Amazon.com
You may have read the hype. Irishman Jamie O'Neill was working as a London hospital porter when his 10-year labor of love, the 200,000-word manuscript of At Swim, Two Boys, written on a laptop during quiet patches at work, was suddenly snapped up for a hefty six-figure advance. For once, the book fully deserves the hype.
In the spring of 1915, Jim Mack and "the Doyler," two Dublin boys, make a pact to swim to an island in Dublin Bay the following Easter. By the time they do, Dublin has been consumed by the Easter Uprising, and the boys' friendship has blossomed into love--a love that will in time be overtaken by tragedy. O'Neill's prose, playing merrily with vocabulary, syntax, and idiom, has unsurprisingly drawn comparisons to James Joyce and Samuel Beckett, but in his creation of comic characters (such as Jim's pathetic but irrepressible father) and in the sheer scale of his work, Charles Dickens springs to mind first. But Dickens never wrote a love story between young men as achingly beautiful as this.
In the character of Anthony MacMurrough, who is haunted by voices as he pursues his illegal and dangerous desire for Dublin boys, O'Neill has created a complex and fascinating center to his novel, rescuing the love story from mawkishness, and allowing a serious meditation on history, politics, and desire. For as Ireland seeks its own future free of British government, so Jim, Doyle, and MacMurrough look back to Sparta to find a way to live. As Dr Scrotes, one of MacMurrough's voices, commands:
Help these boys build a nation of their own. Ransack the histories for clues to their past. Plunder the literature for words they can speak.
In this massive, enthralling, and brilliant debut, Jamie O'Neill has indeed done just that: provided a nation for what Walt Whitman calls, in O'Neill's epigraph, "the love of comrades." --Alan Stewart, Amazon.co.uk
Book Description
Set during the year preceding the Easter Uprising of 1916 -- Ireland's brave but fractured revolt against British rule -- At Swim, Two Boys is a tender, tragic love story and a brilliant depiction of people caught in the tide of history. Powerful and artful, and ten years in the writing, it is a masterwork from Jamie O'Neill.
Jim Mack is a naïve young scholar and the son of a foolish, aspiring shopkeeper. Doyler Doyle is the rough-diamond son -- revolutionary and blasphemous -- of Mr. Mack's old army pal. Out at the Forty Foot, that great jut of rock where gentlemen bathe in the nude, the two boys make a pact: Doyler will teach Jim to swim, and in a year, on Easter of 1916, they will swim to the distant beacon of Muglins Rock and claim that island for themselves. All the while Mr. Mack, who has grand plans for a corner shop empire, remains unaware of the depth of the boys' burgeoning friendship and of the changing landscape of a nation.
Download Description
Set in Dublin, At Swim, Two Boys follows the year to Easter 1916, the time of Ireland's brave but fractured uprising against British rule. O'Neill tells the story of the love of two boys: Jim, a naive and reticent scholar and the younger son of the foolish aspiring shopkeeper Mr. Mack, and Doyler, the dark, rough-diamond son of Mr. Mack's old army pal. Doyler might once have made a scholar like Jim, might once have had prospects like Jim, but his folks sent him to work, and now, schoolboy no more, he hauls the parish midden cart, with socialism and revolution and willful blasphemy stuffed under his cap. And yet the future is rosy, Jim's father is sure. His elder son is away fighting the Hun for God and the British Army, and he has such plans for Jim and their corner shop empire. But Mr. Mack cannot see that the landscape is changing, nor does he realize the depth of Jim's burgeoning friendship with Doyler. Out at the Forty Foot, that great jut of rock where gentlemen bathe in the scandalous nude, the two boys meet day after day. There they make a pact: Doyler will teach Jim to swim, and in a year, Easter 1916, they will swim the bay to the distant beacon of Muglins Rock and claim that island for themselves. Ten years in the writing, At Swim, Two Boys has already caused a sensation in England and Ireland, earning lavish praise for its masterful portrayal of class, tradition, and the conflict that has haunted Ireland for centuries. Jamie O'Neill's poetic and evocative storytelling makes him a natural successor to James Joyce and Flann O'Brien. At its heart, At Swim, Two Boys is a tender and tragic love story that will resonate with all readers. But it is also a compelling and important work, a novel about people caught up in the tide of history -- set in a place and culture both unfamiliar and unforgettable.
Customer Reviews:
Not just a "gay" book........2007-08-16
I rarely review anything on this site--not books, not movies, not CDs. I never feel that strongly about a product. But this book is different. When I bought it, I was skeptical about all the hype. Usually with a book that is so universally loved you are setting yourself up for a disappointment. Not so with this. It surpasses the hype in so many ways.
First of all--yes, the three main characters are gsy, but this is in no way a "gay book". It is a romance novel, a war novel, a coming-of-age. It is epic, and purely Irish in its nature. Don't give up after the first few chapters. This definitely isn't American English. It isn't even British English. It's *Irish* English. The prose is dense but lyrical, and reads like a song or a poem. Even if you absolutely hate the characters or plot, I can't imagine anyone who bothers to read past chapter two not completely awestruck by Jamie O'Neill's use of language. This book was ten years in the writing, and it shows.
You probably already know the plot, so I won't annoy you with that. But this book will break your heart into a million little pieces and haunt you for the rest of your life. So read it. Right now.
rich, flowing prose and passion.......2007-06-18
It's always wonderful when an artist truly takes the time to let a work develop. This massive yet warmly flowing work of historic fiction is worth grazing through lovingly.
I needn't go into repeating the plot, which has been aptly written up in other reviews. Simply, if you want to enjoy a large and fully developed novel on a grand yet intimate scale.
A Boyish Bond.......2007-05-21
Read about the bond between two boys in this historical fiction novel set in the suburbs of Dublin, Ireland.
For Jim.......2007-05-16
I have to admit I had a hard time getting into this book. The first chapter especially, as it centers around Jim Mack's father and what is esentially a very foreign world, Ireland 1915. Even when the story shifts to the more genteel world (and language) of Eveline and Anthony MacMurrough, I still thought about putting the book down for lighter fare. I'm glad I didn't, because this book is an astonishing experience. My personal test of any great work of fiction is how much do I care about the characters. Would I want to know these people in real life? Absolutely! And even the most minor characters here are brought to vivid life. All three of the main characters touched my heart, but I loved Jim most of all, and I've even found myself asking "What would Jim do?" whenever I'm faced with a difficult situation. He is a wise, kind soul, and that makes his destruction even more infuriating (doesn't give anything away). All three men are swept up by Doyler's love of Ireland and his revolutionary leanings, and at one point the book goes on for an extended passage about his time in Dublin with the Citizen's Army. It gets a little, um, boring, but all of a sudden Doyler is asked if he misses Jim, and this is what he says: "I miss him, aye...He was pal o' me heart, so he was. I try not to think of him, only I can't get him off my mind. He's with me always day and night. I do see him places he's never been, in the middle of a crowd I see him. His face looks out from the top of a tram, a schoolboy wouldn't pass but I'm thinking it's him. I try to make him go away, for I'm a soldier now and I'm under orders. But he's always there and I'm desperate to hold him. I doubt I'm a man except he's by me." It's the most beautiful moment in what is ultimately a devastating work of art. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a movie version that is just as beautiful.
An atmospheric story of complex relationships.......2007-03-24
I'm usually not a big fan of historical fiction. It often tends toward too much melodrama as it attempts to build a story and characters around real, often complicated events. "At Swim" has some of these problems toward its end, but most of the story is a realistic narrative about the bond that develops between two adolescent boys, Jim & Doyler. Jim belongs to the petit bourgeois and Doyler to the poor, working class. The book is as much about social stratification as it is about sexuality. Both boys develop ties to MacMurrough, a young man who has been exiled to his Anglo-Irish aunt, after an embarrassing trial and imprisonment for soliciting a young mechanic. MacMurrough develops somewhat complicated relationships with both boys, particularly Doyler. He begins by paying Doyler for sex, but comes to be something of a mentor. Both Jim & MacMurrough provide outlets for Doyler's thwarted desires for social and economic advancement. Doyler is a socialist and engaged with one of the groups involved in the Easter Uprising of 1916.Tthe relationship between Jim & Doyler is one that gives voice to Doyler's gentleness and is one of many forces that challenge Jim. He is drawn Doyler's worldliness in matters of sex, politics, and other things, but he also is pulled by family's need for "respectability" and the teachings of the Church. The petit bourgeois world of his family pushes him toward social advancement, but also admonishes against "pride", an Irish working class sin, which often has held people back from education or economic advancement. Jim's father is caught in the same social trap--he is a Babbit-ish small businessman who unintentionally had let his own "airs" get in the way of a friendship with Doyler's father when they both were in the British Army. The story includes Mr. Mack's efforts to repair that tie, after he suffers the social slight of his older son's impregnating a local servant girls (that son, Gordie, is MIA in WWI when the pregnancy is revealed).
The book captures the social world of small town/suburban Dublin. Parts of the book reminded me of "Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" and "The Dubliners". I was less reminded of "Ulysses" and not concerned that O'Neil might be drawing from Joyce or anyone else. He could do far worse for inspiration and I didn't see any real "cribbing".
The book is heavy on Irish dialect, particularly, in the beginning, although I didn't have that much difficulty getting through it. It's not something that was transmitted through my Irish roots, but it's not that difficult to figure out. There's also a bit of Irish Gaelic, but that's typically translated. The book appears to have been published originally in the UK, so i am guessing that the primary audience was the Irish diaspora (which is huge) in England, as well as Northern Ireland, and of course, the Republic Of Ireland. So, it wasn't written for us Yanks and people who don't like that really shouldn't read the book.
I had two quibbles with "At Swim", which knocked off a star. The subplot about Gordie's baby is poorly integrated into the story. It seems like one of those elements that may have been larger in an earlier draft, but cut back as time goes on. One could see the baby as a violation of Gordie's exalted status in the house--he was Jim's admired role model and clearly his father's favored son. That he fathered a child and did it with a servant girls also is a blight against the Macks' precarious hold on middle class respectability. Much of the book is about social class and the injuries committed to less fortunate people by a wealthy, somewhat indolent gentry, represented by the MacMurroughs and Jim's classmates at the prep school where he attends as a scholarship boy.
We come to learn that MacMurrough's aunt is part of the Anglo-Irish support for the Uprising. Much of the early push for Irish independence came from this part of society, rather than from the mass of Catholic peasants. The Anglo-Irish tended toward the Anglican (some were Catholic), and should not be confused with the mostly Calvinist Protestants of Northern Ireland, who continue to favor union with Britain. Many involved in the fight for independence were social non-conformists and context makes it easier to see young MacMurrough as making a token contribution to the cause, at his aunt's insistence. The aunt's role as a funder & supporter is a bit sudden and overwrought. We're asked to believe that she was such an important figure that there was a mural of her at a rebel meeting hall. This aspect of the story (the aristocrat as rebel) could have been made a little more realistic and her role could have been introduced sooner and allowed to develop more naturally. The ending is tragic and one we expect, but is handled with less bathos than might be expected from the set-up. In the end, this is a coming of age story about Jim, yet we're not sure where life will take him next.
Customer Reviews:
good book, not the characters.........2007-01-28
I love Jane Porter, but the heroine in this book really disappointed me. I mean, cmon! The guy cheated on his wife, and she was in a coma..! I thought the heroine was pathetic, weak woman. She went back to him even though he betrayed her so many times. He basically forced her to admit she still loved him. The ending was also a little corny (not the black and white wedding theme, I actually think that's cute)..Overall, I think this was a good book but not I would read over and over again.
this book held me in its grip ; ).......2006-07-21
first: I don`t usually cry when I read these books but when I read Jane Porter`s The Sicilian`s defiant mistress tears run through my cheeks...it was so full of emotions...I really lived through Cass`s pain...
second: Max`s excuse for doing what he did wasn`t enough. It was a disappointment though afterwards I think he loved Cass VERY VERY MUCH!
third: I think the story is worth 4 stars but because of its unique quality (Casses emotions` very talented description) I gave it all 5 stars : )
:0).......2006-06-28
Great story with loveable characters..towards the end to have a man cry for his woman its worth the read..I enjoy reading it there were highs and lows that they both went through but it came out wonderfully towards the end...
WARNING if you don't like constant arguing between couples then isn't for you...in this book they are trying to resolve the past to move on to the future hence the arguing
Good read..
Jane Porter at her best!!!.......2006-04-21
I strongly agree with the reviewer that compared this book with a ride on a roller coaster! Cassandra is a lovely character that has gone through a lot. At first, I was mad at Max, but the way the author made up for him towards the end was great. You truly get to put yourself in his place and understand. I loved that Cassandra finally learned to stand up for herself. I could not put it down; the day I read this book no one at home got my attention. I strongly recommend it.
Take a Sensational Ride on a Roller Coaster.......2006-03-11
While reading The Sicilian's Defiant Mistress, I felt I was on an emotional roller coaster. It's passionate, sensitive, and emotional; it's Jane Porter, at her best! This book was exceptional because it shared and described emotions women feel and men or some men never admit. Passion, lust, attraction, hurt, anger, betrayal and secrets. However, the emotional ride reading The Sicilian's Defiant Mistress was well worth it!
Max and Cass are dynamite, dynamic, sensual, volatile, passionate, and explosive is all I can say. I read this in one sitting and when finished, I felt emotionally drained yet privileged to have read such a wonderful and incredible story.
Back Cover:
Cass can't continue with a relationship that involves just her body when her heart is breaking.... But the deal she made with Sicilian tycoon Maximos Borsellino was for sex - and when that fails to be enough for Cass, Maximos ends the affair. Cass is completely destroyed. Worse, she discovers she's pregnant
Book Description
Cass can't continue with a relationship that involves just her body when her heart is breaking . . . But the deal she made with Sicilian tycoon Maximos Borsellino was for sex - and when that fails to be enough for Cass, Maximos ends the affair. Cass is completely destroyed. Worse, she discovers she's pregnant . . . But, months later, an explosive reunion is in the cards.
Amazon.com
Wunderkind Cory Doctrow continues to display his orientation skills at the intersection of Humanity and Technology with the collection of short stories A Place So Foreign and 8 More. In the collection's titular tale, "A Place So Foreign," a 19th-century boy travels with his father, the Ambassador to 1975. But when Pa meets with an accident, young James becomes a living anachronism in 1898. Doctrow twists the time travel tale into a parable of data mining, as mysterious forces work to plunder the past for corporate gain. In one of several stories about a mysterious alien race who offers to give Earthers a hand up, he documents the adolescent rage of those left behind when the "mothaship" takes the anointed few into the brave new world. Finally, in "0wnz0red", Doctrow explores the dark side of Silicon Valley's connection to the military industrial complex by posing the question: What happens when hackers learn to hack the human body?
Doctrow is a new breed in an increasingly literate and valid subgenre of science fiction. He uses the traditional allegories of the form to explore more human and fragile connections. As the 21st century rockets ahead, he examines the consequences of our frenzy to embrace technology and predicts outcomes that are both charmingly optimistic and bleakly hollow. --Jeremy Pugh
Book Description
Considered one of the most promising science fiction writers, Cory Doctorow's name is already mentioned with such SF greats as J.G. Ballard, Michael Moorcock, William Gibson and Bruce Sterling. He was awarded the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Science Fiction Writer at the 2000 Hugo Awards. Cory's singular tales push the boundaries of the genre, exploring pop culture, trash, nerd pride, and the nexus of technology and social change. His work is a roadmap to the possible futures that may arise in our lifetimes. Additional stories include "Craphound", "All Day Sucker", "Shadow of the Mothaship", "The Superman and the Bugout", "Home Again, Home Again", and "Return to the Pleasure Island".
Customer Reviews:
The genre at its best.......2006-10-16
As a co-editor of Boing Boing, former director at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, USC professor and anti-DRM activist (to scratch the surface) Mr. Doctorow has his bone fides when it comes to understanding how technology is changing the world.
His writing follows in the tradition of the best of science fiction as a poigniant fun house mirror held up to our own time. No busty women in skintight space suits or ridiculously biceped rogues fighting off alien overlords. If you are looking for stories about them, look elsewhere. If you're looking for stories about people dealing with normal problems in extraordinary (but plausible) circumstance, you'll feel right at home here.
From before he was down and out in the Magic Kingdom.......2005-10-25
Doctorow (no provable relation to E. L., by the way) made his first big splash with his off-the-wall short stories -- especially the last one in this collection, "Ownz0red," which is a Leet Geek work of narrative art about taking copyright commons to the next level, by way of the personal biosphere. "Craphound," on the other hand, while it's a well-written and entertaining story about junk-hawks, is almost the sort of thing you might have found in the old Analog. "To Market, to Market: The Rebranding of Billy Bailey," has a strong Gibsonian flavor and is probably the second-best thing in this collection. The title story is a not entirely successful time travel yarn that seems to lose its way at several points. "Return to Pleasure Island" is just strange, and also not enitrely successful. The remaining three stories are sort of a set, sharing a future in which the aliens have come and are shaping us up whether we like it or not, but none of the three shares characters. This is the best single-author collection I've read in several years.
Doctorow's first collection, and it's a nice one.......2005-09-09
_____________________________________________
This is newish writer Doctorow's first collection, and it's a nice one. You can easily judge this for yourself, as he's put up six of the nine stories in the book for free download, along with Bruce Sterling's perceptive intro, at http://craphound.com/place/
Still, I'm supposed to provide guidance here, right? OK: the newest and hottest story here is "0wnz0red"....
But why listen to me? Here's Chairman Bruce Sterling's opinion:
[quote]There has been a chunk of science fiction influenced by Silicon Valley, but "0wnz0red" captures the disturbed inner world of the technically sociopathic... This story is fully realized, and it is sarcastic, abrasive, and mind-boggling in a truly novel way. Like Beat writing in its early period, "0wnz0red" has the dual virtues of being both really offensive and genuinely hard for normal people to understand. This work is therefore truly advanced.[end quote]
Well, um, AOL. "If your nerd quotient is high enough, ["0wnz0red"] will blow you away" -- Jeff Bezos, Amazon.com founder.
My favorite Doctorow story so far, the gonzo "Jury Service", isn't here, maybe because it's a collab with Charlie Stross? --but it's just a click away: [OK, a few clicks, since Ammy usually bounces URLS-- g00gle scifi[dot]com]
[quote] Welcome to the fractured future, at the dusk of the twenty-first century.
Earth has a population of roughly a billion hominids. For the most part, they are happy with their lot, living in a preserve at the bottom of a gravity well. Those who are unhappy have emigrated, joining one or another of the swarming densethinker clades that fog the inner solar system with a dust of molecular machinery so thick that it obscures the sun. Except for the solitary lighthouse beam that perpetually tracks the Earth in its orbit, the system from outside resembles a spherical fogbank radiating in the infrared spectrum; a matrioshka brain, nested Dyson orbitals built from the dismantled bones of moons and planets...[end quote]
Absolutely not to be missed. See my (and others) comments on "Jury Service" at g00gle groups.
OK, back to what *is* in the book. "Craphound", the leadoff story, was Doctorow's first published story, about an alien who likes thrift shops. Good weird stuff, and online, too.
"A Place So Foreign", an 18,000 word novella (also online) about time-travel from 1898 to 1975, is a fresh take on an old theme, and well-worth reading, though not quite to my taste.
"All Day Sucker" is a neat, clever short-short original. "To Market, To Market: The Rebranding of Billy Bailey", personal brand-management at Pepsi Elementary, is crackerjack, my second-favorite in the collection (and overall). Neither is online.
"Return to Pleasure Island" is sort of a Disney satire and didn't do much for me. And "Shadow of the Mothaship", a weird scientology/alien invasion tale, went completely by me, though it's a favorite of the author. Go figure. Both are online, so you can judge for yourself (and calibrate your taste against mine). "Home Again, Home Again", an alien nuthouse tale, and "The Super Man and the Bugout", adventures of a Jewish-Canadian superhero, are good stories that share the "Mothaship" background. Both are online.
So that's it. A good collection, from a hot new writer --but they left out two of his four strongest stories!
Review first published at SF Site
Copyright © 2004 Peter D. Tillman
..........2005-06-28
Short story collections tend to frustrate me, as it seems the story hardly gets into the swing of things before a conclusion is hastily tapped on. The best short story collection I have read is "Welcome to the Monkey House" by Kurt Vonnegut, which is one of the most dazzling displays of "modern" writing I've stumbled upon. "A Place SO Foreign and 8 More" does not quite reach Vonnegut level, but is still a very enjoyable collection of stories.
Most of the time I really enjoyed Doctorow's prose. There were a few times he fell into the trap of trying to use too many "smart" phrases in one place, however, overall the writing is sharp and interesting.
The one thing I really like about Doctorow's writing is how he doesn't have to explain things... he SHOWS them. For example, in the story "Return to Pleasure Island," the main character is not human, but Doctorow avoids blantantly saying so. Instead he throws in "clues." Since the story is from the creature's perspective, regular humans are "soft ones." When he takes off his coat, he notices a lot of brown dirt-- a sign he is getting along in age. It's all very nonchalant which allows it to work.
The best story in the collection is "Home Again, Home Again," which is a look at life in a future "bat-house"... a home for mentally unstable people. While Docotorow tinkers with the idea that switching between first person and third person in reference to the same guy is powerful, it's really just confusing and it would have been better in first person only. I understand the concept he was going for, but it just wasn't working. That small bit aside, the story it's self was a stunning peep into different relationships which AREN'T real, but through Doctorow's writing sure do feel like they are.
Indeed, a reoccurring theme in Docotorow's stories is relationships between people-- usually friends and family. Unlike many edgy sci-fi writers who seem to sacrifice the relationships for technology, Docotorow's focus on them keeps the stories grounded and human. Yet his obvious technology obsession gives them the fantasy and future that marks science fiction.
It is exciting to stumble upon such a talent this early in his carreer. Expect bigger and better things from him in the future.
Picky, aintcha?.......2005-01-11
I suppose I'll lose points on cleverness and critique, but...I read the first page of the first story, and bought the book on that alone; halfway though, it provoked a rare "damn, I'm really glad I bought this book" moment. That's all I'm really looking for in a book anyhow.
***UPDATE 4/18: driving in to work I started randomly thinking about the story "craphound" from this collection...so I guess you could say Doctorow has stay-time, considering it's been a year since I read it and it still occasionally bounces around my brain.
Book Description
This workbook is an excellent tool for couples to work through and apply the material presented in Torn Asunder. It is organized into daily twenty-minute exercises initiated by each spouse on alternating days. Because this tragic situation is not easily resolved, this workbook is a must to get couples on the road to healing and oneness.
Customer Reviews:
A Balanced Approach.......2007-05-11
Goes beyond the simplistic notion of shallow forgiveness into the real work of repentance and reconciliation. Squares the responsibility between both spouses instead of placing an unfair burden on the spouse who has been betrayed to do all the work necessary for restoration of the relationship.
Not just facts.......2007-01-12
I was ready for a dry book with too many facts and statistics, but this book has been great. I'm only on the first chapter and have learned so much already.
Torn Asunder.......2006-11-03
This book and its accompaning workbook are simply the best resources I have found in helping folks recover from the devastating affects of marital infidelity, whether the couple chooses to remain married or divorce.
Great Book in a great time of need.......2006-08-31
This is a great book for anyone experiencing this traumatic part of life as well as anyone who knows someone going through this. It gives you hope when you think everything is gone and helps you break down the who,how,why when and where and then helps pick up the pieces.
Torn Asunder Workbook.......2006-08-08
THis book is excellent and follows the book. I would recommend it to anyone in this situation. God Bless you both as you try and reconcile your marriage.
Book Description
You’ve dreamed about it all week: the prime porterhouse patiently waiting in your butcher’s case for you to bring home wrapped in brown paper. You can’t wait to fire up the grill, season the well-marbled red meat, and slap it over the hot coals. You can hear the sizzle as it cooks, smell the tantalizing aroma; you can practically taste the perfectly seared, juicy steak. You never intend to overcook it, but sometimes you do, ruining a thick, expensive steak.
Never fear. Morton’s, The Steakhouse shares the secrets that have made its name synonymous with fine steakhouse dining for twenty-seven years to ensure that the home cook’s steak turns out exactly as he imagines it. Morton’s Steak Bible offers indispensable tips, steakhouse lore, and more than 100 irresistible recipes perfect for meat lovers, grillers, and fans of their seventy restaurants worldwide.
Before divulging Morton’s recipes for every cut from filet mignon and T-bone to skirt steak and ground sirloin, Morton’s Steak Bible starts at the very beginning, providing excellent tips on how to cook like a steakhouse: what to look for when selecting meat, how to cook it on a grill or under a broiler, and of course, how to time your masterpiece to perfection. There are also “Celebrity Clips” sprinkled throughout, amusing anecdotes about visits to Morton’s by its most famous guests, including Frank Sinatra, Tiger Woods, Queen Latifah, and Jackie Gleason.
In addition to world-famous steak recipes, Morton’s Steak Bible includes chapters featuring everything you’ll need to round out your table, such as the Key Lime Mortini and Smoked Salmon Pinwheels in “Cocktails and the Food We Eat with Them”; Salad Niçoise with Pan-Seared Tuna and Velvet Lobster Bisque in “Salads and Soups”; Baked Lemon-Oregano Chicken and Lamb Chops with Baked Apples in “Other Steakhouse Favorites”; Creamed Spinach and Hash Brown Potatoes in “Side Dishes”; and Morton’s legendary Hot Chocolate Cake and Upside-Down Apple Pie in “Desserts.”
With 3.3 million guests dining at its upscale restaurants throughout the United States, Canada, and Asia every year, Morton’s has clearly earned its place as the authority on all things steak. Beautifully illustrated throughout with vibrant full-color photographs, Morton’s Steak Bible is the definitive guide to steakhouse fare and will instantly become a coveted addition to the home of any meat lover or grilling aficionado.
Customer Reviews:
Best cook book so far.......2007-09-17
Just received this book for a week, and I am already a hero! What did I made? Potato Skins, Morton's Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing(best dressing ever), Beef Filet Diane(such a elegant and complex steak source), Manhattan Martini, and Cadillac Margarita. I am amazed how accurate these recipes are, everything I made so far were as good as what I tasted at Morton. Definitely will try the Crab Cake, Shrimp Alexander, and some of the desserts soon.
Read This Before Ordering!!!.......2007-07-26
There is a post here that implies that there are really no steak recipes in this book other than how to cook the meat and they are all the same, but here is the thing He is leaving out they teach you what cuts of meat to buy and what to look for in those cuts, Meats have to be prepared and cooked correctly there is no secret to the cooking of meat, past that we get into the recipes for the sauces and condiments that are designed to accentuate the meats prepared that are unbelievable.
If you don't know how to cook a steak correctly this book is not for you its far too advanced for that.
These are tried and true fine dining recipes that will make your kitchen very dirty (pots & pans) but the result is well worth it!!!
Morton's Steak Bible.......2007-02-09
I'm amazed that Morton's would share their secrets, but they have w/ this cookbook. The dishes are gourmet quality, but simple enough for anyone to duplicate. One of the best cookbooks I've come across. The prime rib, blue cheese dressing and hot chocolate cake are to die for. I can't wait to try more of these recipes.
Don't buy this book for the steak recipes.......2007-01-10
I bought this book specifically for steak recipies. I was duped...
To give you an idea of what I am talking about - In the 'Steak: Our feature presentation' section of the book, there are 9 recipies. Not many, but that's okay as long as they are good.
This is where the problem comes in. Five of the recipes are the same except for the cut of meat used and I'm not sure if they qualify as recipies. They use meat, vegetable oil and seasoned salt and give the option of using Au Jus... are these guys for real???
The sixth recipe out of nine is also the same except for a pepper sauce that you can put over the steak...
I rated this book 3 stars because some of the other recipes look promising.
I like it........2007-01-03
The book is great. We've made the scallops so far and the amazing chutney tastes just like the restaurants. The Caesar also tastes excellent!
Book Description
Fun facts about Barbie doll, her family and her friends. A mini-history of the development of Barbie doll in question and answer form. Provides information as well as fun. Handy pocket size, 119 pages.
Customer Reviews:
Barbie Doll Trivia Trail.......2001-12-06
This is a fun book. I also recommend, Dolls Aren't Just for Kids.
Incredibly researched, mind boggling in its thoroughness........1998-11-20
If you're looking for an inexpensive stocking stuffer for a fellow collector, check out the new paperback book, "Barbie Doll Trivia Trail," by mother and daughter team Cheryl Hanlon and Bonnie Speer. This little tome is incredibly well researched, mind boggling in its thoroughness, and so much fun to read that you'll want to order a copy for yourself. -Scott Arend, Barbie Bazaar.
Book Description
Denim and chambray have never been more popular or plentiful. Retail shops and catalogs are brimming with shirts, jumpers, dresses, vests, and more, ranging in style from casual to elegant. Adding designer touches to ready-made denim and chambray transforms these inexpensive pieces into upscale, custom-made garments anyone would be proud to wear.
Best-selling author Mary Mulari has applied her magic touch to everything from sweatshirts to appliqu and now turns to denim and chambray with style! Mularis simple step-by-step instructions and creative ideas for embellishments include appliqu variations, pocket additions, vintage linen panels, button-on trims, stenciling, and rubber stamping.
-All new ideas from one of Americas favorite authors. -Clever denim on denim trims, many cut from old blue jeans. -Movable embellishments to use on different garments, tote bags, and hats.
Customer Reviews:
Mary does it again!.......2000-09-02
Mary never fails to provide us with wonderful projects and terrific ideas. As always, the instructions are clearly written.
Those who have purchased her previous books will not be disapointed; new readers are in for a treat.
On a scale of 1 - 10, this book is a 15!
Average customer rating:
- Cuban Elegance
- AWESOME!!!
- The Best of Cuba in a book.
- Colourful Cuba
- Astonishing
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Cuban Elegance
Michael Connors
Manufacturer: Harry N. Abrams
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 General
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Similar Items:
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The Houses of Old Cuba
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Cuba: 400 Years of Architectural Heritage
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French Island Elegance
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Caribbean Elegance
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Havana Then and Now (Then & Now)
ASIN: 0810943379 |
Book Description
At a time when more and more travelers are discovering Cuba, which has been locked away from the outside world for more than 40 years, this lavishly illustrated, absorbing volume offers a completely different view of the island from the one seen by most visitors. This book presents not the picturesque Cuba of Castro's era with its derelict buildings and peeling paint, but the opulent world of the Spanish Creole aristocracy of the colonial period, which has continued to influence Cuban taste and cultural life on a more modest scale even to this day.
Emphasizing the palatial homes and elegant furnishings of the island's enormously rich sugar, cotton, and tobacco barons, Cuban Elegance relates the social, cultural, architectural, and interior design history of Cuba, and of the Caribbean region in general. With an engaging text and gorgeous photographs taken especially for this sumptuous volume, Cuban Elegance offers a fresh, surprising perspective on an intriguing country.
Customer Reviews:
Cuban Elegance.......2007-09-26
Cuban Elegance is a great book, has wonderful photography and dipicts the elegant decore of Cuba and its architecture as well.
AWESOME!!!.......2007-08-16
THIS IS IS SUCH A BEAUTIFUL BOOK. THE PICTURES ARE BEAUTIFUL, THE TEXT REGARDING EACH ONE IS VERY CLEAR. IT HAS A GOOD FLOW AND MAY I DARE SAY IT IS A SEXY BOOK? IF THERE IS SUCH A THING. I WOULD RECOMMEND EVERYONE AND ANYONE TO GET IT. WHEATHER YOU'RE CUBAN OR NOT.
IT HELPS POINT OUT ALL THE BEATY THAT ONCE USED TO BE AS WELL AS THE ONE LEFT NOW AMIDST ALL THE DECAY AND ABANDONEMENT CURRENTLY AFFECTING THE ISLAND COUNTRY. I LOVED IT.
The Best of Cuba in a book........2007-04-16
I recently bought this book and despite that I had never being in Cuba before this is better than the real thing. Cuba was one the biggest economies in the region and such growth gave the possibility to create one of the most selected elites in the Caribbean islands. That prestige and class is all what you can find in this book full of excellent pictures. The reading of the book is pleasant, accurate and, full of details. I was amaze by the work around Cuban furniture which reflects the passion of the author in the topic. It's worth 5 out 5 starts with any doubts.
Colourful Cuba.......2006-02-08
This is a great coffee table book of good quality. The colour photographs are excellent, accompanied by descriptive text. I bought it out of a sense of curiosity of how the more affluent Cubans might live. Unfortunately, as it turns out, I don't generally share their taste in design or dark furniture, but don't let that put you off an excellent and informative book.
Astonishing.......2004-10-01
Cuban Elegance is an astonishing work. That Michael Connors and Bruce Buck were able to navigate the bureaucracies to get to Cuba and to the subjects of the book; astonishing that with an admitted paucity of research material they were able to craft a book that reveals the wealth of historic artifacts in Cuba.
Connors' concise, comprehensive and well-researched narrative along with Bruce Buck's beautiful images bring to light the stylistic and historical influences of three centuries of Cuba's heritage.
Kudos to both gentleman for what must have been an arduous task. The fruits of their labors is a book that should be an elegant addition to a great many libraries.
Product Description
This is a book that for the first time opens the doors to the public of the Marina at the luxurious gated community and Resort Casa de Campo in the southeast coast of the Dominican Republic. It is one of a king peace of art printed and bounded in Italy, with more than 300 breathtaking full color photographs and original drawing throughout. The book is a first class guided tour of the Marina at Casa de Campo in the hands of its creator, the architect Gianfranco Fini. Stunning aerial views, with never before seeing original drawings that will allow you enter into the mind of the architect to see the way of living that he was planning to create and vivid pictures of it actual beauty and style. The full size pictures throughout the book portrays a whole range of Caribbean style an elegant properties from inside out, from chic waterfront apartments and townhouses of less than 2,000 sqf. to magnificent Villas and Mansions above the 16,000 sqf. The foreword by Eduardo Martinez Lima (Central Romana Corporation CEO) will tell you the story of how two entrepreneurs convince them from an architectural and business point to build the Marina. Carmen Ortega (Arquitexto Magazine Editor) will introduce you to the Dominican Republic and Casa de Campo, while Carlo Montanaro (Editor of Dove, Dove Case and Style) will show you the way of living in the all year round summer at the Restaurants, Yacht Club, Art Galleries and, seaside houses of this luxurious destination.
Customer Reviews:
Great BOOK !!!.......2007-04-29
If you want to know more about architecture in the Caribbean, you have to read this book!
Caribbean Elegance.......2007-04-11
Through his work at la Marina, Casa de Campo, Gian Franco Fini captures the essence of refined architecture with a perfect air of Caribbean elegance.
A place to visit before you dies........2007-04-10
This is a book about one of those magical places that once you get there you don't want to leave. It's in the path of boats coming from Miami to the West Indies and is the place to see in the Caribbean before you die. Casa de Campo is the Caribbean most complete resort by far where any possible hobby in the world could practiced at world renowned conditions -besides skiing, except if you change it for water-sky-. The book about the Casa de Campo's Marina is definitely a 5 start in class, quality and content. This is the real thing in Caribbean Elegance and Luxury where you'll be able to find some of the most exclusive houses in the region.
The Best Keep Secret in the Caribbean unveils........2007-03-02
This is the only book available about Marinas from an architectural standpoint. Blueprints, sketches and more than 300 full-color pictures are a never ending source for one of the most luxurious approach to Caribbean Architecture. It's about the renowned Marina at Casa de Campo, La Romana, Dominican Republic and is a must for anyone willing see from the inside out as many options as possible to recreate a tropical paradise despite if it's and apartment or a houses under 2,000 sqf or a masterpiece above 20,000 sqf.
In contrast with W.R. Blain's book for "Marina Developments" -That is an excellent and maybe the only book about Marinas from a structural standpoint- this one is an architectural approach to Marinas and all the elements around it such as Yacht Club, Apartments, Houses, Restaurants and all related services. It's full of details and references in a text that is catchy and easy to read. My only concern was that I thought it was pricy in the first place despite that it was printed and bounded in Italy, but Blain's book is above the $250 and this one is more related to interior design and architecture so it's worth 5 out 5 starts.
Book Description
This incredible book houses a collection of 100 swipeable layouts that readers can use to create their own pieces--everything from newsletters and ads to letterheads and brochures. An invaluable introductory section reviews the core techniques for creating layouts. Next, designers are introduced to the layouts themselves. Each layout includes a full background on the piece, the reasoning behind each solution and details on how special constraints were handled. In many instances, several solutions are given to the same problem, illustrating that there is always more than one way to solve a layout and design problem. This book also includes: * Quick access to dozens of layout solutions including specs * Special techniques that can be used to enhance any layout * Insights into the factors that helped to make each layout an effective piece * Tips and advice for dealing with common problems such as working within client restrictions and handling ads with lots of visuals
Customer Reviews:
good book for the beginner.......2006-01-18
I found this book to be helpful, and give you the insight of how the projects in the book have been created. This book is very helpful for the beginner graphic designer.
Good for those with experience.......2005-08-01
I read "Quick Solutions" largely on the basis of the "official" reviewer who said that if you get just one book on graphic design/layout, this should be it.
I can see how that might be true for the professional or experienced designer. However, as one not experienced, I was disappointed. Let me give the pros and cons of this book, as I see them.
PROS: 1.) Large format gives plenty of room to view "finished products." 2.) Consistent format lets you follow the "analysis" of each product/project. 3.) Seeing the actual projects gives an idea of what the "Solutions" look like. 4.) Contains both black-and-white and color samples. 5.) Covers three levels of difficulty for each type of project: "basic," "intermediete," and "advanced." 6.) Covers different types of projects (newsletters, borchures, stationery, ads). 7.) Great for ideas and ways of solving different client problems. 8.) Stresses the need to keep the client's needs/tastes in mind.
CON(S): It assumes you know more than you do. Examples: 1.) It mentions "balance" on page 43 (discussing "Plants for Free"), but does not explain what "balance" is or how it is achieved or why it is important. 2.) It tells you that working with a "grid" is helpful, and that more grid sections are better than fewer, but does not tell you why a grid is important, how to develop one, where to place sections, or why. 3.) It tells you that the four important elements of design are headlines, text, pictures, and "of primary importance, space," but does not tell you how to develop, use, arrange, or understand each. 4.) Examples of several layouts are shown on pages 14 & 15, with no discussion, just short (very short) descriptions. 5.) Starting on page 29, alternative arrangements of elements on a page (layouts) are given, with no explanation for why they are acceptable or not, what principles determine the alternatives, why you might want to use one rather than another, etc.
The author says that layout is neither an art nor a science. Okay, but something must help the author make choices. Yet too few of those "somethings" are explained to the reader.
As I said, if you have background in layout and design, this book may be a good spark to your imagination. If, however, you are a neophyte (as I am), you will want more basics -- if for nothing more than to place the wonderful samples in this book in a framework of principles.
Nonetheless, if you can pick up a used copy here for practically nothing, you may be glad later (when you have more principles under your belt) that you did.
Organised and easy to follow.......1999-10-19
The book caters to a fairly broad audience, i.e. from those who might be quite new to the desktop publishing field right up to those who have been in the profession for years and are simply after a few fresh ideas. The book has been divided up into easy-to-walk-though chapters, each one discussing a different form of popularly used printed material, giving examples of very basic layout concepts to the more complex.
I found the book quite useful, but not necessarily new and exciting in its approach. Nevertheless it's a good one to have in your library.
Will Help Refine Your Design And Layout Skills!.......1998-09-27
The World Wide Web is a visually-oriented broadcast medium dependent upon masterful graphic image and textual design and layout. The placement of every image and text character must be carefully considered to bring about optimum results. Alan Swan has written How to Understand and Use Design and Layout to provide a visual guide to essential layout and design concepts.
The author states at the very outset that he desires to develop creative vision and judgment to enable his readers to distinguish between the strong and weak methods of presenting design ideas. Thoughtfully thumbing through this book will definitely help refine design and layout skills that can last a lifetime. The arrangement of items within each and every illustration will go a long way to provide inspiration for further design work.
Although this book was not intended at all to address online publishing, the concepts beautifully illustrated throughout the book are directly applicable. It contains a number of book, magazine, and newsletter ideas that can be used to create professional grade online publications. The author incorporates a number of color graphic images, photographs, and text to illustrate a variety of layout options. Readers are free to decide for themselves which layout design suits their own particular needs. They are free to create their own as well!
This book is ideally suited for businesses and organizations that specialize in producing online publications or for those persons who desire to go it alone. The quality of the entire publication is top-notch! So will your own work be if you follow its valuable instruction!
An Educational Experience in Layout Design!.......1998-08-02
The Internet is becoming the most influential broadcast medium in existence today. It is a powerful tool. With the right computer equipment and software anyone can become an online publisher. Want to create online publications such as newsletters and advertisements? Graham Davis has written Quick Solutions to Great Layouts to provide examples of newsletter, brochure, stationary, and advertisement layout patterns.
Although this book was not intended to deal with online publishing, the concepts are directly applicable. This hardback book measures 8 3/4" by 11" and contains a number of newsletter samples that can be used to create effective online publications. This style is ideally suited for businesses, non-profit organizations, and schools that already publish newsletters for distribution to their clients and subscribers. This could mean big business if someone is up to it!
The author provides a variety of newsletter samples, progressing fro! m simpler layouts to more advanced ones. Along the way the reader should pick up more insight into what it takes to put a newsletter together. I was most impressed with those descriptive comments at the edges of each page that offered explanations why certain type faces, justification, and other design elements were selected. This book emphasizes theory rather than merely providing sample layouts. A lot of detail has been provided, making this book an educational experience.
This is a great idea book that will serve a variety of company needs. For instance, Website designers and other online businesses can use this book to produce printed newsletters, brochures, and stationary that can be used to promote themselves. Website designers could produce an impressive marketing package consisting of a Website and coordinated printed promotional literature for their clients as well!
There is a sample in this book for every need. Take them as they are or build upon them. ! Either way you'll win!
Average customer rating:
- Great resource
- Great typeface ideas
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Quick Solutions for Great Type Combinations
Carol Buchanan
Manufacturer: North Light Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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| Reference
| Arts & Photography
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Typography
| Graphic Design
| Design & Decorative Arts
| Arts & Photography
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| Arts & Photography
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Desktop Publishing
| Graphic Design
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Similar Items:
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Quick Solutions to Great Layouts
ASIN: 0891345183 |
Customer Reviews:
Great resource.......2006-03-02
Good starting point for learning about how to combine font styles in designs. I found this book in an art book buying club and it helped me see what others really could not teach me. I learned more about classic font styles and ways to use them together more powerfully in my designs. Now I recommend this to my students.
Great typeface ideas.......2000-07-28
I found this book in the College of Fine Arts at the University of New South Wales. It has lots of print media samples and lists the typefaces used. What to combine with what is always a question on my mind and this book answers that question or at least is a good starting point.
Average customer rating:
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PEGGY: LIFE OF MARGARET RAMSAY, PLAY AGENT
COLIN CHAMBERS
Manufacturer: NICK HERN BOOKS
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
| Theater
| Performing Arts
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Actors & Actresses
| Arts & Literature
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 1854591193 |
Book Description
Peggy Ramsay, the influential British play agent who nurtured several generations of Britain's most important playwrights, was one of the most unforgettable individuals of the English-speaking theatre in this century.
Best known for the part she played in Joe Orton's career and immortalized by Vanessa Redgrave's portrayal of her in the film Prick Up Your Ears, Peggy Ramsay had a prodigious list of clients that included Eugene Ionesco, John Mortimer, Robert Bolt, Christopher Hampton, Edward Bond, Caryl Churchill, Howard Brenton, David Hare, Willy Russell and Alan Ayckbourn. A legend in her own lifetime, Peggy was feared and loved in equal measure.
Her refusal to spend money on her office, her employees or herself was more than mere eccentricity; it was a credo - her writers came first and last. When she died a millionaire in 1997, all the money went into a foundation to encourage writers, much as she had encouraged and bullied them when she was alive.
Given Peggy's blessing, Colin Chambers was granted complete freedom of access to all the records and correspondence accumulated over the forty years of her agency's existence, including hundreds of impassioned letters between Peggy and her authors. He has also benefited from the willing cooperation of her clients and has delved deeply into her early life, bringing to light a good many new and surprising aspects of this multifaceted woman whose ability to nurture talent is unlikely to be equaled for many a decade.
Books:
- Bitter Fruit: A Novel
- Bob the Dragon Slayer
- Bradbury Stories: 100 of His Most Celebrated Tales
- Bread Givers: A Novel
- Brokeback Mountain: Story to Screenplay
- Bury the Lead (Today Show Book Club #24)
- Coaching Wrestling Successfully
- Cold Skin
- Confessions of a Pagan Nun: A Novel
- Cooking With Fernet Branca
Books Index
Books Home
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- Birds Off the Perch: Therapy and Training for Your Pet Bird
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- Architecture & Design Library: Townhouses
- Bones: Buried Deep
Dream Boy: A Novel
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A Son Called Gabriel
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Leave Myself Behind
