Book Description
Acclaimed author Anne Roiphe evokes the sights and sounds of 1880s Alexandria, Egypt, a bustling center of trade and travel. From teeming docks to overflowing market stalls, from grand homes to grimy narrow alleyways, cholera microbes rise and bob in streams of water and tiny droplets, clinging to moisture as man clings to air.
With a keen mind and dedication to his work, young Louis Thuillier has impressed his mentor—famed scientist Louis Pasteur—enough to be sent to Alexandria as one-third of the French mission searching for the source of the cholera that is terrorizing the city. Along with the other members of the French mission—scientists Emile Roux and Edmond Nocard and their enterprising servant Marcus—Louis longs to find the cure, bringing glory to himself and to France. Este Malina is the lovely daughter of a respected Jewish doctor, whose family has lived in Alexandria for hundreds of years. A life of comfort has made Este a romantic, and she hopes to marry a man with the heart of a poet. Neither expects to find a soul mate in the other, but when Este begins to assist at the French mission’s lab, a deep bond forms. Este, though, is engaged to another, and Louis is not Jewish—her family would never allow them to marry.
In spite of their many differences, the lovers’ desire grows and their fantasies threaten to distract them from their work. In Alexandria, the disease rages on, as mysterious as it was a thousand years before. Political intrigue threatens to separate Este and Louis permanently. Their love, as fragile as the glass slides they use in the lab, is in danger before it has had a chance to thrive.
With An Imperfect Lens, rich with the sights and scents of a different era, Anne Roiphe once again demonstrates the storytelling power for which she has long been hailed.
From the Hardcover edition.
Customer Reviews:
Superb novel, direct to the soul.......2006-04-28
"If the body were not the Soul, what is the Soul?" Walt Whitman wrote, in what could be the epigraph to this wonderful novel of science and love. Anne Roiphe shows that the men seeking to save the human body from the ravages of disease are modern knights. As a girl, her heroine dreams of a poet; as a woman, she discovers love with a scientist. Every sentence of the story is poetry - but sharper poetry than Lawrence Durell's prose about the same city, Alexandria. When you start reading, be ready not to stop till the last word.
"This is the world we live in. We share it with cholera." .......2006-04-04
An Imperfect Lens is atmospheric tale set in Alexandra, Egypt in 1883; the main character a lethal disease, cholera: ''unseen pulsing crescent moonshapes," that are steadily breeding in the exposed sewage, killing the city's poor, gradually finding its way into the houses of the rich. Feeding in the stomachs of the innocent, death is almost instantaneous - a sharp pain in the stomach, lips tinged with blue, a loss of bowel control, the body shriveled, turned grey like slate.
Paranoia is rife; the wealthy see it as a sign of the city's drinking and lack of morality, the less fortunate see it as a mark of God's will, a way for the rich to rid the city of an unwanted population. How is the disease transmitted? By air or bird droppings, or perhaps even food. People are instructed to always rinse their hands, and never eat unwashed food from market stalls. But the microbes continue to spread, on the edges of bed linen, on the shoes of unsuspecting servants, splashing in the city's puddles, streams and open sewers, on the surface of fruit, the edges of plates and cutlery.
Three Chemists from Paris - Louis Thuilliers, Emile Roux and veterinarian Edmond Nocard - are dispatched directly from the laboratories of famous scientist Louis Pasteur to Alexandra, hoping to isolate the microbe. The sights, sounds and smells of this exotic city, immediately seduce the idealistic Louis. Almost at once, he falls for Este Malina, the daughter of the City's Jewish doctor, who is the verge of being engaged when Louis meets her at dinner at the French consulate's home.
Este, bored with her life, begins to help out in the laboratory, awakening to the possibility of a career in the sciences, with Louis at her side. She hopes to marry her paramour, but her imminent engagement and Louis's humble background irrevocably stands between them. Her religion also is a barrier, with her father and his wife, considering the Jewish faith so much more than just a faith "but a cord that inevitably binds them."
Louis and Este's love affair plays out against a cholera epidemic that pressingly evades the lens of the scientists and the city's authorities. The other characters are equally caught in this stew of city waste, men with their own personal demons and small enjoyments: There's Eric Fortman, an Englishman from Liverpool, a good salesman and a sturdy traveler, determined to start a new life in Alexandra as an importer and a businessman, a type of reinvented merchant prince who can slip money into the right hands at the right time.
And there's Marcus, Louis's rebellious young assistant, who one night beneath the boardwalk, witnesses Masika, a hotel maid, succumb to the disease: "pools of fecal liquid gathering by her hips, the illness taking over her body like a colonial power, killing everything in its way."
The lives of the main protagonists, however, are diminished in the light of author Anne Rophie's harrowing and exquisitely wrought descriptions of a city on the brink, where in the bazaar, the olive pits and the splashes of wine and overripe fruit mingle on the cobblestones with the blood of slaughtered animals. Children with their hands out, crouching in doorways, flies stuck to their encrusted eyelids. The heavy sweat of the day, the dust in which all these things are stirred, and a young boy who suddenly becomes ill and violently dies, "the contents of his bowls flowing over the mud of the stone curb."
Rophie's Alexandria is historically accurate, with cholera not simply content to attack the intestines of its victim, but ravage pocketbooks of the entire town, spreading hunger and despair, sending thousands to pray and others to shut themselves up in their rooms. Her characters are young and impulsive, overwhelmed by idealism, yet torn apart and frustrated by their inability to fight this terrible disease, caught up in a race, where everything they try proves useless.
An Imperfect Lens is not an easy book to read, and it's depictions of the epidemic are unflinching in their detail. Yet it shows that the war between man and bacteria is endless and constantly changing and is never won entirely, by one side or the other. The story is a timely reminder of the importance of research and science in a world where everyone needs to understand that things must be proved and evidence given, so that human life can be saved and that hopefully all disease can be defeated. Mike Leonard April 06.
Book Description
Senior citizen sleuth Kate Kennedy is spending her retirement tackling the gray clouds that sometimes descend over Florida--like murder.
Customer Reviews:
Tightly-plotted debut --.......2005-12-25
Although there are many reasons for reading a mystery series in the order the books were written (or published) the reader can also derive great enjoyment from reading them out of order, too. Such is the case with this book and this reader. Having stumbled over the second book, Who Killed Swami Schwartz? and liking it very much, I promptly set out to find the first book and see what I'd missed.
Obviously, this first book has the setup for the location as well as the premise, but also introduces several of the on-going characters. The author's wry sense of humor-especially regarding her own foibles, as exemplified by the heroine of the book-brings a delightful touch to the series. In addition, the writing is very engaging, drawing you right in to the every day activities of the folks so well-described that you think you already know them.
This is a delightful cozy novel set in a condo complex primarily inhabited by senior citizens in southern Florida. However, any reader of any age should certainly enjoy following the adventures of Kate Kennedy, a rather recent widow and now sleuth in spite of herself or her friends. I found this first book to be more tightly-plotted than the second book in the series, but that's hardly surprising.
Oh, joy! I've just discovered that book three--Death is a Bargain--is out now! Hooray!
Total Disappointment.......2005-11-27
As a senior citizen, I was glad to see someone write about active and "not brain dead" senior citizens. How disappointing!! I got about half way through a literally threw it away! Nothing seemed to happen, characters were slow developing and noting seemed to jive, including the front cover. If the dog in the book was a Westie, why a Jack Russell on the cover??? Go figure! I'm not sure I'll try another of the series, in fact I know I won't.
Death With An Ocean View.......2004-10-27
"Whodunit?"
In Death With An Ocean View Nora charles's creativity describes her every day characters with a delicious twist while challenging the reader's mind.
Quick, Fun read.
I can't wait to read the second book in the series, Who Killed Swami Schwartz?.
A reader from Long Island.
"Death With An Ocean View" Scores Big.......2004-10-26
I like this book. It's fast-paced and the author has a great sense of humor.
The killer's identity is a genuine surprise. Charles has well drawn characters that are diverse. It's the kind of book you like to curl up and read on a cold night, especially with my little dog Sadie next to me.
Charles cares about animals and that's big on my scorecard.
Lisa
I was expecting great things based on the reviews.......2004-09-08
But this book was something of a disappointment -- not bad, but (to me) clearly a first for this author. I can't quite say what was wrong -- it just seemed not very polished.
The "detective" is the recently widowed 60 something Kate Kennedy, who is living in "Palmetto Beach" Florida (near Boca Raton) in an oceanfront condo with a lot of other retired people. She is still grieving and doesn't have much enthusiasm for her new home, which was where her late husband had wanted to live. One of the residents of this beachfront property is found murdered and Kate gets involved in trying to figure out who murdered this woman (the condo president, I might add) and why.
What I liked best were the characters and setting -- I really could imagine everyone and everything she was describing. I think that Kate could have been developed more and that the book was a little too short (overedited?) SOmehow the mystery plot never really engaged my curiosity -- perhaps because we never got to know the murder victims well enough, or perhaps because in the end, it all seemed too far-fetched (I can't say more without revealing too much). I read this book all the way through, but it certainly wasn't the kind of mystery I'd stay up late reading. Still, the author shows real talent and I suspect her books will get better over time.
Book Description
The Sons of Maeve Trilogy follows the adventures of Than and Gimble as they trek through a mysterious mountain near their village home. Spurred by hopes of finding Than's lost father, the boys stumble into a strange an unusual world filled with dangerous creatures and strange civilizations, each on the brink of chaos. Thrust into the midst of these troubled circumstances, the boys are compelled to fight for their lives and their new friends against a host of wild beasts and the evil Pallig, Shaman of Darmid and leader of the Army of the Allodial.
Customer Reviews:
Best thing I've read since Harry Potter ***.......2006-09-02
This book was as easy to read as the Harry Potter series and just as enthralling.... Pick it up and plan on staying up past your "bedtime" to finish it:-)
Awesome Read--My Family is Hooked!.......2006-08-24
I really enjoyed the Sons of Maeve Trilogy. I was hooked on Than's character right away. The adventures were compelling and exciting. The authors have a way of describing the scenes and characters where I felt like I was there. Definitely an adventurous read that I highly recommend. The stories are not only adventurous but rich in symbolism and hidden nuggets. There is something here for the younger and older reader. Great read to share as a family. I hope the authors continue with Than's character. My family would like to know what may happen next!
An excellent story--I had trouble putting it down.......2006-06-24
This is a well told, fast paced story that compells the reader forward by following the characters through a series of adventures and disasters.
The style of story telling reminds me of Edgar Rice Burroughs--characters moving from one adventure to another almost without pause, so that you can't put the book down until you know what happens next. The world in which the story is set is always vivid, and wild--inhabited by creatures and people that are somehow larger than life. The main characters survive in this world due to their own strength, cunning, creativity, and often the hospitality of other people they encounter.
But perhaps unlike Burroughs, I identified strongly with the main characters as regular people. They joked and argued and made bad decisions and were afraid and got depressed and jealous. They even occasionally had to go to the bathroom.
As for misspellings and homophones seen by a previous reviewer, according to the forward, these have been fixed for the 2nd edition.
I can't say enough about this book, and I don't think you'll be disappointed. If you're like me you'll start it over the weekend, and not be able to do anything else until you've finished, and it will have been a worthwhile experience.
Rife with errors, highly disappointing overall.......2006-01-28
Wow! After reading the first reviews, I was really excited about getting my copy.
I wasn't thrilled that I didn't make it past page 2 before finding spelling errors... and they just got worse. I'm not a spelling freak (well, okay, I do think that spelling is important), but I don't want my children to think that "lite" is actually a proper spelling -- and the more they see (particularly in published form), the more it reinforces it as a correct spelling.
Any homophone that could be used was in fact the chosen word: "waiving" instead of "waving", "site" instead of "sight" (throughout), "mantle" instead of "mantel", etc. You get the point.
Added to the poor spelling was the dreadful editing: ever heard of "emerald blue eyes?" Well, you will in this book. And later, you get treated to "hazel blue eyes."
Grammar, spelling, editing aside, I found the story to be a case of someone who read Lord of the Rings at an early age and never had an original idea after that. The pair of travelers (one of whom is always hungry), the falling bridge series, the "mysterious" Pallig (a la Saruman)... it's all here. Sprinkled with some spaghetti westerns for variety. Pure doggerel.
Purchase this book only if you intend to get a laugh.
3 Books in 1 - Cool!!.......2005-12-24
I got this book for my birthday. Wow! I've already read it 3 times. It's so fast and easy to read, and I just can't put it down. I can't wait for the next book to find out what happens. While I'm waiting, I'll read these first 3 a couple more times!!
Book Description
Praise For WHEN THE BODY SAYS NO
"Once thought to be in the domain of genes, our health and behavior have recently been revealed to be controlled by our perception of the environment and our beliefs. Gabor Maté, M.D., skillfully blends recent advances in biomedicine with the personal insights of his patients to provide empowering insight into how deeply developmental experiences shape our health, behavior, attitudes, and relationships. A must-read for health professionals and lay readers seeking awareness of how the mind controls health."
-- Bruce Lipton, Ph.D., cellular biologist
"The interviewees' stories are often touching and haunting. . . . Maté carefully explains the biological mechanisms that are activated when stress and trauma exert a powerful influence on the body, and he backs up his claims with compelling evidence from the field. . . . Both the lay and specialist reader will be grateful for the final chapter, `The Seven A's of Healing,' in which Maté presents an open formula for healing and the prevention of illness from hidden stress."
-- Quill & Quire
"Medical science searches high and low for the causes of cancer, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, chronic fatigue syndrome, and a host of other conditions. Yet it often ignores one of the most pervasive factors leading to illness: the hidden stresses embedded in our daily lives. In this important book, Dr. Gabor Maté combines a passionate examination of his patients' life histories with lucid explanations of the science behind mind-body unity. He makes a compelling argument for the importance of understanding stress both in the causation of disease and in the restoration of health."
-- Richard Earle, Ph.D.
Director of the Canadian Institute of Stress/ Hans Selye Foundation
Praise For SCATTERED
"One of the most comprehensive and accessible books about Attention Deficit Disorder."
-- Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Utterly sensible and deeply moving."
-- The Vancouver Sun
Customer Reviews:
For everyone who is concerned about their health.......2006-03-25
This book is fascinating! It has information that we all know intuitively but is good to see all the studies that have been done that confirm the facts. I am reading it very slowly, even putting it down to read a novel, then picked it up again. It is intense but forces me to look at how I relate to all those I love.
The Best Book I've Seen on Mindbody Causes of Illness.......2005-01-03
Life and society put an endless series of demands and requests on us. If we can't or won't say "no" to some of them, our bodies may say no for us, by getting sick or even dying. This is not a new idea. Many healers have taught it, and many books, including my own "Art of Getting Well" have described it.
But Gabor Mate explains it better than anyone, with powerful scientific evidence and moving stories to back it up. This Vancouver physician and health writer gives us the latest research on how emotions, thoughts, the nervous system, immune system and hormones work together to create health or illness. He interviewed more than 100 patients with various conditions, and he shows how always giving in to others and denying our own wants and needs makes us vulnerable to a wide variety of illness.
If you or someone you love is living with an autoimmune disease, an inflammatory condition, or cancer, you may find this book powerful and healing. If you are a health professional looking for better ways to help people with these "incurable" illnesses, you may find it here. If you just want to know more about body and mind and how they work, if you want to be entertained and moved, this book is for you. I wouldn't necessarily say buy it INSTEAD of Art of Getting Well, but they're complementary, and they're both great reading.
At times, I felt that Dr. Mate must have read my diary. The stories he tells of people with multiple sclerosis, ALS and other autoimmune diseases all sounded familiar. I'm pretty sure that my own inability to say no - to be open about my own fears and desires - contributed to my MS, although there were many other causes.
Gabor Mate sees the big picture-the combination of genes, physical and social environment, stresses and behaviors that lead to health problems. He doesn't blame us for not standing up for ourselves. He understands and explains the family dynamics and social forces that make it hard to say "No," even when our lives depend on it. He says, "Personality does not cause disease. Stress does. If we speak of a disease-prone personality, it is only in the sense that certain traits - in particular, the repression of anger - increase the amount of stress."
He knows, for example, that many of us feel guilty when we say no to others' demands, and he wants us get over it. He says, "For many people, guilt is a signal that they have chosen to do something for themselves. If you face a choice between feeling guilt and feeling resentful, choose the guilt every time. Resentment is soul suicide."
I had read a lot on PNI, or psychoneuroimmunology, the science of mindbody medicine. But I never understood exactly how these organs and cells all communicated and worked together until I read When The Body Says No. Mate has a gift for explaining difficult concepts in simple language. You will learn a lot, even if you don't completely buy the central idea.
A couple of criticisms - I wish he had written more about economic and political factors that make saying no difficult. The less power you have, the harder it is to protect yourself. Obviously, you can't say no if you're a slave. I write about the power aspects of disease in my new book, The Politics of Diabetes (out in 2006).
But a lot of people have lost their power not by being severely oppressed, but by things that happened to them in their childhood, even their infancy. There may be things we can do to reclaim some of our power and regain the freedom to say no. We may help ourselves heal in this way.
"When the Body Says No" is strong on these issues but doesn't give a lot of advice on what to do about them. The last chapter, the 7 A's of healing, provides some hints. The A's are Acceptance, Awareness, Anger, Autonomy, Attachment, Assertion, and Affirmation. Most of these get fairly short introductions, but I found the section on anger extremely valuable. Anger can be a life-giving force, or it can be a killer if suppressed or acted out as rage. We need to get in touch with the energy of anger and use it to empower ourselves and make needed changes. The other A's could have used some fleshing out, in my opinion.
As someone who has been immersed in mindbody medicine personally and professionally for 20 years, I recommend this book to all of you. It has meant more to me than anything I have read in this area for a long time.
David Spero RN. www.davidsperorn.com
Great Book.......2004-12-05
I disagree with the reviewer who said that this book does not offer solutions. Again and again the author reports that people need to be heard, and need to stop repressing emotions to get well. As a counselor working with battered women, I was amazed at the number of them who also had auto-immune disorders such as fibromyalgia. This book is a must read.
Proves a connection, but offers no tools to correct things. .......2004-10-28
I wanted to love this book because I think the theory of how stress affects the body is sound. However, I could not love this book because although the books seems to show connection between stress and frailties or illness in the body, it fails to help us learn how to effect change and find solutions. It is filled with many discouraging examples of patients with extraordinary problems, but not with success stories, not with stories of achievement, not with stories of people beating these problems, not with solutions that could turn the tables in the favor of the patient. Knowing a problem is one thing, and I believe most of us who purchase this book already believe the connection of stress and disease exists, however, we really need tools and solutions to understand how to change things. It could have been a great book, a best selling book, if that was included. I'm extremely disappointed.
Bravo! An aspect of healing that is grossly overlooked........2003-06-02
When the body says no is one of the most enlightening books I have read on the subject of living with cronic illness.
After re-reading this book a few times, I find myself looking at my own life very differently in a very positive and hopeful way.
Gabore makes some otherwise very complicated issues very readable for everyone.
If anyone suffers from any type of cronic illness or pain, this is definitely a must read.
Thank You Gabore.
Average customer rating:
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Celebrate! Wedding Cakes/916 847
Manufacturer: Wilton Enterprises
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 General
| Baking
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0912696230 |
Book Description
Relive the 35-year history of the Chevy Camaro, the "poor man's Corvette," in vivid color. This comprehensive reference covers every Camaro ever built, with facts, photos, and up-to-date collector-market values.
Easy-to-read listings contain extensive historical facts and figures, vehicle descriptions, serial number explanations, original price and weight charts, available equipment, technical specifications, production data, and engine details. Hundreds of full-color photographs depict every model year and style changes.
Covers every Camaro model built including Rally Sport, Super Sport, Berlinetta, Z-28, IROC, Indy Pace Car, and Yenko.
• Captures complete 35-year history in vivid color
• Easy-to-read listings contain extensive model specifications and historical facts
• Covers every Camaro model built
Book Description
Versatility is the main attraction of this manual that offers 30 handsome wildlife illustrations and 10 border designs suitable for transfer. Information is included about techniques for transferring both line and tonal patterns, illustrations are marked to show how to isolate parts of the design to use in conjunction with other images or alone, and the use of computers and copiers to modify patterns is also discussed. Although created for pyrography projects, the patterns are suitable for engraving, lino cuts, quilting, relief carving, stained glass, stencils, and tole painting—with color photos of finished pieces in all of the formats gathered in a gallery at the end of the book.
Customer Reviews:
One of the best instruction books out there.......2006-08-30
Sue Walters has done a wonderful job sharing her love and talent for pyrography. She has taken detail in technique for both the beginning woodburner and the advanced.
I would recommend this to the beginner and advanced pyrographer.
Well done illustrations.......2006-07-05
This book has nicely executed illustrations and very good instructions on how to convert the drawings to your particular craft field, such as woodburning, stenciling , stained glass, etc. I found the book very helpful. My only disappointment was that the wildlife designs are only North American and include a lot of birds and game animals (deer, mountain goats, elk). If you are looking for "lodge-style" designs, this book will be perfect for you. If you're looking for a broad variety of wildlife, you may want to look elsewhere.
Awesome Wildlife Patterns!.......2006-04-17
Wow!!! This book is loaded with an excellent selection of North American Wildlife patterns. From chipmunks to wolves, sparrows to peregrine ...deer, cougar, fox, raccoon...& the list goes on. Just a marvelous assortment of wildlife studies and a great reference book! I strongly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a vast array of wildlife patterns.
Very Satisfied.......2006-04-11
I was excited to hear that Sue Walters had published another book. I have thoroughly enjoyed all of her books and especially the Pyrography Workbook. I was more than impressed with Wildlife Designs and know that anyone purchasing this book will not be disappointed. Ms Walters shares even more of her ability to create detail and life in her work.
Very Informative.......2006-04-11
I enjoyed Sue Walters Wildlife Designs and was pleased with both the content and the amount of patterns that are in this new book. Ms Walters is certainly an inspirational artist who once again shows that her talents are geared to not only her art but also in providing the consumer great value for their money. If you enjoy any type of woodcraft and want to explore all of your potentials this book is for you.
Average customer rating:
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Freestyle: The New Architecture and Design from Los Angeles
Tim Street-Porter
Manufacturer: Stewart Tabori & Chang
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
| Architecture
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
Residential
| Building Types & Styles
| Architecture
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Crafts & Hobbies
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Home Design
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Interior Design
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0941434915 |
Average customer rating:
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European Clocks in the J. Paul Getty Museum (Getty Trust Publications : J. Paul Getty Museum)
Gillian Wilson ,
David Harris Cohen ,
Jean Neree Ronfort ,
Jean-Dominique Augarde , and
Peter Friess
Manufacturer: Getty Trust Publications: J. Paul Getty Museum
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Schools, Periods & Styles
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
| Abstract Expressionism
| Ancient & Classical
| Art Deco
| Art Nouveau
| Baroque
| Byzantine
| Constructivism
| Contemporary Art
| Cubism
| Dadaism
| Expressionism
| Fauvism
| Folk Art
| Futurism
| German Expressionism
| Gothic
| Impressionism
| Mannerism
| Medieval
| Modern
| Neoclassical
| Pop
| Post-Impressionism
| Pre-Raphaelite
| Prehistoric & Primitive
| Realism
| Renaissance
| Rococo
| Romanesque
| Romantic
| Surrealism
General
| Museums & Collections
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Exhibition Catalogs
| Museums
| Museums & Collections
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
| General
| Guggenheim Museum
| Los Angeles County Museum of Art
| Metropolitan Museum of Art
| Museum of Contemporary Art
| Museum of Modern Art
| National Gallery Of Art
| Tate Gallery
| Whitney Museum of American Art
General
| Museums
| Museums & Collections
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Drawing
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Drawing
| Instructional & How-To
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Clocks & Watches
| Antiques & Collectibles
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Crafts & Hobbies
| Home & Garden
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General
| Engineering
| Professional & Technical
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| Books
Manufacturing
| Industrial, Manufacturing & Operational Systems
| Engineering
| Professional & Technical
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| Books
California
| State & Local
| United States
| Americas
| History
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0892362545 |
Book Description
Among the finest examples of European craftsmanship are the clocks produced for the luxury trade in the eighteenth century. The J. Paul Getty Museum is fortunate to have in its Decorative Arts collection twenty clocks from the period 1680-1798; eighteen produced in France and two in Germany.
The demonstrate the extraordinary workmanship that went into both the design and execution of the cases and the intricate movements by which the clocks operated. In this handsome volume, each clock is pictured and discussed in detail, and each movement diagrammed and described. In addition,
biographies of the clock makers and enamelers are included, as are indexes of the names of the makers, previous owners, and locations.
Average customer rating:
- Compelling cultural drama draws you in and won't let go
- Compelling cultural drama draws you in and won't let go
- A family in context
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Chasing Hepburn: A Memoir of Shanghai, Hollywood, and a Chinese Family's Fight for Freedom
Gus Lee
Manufacturer: Three Rivers Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Authors
| Arts & Literature
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Chinese
| Ethnic & National
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Historical
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
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Women
| Specific Groups
| Biographies & Memoirs
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Memoirs
| Biographies & Memoirs
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General
| Asian American
| United States
| World Literature
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United States
| Short Stories
| Literature & Fiction
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General
| China
| Asia
| History
| Subjects
| Books
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No Physical Evidence (Nova Audio Books)
ASIN: 140005155X
Release Date: 2004-01-27 |
Book Description
“Lee . . . has created a gripping and beautiful portrait of his family. . . .
Chasing Hepburn is nonfiction, but it reads just as richly as any novel.”—Boston Globe
“Gus Lee brings to his first work of nonfiction the consummate storytelling skills that have always delighted us in his critically acclaimed novels. I promise you that you will be captivated by this epic story of two families who epitomize all that is rich and varied in Chinese culture.”
—Ron Bass, screenwriter of The Joy Luck Club
and Rain Man
Gus Lee takes us straight into the heart of twentieth-century Chinese society, offering a clear-eyed yet compassionate view of the forces that repeatedly tore apart and reconfigured the lives of his parents and their contemporaries. He moves deftly from recounting intimate household conversations to discussing major historical events, and the resulting story is by turns comic, harrowing, tragic, and heroic.
Chasing Hepburn is a saga that spans four generations, two continents, and half of Chinese history. In the masterful hands of acclaimed author Gus Lee, his ancestors’ stories spring vividly to life in a memoir with all the richness of great fiction.
Customer Reviews:
Compelling cultural drama draws you in and won't let go.......2003-02-07
Get ready to give up your weekend because once you pick up this book you won't be able to put it down. Lee's dramatic descriptions cover the conflicts between historical Eastern and Western traditions woven into poignant family events. While his relatives and their antics seem quirky and particular, in fact they resonate with all families facing abrupt changes and adaptation --be they generational or cultural. For those who have read and loved China Boy and Honor and Duty, Chasing Hepburn gives us the pre-story we've all been wondering about.
Compelling cultural drama draws you in and won't let go.......2003-02-07
Get ready to give up your weekend because once you pick up this book you won't be able to put it down. Lee's dramatic descriptions cover the conflicts between historical Eastern and Western traditions woven into poignant family events. While his relatives and their antics seem quirky and particular, in fact they resonate with all families facing abrupt changes and adaptation --be they generational or cultural. For those who have read and loved China Boy and Honor and Duty, Chasing Hepburn gives us the pre-story we've all been wondering about.
A family in context.......2003-02-04
In this remarkable memoir, Gus Lee presents a clear and compassionate picture of his parents, grandparents and their 'clans' set in turbulent times. He brings alive the social, historical, religious and cultural context which informs their actions and reactions making them comprehensible to a reader with a totally different cultural viewpoint. It reads like a multi-generational adventure novel where the characters play parts in or are impacted by major events, from the Taiping rebellion through the British opium trade to the civil wars that raged from the early twentieth century through the brutal Japanese occupation in WWII. It is a wild ride and a great read. Gus presents his forbears and related characters warts and all, but always with great compassion and subtlety. There are no cardboard characters. Readers of his novels, which have a strong autobiographical base, particularly 'China Boy', will know what a hard childhood he endured with a stern and distant father, a mother prone to 'magical' beliefs who died when he was five, and a rigid, vindictive step mother. In this memoir, Gus reveals to us what he subsequently discovered about his parents and he honors them both. Gus's own life has been a testament to using adversity to build strength. He has wasted no time blaming, or scoring points off his parents or using his experiences to excuse failings in his own life. There is no 'poor me' here. His story helped me understand a completely different belief system and cultural perspective. And it was at times moving, at other times funny, but always interesting.
Books:
- Basic Principles of Classical Ballet
- Bedroom Essentials
- Belle Ruin: A Novel (Emma Graham Mysteries)
- Bloodstream
- Bookends: A Novel
- Brazen Virtue
- Broken Dishes (Benni Harper Mysteries)
- Charon's Landing (Philip Mercer)
- Chasing Destiny
- Complete Conditioning For Tennis
Books Index
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