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- Mixed Reviews
- Early McCarthy
- Great style, slow going
- Signs of future brilliance
- Not too shabby to be McCarthy's first
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The Orchard Keeper
Cormac McCarthy
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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McCarthy, Cormac
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Similar Items:
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Suttree
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Child of God
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Outer Dark
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Blood Meridian: Or the Evening Redness in the West
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The Sunset Limited
ASIN: 0679728724
Release Date: 1993-02-02 |
Book Description
An American classic,
The Orchard Keeper is the first novel by one of America's finest, most celebrated novelists. Set is a small, remote community in rural Tennessee in the years between the two world wars, it tells of John Wesley Rattner, a young boy, and Marion Sylder, an outlaw and bootlegger who, unbeknownst to either of them, has killed the boy's father. Together with Rattner's Uncle Ather, who belongs to a former age in his communion with nature and his stoic independence, they enact a drama that seems born of the land itself. All three are heroes of an intense and compelling celebration of values lost to time and industrialization.
Customer Reviews:
Mixed Reviews.......2007-07-20
I must be reading McCarthy in the wrong order. Started with No Country For Old Men and loved it, his earlier books are much darker. Content was a bit confusing to me but the style makes you keep coming back for more.
Early McCarthy.......2006-11-10
I am informally studying Cormac having read his last works first, namely "No Place for Old Men", preceeded by the "Trilogy" and "Blood Meridian". His precise knowledge about the area and customs of his story and the minimilist language which he develops in the later novels is interesting to watch grow.
Great style, slow going.......2006-06-22
Having read McCarthy's last four novels I'm developing into a big fan. I don't know of anyone else with his mastery of the language and ability to write razor-sharp, spot-on colloquial dialogue. So I thought I'd give his first novel a try. The incredible descriptions of nature are there, in more or less full flower, and several characters are memorable. The problem for me was that relatively little happens. I kept waiting, and waiting, and although he tossed in a little bit towards the end, in terms of plot it's like a 250-page short story. Don't get me wrong; I wasn't looking for a beach book or Tom Clancy, but in truth it's nice to have someone do something every once in a while beyond walking through the woods. So it's fascinating as a stylistic exercise, but less than compelling as entertainment. If you're hoping for something along the lines of All The Pretty Horses, you may be disappointed. If you love fabulous use of language for its own sake, you won't be.
Signs of future brilliance.......2004-08-19
Cormac McCarthy's debut novel "The Orchard Keeper" is pure Faulkner emulation, from the multiple narrative viewpoints to the impressionistic prose to the laconic, slack-jawed dialogue. This style appeals to me, as it should to all Faulkner fans, but there is a certain sacrifice of substance to achieve the effect McCarthy obviously desired. The small details, the picturesque scenes, the dramatic situations he conjures are the work of a master, but these feel like mere window dressing when the characters are plumbed for depth, only to find the string is barely wet.
The plot could be described in a way that would be immediately enticing to potential readers: A boy named John Wesley Rattner (a Methodist?) growing up in the mountains of eastern Tennessee during the Depression, an essentially good kid who enjoys fishing and trapping, is told by his pious mother that someday he will find and kill the man who murdered his father. One day he pulls a man out of a wrecked car in a creek; this turns out to be Marion Sylder, a bootlegger who, unbeknownst to Rattner, happens to be his father's murderer.
As Rattner and Sylder, each completely oblivious to the other's relationship to Rattner's father, begin a friendship, the novel traces a twisting story among various members of the community, giving a clear view of life in a rustic setting that is well served by McCarthy's style. Looming in the background is a wizened old man named Arthur Ownby whom everybody calls Uncle Ather and who is like a legendary figure of nature, the human soul of the mountains, living almost as a druidical hermit and resenting any intrusion into his privacy.
The elements are all in place, but while I was reading this novel I couldn't help but think of a similar but better one that came out around the same time, William H. Gass's "Omensetter's Luck," which likewise offers a complex story in a shady, enigmatic tone but more distinctive and original characterization. "The Orchard Keeper" falls short of its goal, but it is an admirable effort that portends the brilliance that McCarthy would manifest in "Blood Meridian," possibly the best American novel of the 1980s.
Not too shabby to be McCarthy's first.......2004-02-04
THE ORCHARD KEEPER, Cormac McCarthy's first novel, explores the nature of new versus old ways of life. It's a novel on nature. It deals primarily with three men: John Wesley, a young man coming of age; Marion Sylder, a bootlegger; and Uncle Ather, a hilarious, elderly man who refuses to take any crap from anyone. While these three run into each other throughout the novel, they are also connected to each other in a way through which none of them are aware--through the death of Kenneth Rattner. McCarthy's novel appears to be more of a character analysis than a plot driven story. While a plot does exist, it is not incredibly strong nor prominent. It's more like a series of anecdotes. However, the character depth and symbolism found in the pages of this book are tremendously wonderful. It's definitely a book worth reading again in order to catch all of these symbols and meanings. I would recommend this book to people who enjoy analyzing works, not someone who is just looking for something pleasurable to read. It's definitely not like reading Harry Potter : ). For example, at the beginning of this work, the narrator jumps from person to person, telling part of each one's story with little or no signal of whom is being spoken of. You have to take your time to figure out who the narrator is talking about. This can be rather frustrating at first, so beware! However, if you can tolerate this writing style and don't expect much of a plot, the piece is rather enjoyable, filled with comic elements and brilliance.
Product Description
three Books in one by Cormac McCarthy, including The Orchard Keeper, Suttree, and Blood Meridian
Average customer rating:
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The Orchard Keeper
Manufacturer: Ballantine
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000DCOJES |
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El guardian del vergel/ The Orchard Keeper (Contemporanea)
Cormac McCarthy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Contemporary
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McCarthy, Cormac
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ASIN: 8497939131 |
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Orchard Keeper
Cormac McCarthy
Manufacturer: Tandem Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
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ASIN: 1417718439 |
Book Description
In this masterful novel by Eugenia Price, a wealthy young northerner, Anson Dodge, shares his heart with two very different women—Ellen, who passionately adores him, and Anna, who comforts him in sorrow. They each surrender themselves to his dreams. Anson's story unfolds as a beautiful tale of honor when he rebuilds the war-torn Christ Church, Frederica, in memory of happy and lost love.
Customer Reviews:
Beloved Invader.......2007-05-13
This book is one of my favorites of all time. Not only of the trilogy but also of the books I have read in the past. it carries the story through and really puts a triple star above the series as it ties everything together in the end. Excellent!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I hated for it to end.
If you enjoy Eugenia Price..........2002-10-22
I have read all of Eugenia Price's books and regret that there are no more. If you enjoy the historical detail of this book and her others, and have not yet discovered Diana Gabaldon's books (Outlander, Voyager, et al), you might give them a try. Like Ms Price's books, they are long, detailed, well-researched and written. Be forewarned however, that, unlike Ms Price's books, Ms Gabaldon's books have more (sometimes a lot more) sensuality and (historically appropriate) violence. If you are comfortable with that, you will enjoy Ms Gabaldon's stories that put you into early Scotland and colonial America (North Carolina area). If you enjoy Ms Price's comfortable and solid faith references, you might like Jan Karon and Curtis Ann Matlock's books.
Capture of the Heart and Soul.......2001-10-20
This book was great. It is one you will not want to put down. I became so involved in the story that I read the book in two days. In all the books I have read by Ms. Price she has captured my heart and soul. You feel as if you are right there with the characters in the book. Each new adventure in the book seems to draw the reader in. Now that I have read all the St. Simon Trilogy my yearly visits there will never be the same. Thanks to Ms. Price I will look more carefully at her beloved island and enjoy it more.
Bittersweet.......2000-07-20
You're probably wondering who the Beloved Invader is, right? The title really is the whole book, in general. Anson Dodge is a Northerner visiting the Civil-War torn South. God sort of leads him to St. Simons Island through different events. There, he falls in love with the people of this island and makes a home for himself. The people think of him as an invader, I suppose. He has to win their affection and acceptance, but he wins it completely in the end. He devotes his life to the people, his dreams, and to God. This is a poignant love story. It's a very sad story though--about cruelty, love, endurance, faith, and sacrifice. I usually go for the happy ending love stories, but this is one of the exceptions for me. It's a must-read book. Of course, if you read it, you should read the others in the series (New Moon Rising and Lighthouse). It's one of those books you don't often come back to--but if you don't read it you're really missing something. I believe, that as Price wrote this, it came straight from the heart. That's what makes it so special. It went straight to my heart. There are actually three love stories in this book. One between Anson and the people of the island (and his ministry), one between he and his first wife, and one with his second wife. I really can't tell you much else about the plot of the book. I don't want to spoil it for you. But buy this book and the other two as well. They are excellant reading!
pretty.......1999-02-20
Eugenia Price's imagination of this novel began with her discovery of St. Simons Island and specifically, Christ Church, once the parish home of Anson Dodge. When Price discovered the story behind Dodge's life - that he had been married twice and that his first wife had originally been buried under the pulpit in Christ Church - The Beloved Invader was born. The novel is Anson's story and has much to do with his stumbling upon this island in Georgia and dedicating himself to the post war reconstruction of its beautiful chapel. It is a very tender story of a man who's pretty flawed for a Price book (making him more real) and the two extremely different women who became his wives. This book is especially recommended for young people - little love story packed in with historical detail. Most fun to read the book and then go to St Simons and see all that was described.
Product Description
Beloved Christian author Eugenia Price continues her chronicle of the history and romance of St. Simons Island, Georgia, in this final novel in her classic St. Simons Trilogy.
Book Description
Celebrate the 20th anniversary of those `robots in disguise': Transformers! Packed with comic strip action and adventure for all ages, these affordable digest-sized books are a must!
Fallen Star tells a high-octane mix of stories — from what happens when the `evil Decepticons' get together in The Bad Guys Ball, to Decepticon lieutenant Starscream's fall from grace and subsequent resurrection!
Featuring work from a stellar cast of creators including Staz Johnson (Batman/Aliens 2), Geoff Senior, Peter Knifton and the fan-favourite Transformers creative team of Simon Furman and Andy Wildman.
Customer Reviews:
Digest Transformers line for the serious Transformers collectors.......2006-03-11
Like the other titles in Titan's Digest Size Transformers line, Earthoforce is a book I'd reccomend only to someone who's immersed themselves in the TF mythos. Simon Furman delivers his usual splendid writing, and the art is certainly on par with other Transformers comics of the era. Personally, I enjoyed it, but not as much as some of the other Digest titles.
Transformers Lite.......2006-03-09
Of the four Titan b&w collections released thus far, this one is the most humorous and light-hearted. Most of the stories aren't too elaborate, as the writers and artists weren't sure when the Transformers comic would be ending, so what we have here are numerous single-issue or two-issue stories, which is fine in that it makes it easier for someone to read them without a whole lot of knowledge of the other plots that were running through the series. The emphasis of these stories is focused on the classic characters (i.e. Prowl, Grimlock, Megatron, Soundwave, etc.) who had lost the limelight in the U.S. series to various "master" and pretender characters. There is plenty of action and verbal wit, and we get to see Grimlock and Powermaster Optimus Prime duke it out!
The best quote of this collection comes when Wheeljack and Prowl scale a plateau to investigate Megatron's latest scheme:
Prowl: Nnf! Should find the answer up here.
Wheeljack: Big deal! Probably some microheadtargetmaster with a pretender shell!
Book Description
In commemoration of its fiftieth anniversary, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Council has created a beautiful cookbook, Masterpieces: A Celebration of Food and Art in Virginia, which offers a magnificent selection of recipes and artwork from around Virginia. Masterpieces, the second cookbook published by the VMFA Council, collects eighty-three recipes gathered from arts organizations and their supporters around Virginia. Contributors include many notable Virginians, such as the former first ladies of Virginia Lynda Robb, Virginia Holton, and Alma Powell and chefs from VMFA, the Governor's Mansion, the Jefferson Hotel, Barboursville Vineyards, and the Trellis, to name a few.
Recipes range from the simple ("Boursin Cheese Spread") to the more ambitious ("Maestro Lobster Ravioli with Bisque Sauce"), and akin to the art, the recipes vary from traditional ("Monticello Muffins") to more contemporary fare ("Pistachio-Crusted Rockfish"). Whether simple or more elaborate to prepare, traditional or contemporary, the recipes here represent the rich diversity of Virginia's cuisines--and their results are delicious. Bon appetit!
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Aladdin Collectors Manual and Price Guide #21
J. W. Courter
Manufacturer: J. W. Courter
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0961887958 |
Product Description
A new and exciting book for those interested in traditional Native American dress and for anyone who wants to know how to make use of their own deerskins and other animal skins, in either a traditional or modern manner. The information in this 176 page volume is extensive, well researched and fascinating to read!
This book first explores the Traditional Dress of Native Americans in the nine major cultural areas of North America, with an emphasis on everyday or “work” clothes. Individual items of clothing are then discussed in detail. Among the many items included are skirts & aprons from a variety of materials, dresses of many styles, capotes, robes, breechclouts, leggings, shirts, breastplates, parkas, hats, moccasins cradleboards and sandals. Selected pieces of dress clothing, primarily from the Plains, are also discussed. Included are drawings, patterns and ideas for making replicas of primitive clothing. There are also sections on how some people currently live in buckskin year round and surprising facts about native clothing.
Buckskin Today describes clothing made in modern times in both period and modern styles. Most of the items in this section were submitted to the author by others and there is a wide range of ideas (from one skin skirts to fur mittens and hats to modern buckskin jackets and coats). Explanations are given on how each piece was made. In addition bags, pouches and parfleche are covered and there are tips for sewing and cleaning buckskin.
Tanning Buckskins and Fur emphasizes Indian brain tanning methods including dry-scrape and wet-scrape techniques. Coloring and dyeing hides are described and there is an extensive discussion of the physical structure of deerskin. Other tanning methods included are Ivory® soap buckskin and acid tanning techniques. Over 100 references on these subjects are provided.
Extensive research makes this book a very useful reference for anyone interested in Native American or self-reliant lifestyles, as well as for those who attend pow wows and rendezvous.
Book Description
The bestselling author of
A Room of Her Own,
Kitchens, and
Bathrooms is back with
Bedrooms, a showcase of exciting decorating ideas for the most intimate room of the house.
Customer Reviews:
Bedrooms.......2002-05-13
Very nicely photographed and detailed illustrations. However, doesn't give a lot of hints or guidelines to creating the same effects in your own spaces. But overall, a very nice reference book for ideas and inspirations. Would have loved it with actual floor plans of the rooms shown.
Book Description
A showcase of Syd Mead's futuristic designs and illustrations including work for products, entertainment (movies, TV, interactive games, theme parks) Fantasy, Toys, Vehicles,architectual interriors and more.
Customer Reviews:
More Great Syd Mead Work - Not as Good as Oblagon.......2007-01-16
Syd Mead carried the torch of defining American Industrial / Engineering Design passed down to him from such greats as Raymond Loewy and Norman Bel Geddes, and his style is now a standard approach in many designers tool kits. Sentury is a collection of many of his relatively recent works; they are all of high quality and most are visually interesting, as can be expected. While he sets a high standard in all of his works, the specific examples in Sentury were not quite as impressive as those in Oblagon, and if you had to buy only one Syd Mead book I would recommend that one first. But this is not to disparage Sentury, which can provide hours of visual stimulation and fantasizing about how possible futures could look. Some of the most interesting pieces from this book include his VIP aircraft interiors, yacht designs, and a fantasy of urban planning for Kobe Harbor in Japan. The bulk of the work is sci-fi entertainment oriented, most of it for projects that never came to fruition. Also included are some museum and exhibition pieces and some of his own drawings for non-contract work.
An interesting and beautiful addition for any designer's library.
Yesterday's tomorrows.......2006-09-13
Continuing the themes flowing from two previous Mead books, Sentinel and Sentinel 2, Sentury showcases concepts from the Nineties and I thought it was a real mixed bag of ideas. The reason I love his work is basically for the stunning rendering style, a mixture of curves and angles finished off with bits of typography (using variations of Microgramma and Zurich typeface, both of which originated in the fifties)
I think it is the product concepts that visually work best. On page eighty-one is a beautiful rendering of a playback deck for recording brain waves as used in the movie Strange Days. For a non-existing product it just looks so convincing. On page ninety-nine is a typical beautiful Mead rendering, from the movie Belittled, of a military looking tracked vehicle, with convincing bits of technology included in the windscreen area.
Much of the book though is taken up with large illustrations of commercial vistas depicting contemporary futures where a tightness of rendering style is not so essential and it is these illustrations where his style is very changeable with several color ones which I thought rather casual. Another thing I noticed is that where people are shown in social situations the fashions and hairstyles rather date the work. In his earlier Sentinel book males and females wear a mixture of Greek/Roman mythological chic with Sixties couture.
The book is almost square and the large size is the ideal format for presenting detailed art but as another reviewer has commented editorially it is rather weak. Particularly the text on each page, which is always one long paragraph rather than several it should have been for ease of reading. There is also a bit too much white space and very generous wide margins and for a change of pace some of the images rally should have been enlarged to run off the edge of the page.
Sentury has some wonderful concepts rendered in Mead's unique style and despite a rather flawed editorial format if you like his work you'll enjoy the book. It is worth searching around the net for copies, I did and got the book at a very reasonable price.
***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.
Great images, terrible text and editing........2006-01-13
You can tell this book is self-published as there is an obvious lack of editorial oversight. Mead is a glorious industrial designer, but as a wordsmith he is woefully lacking. It is like listening to a teenager try to explain his art projects.
I believe that a book with a $50.00 price tag owes it to its readers to be copy-edited and proofread professionally. This was obviously not done by the Oblagon corporation as there are glaring errors on many pages.
But most of all what is lacking is a narrative coherence to the work. It is very disorganized, as are the thoughts, and does not weave in any sense of narrative. It is little more than a catalogue of images....but what amazing images they are. My advice is to look into some of his other books first.
Great concepts from the father of modern scifi.......2003-11-23
This is a great book showcasing just a snippet of Syd Mead's life works - concept art and sketches cover a range of areas like town planning, architecture, industrial design and movie and game artifacts. A fair balance of industry applicable industrial design and science fiction design in a big 175 page large format book with at least one sketch or artwork on every page, with always an interesting and insightful caption by Mead. Be warned: this book doesn't showcase any of Mead's more notable works like Aliens and Bladerunner - most of the movies covered were either not released or not blockbusters (e.g Johnny Mnemonic, Mission to Mars), but nonetheless they all present unique and intriguing concepts. If you're a designer and futurist, this is a must have.
Mead's business report........2002-10-04
This book is showing recent Mead's works. Almost picture is draft level or concept level, though there may be problem of business contract. Undoubtedly, level of his work is high. But I do not feel spirit or enthusiasm from pictures of this book. His best is Sentinel2, I think. Did he get old?
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No Hells or Damns Allowed
Lucille Rich
Manufacturer: Xlibris Corporation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 140103649X |
Books:
- The Secret Lives of Fortunate Wives
- The Untelling
- The Vintage Book of Contemporary American Short Stories
- The Wake of the Wind: A Novel
- The White Gryphon (Mage Wars)
- The Wind Done Gone: A Novel
- Three by Flannery O'Connor (Signet Classics)
- Three Day Road
- Tomorrow in the Battle Think on Me
- Tumble Home: A Novella and Short Stories
Books Index
Books Home
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- The Perfect Rake
- Strict and Facultative Anaerobes: Medical and Environmental Aspects
- Spectral Graph Theory
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- Training Your Pet Rat
- New England Roadside Delights
- Simplified Design of Wood Structures
- The Lone Star Lonely Hearts Club: A Debutante Dropout Mystery
