Book Description
The year is l854. In Paris, Francisco Solano –– the future dictator of Paraguay –– begins his courtship of the young, beautiful Irish courtesan Ella Lynch with a poncho, a Paraguayan band, and ahorse named Mathilde. Ella follows Franco to AsunciÓn and reigns there as his mistress. Isolated and estranged in this new world, she embraces her lover's ill–fated imperial dream –– one fueled by a heedless arrogance that will devastate all of Paraguay.
With the urgency of the narrative, rich and intimate detail, and a wealth of skillfully layered characters, The News from Paraguay recalls the epic novels of Gabriel GarcÍa Márquez and Mario Vargas Llosa.
Customer Reviews:
Daring Writer.......2007-06-20
The first third of this book is tedious. There is no real device that drives opening of the novel forward. The romance between Franco Solano and Ella Lynch is predictable--it is after all, history. The narrator makes no attempt to build tension. Ella and Franco's trip to Paraguay is only mildly interesting. Ella's first impressions of Paraguay fall far short of the full exotic potential. The characters don't really want anything. There is no real tension between characters or between character and landscape. Tension is mentioned on occasions, but the tension (such as that which exists between Ella and Franco's fat sisters, or between Franco and his brothers) takes place off-stage. We never really see it and therefore it does not really matter.
The book is told through a series of anecdotes from a variety of perspectives. In the opening of the book, the characters are circumstantially connected. So what we get is a bunch of circumstantially connected anecdotes in relatively tensionless environments where the exoticism of landscape and people is never really explored. People are simply going about their lives in a far-off, sleepy place.
But thankfully it gets better. And really, the novel would not work if the beginning were any different. If I took one thing away from this novel, it is the importance of pacing--the idea that in a novel, unlike a short story, the writer has the space to use the pace of events and the contrast of worlds to show movement.
Each and every thing that each and every character possesses at the opening of the novel--from Franco's gastronomic and sexual appetite to the country of Paraguay and the city of Paris--everything is ruined. The destruction of that opening world in complete.
The destruction begins at the midpoint of the novel--chapter 9. Franco has an abscessed tooth that must be removed. "Franco sat up and spat a cheesy, puslike liquid into the basin...In spite of herself, the reek made (Ella) draw away and some of the cheesy, puslike stuff fell onto Ella's silk shoe." And from there, everything falls apart. The world created is then piece by piece, person by person, bond by bond, felled.
The anecdotes are also told out of sequence. Again, this deflates tension. We know that Franco dies, before we learn how he dies. We know that Ella escapes and moves back to London, before we know how she escapes. We know that little Pancho dies, before we know how he dies. And what this knowledge does is draw our focus to the way in which events transpire rather than their uncertainty. It is the way history works and a creative and ambitious way to structure a novel.
It is also interesting to note that the tension of want--the desire typical of story tension, is abundant in the second half of the novel. In each small passage, each character wants something. Sometimes they want the small things that war takes away--food, comfort. Sometimes they want the destructive things that war brings--they rape, murder, pillage. Sometimes it is the reader who finds himself wanting characters to be in some small way decent. And perhaps that is the most intriguing tension of this book--the writer never gives the reader what he wants. A dangerous thing to do.
This is a daring novel worthy of praise.
When you use Spanish, know Spanish.......2007-06-10
Although I have not yet finished the novel and actually am finding it intriguing, the thing that bothers me is the number of errors in Spanish. There are also a couple in the Portuguese, and I cannot speak for the Guaraní language. This may seem like a minor detail, but I do speak Spanish and think others like me appreciate correct usage of the language, not just having it for decoratng the novel. When character names are misspelled, it is jarring - Juanita and Inés (spelled Juañita and Iñés) are just two examples of over-abundance of the ñ. Or there's the name of the Palacio de Justiza. The word is Justicia, please.
Unlike a lot of readers, I have read about Paraguay, have read a lot of its literature, and do consider it well worth writing about. Thus I applaud the choice, but am a bit disconcerted by the linguistic inaccuracies - to the point where I am now curious as to the documentation used to write the novel. Chalk this up to being a literary critic by trade, but one hopes there is some legitimacy to what one is reading. Theh big appeal is the way a foreigner reaches a very foreign country and adapts - or doesn't. It is the most intriguing part of the plot.
However, I recommend that in the future there be a capable linguistic consultant involved in any works that take place where English is not the only language used.
A Pot Boiler.......2007-01-25
This National Award winning novel is surprising in that it is essentially a pot boiler with a literary lining. There is the sex, of course, the rampant excessive emotion, and the quick sketching of character based on a few, salient, and dramatic characteristics. And Tuck can't seem to let this alone. She sketches out even the most minor characters, from stable boys to aristocrats, and strings them together to advance the plot. It's an interesting device, sometimes used to great effect, and sometimes not. Used with greater dexterity, this novel could have been a masterpiece. As it is, it is only a good read, which in itself is an accomplishment of note. I suppose it is heartening that literary fiction, as deemed by the academy, can delve into a realm so sharply drawn with excess, so (at times) melodramatically portrayed, and so designed to merely titillate.
Too much sex........2006-12-06
When explaining some of this book's scenes, my wife thought I had snuck a Hustler Magazine into the house. The constant reference to masturbation, penises and perversion definitely overshadowed the book's fascinating subject.
Not As Awful As Everyone Says It Is..........2006-08-19
There are numerous people who have written some terrible things about this novel. Now, I agree that it is the type of book that makes you wonder who really decides what warrants a National Book Award, but at the same time, the novel is not something that should be dismissed completely.
Tuck writes about the relationship between European born Ella and soon-to-be Paraguayan dictator Franco super-imposed upon the warring between Paraguay and its neighbors. What comes across very quickly is Franco's lust for power and his inability to stay faithful to his wife. The novel's title is in reference to the numerous correspondence between Ella and a friend she leaves in Paris.
The novel itself reminds me of Duras's The Lover. Stylistically, it shares the same short, seemingly disjointed narrative style, jumping from character to character, major ones to minor ones, spending as few as a couple of sentences to as much as a page or two from any one perspective. While for many, this style of writing lacks a kind of coherence and also does not hit you over the head with pages and pages of description, what Tuck has succeeded in is creating a landscape as rich and detailed in its own way as someone like Dickens. The emotional depth to her characters that many miss is wonderfully described and Ella's and Franco's distancing from one another is masterfully done.
Overall, this is a pleasurable read, but don't go into it thinking that you're going to find a novel as well-crafted as other novels who have won the prestigious award.
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Noticias desde Paraguay / The News from Paraguay (Novela Historica / Historic Novel)
Lily Tuck
Manufacturer: Grijalbo Mondadori Sa
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 8425339731 |
Customer Reviews:
Re-runs doom Nameless Detective fans to Deja vu.......2004-01-10
Pronzini sits at the top of the list of Hammett's successors. His Nameless Detective has established his own claim to the San Francisco neighborhoods where Sam Spade and the Continental Op once trod. As a long-time Nameless fan I sought out Scenarios, hoping to revel in a trove of undiscovered Nameless tales. Alas, this collection of mostly re-published materials overwhelmed me with deja vu. These are great stories--Pronzini doesn't write any other kind-- but if you're a Nameless fan, you've probably read most of them already in such collections as Case File and Spadework. Plot lines from several others can be found in full length Nameless novels. Only two or three of these fourteen stories sounded new to me. New fans will enjoy this book but oldtimers will be better off waiting for the next Nameless novel.
Scenarios: A Nameless Detective Casebook.......2004-01-07
Bill Pronzini is best known for his "Nameless Detective" novels. "Scenarios" is a casebook of short stories featuring Nameless. In all there are 14 short stories in this book. Of special interest is the short story "It's a Lousy World" which is Nameless' first case and was written in 1968. There is also a Nameless/Sharon McCone story which Pronzini co-wrote with his wife, Marcia Muller. Bill Pronzini is a giant in mystery fiction and this book shows he is a master of the short story as well. "Scenarios" should be a part of any "Nameless Detective" collection.
Nameless Detective, "enuff said".......2003-06-15
Because of the well-deserved reputation of this sleuth, this reviewer is keeping this review very short as this fourteen-story casebook showcases one of the great sleuths of the last half of century, The Nameless Detective. The anthology covers the full range of decades starting back in the late 1960s and going into 2002, but most of the contributions were written between 1979-1995. Bill Pronzini displays his talent throughout the book so that readers receive what is bound to be recognized as one of the better crime fiction assemblages of the year. The numerous fans of the Nameless Detective will rejoice with this complete compilation while if there is anyone who has not tried at least one tale this is a delightful entry to one of the greats.
Harriet Klausner
Average customer rating:
- Loved everything about this series except.....
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Warblade (Konrad Trilogy, Book 3)
David Ferring
Manufacturer: Games Workshop
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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Shadowbreed (Warhammer)
ASIN: 0743443055 |
Customer Reviews:
Loved everything about this series except............2003-01-03
The "Konrad" series is one of my favorites from the Warhammer world. You really have sympathy for Konrad, his plight and sufferings. You also get a great sense of redemption as he performs some truly heroic deeds. Ferring also has terrific prose style and uses great descriptions, dialogue and settings. They're also great for fans of the macabre too since most of Konrad's adventures have him in some truly terrifying places. Spoilers below, don't read if you haven't read the book......
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I gave Warblade only 3 stars because of the terrible lack of effort with the ending of the series. It felt like David Ferring was under editorial pressure and had to deliver the goods quick. For a trilogy with so much build-up, the ending was a drop-dead anti-climax and left the reader feeling like they had been punched in the gut. It's really too bad. Still though, I'd like to see another Konrad book written.
Book Description
Treatment options, lifestyle strategies,and emotional support for two million Americans.
Epilepsy, once mistakenly associated with demonic possession, has for centuries been a poorly understood illness. Today, though it affects nearly one out of every one hundred Americans, little comprehensive information can be found on bookshelves regarding this common and complex neurological disease. Until now!
Using his expertise in pharmacology and neuroscience, Dr. Carl Bazil demystifies epilepsy and other seizure disorders and offers medical, practical, and emotional support to patients and their families. He explains how and why seizures occur, and thoroughly discusses treatment options, the pros and cons of surgery, experimental and alternative treatments, strategies for daily living, and much more.
Substantiated with case examples, this useful book provides a much-needed window into epilepsy so that patients can achieve the full life they deserve.
Customer Reviews:
Ready for an Apology..........2007-08-13
This is an excellent book and helps you deal with the brain disease of a loved one. I read this book because my wife of 21 years suffers from epilepsy.
She was first diagnosed with it about 20 years ago, while I was an Army officer assigned to Germany. She only had one seizure then and the doctors said it was probably stress-induced, so she reduced her stress levels. She did not go on any medication then. The book talks about this type of seizure and how many people in this scenario will only experience one seizure in their lifetime.
She remained seizure free until about two years later when we moved back to the states. The stress of the move, coupled with two new babies (they are 14 months apart) triggered her to have another one. And then another one 3 days after that. She started having seizures every few days. One seizure even occurred while she was driving down the interstate with our two kids in the backseat in their car seats. She luckily could feel it coming on, pulled the car over, put the car in "Park", then had the seizure. The book discusses this phenomenon and I understand it better now.
The book also talks a lot about medications available. In my wife's case, the doctors were able to successfully stop the seizures by putting her on the anti-seizure drug called Tegretol. She still takes it religiously 3 times a day.
The book also talks about the history of epilepsy. How the churches have been telling everyone for 2000 years that it is caused by "demon possession". And about how in many parts of the world the churches are still doing this practice. I can understand this mistake. I mean, if you can't explain a phenomenon truthfully, why not just make something up, like "demon possession"? And then tell all your constituents that you better get in here so you don't get it, too! After all, it just makes good business sense. And their offerings went way up, after this little fib.
And it's really no big deal except that the "aura" of it still lives on today here in the US. That's why we haven't been able to tell our 18 year old daughter's boyfriend that her mommy suffers from epilepsy.
My wife has been seizure free for the last 4 years. But over this past weekend she was staying in a rental house with the family to celebrate her brother's wedding. With the stress from our daughter going off to college in a few weeks, along with my wife being in that wedding, she had another stress-induced seizure Saturday night. She woke up in the middle of the night in that rental house, and ran to what she thought was the bathroom. But she was confused and mistakenly ran into the room where our daughter's boyfriend was sleeping alone. She proceeded to have a seizure attack and fell and broke her ankle. This one was a little different from the other seizures she has had. With this one, she not only urinated herself like all the others, but she also defecated herself this time. All in front of our daughters' just awoken, startled and freaked-out boyfriend. Needless to say, she missed the wedding.
To some, this all might seem funny. But it's not all that funny if you are actually living it. And to the churches, I want to especially thank you all for the added "stigma stress" that she must also endure. Caused by your naked lies. And don't get me wrong, for I am a Christian, and a member of the Methodist church for which I have great respect. But you all have a reckless disregard for all of us who suffer from brain diseases, and you increase our suffering.
This book discusses this stigma. Caused by our churches. I just discussed it a little bit, too.
I believe a unified public apology from all our churches is needed. I hope and pray for this everyday.
Very informative.......2007-04-15
Out of the blue my completely healthy 12 year old son went unconscious, fell to the floor and started having what I now know is called a tonic-clonic (or grand mal) seizure. After a week of extensive testing and several doctor visits he was diagnosed with Primary Generalized Epilepsy. Like most parents I HAD to know more---how does this happen, what exactly goes on in the brain leading up to a seizure, what do the antiepileptic drugs do to his body, etc. This was the first book I found on the disease and it has really helped me gain a better understanding of what's happening with my son. It does get a little technical, which I liked & with my modest "medical" type background I had no problem following it. (I took several anatomy & physiology classes which probably helped me with that!) I'm now in search of a book that will explain it in terms my SON will understand...
Customer Reviews:
A....C U L I N A R Y...P E E K...I N T O...T H E...W A S P...W O R L D.......2006-09-11
SAMPLE REVIEW, (ONE OF 3) FROM THE COVER OF THIS BOOK: 'A very funny, nostalgic trip through WASPland. Chock-full of sociological information".....Letitia Baldridge
If you are a person who pronounces the word as "QU-LIN-AIR-Y', and NOT as "cull-in-ary'; if you admire and aspire to the "WASP" (White, Anglo-Saxon Protestant) lifestyle, love books such as "Elegance", by Genvieve Darieux, and "Faro's Daughter" by Georgette Heyer, (which....I herein must admit, in shameless self-promotion, that I have also reviewed for Amazon), and all other exquisitely written regency novels...would die to become a debutante, or a debutante's glamourous escort, if you read the "Style" sections assiduously, and agonize, daily, with your sense of fair play, and political correctness coming into conflict with your love of the good life and material success....THIS IS YOUR COOKBOOK!
It helps to have a wry sense of humour, as well, in reading this book. For the authoress, ALEXANDRA WENTWORTH, is not only a genuine, top-drawer WASP, but is also an accomplished comedienne, having appeared on "IN LIVING COLOUR", and other entertainment vehicles. (Ms. Wentworth seems to have found THE answer in how to assuage a guilty conscience and STILL enjoy the "good life": simply to SHARE the wisdom and wealth, of that good life, with others! She did so in the TV programme, "IN LIVING COLOUR", and does so, as well -- and with obvious glee and relish, (no pun intended -- by me, at least), in this book.
The book is divided, firstly, into the four seasons of the year: Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. Each season has several subsections, (such as "Annual Family Meeting Tea", in 'Spring') Each subsection contains one or more receipies....many with pithy, and insightful comments showing the good, (and yes, the bad) sides, of real WASP life. For instance, in "Annual Family Meeting Tea", there are two receipies, prefaced by a delightfully humourous, and very knowing introduction. Herewith, the introduction, and one receipie, (together with the comments given)
.........A N N U A L....F A M I L Y....M E E T I N G....T E A.........
The annual family meeting used to be a time when the extended family gathered to discuss property, financial accounts, and the name of a good doctor who can declare Grandpa legally incompetent. Alas, as WASPs have, over the years, lost much of their estate and holdings, owing to n'er-do-well offspring, the annual family meeting has become more of a de facto reunion. If you have married into such a family and are of a different background, I suggest you feign the flu or a slipped disk and stay home.
As WASPs can't cook an elaborate meal, family meetings have mercifully taken on a tealike quality.
.......................M A R Y ' S.....K N E E S.......................
Serves 15-20. An important drink for calming nerves and provoking hearty laughs, (ie: add extra vodka).
6 cups fresh squeezed orange juice
2 cups fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 cups fresh squeezed lime juice
4 cups Absolut citron (lemon vodka)
2 cups Grand Marnier liqueur
Mix ingredients with plenty of ice and orange wedges.
Seven other topics, (making a total of eight topics) each including several recipies, are given for "Spring", (many with similarly pithy insights), These include one or more receipes for "Easter Supper", "Bridal Tea" and "Baby Shower Bruch" -- amongst receipies for other crucial Spring events in the WASP Calendar. In "Summer" are shown receipes for ten events, including: "June Graduation Supper", "Fourth of July Cookout", and "Wimbledon Fancy", (amongst others). "Autumn" gives receipes for six events, including "Prep School Send-Off", "A Middleburg Foxhunt" and "A Racquetball Lunch", and other important events. And "Winter" again gives culinary musts for six events, including "Debutante Ball Cocktails", "Boxing Day Lunch", and "Vail Weekend".
(This reviewer notes the fact that several receipies are given for both "Fourth of July Cookout", and for "Boxing Day Lunch". This shows this book to be a genuinely AMERICAN WASP cookbook.....as, by and large, both American WASPS -- and WASP Admirers -- find absolutely no contradiction in being proud to be American, and being an unashamed Anglopile, at one and the same time. Or, at least, we try very, very hard to find no contradiction in liking, and being proud of, our interest in both. I mean, after all, it HAS been over 200 years since the American Revolution, and, with the "Special relationship" between the U.S. and the U.K. And, after all, Boxing Day DOES involve giving presents to the "help" -- which is a good, democratic idea...or is it a condescending one???? Well, it appears that, though WASP wanna-bes, like me, struggle mightily to join our sometimes conflicting admirations, real WASPS, such as Ms. Wentworth, have absolutely NO compuction of combining their seemingly conflicting admirations. At least, no apologies of any kind for admiring things English is given in THE WASP COOKBOOK. And, after all, why should there be -- as a WASP, Ms. Wentworth, and others like her, are only admiring their own genetic heritage. Oh....why can't everyone be lucky!?
I noticed, by comparing similar receipies in "The WASP Cookbook", and "The Jewish Cookbook", (by Mildred Bellin....which, yes indeed, I have also reviewed for Amazon), that the WASP recipes use FEWER INGREDIENTS. Thus, to "Waspisize" any receipie, it MIGHT be an idea to simply take away some ingredients....preferably those with the most calories or fat. However, for GENUINE Wasp receipes....along with eye-opening, very true, very humourous, and often self-depricating comments, this slim volume with 110 numbered pages, a WONDERFUL velveteen cover, (with golden printing on the cover!), and lovely pale-blue endpapers, can't be missed! It is a very true, and very real, treasure-trove, both for WASPs, and for anyone who wants to eat like one!
a laugh on every page.......2004-03-01
This book made me laugh until I cried. Clearly the author has "been there." Forget about the recipes; it's the commentary that matters. I particularly liked the cookies sent to the child at boarding school with "love from Mummy" written in the cook's handwriting.
Entertaining ,Not To Be Taken as Fact !.......2003-10-24
10/24/03 The book is entertaining with much levity since it comes across absurd(e,g recipe for Green Leaf Salad: Boston lettuce,red oak leaf lettuce,Newman's Own Salad Dressing)...or.. "Mary's Knees" :orange juice,lemon juice,lime juice,lemon vodka(Absolut Citron),Grand Marnier liquer).The book does not come across "as believable",based on books and other mediums(TV,Magazines) for biographies and autobiographies which have exposed the "life styles" of the "low keyed" bluebloods(The Paparazzi have shown their radicals such as the Spencer Family(Princess Diana),Kelly Family (Princess Grace).The rich's conservatism with their cash have made them able to be philanthropists and "powers behind the throne" of most politicans(who do take them seriously!)..The products mentioned (in the many foods not made from scratch e.g. for "Barn Parties:"Spring Chicken Potpies( ingredients incuded 4 cans of chunk white chicken(5-oz ea.)..4 cans creamy potato soup(10 oz ea.)...6 pkg. of pie crust mix (10 oz. ea)) as well as the events,categorized by season(e.g. Winter:Debutante Ball Cocktails(Pg 90) appear to show a faction not "atypical" of the sterotypes which have been depicted.(Possibly because the book shows "only leisure time"(before graduation from school,at lunches,brunches,showers,weddings,egg hunts,fox hunts);not inside the corporate board rooms or an actual easedropping of the "cigar guys" in their private clubs..
Love this food.......2003-05-26
Alexandra Wentworth should receive the Nobelprice for collecting these recipies. Also the comments were great fun to read.
Very funny!.......2003-04-08
This is a great book. I bought it for myself - and I'm now buying them for my WASP girlfriends for their birthdays - a very funny book with some good (not great) recipes.
Book Description
2,000 decorative motifs expertly reprinted in full color from a rare 19th-century publication. Adapted from borders, tiles, carved wood panels, and other ornamental sources, the designs include classic Egyptian, Greek, Roman and Etruscan motifs; Chinese, Japanese, Persian and Indian patterns; samples from the Arabic and Byzantine cultures; Celtic, medieval, Renaissance and 18th century European art.
Customer Reviews:
Great inspiration.......2000-03-30
Wonderful book! A must have for all artists and craftsmen, this book features colorful ornaments throughout history, covering most major periods and styles. As an artist I found it very inspiring and handy. All the designs are easily copied and can be reused in any project you choose. My own copy, which I own for a few years, still looks new and fresh thanks to the quality of the paper and printing. If you buy this book and find it useful, you can also get 'The grammar of ornament' by Owen Jones, which is very similar in concept, content and quality. However, Racinet's book is higher on my list.
Great inspiration.......2000-03-30
Wonderful book! A must have for all artists and craftsmen, this book features colorful ornaments throughout history, covering most major periods and styles. As an artist I found it very inspiring and handy. All the designs are easily copied and can be reused in any project you choose. My own copy, which I own for a few years, still looks new and fresh thanks to the quality of the paper and printing. If you buy this book and find it useful, you can also get 'The grammar of ornament' by Owen Jones, which is very similar in concept, content and quality. However, Racinet's book is higher on my list.
Book Description
Classic sourcebook of spectacular royalty-free design collages, featuring over 1,500 decorative elements and motifs from major cultures in history through the 19th century, from Asia and Africa to Europe and the Americas. Adapted from jewelry, illuminated manuscripts, weapons, tiles, carved wood panels, ceilings, inlay, hardware, ceramics and more.
Customer Reviews:
A little bit of everything!.......2003-01-11
When I first looked at this on the Amazon web site I was not sure about getting it because the pages you can see look to be designs from Egypt and I wanted more then that. I sent for it anyway and it has wonderful designs in full color plates from China, Japan, India, Russia, the Renaissance, Medieval jewelry designs and others. It has just a little bit (a few pages) of everything from ancient Egypt to 18th century France.It will be more then helpful in helping me decide what I like. I am sure this will be one of my most used books and as always I am happy with Dover for making it at a price I can afford.
Customer Reviews:
Own It--Love It!!.......2006-04-10
As I've said before--you can't go wrong with her books!! They are wonderful and beautifully full of vibrant colors!! Her books are precious to me. She did an excellent job!! Thank you Ruth Issett!!
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German Expressionist Prints and Drawings: Essays (German Expressionist Prints & Drawings)
Bruce Davis
Manufacturer: Prestel
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Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 3791309749 |
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- It Was a Wonderful Life
- Schaap's warm stories will interest and Sports fanatic
- To be frank, it's a little....sad.
- a Man on top of the Game!
- A Fitting Finale for a Good Man...
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Flashing Before My Eyes: 50 Years of Headlines, Deadlines & Punchlines
Dick Schaap
Manufacturer: William Morrow
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For One More Day
ASIN: 0380975122
Release Date: 2001-01-09 |
Amazon.com
Dick Schaap, it seems, knows everyone. He would easily win at Six Degrees of Separation. Heck, he would win at Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon. As a matter of fact, he probably golfs with Kevin Bacon. I wouldn't be surprised, since Schaap has golfed with Bill Clinton and played doubles tennis against Johnny Carson, and he regularly dines with Billy Crystal. Oh, and Muhammad Ali is one of his oldest friends. But Schaap is also a guy who remembers his teammates on the Freeport Barons (winners of the New York State Kiwanis League Championship '49 and '50) in fond and humorous detail. It is his true love for and fascination with people that make Flashing Before My Eyes such a delight to read.
Born in Brooklyn, Schaap was a smart kid with an outsized love for the Dodgers. By the age of 15 he was a sports reporter for the Nassau Daily Review-Star, where he worked under 20-year-old Jimmy Breslin, who became a lifelong friend. From there Schaap moved on to Cornell University and then to Newsweek, where he learned to write "short and tight. The end of the world? Give me eight hundred words. The end of the World Series. Maybe five hundred." With more than 50 years in journalism, over 30 books to his name, and five Emmys, there's no debating that Schaap is a storyteller extraordinaire. Page after page of Flashing Before My Eyes rolls by as you snort and chortle at Schaap's stories (and sometimes Schaap himself; he doesn't spare the pen), but then he slides in a moment that makes you tear up. Mitch Albom, who wrote the introduction, says of Schaap, "His cross-referencing would put Microsoft Access to shame. You can say to Dick, 'Pass the ketchup,' and he will reply, 'Did I ever tell you about Bobby 'Catch-Up' Johnson, the one-legged soccer player I met in Belgium?'" Schaap on sports, Schaap on comedy, Schaap on politics--these we've enjoyed for years. Now relish Schaap on Schaap. --Dana Van Nest
Book Description
Muhammad Ali stretched out on a brown couch, a towel across his waist, while an air conditioner fired cool air across his body. It was a scorching Manila morning, and in thirty minutes Ali would go to war with Joe Frazier for the third and final time. Ali yawned and stared at the ceiling of his dressing room. "Just another day's work," he said. "Just gotta go beat on another man." The reporter did what a reporter is supposed to do. He listened and wrote down Ali's words.
And so began just another day's work for Dick Schaap, who in the past half-century has carved out his own legend, not with his fists but with his reportorial verve, his indefatigable curiosity, and his irrepressible wit. Now, in Flashing Before My Eyes, the longtime ABC correspondent and host of ESPN"s The Sports Reporters recounts a charmed career in which he has met almost everyone and seen almost everything. He has played golf with Bill Clinton, tennis with Bobby Fischer, cards with Wilt Chamberlain. He has written books with Joe Namath and Joe Montana. He has taken Brigitte Bardot to dinner and Lenny Bruce to a World Series. He saw the Baltimore Colts beat the New York Giants in sudden-death overtime, and the Green Bay Packers beat the Dallas Cowboys in the Ice Bowl. He saw Bill Mazeroski end a World Series with a home run, and Willis Reed lift the New York Knicks to an NBA title. He has covered murders and riots, presidential campaigns and Broadway openings. He introduced Muhammad Ali to Billy Crystal, and Billy Crystal to Joe DiMaggio. He walks with sluggers and senators, cops and comedians, authors and actresses, and he shares the sights he sees and the words he hears in stories that make you laugh and cry.
With an introduction by Tuesdays with Morrie author Mitch Albom, Schaap's memoir gives the reader the ultimate highlight reel of the last fifty years and makes a compelling case that if Dick Schaap wasn't there to see it, it didn't happen.
Customer Reviews:
It Was a Wonderful Life.......2005-03-24
Few sportswriters led a more interesting life than Dick Schaap. His was a Forrest Gump type of existence -- they guy witnessed every notable moment in sports over the past four decades. It's just too bad Schaap died before his time. At any rate, he does a compelling job of chronicling his life in this book. I couldn't put it down.
Schaap's warm stories will interest and Sports fanatic.......2003-12-02
After a half century of listening and telling, Dick Schaap finally tells his own story in this long overdue memoir of a legendary journalist. He has wined and dined with some of America's most revered icons, both on and off the record, and the amount of stories he has to tell rivals a bible-preaching minister minister.
This 300 page auto-biography is a vast collection of stories told by Schaap, who thanks to his unbelievable amount of friends probably drops more names then the Hollywood walk of fame and the basketball, football and baseball hall of fames combined.
His status as one of the most distinguished and respected journalists of the 20th century represent his true versatility in print and television journalism and after all his stories of running the town with Muhammad Ali, drinking with Billy Crystal, smoking a joint with Joe Namath, playing tennis with Johnny Carson and talking women with Wilt Chamberlain, Schaap finally tells his own story in this warm and intimate memoir
In 50 years of journalism, Schaap has worked for ESPN covering sports, ABC where he was a sports correspondent, a theater critic for "World Wide News Now" and reported human interest and political stories for "20/20," was the author of more than 30 books, including 2 New York Times Bestsellers and has won six Emmys for his work in television. Schaap is the only man to vote for both the Tony Awards, which recognizes achievement in performing theatres, and the Heisman Trophy, which recognizes the best player in college football.
Schaap takes the reader through his childhood first at his birthplace in the flat bush section of Brooklyn in 1934 and where he spent the majority of his adolescence in Freeport, Long Island, which Schaap described as a "blue collar clam digger's town." He described his early affinity for sports and how he bleed Brooklyn Dodger blue. At the age of 15 Schaap was hired at the local paper to cover local sports, adding that he was very overpaid and often opened the paper in excitement and closed it in embarrassment.
A child prodigy in the field of sports journalism, Schaap also excelled in his academics and attended Cornell University at the age of 17. While Schaap admits the early start in the job market accelerated his career, it also left him socially inept and extremely shy, which contributed to "many failed relationships and 2 bitter divorces." Schaap went on to study at Colombia University eventually became the editor of Sport upon receiving his master's degree. His knowledge of how to use the English language to depict a story or scene continued to serve him well as he worked for several prominent New York newspapers including the New York Herald Tribune and Newsweek magazine.
Schaap was also one of the pioneers in ushering a new era of journalism style, which Schaap described as new journalism, using emotion and vocabulary to tell a story rather then concentrating on its news value.
This book would appeal to anyone with a faint interest in sports and entertainment. Reading "Flashing Before My Eyes: 50 Years of headlines, Deadlines & Punchlines" is like sitting by a fireplace or having a drink at a local tavern and hearing old stories about American heroes from the 50's to the present. A true behind the scenes account of American pop culture, this book will enlighten those with an interest in 20th century America and will serve as the basis of how to tell a good story.
The memoir is not told in chronological order, which at times is confusing to keep track of but at the same time holds true to Schaap's fireside chat style of writing. While Schaap briefly talks of his marriage problems, he certainly does not give them the attention that he does to his tales of shooting the breeze with many of America's most famous athletes, political figures and celebrities. This book can seem very loosely put together, but the reader must take into context Schaap's health problems while writing this book. It is clear he wanted to tell his story before his time ran out. Sadly, Schaap finished just in time, as he died 6 months after the publication date from complications of hip replacement surgery.
Dick Schaap was one of the best writers sports journalism has ever had and more importantly its best listener. The exact opposite of Howard Cosell, (Schaap discusses his feelings on the broadcaster in one chapter, in both a positive and negative light) Dick Schaap always felt that the story was important then him, something nearly lost in today's world of self-promotion where sports journalists are now known as sports personalities and make their living on their opinions instead of utilizing prose to explain a story.
Through the profession of journalism, Schaap has made more acquaintances and friends then most people can dream of. Most of his patrons were famous, some where not, but what makes everyone want to talk to Schaap is his ability to listen and interpret one's story.
To be frank, it's a little....sad........2002-12-07
Schapp indulged in a journalist's dream for much of his life: He worked primarily in the 1950-1980 era, when celebrities of all types still mixed and mingled. He wrote words on Namath, Ali, Pynchon and Lenny Bruce. He fell into one fabulous situation after another, was enormously successful everywhere he journied, probably had more good dinners than anyone we'll ever know, talked more, laughed more, smoked more and dranked more. He consumed news and life in amazing proportions. It leaves you a little jealous.
And yet, his memoir is a mess. Calling upon himself to make sense of his long career, Schapp struggles to do much more than serve up anecdote after anecdote. Some of them follow logical order; some do not. The title is appropriate; the book is a flash. You glimpse into auras of many impressive names. A shame that these glimpses rarely go much deeper.
The format of ESPN's The Sports Reporters television program transformed Schapp into a quipmaker. He's objective enough and not particularly redundant or cliched -- often the largest weakness of most sportswriters. But too many scenes are wrapped in too pretty of bows. In that sense, the book is repetitive: Schapp pens a scene, wraps it up, pens a scene, wraps it up, as if to say, "Item!...ah...so! Item!...ah...so!" It makes you consider the speed of the man's life, the flash, if you will, which blinds one from reflection. That Schapp died so suddenly is in step with the bulk of his life, but it's sad that he never got the time to appreciate what he'd experienced, and maybe write a wiser memoir.
Schapp left us with stories, but no real message.
a Man on top of the Game!.......2002-05-07
Dick Schaap was a Guy who knew His Sports&also knew how to bring Sports&the Real World together as one.He had such a classy way of presenting Athletes&things going on around them&the World.this is a Book that highlights a true Winner.RIP.
A Fitting Finale for a Good Man..........2002-03-03
Want to eavesdrop on some of the most fascinating figures of sports, politics, journalism, and theatre? Well bunky, you probably can't. But go ahead and read Schaap's final book (sadly, he passed away recently), and you can experience the next best thing to being there.
A gifted writer, and by all accounts an even better human being, Schaap will be missed. Sorely missed. Thank you sir for making the world a bit nicer.
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