Book Description
"A wonderful read…. An historical novel of the highest quality."—Iain Pears
Rich in sensuous detail, this first novel brilliantly captures the political and social upheavals of the waning Ottoman Empire. The naked body of a young Englishwoman washes up in Istanbul wearing a pendant inscribed with the seal of the deposed sultan. The death resembles the murder by strangulation of another English governess, a crime that was never solved. Kamil Pasha, a magistrate in the new secular courts, sets out to find the killer, but his dispassionate belief in science and modernity is shaken by betrayal and widening danger. In a lush, mystical voice, a young Muslim woman, Jaanan, recounts her own relationships with one of the dead women and her suspected killer. Were these political murders involving the palace or crimes of personal passion? An absorbing tale that transports the reader to nineteenth-century Turkey, this novel is also a lyrical meditation on the contradictory desires of the human soul. Reading group guide included. Includes the first chapter of the next Kamil Pasha novel.
Customer Reviews:
For The Most Part, Intruiging.......2007-08-11
"The Sultan's Seal" is an intriguing, sometimes hard to read cultural mystery blending together elements of detective and literary fiction. White's first novel is interesting and worth reading, despite an awkward present-tense narrative.
When a naked Englishwoman washes ashore in his province, Magistrate Kamil Pasha senses from the beginning the case will be delicate, perhaps even dangerous. Any death is bad enough, but in a waning Ottoman Empire torn apart by foreign influences and opposing domestic powers, the death of an Englishwoman carries its own menace.
As Kamil digs deeper, he's all too aware that a similar case several years ago was the downfall of his predecessor. Undaunted, he continues to hunt, but the clues lead nowhere. Unsure of whom to trust, Kamil becomes aware that multiple lines of treachery from without and within converge on two dead Englishwomen eight years apart. He realizes more is at stake than just his position; the future and destiny of the Ottoman Empire is at risk.
For the most part, this is an engrossing mystery with well-planted secrets. However, the narrative splits between first person and a stiff third-person/present tense voice that's forced at times. Numerous flashbacks make it hard to read, and though there's a solid explanation for this device, it's enough to throw a reader off. However, once the dialogue kicks in, it moves along well enough, and the mysteries will keep you tied up in its "Gordian Knot" until the end.
powerful and colorful panorama of late nineteenth century Istanbul .......2007-02-10
In 1886 Istanbul social unrest is heating up especially with the numerous British expatriates living the good life in the city while many Turks struggle as the once mighty Ottoman Empire nears collapse. Many of the locals are especially outraged by the total disregard of native custom by these aristocratic British immigrants, who flaunt their immodesty.
However, both groups are stunned when royal governess Mary Dixon is brutally murdered. The English demand swift justice while many Turks believe she deserved it as all English females are brazen. In reality few knew the reticent Mary. At the same time Magistrate Kamil Pasha investigates the homicide while also struggling to keep the peace between the angry groups, a local girl Jaanan is forced by her family to marry a man she fears almost as much as she loathes even as he is linked to the English victim.
Jenny White paints a powerful and colorful panorama of late nineteenth century Istanbul at a time when national fervor is heated in every corner of the capital city. Though Kamil is a fascinating protagonist struggling with a difficult case made geometrically harder by English and Turkish demands, the whodunit takes a back seat to touring 1886 Istanbul. Fans will enjoy visiting the palace especially the harem, the various ethnic quarters and finally the affluent European section mostly English expatriates that anger the native purists with its gaudy brashness.
Harriet Klausner
Thriller/Romance.......2006-11-05
This is the tale of two murders and how the investigation draws the magistrate and the daughter of the British Ambassador into the plot(s) that resulted in these murders while simultaneously drawing them into a romance.There is all the languid diffidence of cross cultural diplomacy, late nineteenth century imperialism and social reform in the last days of the Ottoman Empire. Sexuality is an important motive, but more as an obsession of the characters than as a pornographic description for readers. ( Virginity, honor and reputation, dowery, sexual segregation, etc.)Much of the plot depends upon the ability of the ambassador's daughter to move between the world of the Sultan's harem ( a world of women)and that of the magistrate (a world of men). The second narrative voice, an aristocratic young woman, will eventually reveal information about the murders to the reader which does not really come to the magistrate or the daughter; although, the truth they learn is sufficient for them. A complex and appropriately byzantine plot. Not a fast read.
Stick to Anthropology.......2006-09-30
The Sultan's Seal by Jenny White was obviously a first novel from someone who is not a novelist. The backdrop of ninetheenth century Istanbul is fascinating for lovers of history, and the cultural and religious conflicts in this book illustrate how complex that time period was. The problem is that this could have all been accomplished in a work of non-fiction.
The writing in this novel was weak and very confusing. The author jumps from one story line to another without transitioning very well which leaves the reader confused. The main character Kamil Pasha seems to have less mention in the text than a character named Jaanan. This shows the inexperience of the author.
Over all the novel was slightly entertaining and was easy to read. If you can get past the bad writing and cliche characters (Bernie especially) you might enjoy this book.
Istanbul in the twilight of the Ottoman Empire.......2006-09-14
A young Englishwoman's body is washed up on the shore of the Bosphorus, not far from Istanbul, setting of an investigation into her death. This murder mystery is set in the declining days of the Ottoman Empire in late 19th century. It paints a somewhat exotic, romantic picture of life in Istanbul which many readers will find intriguing. The story is reminiscent of books written in the early part of the 20th century (like those of Agatha Christie), full of genteel aristocrats (both English and Ottoman) and palatial residences. Yet the sensual female characters are clearly drawn with a contemporary pen. Readers will understand the origin of the expression `young Turk'. We are shown a society where Muslims, Christians and Jews live and work in harmony. Whether things were truly this way under Ottoman rule, or this is how we prefer to imagine them is uncertain. The Victorians and Edwardians had their particular worldview the book is written with intentional adherence to their prejudices for atmospheric effect. In fact, tensions lurk beneath the placid surface of Ottoman society, as becomes clear at the end.
Part of the story is recounted in flashback which makes it more disjointed than it needs to be. On the whole the book is about more than just the murder but also about the lives of the characters and their inter-relationships. I was disappointed by the many unresolved issues at the end. It is almost as if the novel was left incomplete. The author could have done a better job of tying up the lose ends in a final chapter.
Average customer rating:
- Interesting plot but gets lost amongst too many points of view
- Slow
- Not so great.....
- Waking Raphael
- Finest kind of reading, set in Umbria; delicious
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Waking Raphael
Leslie Forbes
Manufacturer: Bantam
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 Historical | British | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Historical | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
General | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
General | Thrillers | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
General | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
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Lucifer's Shadow
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A Season for the Dead
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Bombay Ice
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Fish, Blood and Bone
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The Villa of Mysteries
ASIN: 0553383418
Release Date: 2005-04-26 |
Book Description
La Muta, "the mute woman." Amidst a country rocked by scandal and corruption, inhabitants of the idyllic city of Urbino, Italy, birthplace of Raphael, are more concerned with a sudden outbreak of miracles than with politics. But what unspeakable secret lies hidden in Raphael's enigmatic painting? Its restoration will drive a living mute to a shocking act of violence and spark an investigation into a nearly forgotten war crime and a series of events that will shatter the silence gripping this community forever.
Both a mesmerizing thriller and a passionate exploration of the power of truth to effect reconciliation and restore faith, Waking Raphael spins a tantalizing web of silence and lies to recreate an Italy where the romantic and the violent, the comic and the tragic, are spellbindingly interwoven.
From the Hardcover edition.
Download Description
"Deftly exploring connections between art, religion, and politics, Forbes layers her mystery with lush imagery and palpable human drama.... For fans of Perez-Reverte or Iain Pears."
--Booklist
"Excellent.... The characters are richly drawn.... The novel will captivate and delight."
--Publishers Weekly, starred review
"Transcends the limitations of the genre with ease, not merely because of the author's prodigious erudition, polished prose style and sophistication as a storyteller, but because she has created a character one cares about....A learned whodunit in the tradition of The Name of the Rose."
--The Wall Street Journal on
Fish, Blood & Bone
"Beguiling entertainment."
--The Washington Post on
Fish, Blood & Bone
"Gives new meaning to the term "intelligent page-turner.""
--Kirkus Reviews on
Fish, Blood & Bone
"Lavish and sexy...conveys a sense of India so rich that it ceases to seem a mere country."
--The New York Times Book Review on
Bombay Ice
"A riveting murder mystery...complex and vastly entertaining...the toughest, most sympathetic heroine since SMILLA'S SENSE OF SNOW."
--Harper's Bazaar on
Bombay Ice
From the Hardcover edition.
Customer Reviews:
Interesting plot but gets lost amongst too many points of view.......2006-09-15
An interesting plot combining bits of WWII outrages with what is happening in nineties' Urbino. The tale twists and weaves a lot due to a mulitude of characters introduced. Many of the characters are implausible and the book has to contrive various unconvincing vignettes around them to knit them into the story. My general reaction was that the reader was introduced to too many points of view which weren't prioritised and as the book draws to a conclusion I began asking myself who cares? Also there is an annoying habit throughout of introducing the criminals in short conversatiosn without their identifying names. They usually hint at violence to come, but at the end of the book I wondered why they were there at all, since their roles are both thin and thinly described. I agree entirely with the reviewers who wrote that the book took too long to read. It is not a page turner.
Slow.......2006-06-21
I'm a lifeguard so all I do is read for nine hours. The nine other books I've read so far have taken me less then a day and a half to read. This one took me 3 days to finish. It was boring. I never really cared about any of the characters or what happened to them. The only reason I kept reading it was the fact that I had nothing else to do or read.
Not so great............2005-11-04
in fact, it was pretty boring. Sure, there were metaphors, but the characters were boring, and it was hard to care about what happened to them. And what was up with the wolf??? And why did Fabio and Paolo create the "miracles"? What happened to the mute woman after she left the courthouse?? If you really want to read this, get it at the library....don't waste your money.
Waking Raphael.......2004-10-03
This book got such high reviews from everyone else, that I was really excited to read it. Was I ever disappointed. The book moves so slowly, I was forced to go to the end to find out what was happening before I was bored to death. If you don't want a quickly moving story with interesting characters, then this is the book for you. Otherwise, I would pass it up. Dull! Dull! Dull!
Finest kind of reading, set in Umbria; delicious.......2004-09-17
This marvelous novel has a lot of this and that and more throughout. Many parts: Art including the titular Raphael not to say art restoration; spooky wolf; luscious cuisine including ICE CREAM; part history, WWII and betrayal; fabulously gorgeous Urbino and Umbria -- entirely fine is this novel. I'm sorry to have read it because I'd rather read it again in virgin mode.
Average customer rating:
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Waking Raphael
Leslie Forbes
Manufacturer: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, Limited
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000ORRCXC |
Average customer rating:
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Eye of Flame: Fantasies (Five Star Speculatvie Fiction)
Pamela Sargent
Manufacturer: Five Star (ME)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Sargent, Pamela
| ( S )
| Authors, A-Z
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| Subjects
| Books
Yarbro, Chelsea-Quinn
| ( Y )
| Authors, A-Z
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Fantasy
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 1594140642 |
Book Description
This book is for people who feel comfortable communicating through their hands and for those who wish to feel more ease in transmitting care through touch. It is for people whose responsibility or job or gift is to oversee or to help take care of the elderly and ill members of our society. It is for sons and daughters caring for aging parents with physical impairments that effect a role reversal in a lifetime of relating. It is for the courageous men and women who continue caring for spouses or mothers or fathers with dementia related diseases such as Alzheimer's after such a disease has robbed that loved one of the ability to remember the relationship he or she once shared with the caregiver. It is for companions and family members struggling and sometimes sacrificing to provide care for their loved ones at home.
This book is for doctors who have forgotten or never learned that touch is medicine and for those who are wise enough to know that a five-second hug, offered as a gesture of shared humanity, can often do more to assuage fear and anxiety than a five-minute lecture. It is for nurses and nursing assistants who, once trained in giving back rubs to hospitalized patients to reduce discomfort and induce sleep, in current care systems may be more often in contact with equipment than with people, or spend most of their time dispensing medicines and completing paperwork. It is for the restorative aids, the occupational and physical and recreational therapists in extended care facilities who are searching for more effective and affirming ways of relating to those whom they serve. It is for hospice professionals and volunteers, hired companions, geriatric consultants, guardians, home health aids and others who want to help improve quality of life for their charges and clients. It is for chaplains and social workers and grief counselors who wish to reclaim the power of intentional touch in ministering to the frail, the distraught and the bereaved. It is for massage therapy students desiring to build careers in arenas that combine service with professional and personal growth and for practitioners whose hearts and hands lead them to forge new paths in venues where their skills are sorely needed. It is for anyone who wishes to use touch more consciously and compassionately in relating to the elderly, the ill and the dying.
Customer Reviews:
The depth of touch is fathomless........2006-03-24
This book empowers family members and friends to become actively involved in the care and comfort of their loved ones who are aged, ill, or approaching end of life. Dawn's detailed descriptions of practical techniques appeals to people of all ages and walks of life. Dawn demonstrates that touch, such as holding hands or being witness to an individual with presence, can have a profound impact on the elderly or ill person. This book validates the importance of filling the gaps in care and caring for all human beings created by society, our healthcare system and facilities. This book is a must for all healthcare workers and caregivers.
Reclaim the power of touch in caregiving!.......2006-03-21
This moving book is an inspiration to anyone who intuitively knows the sacred nature of caring for the elderly and the ill. Dawn inspires the reader to use intention, touch and gentle massage to provide comfort for and connect with those who are ill, elderly or dying. This book is a jewel as it combines practical approaches with the underlying spiritual nature of the work of caregiving.
Book Description
This revised and updated edition presents a combination of practical advice, true stories, and invaluable information for those who want to increase their ability to communicate more consciously and effectively through touch. The physical and psychosocial benefits of skilled touch for the confined elderly and ill are elucidated, providing the reader with a greater understanding of how to use touch as a tool to communicate with individuals living with Alzheimers and other types of dementia. Massage-therapy students, doctors, nurses, nursing home and extended care facility workers, chaplains, social workers, grief counselors, and all volunteer and family caregivers will benefit from this physical, emotional, and spiritual guide to hands-on comfort and healing.
Customer Reviews:
From the Heart Through the Hands.......2007-07-16
I bought this book to learn how to use TOUCH in the appropriate way for the elderly/sick. Though it spends some time doing that, the majority of the book--which is large--focuses mostly on emotional and caring issues instead. I must say that I found this information comforting, informative and heartwarming. It reiterates things we know, but focuses more on the "heart" and caring for a person. It reminds us how important it is to spend time with an individual. "Individual" is defined as the person's essence so that we focus on the real person instead of on their physical disabilities. Though this wasn't why I bought the book, it enhanced a lot of things for me.
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Careers & Colleges, published by Thomson Gale on November 1, 2005. The length of the article is 849 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Great schools for visual and performing arts: they say that art begins in the heart and mind and translates through the hand and the eye. These outstanding colleges and universities provide the nurturing environment where tomorrow's great artists, architects, animators, and designers flourish.
Publication:
Careers & Colleges (Magazine/Journal)
Date: November 1, 2005
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 26
Issue: 2
Page: 22(2)
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Customer Reviews:
Simple stupid but so efficient !.......2002-01-17
This is a pretty tiny book. At least you will not waste too much time reading it. It actually is full of I-could-have-thought-about-it-myself advice that are worth reading even if you think that you are already pretty smart about organizing your home and your family.
The 15 minutes thing is the greatest advice ! Even my mother (can't find anyone more organized than her !) never gave it to me ! I gave it to her !
Good gift for newlyweds - or the organizationally challenged.......2001-08-24
When I first read this book, I thought it was kind of like a souped up version of what you can find in virtually every "how to get organized" article in any woman's magazine. But, it has some redeeming qualities - especially if you are totally disorganized and don't know where to start. It will walk you through a process pretty much step by step. I think it would make a nice shower gift or something for a young adult starting out on their own because they can start out with the methods discussed in the book right from the get-go.
Easy to read, Easy to use, Easy to keep with you to read.......2000-04-16
First I must say that this book is geared toward women, not saying men could not find very valuable information and tips here - because they can. Again, this book is easy to read, you don't have to read the whole thing at once you can read a little at a time and feel like you are getting something accomplished. For example: There is a chapter on your pocketbook which is only 4 pages long but gives very helpful and informative tips you can work on right away.(And this book is small enough to keep in your average sized pocketbook.) I found the book to be very informative in an upbeat fashion.
There are just so many neat areas from a file card system for chores, divided daily, weekly, monthly and so on. You could tailor it very easily to work in your own time frames. I had heard about a file card system on the internet but didn't totally understand it, in a few pages I finally get it. There are suggestions for list or sheets from shopping guides and important numbers sheets you could easily type up on your computer, save on a file and print as needed.
The ideas are simple and you might have heard a few of them before - but for some reason this book gives me the confidence to try and start in at least one area. I think the size of the book could be part of the reason, it's doable. I've bought some other books that are great with lots of great information, but they are large and I don't always have the time to read it and then get moving. I can read 3-4 pages while I'm waiting for my kids somewhere and feel that I might actually accomplish that goal that day, and if it's a bigger project, maybe that week. I can carry this book with me and refer back to it. From kids, to cooking to cleaning and organizing this book touches on so many areas with so many workable solutions. I am very glad I bought it - it is definitely worth the price - very affordable - to me.
She has so many ideas to help us get organized........1998-02-24
After reading this book, I was so excited to put to use all the ideas that she has reguarding organization. Her ideas are so easy, and everyone has all the room they need. We just need to get a handle on things. After all we control the STUFF in our lives. What I found out was that I allowing the STUFF in our home to control me. So, I was always stressed, and nothing seemed to go right. But, after reading this book, and putting to use all of her ideas, I am now in control . I highly recommend this book. It makes a WONDERFUL GIFT also.
Book Description
In recent years, U.S. jewelry sales on the Internet have grown to nearly $3 billion yearly, a figure attained in part because of the popularity of eBay. "Buying & Selling Jewelry on eBay" walks you through the process of using eBay to both purchase and purvey jewelry-from finding the perfect gem and the right style of jewelry to understanding the rules of advertising and selling jewelry to consumers. This book also aims to help you gain confidence in eBay as a marketplace, teaching you how to weed out questionable buyers and sellers. You'll learn how professionals in the jewelry industry successfully use eBay, discover how to efficiently search by category for the jewelry you want to buy, and find out how to become an eBay PowerSeller.
Customer Reviews:
good guidelines to protect yourself.......2005-08-07
This book can be interesting even if you have utterly no intention of buying or selling jewelry on eBay. Who would have thought when eBay started up, selling trinkets, that jewelry would rapidly form a multimillion dollar niche? Not a small niche at all.
Gordon goes into the practical details for both buyers and sellers. The book's paramount theme seems to be how to avoid getting ripped off. Unsurprising, considering the high valued nature of the items. For professional sellers, detecting fake buyers is vital to staying solvent. Whereas real buyers tend not to do this as a profession. So while a buyer might suffer a loss due to a fake seller, it's not like being put out of business.
But, if you follow her guidelines and use some common sense, you should have good chances of a successful transaction.
Average customer rating:
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Buying and Selling Jewelry on Ebay
Manufacturer: INTERNATIONAL THOMSO
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
eBay
| Business & Culture
| Computers & Internet
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: B000GZ2RAA |
Customer Reviews:
Simply Beautiful.......2000-04-05
Although I have several books on the art of ribbonwork, this is by far my favorite. The photography is exquisite and plentiful throughout the book. Step by step instructions are so clear and precise that even the most novice handiworker will have no problem reproducing these beauties. If I could recommend just one book on this subject, this is it.
Book Description
With A Memoir Of The Author. This scarce antiquarian book is included in our special Legacy Reprint Series. In the interest of creating a more extensive selection of rare historical book reprints, we have chosen to reproduce this title even though it may possibly have occasional imperfections such as missing and blurred pages, missing text, poor pictures, markings, dark backgrounds and other reproduction issues beyond our control. Because this work is culturally important, we have made it available as a part of our commitment to protecting, preserving and promoting the world's literature.
Average customer rating:
- Be aware that AMSCO dont pay attention to what they tab
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Classic AC/DC: The Early Years (AC/DC)
Manufacturer: Amsco Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Songbooks
| Music
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Music
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
Rock
| Musical Genres
| Music
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
Entertainers
| Arts & Literature
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Performing Arts
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
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Classic AC/DC
ASIN: 0825613132
Release Date: 1991-12-31 |
Book Description
A collection of all the music from two landmark albums: High Voltage and Let There Be Rock. Includes: It's A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock`n'Roll), Rock n' Roll Singer, The Jack, Live Wire, Tnt, High Voltage, Little Lover/ Bad Boy Boogie, Dog Eat Dog, Go Down, Hell Ain't A Bad Place To Be, Let There Be Rock, Overdose and Problem Child.
Customer Reviews:
Be aware that AMSCO dont pay attention to what they tab.......2004-04-09
Beware when purchasing any AMSCO books that tab AC/DC.... some are correct, but alot, infact TOO MANY are tabbed incorectly... i dont just mean there in wrong positions... i mean they havent even tabbed the same song... its half and half with this book... half the songs are ok and correct.... half are bad and sloppy...dont pay any more then $10 for this. There is too much that is incorect. AMSCO dont even take the time to realise they have incorect tabs, because there still putting the same WRONG tabs into there latest books! Avoid AMSCO, or dont pay alot.
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