Sea Glass: A Novel

Amazon.com

From its opening pages, Anita Shreve's Sea Glass surrounds the reader in the surprisingly rich feeling of the New Hampshire coast in winter. Vividly evoking the life of the coastal community at the beginning of the Great Depression, Sea Glass shifts through the multiple points of view of six principal characters; it's a skillfully created story of braided lives that bounces easily (even inevitably) from character to character. We learn how these lives come together following the stock market crash of 1929 and about the struggles of mill workers on the starkly beautiful New Hampshire coast during the following year. At the novel's center is the story of Honora Beecher, a young newlywed who compulsively collects sea glass along the beach as she collects unexpected friendship in her new beachside community, and Francis, a boy who discovers a father figure in the towering character of McDermott, an Irish mill worker, at a time when he most needs direction. Each character finds unexpected new purpose beyond the struggle to survive during that turbulent year among the dunes. First their lives barely touch, then they intersect, and finally they become inextricably bound. By the powerful and unexpected final scenes of the story, every point of view, every brilliant shard of life depends deeply on all the others. It is a very satisfying read--confidently told and deeply felt--with as many subtle colors and reflections as the sea glass that permeates the narrative. --Paul Ford

Book Description

Writing with the power and immediacy that have made her novels bestsellers, Shreve unfolds interlocking lives, each with its own share of love, loss, and challenge. This is another gripping and unforgettable story of the human heart from one of the most accomplished novelists of our time.

Download Description

The year is 1929 and Honora Beecher and her husband, Sexton, are just settling into a new marriage and a cottage on the coast of New Hampshire. While Honora fixes up the derelict house and searches for bits of sea glass on the beach, Sexton risks everything they own to buy the house they both love. Along with millions of other Americans, he is blindsided by the stock market crash and finds himself penniless. The only work he can find is in a nearby mill, where a labor conflict is erupting into violence. Shaken by forces they scarcely understand, Honora and Sexton try to build a marriage and a home while overwhelmed by passions of every kind. Writing with the power and immediacy that have made her novels bestsellers, Shreve unfolds interlocking lives, each with its own share of love, loss, and challenge. This is another gripping and unforgettable story of the human heart from one of the most accomplished novelists of our time.

Customer Reviews:

Luminous.......2007-09-09

When I started reading "Sea Glass," I almost stopped.

The first pages are exceedingly flat. Flat declarative sentences, describing ordinary things in ordinary language.

But Shreve's method is sly. She builds her strokes like a painter (nothing is more boring than watching a painter beginning to paint), then, click, the picture comes into place.

Her picture is brilliant.

She portrays a house by the sea, just before the Crash of 1929--rural New Hampshire. She enters the minds of her characters one by one.

Her feeling for character is acute.

Each short chapter is told from the point of view of an individual character--Honora, the newlywed, discovering a new world, her husband whom she hardly knows, the people around her, and of course herself. All this discovery is symbolized by the sea glass she finds washed up on the beach--opaque, translucent, glittering, multicolored, soft-edged with history yet mysterious.

Then there is McDermott, the partly deaf millhand, who takes care of the waif Alphonse--a child, but laboring in the spinning mills--and they run into Honora in, of all places, an airport (a rudimentary thing, in 1929).

And Vivian, the rich, bored, flashy but very smart heiress, who, suddenly confronted with the desperate harshness of the Crash and the Depression, quickly pitches in and figures out what to do.

Even Sexton, Honora's undependable husband, is treated with marvelous sympathy.

And around all these wonderfully observed points of consciousness, there is the epic, slow catastrophe of the Crash and the Depression.

In its way, "Sea Glass" is as harrowing and enormous as "The Grapes of Wrath."

Through it all, Shreve manages to retain the quiet (and the loneliness) of awareness--that sense of time-out-of-time that a beach always provides.

A brilliant, luminous book, almost more real than reality.

Sea Glass: A Novel.......2007-07-21

I would actually give this book more than 5 stars if possible! It was great-the characters were very deep-it required a lot of thinking afterwards-I would love a sequel to find out what happened next.

Boring Boring Boring but in the end, it was okay.......2007-07-12

The best thing I can say about this book is that the chapters are very short and that is what gets you through this unbelievably boring story. I wanted to love this book and the characters but their stories and interactions were terribly dull. After I put the book down, I would ask myself why am I torturing myself!

The story is mainly about one woman who gets married to someone she hardly knows. The woman collects sea glass along the shore, hence the title. Set in New England in the late 1920's, this woman meets and becomes involved with a cast of characters who all live in the same town, but all come from different points of view. In the end their lives are intertwined in a very stirring way, which is the other only positive thing I can say about this book -the ending was very dramatic. Something actually does happen in this book to make it worthwhile! The ending was really good, although sad.

I would not recommend this book, but if you are determined to give it a shot, it won't cause you too much pain. This was another book club choice, and 90% of the ladies also hated this book because it was really really boring.

First Timer.......2007-06-06

This is the first book I've read by Anita Shreve. She has a unique style, and I enjoyed this book a lot. I want to read another book by her.

Another great read by Anita Shreve.......2007-05-18

SEA GLASS by Anita Shreve
May 17, 2007

Rating ***** (5 Stars)

SEA GLASS by Anita Shreve takes place in familiar territory. Fans who have read FORTUNE'S ROCKS will recognize the setting, 1920's New England in the fictional town of Ely Falls (near Fortune's Rock). There are even references to some of the characters from that previous book, letting the reader know that this book takes place after the time frame of FORTUNE'S ROCK.

The book opens with 20-year old Honora Beecher, a newlywed, who sets foot at the entrance to her new home, a beach side cottage that needs a lot of work. She and her husband Sexton are renting it. She ponders her new life as a married woman, and flashes back on how the two met.

Other characters are introduced throughout the next few chapters, and at first it will not be obvious how these characters are going to relate to each other. They come from various stations of life. McDermott is a mill worker, and he and his friends are becoming involved with the Unions, and the wages that they feel they deserve. Alphonse is a child who works to help his mother feed their large family. His father is dead. Vivian is a wealthy woman who is vacationing in the beach side town, not too far from Honora and Sexton, and is about to start an affair with her friend Dickey. Alice Willard isn't a physical presence in the book, but appears in the form of letters to her daughter Honora, with her chitchat about the goings on at home.

At the heart of the novel is the stock market crash, and Sexton, who is a traveling salesman, is one of many who loses his job and livelihood. He eventually (by accident) gets a position at the mills, and thus their lives became tangled with the soon-to-be striking mill workers. And McDermott, who had met Honora by coincidence only recently, is now seeing her almost daily, as Sexton has told his new found friends that he has a typewriting and copy machine that will help in their cause. The friendship that develops between McDermott and Honora threatens to become something more, but Honora is devoted and loyal to her new husband, a man she realizes she barely knows.

SEA GLASS is a beautifully written book. I have always enjoyed the way Anita Shreve writes, in an almost gentle prose that suits her books that take place in the early 1900's. She expertly conjures up the ambience of this era. I also admire the way she can bring characters together, writing the book in such a way that keeps the readers guessing as to how these characters will relate to one another. It adds to the suspense of the story, and always helps her books to be fast reads. Her style of writing, changing viewpoints from chapter to chapter, is what I think makes her books unique and appealing. She also does a wonderful job in describing the feelings of the people of that time, the poverty, the desperation that was felt by all, rich and poor alike.

I especially enjoyed reading about the relationship between Honora, the newlywed who seemed at first to be walking in a fog, and Vivian, the seemingly shallow wealthy woman who showed more depth to her personality as the story progressed. SEA GLASS ends in tragedy, as would be expected for a story that takes place after the stock market crash and the start of the Depression. I didn't know what to expect, but I knew the book would end with a bang. As always, this Anita Shreve novel was a joy to read, and I am looking forward to yet another book by her.

The Magic Glass: The Individual and Society As Seen in the Gams of Herman Melville's Moby Dick

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The Magic Glass: The Individual and Society As Seen in the Gams of Herman Melville's Moby Dick
Hilda Uren Stubbings
Manufacturer: Rubena Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

United States | Short Stories | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1880622017

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Sea Glass: a Novel
Anita Shreve
Manufacturer: Back Bay Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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D20: Sea Of Worlds - Glass City

Manufacturer: Mongoose Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1905176716

Book Description

A new scenario and setting book for Mongoose's original Sea of Worlds (d20).

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Sea Glass: A Novel
Anita Shreve
Manufacturer: Little Brown & Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

ASIN: B000NXU3KQ

Customer Reviews:

amazing history.......2007-02-19

More amazing history as the story continues from "These is my Words". The American west and the strong women who settled it.

Sarah's Quilt.......2006-08-06

Having read "These is my words" a short time ago I could not wait until "Sarah's Quilt" arrived. Once again I became a part of Sarah's family. Nancy Turner again provides us with a portrait of woman of courage, heart and intense family loyalty.
The grace and strength with which Sarah faces the hardships of territoty life should make ever woman proud. One realizes that life today pales compared to constant struggle to survive Sarah faced. I only hope for another book to complete the story of Sarah Agnes Prine.

An amazing book!.......2006-07-30

I enjoyed this book SO much!! I almost didn't want to start reading it, because I knew if I did I would read it so fast and it be all over! I live in Tucson and really enjoyed the 'historical' point of view of the area in the late 1800's. I love the strong woman Sarah is in the story. If you read the first book "These is my Words"...you will really enjoy this one!!

It was good, but the first book was better.......2006-04-19

I enjoyed reading Sarah's Quilt, but I found I didn't love it in the same way that I loved These is My Words. Possibly it was because it was written in a different style - more of a traditional novel format than a diary, although there were still dates with each chapter. I think what bothered me the most, though, is that it seemed like there were a few places where I felt like a great storyline was starting up, only to have it completely dropped a few pages later, particularly in the case of Sarah's brother Harland and his family. I realize that these characters were not important to the major plot of the book, but I found myself getting somewhat attached to them, only to have them disappear completely from the story. However, this was only a small setback for me in an otherwise good story. I think anyone who has read and enjoyed These is My Words will definitely want to read Sarah's Quilt, but it is definitely a sequel and will probably not stand on its own.

Good but not as good.......2006-03-25

I just loved These is my Words, I couldn't put it down. This book was good also but it was missing one of my favorite characters, which made it a little sad for me. Which is why it wasn't a five star.

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I gobbled it up

The Stars compel is the second course in a feast!

Art and magick and food and politics, wow!

A great novel of politics and romance in Renaissance Italy.

Cooking and witchcraft, and Popes (oh my!)

The Stars Compel
Michaela Roessner
Manufacturer: Tor Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
Historical | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
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The Stars Dispose

ASIN: 0812550153

Book Description

Catherine is the only legitimate heir to the de Medici fortune. When her uncle recalls her to Rome to use her and her dowry as a precious pawn in his political maneuverings with the crowns of Europe, Catherine chooses Tommaso as her personal chef and head of her household. Catherinesplans dont include being sold as part of the Popes treaty with France.

Customer Reviews:

I gobbled it up.......2001-01-03

After absolutely loving Michaela Roessner's first book about Tommaso & Caterina de Medici, I was delighted to find the second book. The details of life in Renaissance Florence are incredible, and not only make me feel what it must have been like to live back then, but give me an understanding for the politics of government and daily life for both the leaders and the common people of the time. Ms. Roessner does a great job of weaving in historical fact, details of cuisine and the actual storyline, and in the process, also creating interesting main and subsidiary characters.

The number of characters in the book, while great, reinforced the knowledge that much of the book actually happened (the cast of characters at the end of the book is invaluable).

I hope I'm not the only person who was "compelled" to read more history of the time period after reading these books...

The Stars compel is the second course in a feast!.......2000-08-20

Set in Renaissance Florence which has recently survived a visit from the Black Death & is now listening for the thunder of marching barbarians, just as Rome had done earlier, we follow Tomasso's & Caterina's rise to prominence within the surviving society. He as her personal chef & she as the Duchessina, niece to the pope & valuable political pawn in the struggle for power within the Holy Roman Empire.

Now they are summoned to the haggard city of Rome to become part of the venomous intrigues as Pope Clement barters her virtue & dowry in exchange for power, promises & poison.

Again, as in The Stars Compel, Michaela Roessner continues her steeped, tightly woven coming-of-age saga of the life & times of a dangerous era.

Tomasso has become a model for the great Sculptor Michaelangelo & is growing into a handsome if scarred man. Caterina is wayward, obdurate, loving & beautiful.

For everyone the iron fist is clenching tighter & tighter, the magic needs to be fierce, the cats valiantly struggle with rats & Tomasso & Caterina must face the human vermin.

If you love historical fantasies with just the right balance of fact & fantasy as to make the read seamless, then this is a book for you. For my full review & eInterview with Michaela Roessner do visit my site [...].

Art and magick and food and politics, wow!.......2000-04-30

I liked this book as much as, if not more than, the previous one (which I do recommend you read before trying this.) In it we follow the fate of Catherine de Medici, seen through the eyes of her chef and friend Tommaso, scion of a famous cooking family from Florence.

There are a number of themes running through this novel, and like a master weaver, Roessner twists and threads them through the weft and warp of Italian politics during the Renaissance. Throughout we can follow strands of pagan magick, bright threads of Italian cooking, the poignant theme of thrwarted lovers, and the brilliance of the world of art through which this novel moves.

The variety of names and characters does get a bit confusing at times, but I did not find it detracted from my enjoyment of the book. An engrossing, entertaining read, don't hesitate!

A great novel of politics and romance in Renaissance Italy........2000-04-04

Although The Stars Compel is the sequel to Michaele Roessner's The Stars Dispose, it doesn't require familiarity with the prior novel, though such familiarity will lend to an easier reading of this story. Tommaso is the son of famous chefs and has been named personal chef to the Duchessina in early Rome: his encounters with politics and romance as he attends to his duties provides an excellent story line steeped in Renaissance-era Florence and Rome atmosphere. Highly recommended.

Cooking and witchcraft, and Popes (oh my!).......2000-03-24

Although the family trees and religious politics can get way too convoluted, this novel (and its prequel) is addictive. This one includes many more scenes of necromancy and otherworldly power. It's a tough go, but wading through all the art history and details of meat-carving is absolutely worth it.

Do the Stars Compel? (The Alan Leo Lecture)

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Do the Stars Compel? (The Alan Leo Lecture)

Manufacturer: The Harrogate Convention
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Pamphlet
ASIN: B000FPZ4ME

Product Description

15 page booklet published in 1937 in Britain.

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THE STARS COMPEL.
Michaela Roessner.
Manufacturer: Tor Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OTNCWA

Book Description

While showing how both evangelicals and liberals misread Scripture, a leading Bible scholar and Anglican bishop shows how to restore the Bible’s authority today for guiding the church through its many controversies.

Customer Reviews:

The Last Word. N.T. Wright........2007-03-26

In this volume, N.T. Wright's two anchoring themes are (1) the authority of Christian canon, i.e., as a standard measure, and (2) the imperfection of our understanding of the canon, i.e., the importance of humility in cooperating with scripture's philology in finding its intent. Knowledge of scripture is, in many instances, permanently tentative (as is scientific knowledge) and proceeds along lines that are better recognized as being iterative and partial than immediate or whole. Christian humility and 'teachability' demands as much, as do the ubiquitous exegetical disputes and the inherent subtleties and mysteries of ancient texts whose impulsion was 'beyond' its human penmen. To paraphrase this view in my own clumsy way - "stop pretending you've got it all figured out and start studying so as to be taught, instead of 'studying' to support your delusions of final insights." With apologies to Wright for my paraphrase, I heartily agree with him. It's a bit interesting that Wright chose the title that he did; by it he can only mean that "the Last Word" is the final import of scripture, not that he, or anyone else, can provide a final interpretation or exposition of the Last Word.

Wright on the relationship of Christian scripture and Christian tradition: "The challenge of living with tradition is not so much, as in official Roman Catholic understandings, that one should let tradition and scripture flow together straightforwardly into a single stream, but that tradition should be allowed to be itself; that is, the living voice of the very human church as it struggles with scripture, sometimes misunderstanding it and sometimes gloriously getting it right. That is why the challenge comes fresh to each generation. Traditions tell us where we have come from. Scripture itself is a better guide as to where we should now be going." p 119

It is true that some of Wright's work is a kind of flash-point in some scholarly circles, Christian and otherwise -- too orthodox for some, too liberal for others, not Calvinist enough for the heavy-handed determinists, not Roman enough for the 'one true church' audience, and so forth. But all of this speaks to the level-headed carefulness of his theology and biblical scholarship. If, on some point(s) you find that you disagree with Wright, I hope that you can do so with the intellectual openness and spiritual humility that characterize this author; if you are a Bible-thumping know-it-all, then you need this book more than most of us do. Thank God for N.T. Wright.

A Concise Exposition of Anglican Theological Thinking.......2007-03-09

N. T. Wright continues to be a voice of centrist sense within the roil of contemporary Christian controversies. This clear, concise exposition of the traditional Anglican "via media" is a very useful primer, or refresher, on how Anglicans balance the threads of Scripture, Tradition, and human reason. The objective is to understand how to live out the Christian call, and how to understand timeless lessons in a rapidly changing world. I've loaned my copy to several friends across the Christian belief spectrum as a clear and fairly concise summary of how my branch of Christ's church lives in to our call.

A good but brief treatment on the authority of scripture.......2007-01-30

Tom Wright wrote an article "How can the bible be authoritative" for Vox Evangelica in 1991. This book flushes out the themes in more detail and provides some more historial context. The title might be a bit misleading since a "new understanding" could mean recovering an older understanding. My perspective is that the title is not as alarming as it sounds. What I have always appreciated about Tom Wright is that he is able defend his orthodox christian views using rigorous academic methods. Sure, he is often critized by both sides. So the conservative christians accuse him of not being fully orthodox, while the academics accuse him of compromising his rigor due to his personal faith. Regardless of one's theology position, this book should be a worthwhile read. A more detailed treatment is contained in "NT and the people of god". It is only in my second reading that I am appreciating and starting to understand the book. So for those of you who would like more depth, I would recommend "NT and the people of god". If you are interested in the subject of the authority of scripture, you might also be interested in reading more on narrative theology and the emerging/emergent church movement.

Happy reading.

Wright is Worth the Read!.......2007-01-24

Wright cuts through the noise in the North American biblical scholarship debate. He knocks the legs out from under "conservatives" and "liberals" and offers us a solid foundation of good hermeneutics. He explains why both "sides" are missing the mark and how we can get back on the right track. Good book!

Read Paul: In Fresh Perspective for a better glimpse into N.T. Wright's wonderful contributions and insights into New Testament scholarship.

A Bit Thin.......2007-01-12

Having read his thoroughly naratived approach in Jesus and the Victory of God I was expecting something more substanial. Given that most reading of the scriptures is first devotional and personal the corporate/hierarchical conclusion seemed lopsided.

The Last Word: Beyond the Bible Wars to a New Understanding of the Authority of Scripture

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The Last Word: Beyond the Bible Wars to a New Understanding of the Authority of Scripture
N.T. Wright
Manufacturer: HarperSanFrancisco
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful, Wonderful..........2002-07-31

I can't say enough about this book. Every recipe WORKS and is delicious. Recipes are rated on ease of preparation, whether the item may be frozen, prepared ahead - and how long the prep time and cook time are - and these are realistic times.

I would love to see a reprinting of this book. It was a major source of recipes when my children were growing up, and they remember it fondly. My original copy is just about worn out!

My favorite cook book for over 20 years.......2000-05-06

Having worn out two copies of Forum Feasts, I am ordering another. The recipes are interesting and manageable. From the Mushroom Hors d'oeuvre Turnovers (perfect for a cocktail party), to the Souther Burgers (great for a teenagers' get-together), to the Strawberry Torte (a wonderful dessert with which to end an elegant meal), friends have requested recipes from this book time and again. Many have ordered it. The notations at the beginning of each recipe as to how difficult it is, whether or not it can be done ahead, the preparation time, and the personal comments from the person who submitted the recipe, make this book a joy to use.

If you collect cook books or just have a few, this is the best book around.

My favorite cook book for over 20 years.......2000-05-06

If you collect cook books or just have a few, this is the best book around.

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Nothing Compares

excellent cookbook well proven recipes

A cookbook you'll refer to time and time again!

Forum Feasts
Cookbook Collection
Manufacturer: Forum Quorum
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Spiral-bound

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
Reference | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0960677801

Customer Reviews:

Nothing Compares.......2003-06-19

My family and I have been using Forum Feasts
since the early 70's. I have five adult children. My three daughters
and 2 daughter-in-laws feed their families on the
recipies in Forum Feasts. One of our family favorites
is the Million Dollar Spaghetti. My two editions (I inherited
Mom's) are falling apart, so I'm delighted to see I can buy a
hard covered edition. It makes a GREAT gift!

excellent cookbook well proven recipes.......1999-08-19

This is the best cookbook on the shelf. I have used it for 25 years. All recipes work as they were all tested in advance by the authors. Great to find that it is still in print and can be ordered thru Amazon.com

A cookbook you'll refer to time and time again!.......1999-01-02

Recipes I've used from Forum Feasts for over twenty-five years now are still as requested as ever! Some of my family's favorites are found within these pages. This is a timeless cookbook! (Apple pie lovers simply MUST try the Country Apple Pie on page 251!)

Forum Feasts: Favorite Recipes from Friends of the Forum School

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Forum Feasts: Favorite Recipes from Friends of the Forum School
The Forum Quorum
Manufacturer: The Forum School
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Spiral-bound
ASIN: B000K1V0YO

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Forum Feasts
Friends of the Forum School
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Spiral-bound
ASIN: B000MRJQDS

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Forum Feasts Favorite Recipes From Friends of the Forum School

Manufacturer: The Forum School Waldwick NJ
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000FCU2HO

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Forum Feasts

Manufacturer: Wimmer Brothers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Spiral-bound
ASIN: B000J0QJXS

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Forum Feasts

Manufacturer: DeVries Borthers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000I4R5G0

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Forum Feasts

Manufacturer: The Forum School
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Spiral-bound
ASIN: B000GZZLQM

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Forum Feasts

Manufacturer: The Forum School
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Spiral-bound
ASIN: B000I8G5V2

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Forum Feasts
n/a
Manufacturer: Forum Feasts,
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000ND0ACC

Customer Reviews:

Outstanding problem prevention info.......2005-10-07

A wealth of solid advice on how to prevent (or solve) a wide variety of ceramics problems. Well-written and easy to read. A unique collection of topics, but well-organized, making it easy to find what you're looking for. Includes details about clays and glazes, buying materials, firing, safety, and even business considerations. The title is accurate: you really should know what's in this book, and much of it you won't find elsewhere.

Must have for beginners.......2004-07-08

I am a self taught potter. This is one of the first books I bought on the subject and I still find it very valuable. It gets to the point and addresses practical problems in clear and specific ways. The glaze recipes that are given work, however it helps to have a bit of knowledge first. (I didn't understand about the thermal expansion of lithium and one of the base glazes give is overloaded with it. It broke my clay body apart completely, not surprising from its chemistry. On the proper clay body it would have been fine.) The solutions to the problems work well. I am using, with good results, a clay body that uses advise from this book. It doesn't have every solution to problems, but I haven't seen any book that does. It is interesting and covers a wide range of important issues for the potter, issues that are often left out of other books. I highly recommend it for anybody who works in clay, specifically those who mix their own clay and glazes.

Beginner's Paradise.......2000-07-09

As a beginner in the world of pottery, I found this book to be useful in a language that is easy to follow and understand.

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Mosaics for the first time (For The First Time)

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Mosaics for the first time

Mosaics for the first time (For The First Time)
Reham Aarti Jacobsen
Manufacturer: Sterling/Chapelle
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Mosaic | Other Media | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Ceramics | Other Media | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Pottery & Ceramics | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 1402706359

Book Description

Picture frames, stepping stones, a Tile & Roses Tray: even with no experience, you can learn to make these and other beautiful mosaics. From the most basic information (How do I cut tesserae? What do I need to know about grout?), to simple techniques (How do I mosaic a picture under glass?), and beyond, this well-illustrated question-and-answer guide leads beginners through every procedure. For each skill, there’s an accompanying project: practice pique assiette (a base covered with randomly sized, colored pieces) on an elegant wall hook, and try the “double reverse” method (laying a design out on a temporary surface and transferring it onto its final base) to give a table a fabulous new top. An artists’ gallery provides additional inspiration.

Customer Reviews:

Mosaics for the first time.......2004-04-07

Last summer I was introduced to mosaics and fell in love with the art. I found that this book offers everything one needs to know to succeed in mosaics. Terms and tools unique to mosaics are explained clearly and concisely. Each technique is well illustrated and a list of supplies is included. It is a beautiful book full of imaginative ideas and the author did a good job of conveying her knowledge.

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Mosaics for the First Time
Reham Aarti Jacobsen
Manufacturer: Sterling
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000K1QY72

Book Description

Joan Kohn shares hundreds of tips, personal insights, and ideas for renovating or designing the bed and bath in this essential and inspirational guide.Every successful bedroom and bathroom design is a unique reflection of personal taste, lifestyle, budget, and dreams. In this comprehensive and beautiful guide, Joan Kohn, host of HGTVs Bed and Bath Design, inspires and encourages readers to make the best possible decisions among the myriad of design choices that are available today. Part one, Design Essentials, prepares the reader for the design process by addressing such considerations as budget, style, assessment of the existing bedroom and bathroom, and working with a design team. Part two, The Five Building Blocks of Bed and Bath Design, covers function, space, floor plans, style, and personal touch. Armed with the knowledge provided in part one, readers will learn how to confront the critical design choices that will turn their dream into a reality. Richly illustrated with 240 full-color photographs of inspirational bedrooms and bathrooms by top designers, JOAN KOHNS ITS YOUR BED AND BATH provides all of the necessary information for creating functional and beautiful personal spaces that you and your family will enjoy for many years to come.

Customer Reviews:

How not to write a bathroom book.......2007-09-17

This book is worth reviewing only because it's so sadly typical of many bathroom remodeling books currently on the market. Written in a breathy, ecstatic, inspirational style more appropriate to the spiritual uplift than the home remodeling literature, it's short on information, sources and resources and materials or manufacturing credits. The taste level of the lavish photo spreads varies from the sublime to the ridiculous; but in either case, even if you saw something you thought you might want to use in these pages and wanted to put a name to it, track down sources and prices ranges and assess its pluses or minuses for the particular installation you had in mind, you'd be totally out of luck. For example, if the picture you're interested in appears in the countertops chapter, don't expect Ms. Kohn to make life easy for you and identify the wall or floor materials in the same picture, including the elements that might originally have caught your eye.
This book reiterates the usual design and materials platitudes ("Balance is the key to beauty as well as budget!"; and: "A discarded Warning sign can take on new meaning and become a work of art..") providing unnecessary and maddeningly useless filler for both the pretty and the not so pretty photographs.
I've read a lot of bathroom design books in the course of planning my next bathroom makeover. They run the gamut from bad to outstanding, and Ms. Kohn's is certainly not the worst; but it's so highly typical of the genre that I think it's worth both the time and trouble it's taken to write this, admittedly, jaundiced review, in hopes that future publishers might take note and current consumers proceed with caution.

Not bad...But not inspiring.......2005-01-05

Well, this would be a great book for my mom or grandmother, but as a young homeowner I am a bit dissapointed in the dated styles. Generally good advice and lay-out, but not inspiring. In fact there is on bathroom in there that I seriously have nightmares about!!!! I havent finished reading through yet, but so far it hasnt gotten any better.

Great design resource.......2004-10-21

This book gave me plenty of great ideas for remodelling one of our bathrooms. I liked the up-to-date, grown-up and upscale designs that cover a range of different styles from modern to classic and from country to metropolitan. The design advice was very logically laid out and made a lot of sense. There wasn't just superficial blabber regarding "beauty" etc. but a lot of good, practical, in-depth pointers as to how to get a project started and completed. I haven't come across a better book than this for this subject!

Joan Kohn's It's Your Bed and Bath: Hundreds of Beautiful Design Ideas

Average customer rating:

Joan Kohn's It's Your Bed and Bath: Hundreds of Beautiful Design Ideas
Joan Kohn
Manufacturer: Bulfinch Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000N65GXW

Book Description

A full color annual that presents the best work of the nation's leading design firms.These ground-breaking designs are organized into seven categories: logos, complete identity programs, corporate identity manuals, letterhead designs, package designs, signage & environmental graphics, and corporate brochures. Over the years many trendsetting styles have first appeared in this series. An essential resource, this reference should be close at hand on every corporate identity designer's bookshelf.

Book Description

The Believer relates the disturbing and provocative story of a Jewish skinhead from Brooklyn. Screenwriter Henry Bean (Internal Affairs, Deep Cover) was inspired by an actual case to write an original script exploring issues close to his own Orthodox Judaism—and then to direct what became the winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival. Everywhere The Believer has been shown it has provoked passionate debate about fundamental assumptions of faith, belief, and ethnic identity. The Believer: Confronting Jewish Self-Hatred is intended to provide a context for the discussion sparked by this controversial film. In addition to the script with an explanatory essay by the filmmaker, The Believer will include additional essays on related topics from such authorities as Cornell Professor Sander Gilman (Anti-Semitism in Times of Crisis), Northwestern Professor Lester Friedman (The Jewish Image in American Film), and Professor of the Talmud and Rabbinics at Jewish Theological Seminary David Kraemer. The Believer will feature the script of the award-winning film and also be punctuated by shorter “reactions” to the film and its topic solicited from pivotal opinion-makers. “Henry Bean is a big talent and The Believer is his most courageous and thought-provoking work yet!”—Spike Lee

Customer Reviews:

Rosenthal's book is better.......2004-11-24

Having read both books on Dan Burros I thought the older book on him by Rosenthal called "One More Victim; The Life and Death of a Jewish Nazi" was far better. That one was better researched, maybe because it was written only a year or so after Burros killed himself so the people he knew were still around to be interviewed. The fact that the New York Times reporter who "outed" Burros, which directly led to him shooting himself as soon as he saw the article on page 1 stating his history and that he was Jewish, stated he had no guilt or regret for having published this even knowing Burros 'delicate' state of mind sure wouldn't fly in this era. They would have been sued for that by Burros relatives after his death as there were several witnesses to his death. The other book is hard to find but worth getting if you can. Burros certainly was a fascinating twisted and tormented man.

"Self Hatred and Faithlessness".......2002-10-15

This is possibly the most intriging work of Jewish fiction published in the last decade. Based on the real life story of Jewish KKK Wizard Danny Burros (1938-65), this book explores the history, psychology and internal motivations of a young Jew, who out of his self hatred, turned violently against the Jewish people. The real life Danny Burros, committed suicide when the New York Times "outed" him as a Jew in 1965.

The book contains not only Bean's play ironically titled "The Believer" but also outstanding commentary by scholars David Kraemer and Sander Gilman. The play is set contemporaneously, but the course of a young Jew becoming a Nazi out of self hatred is somewhat archaic. Jews are more likely to support Palestinian "liberation" based on self hatred than Nazism these days.

But the truly interesting question is: Why the self hatred at all? This disease has struck Jews all through the history of the Jewish people, and frequently lead those who feel it to persecute the Jewish people, to the point of fanning massacres and riots. In the modern period, it began with towering figures like Marx and Heine, through Lenin and Trotsky, down to the present. Both David Kraemer and Sander Gilman give their own answers for this, derived both from Jewish tradition and modern psychology and literary criticism.

However, given that Jewish self hatred is as old as Judaism itself, these answers, for this reviewer ring quite hollow. I find the answers to this question in the nature of Judaism itself; in that Judaism is a religion of analysis, criticism and argument, which enshrines a tradition of severe self critique and reproof in the Bible itself. One sees the Jewish tendency toward almost violent disagreement from the Torah through the Writings to the end of the Prophets.

In general it takes a very strong individual, to observe and internalize this culture without finding it defacto flawed by excessive internal divisiveness. This reviewer so found Judaism similarly flawed for decades, until he made a thorough and searching study of the Bible and Jewish history, and realized that the God that inspired the Torah, is still with the Jewish people today.

I used this inspiration to write my own commentary on the ideas in The Believer; [...]However, in my case, I discuss in a much more profound way the true causes of Jewish self hatred, which is the illusion fostered by so many different'modernizing' Jewish groups, that God is a thing of the distant past.

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