Average customer rating:
- Near Perfect
- A Touchstone British Murder Mystery
- Haiku Review - 4 1/2 stars
- Lacked A Punch
- Who can resist Adam Dalgleish?
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Death of an Expert Witness (Adam Dalgliesh Mysteries)
P.D. James
Manufacturer: Touchstone
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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Similar Items:
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A Mind to Murder
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The Black Tower
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A Certain Justice: An Adam Dalgliesh Novel (Mortalis.)
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Shroud for a Nightingale
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A Taste for Death
ASIN: 0743219627
Release Date: 2001-10-30 |
Book Description
An evil-tempered forensic scientist is put to death, putting many of his colleagues out of misery. Commander Adam Dalgliesh must exhume the secrets of Dr. Lorrimer's laboratory in order to lay bare the murderous motive hidden in one human heart.
Death of an Expert Witness led Newsweek to crown P. D. James "the new queen of crime."
Customer Reviews:
Near Perfect.......2007-04-28
This is my third James novel. The present work was written over 30 years ago by a James in her prime. It is short and compact; and, it has a nicely balanced structure with good characters. It is written with straightforward and simple prose and it is a compelling read that is hard to put down. In short, it is what one can describe as a masterpiece as are some of her other early novels.
The book opens with the literary hook: a murder in a field in the countryside. But it quickly switches to a second murder in a science laboratory.
The novel has an interesting set of characters, and as in other James novels, there are half dozen suspects with various financial and emotional motivations to be involved with the killings. The mystery unfolds slowly, and the reader is given a few clues just ahead of the Dalgliesh. By the way, Dalgliesh does not play a dominant role in the book.
Readers will not be disappointed, and the book demonstrates the fame and ability of James as a crime writer. Most will want to keep the book and set it aside to read again in the future. Also, the book demonstrates again that more is not always better than less. In the elaborate 550 page slow moving story told in The Murder Room, the author has a 95 page introduction and no crime until around page 130. We wait as Dalgliesh does not enter the investigation until almost page 200. Thankfully, all of that type of writing is missing here. The story is well underway and the reader is fully engaged by page 10. James tells a well balanced and a compelling tale in half the space.
This is a masterpiece.
A Touchstone British Murder Mystery.......2007-01-11
Perfect. In this sixth of her Adam Dalgliesh mysteries, the author has achieved a flawless blend of the requisite elements. Dalgliesh is now a fully developed character and is given a sidekick that provides a fine complement to Dalgliesh's naturally dark character. I would also note without any spoilers that a grasp of Dalglish's background adds greatly to the enjoyment of the work. Our author is now able to avoid providing excessive and distracting detail regarding her protagonist as well as provide themes and plot lines that resonate with the Inspector's experience. Suffice it also to say that there is a strong and unifying theme running throughout the book that neatly ties everything up in an edifying and powerful manner. As befits first-rate fiction (of any genre), the book provides a worthwhile lesson in the nature of the human condition.
In short, a Forensic Biologist is whacked over the head with a mallet in his own police laboratory. Thus, the investigation of other murders must be put on hold while the police sort out their own business. The setting is well-matched to the events, the characters are diverse and excellently drawn, the plot moves nicely--but what sets this book apart are the constant red herrings. Upon encountering what appears to be a significant clue, you have not yet finished congratulating yourself on solving the mystery before your speculation is revealed to be flawed.
What makes this a masterwork is that the diversions and complications appear entirely natural. Nothing is out of place and the book is seamless in its relentless march to the ultimate revelation, the tragedy of which is developed in much greater detail than in prior works.
Thus far, my favorite P.D. James mystery. Highly recommended.
Haiku Review - 4 1/2 stars.......2006-06-30
scientist murdered
many suspects, one killer
thrilling to the end
Lacked A Punch .......2006-03-24
I find P.D. James' stories adapt better to television than they do novels. She is a fine writer and I admire the heck out of her ability to render a story's setting as important (and usually moreso) than any of the characters who inhabit the spaces of her creations. However, in this novel, as in the three others I've read, I felt slightly bored because it was as if the settings, being so lovingly, artfully described, overpowered the events and cried out for adaptation to the screen, and simply failed when confined to the single dimension of the flat page. James is a better screen writer than a novelist. She tells a fine story and tells it with imagination, but I can't help but confess, I find her books a little slow moving and dull. Here I wanted to find out more about the crime lab and its experiments. I also wanted to follow the life of the young girl who is the featured character at the very start, but alas, she drifts into the background soon after the opening pages, and we don't encounter her again except as a prop at the very end. I think Death of an Expert Witness needed a few more sub-plots and deviations from the main story. It was too little mystery and too much verbiage. Sorry...
Who can resist Adam Dalgleish?.......2005-05-02
This is an old P.D. James that I had somehow missed when I read her continuously in the mid-1990s. Although I love the James character Cordelia Gray, who appears in all of the "Unsuitable Job for a Woman"-type mysteries, my favorite James character is Inspector Dalgliesh. Since BBC/PBS did a series of "Mystery" episodes years ago based on the Dalgliesh character, I have him firmly fixed in my mind as the troubled Inspector (aren't they all?) who is also a brilliant poet and lover of all things fine in life. This book is a Dalgliesh book, not his best (that would be "A Taste for Death" or perhaps "Shroud for a Nightingale"), but even the worst Dalgliesh (I can't think of one) would be better than the best of most other people. This one takes place at a forensic laboratory where criminal and other evidence is processed and gives us a bit of a glimpse into how the Brits do Crime Scene Investigation (CSI). These are country people, not slick American city types, and that's OK. The countryside hides lots of interesting characters who have all sorts of motivations. Keep in mind that this was first published in 1986 and the world has changed rather tremendously since then!
Average customer rating:
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Death of an Expert Witness
Manufacturer: Recorded Books, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette
ASIN: 1556908849 |
Average customer rating:
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Death of a Expert Witness
P. D. James
Manufacturer: Warner Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
General
| Mystery
| Mystery & Thrillers
| Subjects
| Books
James, P.D.
| ( J )
| Authors, A-Z
| Mystery & Thrillers
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Mystery & Thrillers
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ASIN: 0446348260 |
Customer Reviews:
Terrible.......2004-12-02
Amateurish writing, hysterical characters -- each one a cardboard cutout unto itself. This book was written in 1977, but that doesn't account for its low quality. It's simply not well-written.
Product Description
5 massmarket paperback Titles in Inspector Adam Dalgiesh Series : A Mind to Murder - Shroud for a Nightingale - Death of an Expert Witness - Devices and Desires - Death in Holy Orders
Average customer rating:
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Death of An Expert Witness
Manufacturer: Penguin Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000HWJN68 |
Average customer rating:
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Death of An Expert Witness
P. D. James
Manufacturer: Toronto, Ontario, Canada: Penguin Books Canada, Limited
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000MWFLRI |
Product Description
A 10-compact disc audio book.
Book Description
Jacobia “Jake” Tiptree left her high-powered career for a dilapidated fixer-upper and the dream of a quiet existence in the quaint town of Eastport, Maine. But she found that no matter how carefully you remodel your life, murder can take up residence anywhere.
It’s Eastport’s most notorious landmark: the old Harlequin House. Named for the disgraced physician Chester Harlequin, it was used as a hideout for gunshot gangsters and their molls during Prohibition’s heyday. Now fixer-upper enthusiast Jake Tiptree and Harlequin’s only living descendant, Ellie White, are refurbishing the mansard-roofed mansion to host the local Historical Society’s upcoming gala. But when stripping down old wallpaper reveals a secret door to a room containing not one but two corpses, Jake and Ellie once again find home repair leading to homicide.
One of the bodies is a skeleton dressed in 1920s flapper chic. But the other is that of
real-estate mogul Hector Gosling, and in his pocket is a paper bearing the single word “Guilty.” The less-than-scrupulous tycoon has been poisoned, and when it’s learned that the offending substance is the poison that Ellie’s husband George has been using to kill red ants, he is immediately taken into custody. Then it develops that George had recently accused Gosling of a scheme to scam George’s vulnerable old aunt out of her life savings—and George out of his inheritance.
With George held for murder, Jake and a pregnant Ellie swing into action. In between Ellie’s Lamaze sessions, baby showers, and CPR classes taught by Jake’s ex-husband
Victor, the two amateur sleuths must sift their way through a trail of seemingly contradictory clues. Then another corpse surfaces and suddenly Jake and Ellie realize they must find this killer fast. A clever culprit is not only building an airtight case against Ellie’s husband. He—or she—is planning to nail everyone who stands in the way.
From the Hardcover edition.
Download Description
Jacobia "Jake" Tiptree left her high-powered career for a dilapidated fixer-upper and the dream of a quiet existence in the quaint town of Eastport, Maine. But she found that no matter how carefully you remodel your life, murder can take up residence anywhere.
It's Eastport's most notorious landmark: the old Harlequin House. Named for the disgraced physician Chester Harlequin, it was used as a hideout for gunshot gangsters and their molls during Prohibition's heyday. Now fixer-upper enthusiast Jake Tiptree and Harlequin's only living descendant, Ellie White, are refurbishing the mansard-roofed mansion to host the local Historical Society's upcoming gala. But when stripping down old wallpaper reveals a secret door to a room containing not one but two corpses, Jake and Ellie once again find home repair leading to homicide.
One of the bodies is a skeleton dressed in 1920s flapper chic. But the other is that of real-estate mogul Hector Gosling, and in his pocket is a paper bearing the single word "Guilty." The less-than-scrupulous tycoon has been poisoned, and when it's learned that the offending substance is the poison that Ellie's husband George has been using to kill red ants, he is immediately taken into custody. Then it develops that George had recently accused Gosling of a scheme to scam George's vulnerable old aunt out of her life savings -- and George out of his inheritance.
With George held for murder, Jake and a pregnant Ellie swing into action. In between Ellie's Lamaze sessions, baby showers, and CPR classes taught by Jake's ex-husband Victor, the two amateur sleuths must sift their way through a trail of seemingly contradictory clues. Then another corpse surfaces and suddenly Jake and Ellie realize they must find this killer fast. A clever culprit is not only building an airtight case against Ellie's husband. He -- or she -- is planning to nail everyone who stands in the way.
Customer Reviews:
Weasel resurrected!.......2007-04-30
Although the villain was incredibly easy to spot from the first chapter, I enjoyed this installment of the "Home Repair is Homicide" series very much. What puzzled me greatly, however, was the resurrection of a deceased character from "Wicked Fix." In that book, Wesley "Weasel" Bodine meets an untimely end; two books later, he's not only back among the living, he's behind the wheel of a large truck vigorously pursuing Jacobia! That brisk Eastport air must have remarkable restorative powers. Still, a fun read, as always.
How can they clear George when he won't say where he was?.......2004-09-16
Jake and Ellie discover a body in a closed room at Harlequin House during renovations. Ellie is sure she knows who it is due to stories she's heard and recognizing some items from a photo.
Then they find the body of Hector Gosling in this room. They consider closing the room back off and re-wallpapering so no one will know. Why? They feared Ellie's husband, George, would be considered guilty. They know he isn't, and Eastport's police chief Bob Arnold knows George's good character. But, they still know he'll be looked at hard.
What they didn't know was that Bob and his wife are out of town due to his mother taking ill. State Trooper Colgate came to town to investigate the murders.
George refuses to say where he was when Hector was murdered, so he ends up in jail.
Ellie and Jake begin to investigate Hector's murder. The fact that George refusing to let anyone visit him compounds the problem. George is attacked in prison. The fact that Ellie is very pregnant and concerned about George complicates matters.
Jake is also repairing her home. In between repairs, CPR classes, and Ellie's doctor appointments, the pair begin interviewing the various people involved.
When another corpse is discovered, they realize they need to work fast. Jake finds herself in danger before the true killer is unmasked.
I enjoy books in this series. They are a fast read. Cozy mysteries set on the east coast are a favorite of mine. Every time I read a book in this series, I wish I could visit Eastport, Maine.
Jake and Ellie are great characters. They are supported by a great cast of characters as well. They are all believable and created well. The new relationship between Jake and her dad is so well written.
I highly recommend this book.
Solid and entertaining.......2004-05-02
While working on a long-abandoned historic home, Jacobia 'Jake' Tiptree and her friend Ellie White discover the body of a long-dead flapper--and a much more recent corpse. Nobody much regrets Hector Gosling's death. The man was a swindler and a cheat. But the problem is, Ellie's husband George has been making all sorts of noises about wishing Hector were dead. And the more the police look into it, the more evidence they find that points directly at George. Jake finally decides that it's up to her and to vastly pregnant Ellie to get to the bottom of the mystery.
It turns out that there were plenty of people with good reason to want Hector dead. His partner is scheduled to inherit everything, Hector broke up his maid's engagement, and he ruined a business deal for a wood-cutting couple who are barely making ends meet. Which makes for plenty of suspects for Jake and Ellie to investigate. The problem is, none of these suspects have more reason to hate Hector than George does, and all seem to have some sort of alibi for the critical times. Only when Jake puts herself in serious harms way does she finally figure out what must have happened. And by then, it just might be too late.
Author Sara Graves mixes home renovation with detecting in an entertaining story. Jake's largely disfunctional family (ex-drug abusing son, ego-centered ex-husband, and ex-radical bomber ex-husband as well as mobster ex-business partner) are over the top but add interest to the story. Jake and Ellie do some serious detecting and are well motivated through the story. MALLETS AFORETHOUGHT is definitely worth the read.
A must read mystery.......2004-03-03
When she realized her teenage son was moving deeper into the NYC hardcore drug culture, financial planner Jacobia "Jake" Tiptree left her six-figure job and moved to Eastport, located on a barrier island off the coast of Maine. She moved into a fixer-upper that even years later still needs repair, had to make accommodations with her ex-husband who left a thriving medical practice to be near his son, and married a man who gave her the love and security her first spouse couldn't provide.
Now an integral part of the small seaport community, Jake and her best friend Ellie are just two of the volunteers fixing up Harlequin House for a fundraising gala. When the two women uncover a secret room, they open it and find two bodies inside. One is a woman who disappeared eighty years ago while the other corpse is the enemy of Ellie's husband. Jake knows that the police will have to arrest George since he told everyone in town he wanted to kill Hector and he will not give the cops an alibi. Jake starts investigating and her search leads to a suspect that plans to kill her so he can go on living in Eastport.
Sprinkled throughout the storyline are house repair tips that are very helpful and easy to follow, but also provide a sense of normalcy that augments the who-done-it. The heroine goes the extra mile for her friends in MALLETS AFORETHOUGHT, risking her own life to save the life of her spouse whom she knows is innocent. Sarah Graves is a very descriptive writer so the reader can visualize each scene in their head.
Harriet Klausner
Average customer rating:
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With Mallets Aforethought: A Winston Wyc Mystery
Brian Johnston
Manufacturer: Otto Penzler Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
United States | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books | 18th Century | 19th Century | 20th Century | African American | Asian American | Classics | Collections & Readers | Drama | General | Hispanic | History & Criticism | Humor | Jewish American | Letters & Correspondence | Native American | Poetry | Short Stories | Women Writers
General | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
General | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1883402441 |
Average customer rating:
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Mallets Aforethought 18C Mixed Floor
Sarah Graves
Manufacturer: Bantam
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
Women Sleuths | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0553680552
Release Date: 2004-10-26 |
Book Description
The story of a love and a treachery that would live for all time. Guinevere and Arthur. Lancelot and Merlin and Morgan Le Fay -- all the names of myth are given flesh and blood in this Del Rey Discovery of the Year book!
Customer Reviews:
Hyperactive Kids.......2007-06-27
I liked the premise of the book, but I think the graphics could have been better. Also, I bought this for my daughter who is starting ADHD meds and she was not much interested in the car story.
Just What the Doctor Ordered.......2005-03-18
Shortly after my middle son was diagnosed and given his meds the daily struggle on how to get him to take them began. Adding them to food did no good because he wouldn't eat it. Trying to get him to swallow was impossible as he would clamp his jaws shut.
I bought this book and we read it many times and he began to understand why he needed to take his medicine. That was almost 3 years ago and there are times he reminds me it's time to take his meds.
We gave the book to his psychiatrist when we were done with it.
Good way to explain medication and therapy to kids.......2004-08-16
I specialize in treating ADHD kids and this is one of the best books I have read that explains the process to children. It follows all the steps in the journey from diagnosis to treatment in a fantasy story about a young car who has a "motor that runs too fast". I will use it in my practice and will recommend it to the parents and children that I see with this disorder. I would highly recommend it.
Helps kids understand medication without fear or shame........2001-05-20
I keep a couple of copies of this book in my office. It uses humorous illustrations as well as concrete examples to help children understand why they need to take medication for AD/HD.
Otto, a young car, visits a special engine mechanic and receives an engine treatment to help him run at the right speed. The author uses this metaphor to explain the nature of AD/HD, and the process of getting a psychiatric evaluation. It suggests some good questions that the the child might want to ask about medication. I particularly liked the way the book discussed potential side effects and how it encouraged the child to discuss this with his or her doctor.
The book is aimed at elementary school children and some pre-schoolers.
Book Description
This is the latest edition of James Halliday's popular wine guide, which has long been regarded as the definitive guide to wines and wineries in Australia. With tasting notes, vintage-specific star ratings, background information on particular wines, advice on optimal drinking and suggestions for complementary food dishes, anyone planning to visit a wine-growing region or to replenish their cellar or wine rack will find James Halliday's Wine Companion utterly indispensable.
The 2005 edition is Halliday's most complete and exhaustively researched yet. With new up-to-the-minute entries, it is an essential tool for all lovers of Australian wine and a must-have for anyone who is passionate about good drinking and the finer things in life.
Book Description
This colorful book is a treasure chest of advice and ideas on restoring the most popular transportation toys of all eras. Readers will find easy-to-follow information on how to restore based on condition, when to restore (and when not to), the best techniques and tools, and common pitfalls to avoid. Author Dennis David offers a series of detailed case studies of ten recognizable transportation collectibles while providing a nostalgic look at numerous other toys. His experience in toy restoration provides readers a hands-on feel to the process as he addresses the universal steps of creating the most desirable toy artifact possible.
Customer Reviews:
Not helpful.......2006-03-15
If this book is supposed to be a how-to book as its title states, it falls very short. I couldn't find anything of use for me, since I want to restore much more delicate models, than those shown. Even the things the author talks about do not really explain how to do anything.
I should have paid attention to the first reviewer.
An absolutely worthless book!.......2004-08-03
This book basically says "sandblast the rust and then buy the missing parts". At best, it is a book about renovation not restoration. "The hubcaps 'appeared to be chrome' so we re-chromed them" is not a restoration statement but that of a hack. There is nothing on research (color matching, decals, creating missing parts, and so forth) and his examples are an endless repetition of the same theme of sandblasting . . . blah blah blah. He can't even tell you how to restore a serious dent or bend in the metal. The author does not seem to be a restoration expert but a writer about restoration. There is padding in the form of photographs of collectors. Tin plate models are really not covered in any depth yet these are the most difficult to restore. The list of suppliers of parts is pathetic. Don't waste your money. It is not even worth a 1 star rating.
Book Description
Get the best of both worlds in this collection of terrific two-block quilts! Pair up pieced and appliquéd blocks for quicker construction, streamlined stitching, and stunning secondary designs.
· Ten beautiful projects feature classic, folk art, and pictorial styles
· Four appliqué methods are highlighted: two kinds of freezer-paper appliqué, plus fabric-starch and needle-turn appliqué
· A special section reveals how to alter traditionally pieced blocks to make space for appliqué motifs
Customer Reviews:
colorful book.......2007-01-05
Not a bad choice in quilt block books. I did expect more illusion done with two blocks, per the title, and did not find that much
A very good book on Applique.......2006-03-19
I highly recommend this book for those who enjoy working with applique. The directions and techniques in this book are clear to understand. The patterns are beautiful and you can use them for small or big quilts. I love it. However, you should really work with applique before diving into this. Some of the patterns could be tricky.
Great designs, lousy instructions........2005-10-10
I bought this book based on the beautiful quilts and illustrations. Using it to build a quilt is another matter. The instructions are some of the most poorly written I have ever encountered. I have had to rewrite the instructions so that others, including myself, could understand them. And I do know what I'm talking about. i used to write intruction manuals for the U.S. Navy.
Customer Reviews:
This book is a treasure!.......2005-06-09
I first became aware of Margaret Miller while watching an episode of "Simply Quilts." She demonstrated her Easy Pieces method, and I was mesmerized. I ordered the book, and I haven't put it down since. She is a genius with color and design, and her methods are easy enough for a novice quilter. This book is a must-have!
Creativity Plus.......2001-04-20
Margaret Miller's book is filled with incredible creativity. She guides the reader to just let the juices flow and not to be afraid to try whatever "the reader" feels will work. No intimidation, no stress. First time quilters need not be afraid to give it a shot. Every quilt is a piece of art!! I'll own all of her books soon!
Spectacular Mind Opener.......2000-09-14
This book has been inspirational to me. I am now in the process of designing my own "Easy Pieces" quilt. The concept of using only triangles and wedges and then cutting the 6" block from the sewn pieces is so simple even I, a beginner quilter, could figure it out. The color and pattern possibilities seem to be endless and the results are startling. I have to finish up a boring hexagon quilt before I allow myself to start my Easy Pieces quilt, but I know exactly what I am going to do and have purchased the fabrics already. WOW"
Reccomended by the accidental quilter.......2000-08-17
I bought this book to learn more about designing quilts. Margaret Miller encourages the reader to play with two basic geometric shapes. This frees up the beginner from being overwhelmed by complicated construction techniques and able to play with quilt design. The quilts selected for inclusion in this volume also have a great deal of motion built into the design, so it gives the reader a chance to study how this is done. If you want to learn more about design, color, and motion of quilts--this is an excellent resource. Color examples that are my favorites include Marty Kutz's "Fall Frost" (pg. 60),Grace Crocker's "Quilt Virus"(pg. 66), Maureen Roy's "Sisters"(pg. 100), and Nancy Meyer's "The Inside Story."(pg. 51). All of the examples in this book are contemporary style quilts. mary cox the accidental quilter
Margaret Miller does it again!.......2000-01-06
If you are really looking to expand your horizons in quilting then this is the book for you. She takes you beyond your comfort zone and demands that you take a closer look at how you view color, light and motion on the flat field that quilters work with. I love and own all her books and appreciate the push she gives to my mind!
Average customer rating:
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The Narrow Home Plan Collection
Manufacturer: Design Basics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Design & Construction
| Home Design
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Home Design
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
House Plans
| Home Design
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 1892150034 |
Book Description
258 home plans from 26 to 50 feet in width.
Average customer rating:
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The Narrow Home Plan Collection: 258 Home Plans 26-50 ' in Width
Design Basics Inc.
Manufacturer: Design Basics Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Perfect Paperback
General
| Architecture
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
Residential
| Building Types & Styles
| Architecture
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
House Plans
| Home Design
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0964765837 |
Book Description
217 beautiful house plans, 50 feet or less in width, from the world's largest home designer.
Average customer rating:
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Tracings of Light: Sir John Herschel and the Camera Lucida--Drawings from the Graham Nash Collection
Larry J. Schaaf
Manufacturer: Friends of Photography
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
| Drawing
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Photography
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
History
| Photography
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Photo Essays
| Photography
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Drawing
| Instructional & How-To
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Artists, A-Z
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| England
| Europe
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Social History
| Historical Study
| History
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0933286554 |
Book Description
This 120-page publication Tracings of Light: Sir John Herschel & The Camera Lucida, by photo historian Larry J. Schaaf combines a substantial assessment of the camera lucida as a drawing tool with biographical information on Herschel, his counterparts, and their role in the development of photography.
Book Description
Michael Patrick MacDonald grew up in "the best place in the world"--the Old Colony projects of South Boston--where 85% of the residents collect welfare in an area with the highest concentration of impoverished whites in the U.S. In All Souls, MacDonald takes us deep into the secret heart of Southie. With radiant insight, he opens up a contradictory world, where residents are besieged by gangs and crime but refuse to admit any problems, remaining fiercely loyal to their community. MacDonald also introduces us to the unforgettable people who inhabit this proud neighborhood. We meet his mother, Ma MacDonald, an accordion-playing, spiked-heel-wearing, indomitable mother to all; Whitey Bulger, the lord of Southie, gangster and father figure, protector and punisher; and Michael's beloved siblings, nearly half of whom were lost forever to drugs, murder, or suicide. By turns explosive and touching, All Souls ultimately shares a powerful message of hope, renewal, and redemption.
Customer Reviews:
I mean...........2007-08-25
This guy had a LIFE. I don't envy him and I'm happy that he has come out on top...as far as an "Angela's Ashes"...not even close. I read this after a "true story" about a guy that worked for Whitey Bulger in Southie...I thought this would be another perspective and I looooved Angela's Ashes...I just wasn't hooked to any of the family except for the author...it was an interesting read but not that emotional or moving...again, I'm so glad he made it through his awful life but I don't think I'd make my friends read it...
Winged Cockroaches Drowning in Sprite.......2007-07-07
An ancient slander against the Irish holds that they would sell their own children for money to buy whiskey and damn if that isn't exactly what one of Michael MacDonald's sisters tries to do in "All Souls", MacDonald's didactic tale of coming of age in the Old Colony projects in South Boston. The sister in question wants to sell her child for money to buy crack, not whiskey, but it's the same difference in a case of life imitating stereotype.
In Old Colony, where "everyone is Irish or claims to be", the MacDonald family is, as they might say in Donegal, callanach and barbartha (rowdy and uncivilized), even when measured by shanty project standards. The family matriarch (there is no patriarch), "Ma", had ten children by three men. She supplements the welfare check by playing the accordion in taverns and her kids run wild in the streets, with predictable results-crime, drug addiction, mental illness, and suicide. The residents consider the project "the greatest place in the world", and pretend to live by something called the "Southie Code"-all for one and one for all, don't steal from your neighbor, throw the bums a dime, and above all, don't snitch. Of course, they rob each other blind, sell each other dope, and kill each other with distressing regularity. The only Southie Commandment they all seem to honor is "Thou Shall Not Snitch", since the police are the bad guys and the criminals, who have supplanted the missing fathers, the criminals are the neighborhood heroes.
"All Souls" is brisk and thoughtful. The book has value because it shows that urban poverty will produce the same social plagues regardless of race. It compares favorably to Claude Brown's classic about growing up amid the squalor and violence of Harlem, "Manchild in the Promised Land". High praise indeed. The narrative, however, is seriously flawed. One has to wonder how a five year-old MacDonald can so vividly recall visiting a brother in a mental hospital, or how an eight year-old MacDonald can so meticulously recount the Southie anti-busing riots, when he was "filled with the spirit of rebellion". The writing also suffers from wrenching, abrupt shifts. For example, one brother, an athlete, a boxer on the verge of making it, a man who wouldn't drink beer in public and who admonishes those that do because it sets a bad example for neighborhood kids, this man is suddenly shot dead while robbing an armored car because somehow, unannounced to the reader, he had developed a "major cocaine addiction".
Winged cockroaches drowning in Sprite? Mr. MacDonald finds twenty dead cockroaches (ubiquitous in the project) floating in cup of Sprite
and realizes that they have wings:
"They all floated in the cup with their useless
wings spread out. I stared at them for a good
long time wondering if they didn't know how to
use their wings, or if they just didn't know
they had them, until it was too late to save
themselves".
As metaphors go, that is about as sappy as it gets. Mr. MacDonald did, though, spread his wings and save himself from the Sprite of the project mentality.
A Gripping, Informative Memoir.......2007-04-10
I've never been to Boston, my upbringing was about as suburban as you can get, and I loved "All Souls." It's the memoirs of Michael Patrick MacDonald, who grew up in the largely Irish-Catholic South Boston ("Southie") in the tumultuous 60s and 70s. The Publishers Weekly review summed up the book better than I could, so I will just add some of my own observations.
1.) "All Souls" is instrumental in publicizing a largely-neglected aspect of American history- the Boston busing riots. Aside from a few passing references to it in history textbooks, I'm not aware of any other book where the topic is explored from the viewpoint of someone who was actually there. Basically, William Garrity, a federal judge in Boston, found that the schools in Boston were segregated, and ordered that students should be bused to achieve an equal racial balance. The protest in South Boston was fierce. The people there resented the decision, and threw rocks at the first buses carrying black students into the South Boston area. If students were in a neighborhood assigned to be bused to the predominately black schools, then their parents would send them to a private school if they could afford it. Many times the students would simply drop out. When the busing started, fights broke out between the black and white students. Racism was rampant in South Boston, and many used the "n word" with abandon. Yet not all of the opposition to busing was racially motivated. Mostly the parents were concerned for the safety of their children, and resented the tight-knit community being forcibly torn apart.
2.) Another fascinating aspect of "All Souls" was the code of silence that enveloped Southie until very recently. If there were murders or suicides, you didn't mention it to the police. The myth was "in Southie, everyone looks out for each other." And to a certain extent that was true- it was a tight-knit community. The problem is that when someone was in real trouble, such as getting shot in a botched robbery, no one would come forward to give information that could save lives and rectify the situation. Whitey Bulger was largely responsible for perpetuating the code of silence and the "people look out for each other" myth. And he could say this, since he was comfortably living in a mansion, while most of the people in Southie were in public housing projects.
3.) The author's portrayal of poverty is fascinating and heartbreaking. We can see the effects of the breakdown of the family unit firsthand through the author's eyes. Most families had no father to look after them, and many of the mothers were on welfare. MacDonald's mother, Helen King, or "Ma" as he calls her, is one tough cookie. She managed to raise 10 kids on her own without a father- and the only income she received was from welfare and whatever tips she could scrape by playing the accordion at pubs. Most mothers were not as dedicated as this one, unfortunately. MacDonald never preaches about the issue, and there is much in here for people of all political persuasions to think about.
I love it how the book begins and ends with the author, now a grown man, attending a meeting of the newly-formed South Boston Vigil Group on All-Souls Day. They are people from all over South Boston who are ready to break the silence, and name the names of loved ones lost to murder, drugs, or suicide. Fans of gripping biography, social history, Irish-American history, and American history in general will not want to miss this.
inspiring.......2007-03-29
Even though there are pages upon pages of great reviews for this book, I had to add my two cents.
Having grown up as a unidentified upper-middle class American in the 80's, searching for connection with community and my family's origins, I found this book to be inspiring. Macdonald's recollection of his community and pride in his flawed family induced me to appreciate my own average life, as well as appreciate those full of tragedy.
Amazing, enraging, beautiful, heartbraking,inspiring .......2007-03-26
I can't say enough about this book,it is a must read for every single American citizen that has ever been foolish enough to believe that our so called government does not promote and encourage acts of violence against the most vulnerable communities in this country.
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