving for the same things - peace and harmony with all that is around us and with our Higher Power.
A breath of fresh air.......2000-08-27
This is a timely book with contents from a wide range of sources. It is well arranged and well illustrated. People tend to forget that they all have the same God. If some of the book's contents were quoted without noting the source, people might have difficulty identifying the religious origin. While the book is written for children, I would recommend it for the entire family. Perhaps it is time for people to consider that their beliefs are not very different. Perhaps children can learn to accept each other, and the next generation can learn to coexist in peace. One can always hope for the best.
Customer Reviews:
Very Interesting........2006-08-08
What a lucky man, to have lived and shared the time he did, with those incredible people. Mr. Newton tells it like he lived it, you get the distinct impression, from reading this book, that Mr. Newton saw these men as both great leaders and great men. It is impressive today to be able to get a cross section of turn of the century greatness, all rolled up in one place. Interestingly enough, Mr. Newton has a strong sense of faith that worked it's way into all of these relationships, yet he incorporates it into the text with minimal overtones. I would recommend this book to anyone, like me, that only has a passing knowledge of these people and their times, it helped to color these people in as human.
Fascinating & stimulating.......2003-07-16
This book gives insight in many discussions on business, theology and philosophy among five extraordinary people. But I find it regrettable that the belief of Edison, Ford & Lindbergh in reincarnation is rather superficially worked out. Perhaps because of the religious stance of his wife and the author.
I deem it also regrettable that no mention is made of the membership of Edison of the Theosophical Society while it is obvious he was much inspired by the books of Blavatsky.
Apart from a few inaccuracies (on p. 10: Edison is attributed to have received as a gift every new car that ran from the Ford assembly line, among which the first V8. But the V8 was introduced after the demise of this great inventor, p. 100) I find this book very readable and stimulating.
A Fascinating Book on the Lives of Five Great Men.......2001-08-20
This book originally caught my eye as an addition to another book I read called Edison: A Life of Invention by Paul Israel. I wanted a book that would cover a little more of Edison's personal life, and this book did just that. However, James Newton's close, dedicated friendships with all of these great men of the twentieth century is truly amazing, and I learned more than I would probably learn otherwise about some of these important historical figures.
The entire book is fascinating, and surely different parts will appeal to different readers. I was particularly enchanted with a poignant description of how Charles Lindbergh handled dying as he lay on his deathbed. I was also fascinated with how environmentally conscientious some of these men were, particularly Edison and Lindbergh, but also Ford. For example, Ford was very interested in making automobile parts out of soybeans in order to reduce the need for metal parts. It seems that all of these men had numerous ideas and ideas for inventions that were way ahead of their time - perhaps some of them still are.
Newton's writing is quite good, and I only have one very minor criticism: it seems that he preaches a little bit and dwells on the religious facet of his relationships with these people. Of course, I'm sure this was a very important part of his relationship with these men and their families, but it seems that there is a grand, overarching agenda he has in constantly illustrating their connection to God and religion.
If you are interested in any of these historical figures and their fascinating relationships with each other, this book is definitely the best book you will find on the subject.
A Truly Fascinating Book on the Lives of a Five Twentieth Ce.......2001-08-20
This book originally caught my eye as an addition to another book I read called Edison: A Life of Invention by Paul Israel. I wanted a book that would cover a little more of Edison's personal life, and this book did just that. However, James Newton's close, dedicated friendships with all of these great men of the twentieth century is truly amazing, and I learned more than I would probably learn otherwise about some of these important historical figures.
The entire book is fascinating, and surely different parts will appeal to different readers. I was particularly enchanted with a poignant description of how Charles Lindbergh handled dying as he lay on his deathbed. I was also fascinated with how environmentally conscientious some of these men were, particularly Edison and Lindbergh, but also Ford. For example, Ford was very interested in making automobile parts out of soybeans in order to reduce the need for metal parts. It seems that all of these men had numerous ideas and ideas for inventions that were way ahead of their time - perhaps some of them still are.
Newton's writing is quite good, and I only have one very minor criticism: it seems that he preaches a little bit and dwells on the religious facet of his relationships with these people. Of course, I'm sure this was a very important part of his relationship with these men and their families, but it seems that there is a grand, overarching agenda he has in constantly illustrating their connection to God and religion.
If you are interested in any of these historical figures and their fascinating relationships with each other, this book is definitely the best book you will find on the subject.
Great Minds - Can Still Teach Us Today!.......2001-05-02
This is one of the best books I've ever read. It takes you on a tour of the lives of some incredible men whose work and personalities still have influence on us years after their deaths. Prior to reading this book, I had no idea that all of these men not only knew each other, but had such strong personal connections. I have recommended this book to many friends and will recommend it strongly to anyone who wants a book to enjoy that also provides such a wonderful and personal look at history through the minds of arguably some of the wisest men of the 20th century.
Average customer rating:
- Because I enjoyed it
- (three and a half stars) alternative history with an autobiographical twist
- Excellent, if flawed, novel
- Poorly constructed, fundamentally disappointing
- It could have happened here...
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The Plot Against America: A Novel
Philip Roth
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD
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ASIN: 0618509291 |
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"What if" scenarios are often suspect. They are sometimes thinly veiled tales of the gospel according to the author, taking on the claustrophobic air of a personal fantasia that can't be shared. Such is not the case with Philip Roth's tour de force, The Plot Against America. It is a credible, fully-realized picture of what could happen anywhere, at any time, if the right people and circumstances come together.
The Plot Against America explores a wholly imagined thesis and sees it through to the end: Charles A. Lindbergh defeats FDR for the Presidency in 1940. Lindbergh, the "Lone Eagle," captured the country's imagination by his solo Atlantic crossing in 1927 in the monoplane, Spirit of St. Louis, then had the country's sympathy upon the kidnapping and murder of his young son. He was a true American hero: brave, modest, handsome, a patriot. According to some reliable sources, he was also a rabid isolationist, Nazi sympathizer, and a crypto-fascist. It is these latter attributes of Lindbergh that inform the novel.
The story is framed in Roth's own family history: the family flat in Weequahic, the neighbors, his parents, Bess and Herman, his brother, Sandy and seven-year-old Philip. Jewishness is always the scrim through which Roth examines American contemporary culture. His detractors say that he sees persecution everywhere, that he is vigilant in "Keeping faith with the certainty of Jewish travail"; his less severe critics might cavil about his portrayal of Jewish mothers and his sexual obsession, but generally give him good marks, and his fans read every word he writes and heap honors upon him. This novel will engage and satisfy every camp.
"Fear presides over these memories, a perpetual fear. Of course, no childhood is without its terrors, yet I wonder if I would have been a less frightened boy if Lindbergh hadn't been president or if I hadn't been the offspring of Jews." This is the opening paragraph of the book, which sets the stage and tone for all that follows. Fear is palpable throughout; fear of things both real and imagined. A central event of the novel is the relocation effort made through the Office of American Absorption, a government program whereby Jews would be placed, family by family, across the nation, thereby breaking up their neighborhoods--ghettos--and removing them from each other and from any kind of ethnic solidarity. The impact this edict has on Philip and all around him is horrific and life-changing. Throughout the novel, Roth interweaves historical names such as Walter Winchell, who tries to run against Lindbergh. The twist at the end is more than surprising--it is positively ingenious.
Roth has written a magnificent novel, arguably his best work in a long time. It is tempting to equate his scenario with current events, but resist, resist. Of course it is a cautionary tale, but, beyond that, it is a contribution to American letters by a man working at the top of his powers. --Valerie Ryan
Book Description
When the renowned aviation hero and rabid isolationist Charles A. Lindbergh defeated Franklin Roosevelt by a landslide in the 1940 presidential election, fear invaded every Jewish household in America. Not only had Lindbergh, in a nationwide radio address, publicly blamed the Jews for selfishly pushing America toward a pointless war with Nazi Germany, but upon taking office as the thirty-third president of the United States, he negotiated a cordial "understanding" with Adolf Hitler, whose conquest of Europe and virulent anti-Semitic policies he appeared to accept without difficulty. What followed in America is the historical setting for this startling new book by the Pulitzer Prize winner Philip Roth, who recounts what it was like for his Newark family--and for a million such families all over the country--during the menacing years of the Lindbergh presidency, when American citizens who happened to be Jews had every reason to expect the worst.
Customer Reviews:
Because I enjoyed it.......2007-10-01
I really loved the first 300 pages. Roth's voice is wonderful as a child trying to make sense of chaos, and the nightmarish what-if built a good tension.
However, the ending was rushed and way too neatly wrapped up. I would prefer if the last 60 pages were just removed from the book. I'm still giving it five stars, because despite the ending, this was a fun, fast read.
(three and a half stars) alternative history with an autobiographical twist.......2007-09-18
I liked Philip Roth's "Plot Against America," but didn't love it. It seems to me that any alternative history novel (or time travel novel, for that matter), which maintains the possibility that the Nazis might prevail in World War II, is almost inevitably going to have its chilling moments. Indeed, it was quite terrifying to be reminded of how close Hitler came to invading all of Europe during the early phase of the war. Here, of course, Roth's alternative history centers on Charles Lindbergh, a known Nazi sympathizer, defeating FDR in 1940 (his unprecedented third term in real history). Of course, it is well known that a good percentage of the U.S. population didn't want to be involved in "Europe's War," until the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, so it is not completely far-fetched that Charles Lindbergh, an aviation hero who strongly favored U.S. isolationism, might have had a chance to be elected President.
What makes "The Plot Against America" unique I suppose, is how Roth basically writes his "autobiography" as a young boy as it might have been through a Lindbergh administration, and the rising tide of anti-semitism that resulted. Some of it works quite well and we can feel the world closing in on the Roths in particular, and the Jews in general, especially through a nefarious plot to dilute the Jewish communities through the newly created "Office of American Absorption" and other such efforts. However, other parts of the book feel contrived such as how the Roths are one acquaintance away from Lindbergh himself, namely through Philip's Aunt Evelyn, who has married the much older Rabbi Bengeldorf: a complicit sympathiser of the new administration. (SPOILER!!!). The manner in which the clock sets itself back to zero in the second to last chapter also felt forced to me.
I found the afterward of the book very informative, where Roth reviews the actual series of events through the historical figures mentioned in the book. It would have been more interesting to me if Roth had covered in greater detail the war itself, and the consequences of the U.S. failing to enter the fray at the end of 1941. But I understand this wasn't Roth's principle focus.
I do think "The Plot Against America" serves well as a genuine warning about how a different course of events in the past could have lead to a very different America, and different World for that matter. Perhaps the frightening scenario portrayed in this book can also be used as a forewarning to future generations.
Excellent, if flawed, novel.......2007-08-26
The book appeals from different points of view: a gripping book of fiction, alternative history and a warning call to the complacent. The switch in history is scary and it is possible that things could have been this way. It is both chilling and fascinating to think of the German fascism of the 1930's and 1940's happening here. Roth's writing as usual is spectacular. I could not put it down. My only problem was that the resolution happens so glibly and quickly that it is hard to imagine it could happen so easily. I recommend this to Roth fans, people into Judaica,
historians.
Poorly constructed, fundamentally disappointing.......2007-07-10
The Plot Against America was occasionally interesting, well-styled, but generally bad. As a general rule I have mixed feelings about "alternative history" as a genre. Such stories can raise interesting questions and "what-if" scenarios. They can also, however, wander painful far into the realm of fantasy where suspension of disbelief becomes an exercise in rejecting rationality. Unfortunately, Roth's wanders from an interesting, well-constructed novel to a silly fantasy by its final chapters. Yet, this is not the most fundamental problem the story faces. The book is first and foremost a story of rising anti-semitism in 1940s America and its impact on, and the reaction of, a Jewish New Jersey family. My problem is that the fear felt and displayed by the family far exceeds what would be a reasonable reaction to the events with which they're faced at any specific point in the first half of the book. It's as if the effects (the family's responses) are always several chapters in front of the causes (government sponsored discrimination of Jews). This problem was so pronounced that I found myself wondering if the book was some kind of statement about what Roth calls "ghetto Jews" seeing anti-Semitism everywhere. (Its not)
It could have happened here..........2007-07-08
This book draws obvious parallels with the modern political situation in the U.S., how facism creeps up on us rather than appears overnight. It comes complete with a folksy, popular President in the guise of Charles Lindbergh, whose seemingly benign programs hide a more sinster agenda (this one against the Jews, who slowly and systematically begin to lose their rights throughout the book); people who are complicit in the plot against their own people; and a watchdog reporter who is speaking out against the administration, a la Edward R. Murrow or Keith Olbermann (Walter Winchell, who in the scope of this book, goes beyond his job as a gossip columnist). The characters are all drawn well, from the prideful father who is less than successful at protecting his family; the relative who becomes a bitter disabled war veteran; the aunt who falls under the spell of a power-hungry rabbi; and of course the protagonist, who slowly loses his childhood innocence as these events unfold around him.
The only problem I had with the book was its rather sudden ending, which I won't reveal here, but it sure seemed like everything was suddenly wrapped up nicely and neatly, and not in tune with the rest of the story. Still, I would say this was a good book and I would recommend it.
Amazon.com's Best of 2001
Her daughter's tender account of Anne Morrow Lindbergh's final 22 months is a fitting epitaph for an author who revealed her inner life with an honesty and sensitivity that have inspired generations of readers since Gift from the Sea was first published in 1955. This new volume also makes a fine companion for Under a Wing, Reeve Lindbergh's previous memoir about her parents' complex marriage and her own struggle to grapple with the legacy of her famous father, Charles Lindbergh. Yet it's not necessary to know anything about Anne's writing or Charles's exploits as an aviator to be moved by No More Words, which chronicles a day-to-day drama of worry, guilt, anger, and unexpected joy that will be familiar to anyone who has cared for an elderly, ailing parent. Drawing on a diary she kept from the time her mother came to live with her in May 1999 until Anne's death at age 94 in February 2001, Reeve Lindbergh deals first and foremost with her shock that her literate, articulate mother no longer had much use for words. "From the beginning of my life," she writes, "everything I understood was made plain to me in her language.... at each moment of my need she spoke the words I needed." But after a series of strokes, Anne spoke less and less, and not everything she said made sense. Reeve had to find meaning for herself; she had to accept her mother's increasing remoteness and take pleasure from the moments when Anne seemed to come back to her. She traces that process in spare, eloquent prose complemented by excerpts from her mother's works: "It was very important to me that her writing voice, too, should be heard," Reeve states. "The truth about this book is that it is not mine but ours." --Wendy Smith
Book Description
In 1999 Anne Morrow Lindbergh, the famed aviator and author, moved from her home in Connecticut to the farm in Vermont where her daughter, Reeve, and Reeve's family live. Mrs. Lindbergh was in her nineties and had been rendered nearly speechless years earlier by a series of small strokes that also left her frail and dependent on others for her care. As an accomplished author who had learned to write in part by reading her mother's many books, Reeve was deeply saddened and frustrated by her inability to communicate with her mother, a woman long recognized in her family and throughout the world as a gifted communicator.
No More Words is a moving and compassionate memoir of the final seventeen months of Reeve's mother's life. Reeve writes with great sensitivity and sympathy for her mother's plight, while also analyzing her own conflicting feelings. Anyone who has had to care for an elderly parent disabled by Alzheimer's or stroke will understand immediately the heartache and anguish Reeve suffered and will find comfort in her story.
Download Description
In 1999 Anne Morrow Lindbergh, the famed aviator and author, moved from her home in Connecticut to the farm in Vermont where her daughter, Reeve, and Reeve's family live. Mrs. Lindbergh was in her nineties and had been rendered nearly speechless years earlier by a series of small strokes that also left her frail and dependent on others for her care. As an accomplished author who had learned to write in part by reading her mother's many books, Reeve was deeply saddened and frustrated by her inability to communicate with her mother, a woman long recognized in her family and throughout the world as a gifted communicator. No More Words is a moving and compassionate memoir of the final seventeen months of Reeve's mother's life. Reeve writes with great sensitivity and sympathy for her mother's plight, while also analyzing her own conflicting feelings. Anyone who has had to care for an elderly parent disabled by Alzheimer's or stroke will understand immediately the heartache and anguish Reeve suffered and will find comfort in her story.
Customer Reviews:
An open account of a private and confusing time.......2006-12-11
This is a touching memoir of the time when Reeve Lindbergh was helping to take care of her aging mother, the famous Anne Morrow Lindbergh in the last year(s) of her life. This book is a look inside the private lives of a very well known family during a difficult transition in their lives.
The story is about how Reeve is trying to make sense of this time. It contains her thoughts and reflections and fears about the change in her mother's condition. I appreciate the honesty in which this book is written, I feel like the author held nothing back in relating her story. I was surprised and delighted at the openness of it. She wrote about things in dealing with this situation that people think, but would rarely admit to.
I found this book to be very comforting, as I recently experienced a similar situation in my own family. There were so many times, as I read this, I was shaking my head thinking....I know exactly what you're saying. Throughout the ordeal, there are sad times, but there were also light and funny times as well. Dealing with the aging and decline of a loved one that you have known so well all of your life is difficult. They change, and when it happens, we don't always know how to deal with it or what to think, and we wonder what they are thinking. It's hard and it's confusing when you are trying to guess at what is going on in their world. Reeve writes beautifully about it all.
I had not picked this book with the intention of experiencing what I did...the comfort of reading about someone else going through a similar situation as me. I initially picked this book because I love Anne Morrow Lindbergh's book 'Gift of the Sea' and I wanted to read more about her life. Once again, as I am a firm believer of...the right books come along at just the precise moment that we need them and so often they come in an unexpected way as this one did for me.
A remarkabley Evocative Memoir.......2006-07-16
Reeve Lindberg has succeeded in giving us a marvelous journey through the last two years of her mother's life. It is also a very helpful description of what it is to deal with someone who is deep in the fog of an Alzheimer's like state. I plan to give copies to many of my friends, most especially those with elderly parents. Reeve's language is lovely and crisp in the strokes of its portraits. It is easy to see she that is her mother's daughter. I am so happy to have discovered this book and I would recommend it to anyone who is seeing or will see an elderly parent or friend through his or her last days and months. Tasha Halpert
Simply Lovely.......2004-10-17
This is a fast reading book concerning Mrs. Charles Lindbergh's last few years of life. Written by youngest Lindbergh sibling, Reeve, she tells of living on her own farm in Vermont, with a smaller house on the property her mother lived in during that time. Reeve Lindbergh is a wonderful writer - she doesn't need the famous last name to prove that. When she isn't writing about her mother, which is riveting for some reason, her writing of anything else in the book has such a fresh, emotional spirit behind her words. Anne Morrow Lindbergh, a legend in her own time both in flying, her husband, and her many published works, did not talk much in her last years. It is a story of how the family felt and coped with her condition, letting go of the vibrant mother they once knew. An excellent book for those who have been a caregiver to a parent or sibling. Anne M.L. was such a famous figure, it was both interesting and heartwrenching to have the privilege of reading about her day to day living. Thank you, Reeve Lindbergh, for sharing this story that you could have kept to yourself, but chose to share. It's a book that will be remembered long after it's read.
Beautiful Tribute.......2002-02-19
I have read Reeve Lindbergh's work before in her memoir, "Under A Wing". I was surprised at her candor regarding her father, and what was equally clear was her fondness for her mother. "No More Words", which records the last 17 trying and rewarding months of her mother's life, is a tender tribute that is notable for what it includes and for what it omits.
The only photograph of Mrs. Lindbergh is the one that appears on the cover. The photograph depicts a young woman at the start of what would prove to be a life as fascinating as it was lengthy. The closing months of this woman's life are chronicled above all else with a great deal of respect. This is a most private family event, and just as the book is devoid of any pictures for the voyeur, the narrative too is informative without taking away any of the dignity of her mother. This would seem to be an obvious manner to write of one's parent, but a person does not have to look far to find books written with sales as the first goal, and exploitation of the subject left unconsidered.
Reeve Lindbergh is a poet, she is reflective, and these aspects of her personality provide a narrative that is unique. This book is not simply a diary; it is not a chronological description of the systematic health decline of her mother. It is more of a story that is driven by the limited interactions she was able to have with her mother, and the memories that were either hers or recollections of her mother's life. This is not a sugarcoated story of what was a very trying time. The book is a balanced memoir about how difficult it is to deal with not only the death of a parent, but also the very real difficulties and frustrations that caring for an elderly, ill parent involves. Mrs. Lindbergh had the best care available which took much of the moment-to-moment care off of the family. It did not remove many of the difficulties, and the reader can easily imagine what it would entail to care for a parent with little, or no outside help.
This is a very contemplative book that moves at an associated pace.
Reeve is most definitely her mother's daughter!.......2002-02-06
I was enchanted by "Gifts from the Sea," by Anne Morrow Lindbergh. While reading "No More Words," I could not tell the difference between mother and daughter's writing. Each has the gift of attentive observation, along with the ability to put these observations into words that had me shaking my head with their frankness. Reeve's observations about her mother's deteriorating health were imbued with such love and devotion. She spoke truthfully and without guile of her wish that her mother meet her end soon, not just for her mother but for her, and her family. Yes, Anne Morrow was indeed fortunate, as Reeve pointed out, to be able to afford excellent, around the clock care in her own home. It made me wonder why this level of care isn't available to anyone who would need it, regardless of their income. It gave Anne Morrow's last years a sense of dignity that most of our elderly will never experience. I wondered what the point of this book really was - and then realized that it didn't need one, to be enjoyed.
Books:
- Healing Your Appetite, Healing Your Life
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- I Was Wrong: The Untold Story of the Shocking Journey from PTL Power to Prison and Beyond
- Inside My Heart: Choosing to Live with Passion and Purpose
- Jackie: A Life In Pictures
- Kingdom Come: The Final Victory: The Final Victory (Left Behind #13)
- Mary, Queen of Scots: Queen Without a Country, France, 1553 (The Royal Diaries)
- Maus : A Survivor's Tale : My Father Bleeds History/Here My Troubles Began/Boxed
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- When in Germany, Do as the Germans Do: The Clued-In Guide to German Life, Language, and Culture
- None Shall Look Back
- Economic Freedom of the World, 2004: Annual Report
- Financial Accounting in an Economic Context
- International Monetary and Financial Economics
- Seven Up
- Managing Scientists: Leadership Strategies in Research and Development
- Drug War Heresies: Learning from Other Vices, Times, and Places
- From Adam Smith to Maynard Keynes: The heritage of political economy
- Vegetables, Herbs and Fruit: An Illustrated Encyclopedia
Wisdom from Gift from the Sea
Dearly Beloved
Return to the Sea: Reflections on Anne Morrow Lindbergh's Gift from the Sea
A Year by the Sea: Thoughts of an Unfinished Woman
A Walk on the Beach: Tales of Wisdom From an Unconventional Woman
