Customer Reviews:
Near classic, nearly forgotten.......2004-07-10
John P. Marquand's 1940 novel "H.M. Pulham, Esquire," is the story of a man who is looking back on his life and contemplating the two women he has loved, one his wife and the other the woman he left long ago. Henry Pulham, the subject and narrator, is a blue-blooded Bostonian who seems to exemplify the proper American man in the first half of the twentieth century--a prep school kid who went to Harvard, served in World War I, and is now a successful investment counselor in the prime of his life and career.
Given this premise, a more cynical, pessimistic novel might try to make Pulham out to be secretly miserable, and a more simplistic one might try to turn him into a moral paragon, a Promethean hero who suffers for a sacrifice; but Marquand's vision of him is what each of us could be, a little bit of every man. Pulham has a wife, Kay, and two teenage children, a son who is lazy and insolent and a daughter who is abnormally immature for her age. This seems to be the family that was always his destiny, and he is generally happy with the arrangement despite the occasional quarrel.
After the war, Pulham's best friend from Harvard, Bill King, gets him a job at a New York advertising agency where he meets and falls in love with a beautiful, vivacious young woman named Marvin Myles, who is a completely new type of girl to him--an independent woman who triumphed over hardships to earn herself a professional career at a time when women rarely had the opportunities to do so--and nothing like the spoiled, sheltered, superficial girls he knew growing up, one of whom was Kay. Why he did not stay with Marvin may have had something to do with his family's prejudice that she wouldn't be the "right" girl for him to marry, whereas Kay was a part of his world and therefore a supposedly better choice. The life that could have been, and the suspicion that Kay, after all these years, may be having an affair with Bill King, are the conflicts Pulham examines in his narration.
There are no shocking revelations and none of the violent drama that a tawdrier novel might try to contrive; instead, we get a very sincere and realistic look at a man who is laying his life bare without expecting sympathy or admiration. Marquand's language is crisp and unpretentious, giving his narrator an affable tone--wise, mature, sober, comfortable with his privileged upbringing but never snobbish. It is indicative of Pulham's state of mind that of all the books he could be reading, he is currently trying to finish the "Education" of fellow Harvard alumnus Henry Adams, also an aristocratic Bostonian who devoted himself to the study of the course of his baffling life.
Unfortunately by now this novel seems to be almost completely forgotten, lost in the dustbins of twentieth-century American period pieces, struggling to stay in print in a new century that claims to have different values and urgencies. Granted, it does not approach the majesty of "The Great Gatsby" or the depth of "The Sound and the Fury," but as a faithful chronicle of the American zeitgeist it deserves a better fate--if novels of comparable quality and scope like John O'Hara's "Appointment in Samarra," Sinclair Lewis's "Babbitt," and Walker Percy's "The Moviegoer" can survive, why not Pulham? I would hate to think that cultural elitism plays a part in its obscurity.
Pulham examines his life before his 25th Harvard anniversary.......1998-12-13
An excellent book, if a trifle wordy. This could well be a continuation of "The Late George Apley," Marquand's 1937 Pulitzer Prize winning book. Harry Pulham examines his life prior to the 25th anniversary of his Harvard graduation. He thinks about what went right and what went wrong with business, his marriage, his kids, & life. Marquand's brilliant phrase from George Apley "I am the sort of man I am, because environment prevented my being anything else." applies as much to Harry Pulham as it did to George Apley, & Pulham examines his life along these lines. If you love Boston and Boston history, this is a must read along with Cleveland Amory's "The Bostonians," Edwin O'Connor's "The Last Hurrah," Joseph Dineen's "Ward Eight," James Michael Curley's autobiography "I'd Do it Again," and Marquand's "The Late George Apley."
Average customer rating:
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H. M. Pulham, Esquire
Manufacturer: Bantam A805
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000BMYV7A |
Product Description
Vintage paperback edition. A classic novel.
Average customer rating:
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H. M. Pulham, Esquire
Manufacturer: New York, N.Y., U.S.A.: P. F. Collier and Son Corporation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000GKX6IW |
Book Description
The vampire civil war has been averted, deadly were-demons have been beaten back and now it Damali Richards and Carlos Rivera (now a Council level vampire) will finally have the chance to settle in and explore their deeper, sexier love. But Carlos and Damali should know by now that there is no rest for the saviors of the known world. One of the four topside Master vampires has stolen one of the Keys-the living blood of Christ---that opens the sixth seal as foretold in Revelations. He who possesses the Key and the Seal can decide to the outcome of the Final War, a.k.a. Armageddon. With a vampire in possession of the Key, the balance between the Light and the Dark have been thrown off and even Damali is deeply effected. She is now sporting a pair of fangs. In order to retrieve the Key, Carlos and Damali are quickly thrust into a web of vampire politics and intrigue. And when Carlos's secret drug, Oblivion, finds its way into the hands of the enemies, even the seventh level of Hell comes calling.
Customer Reviews:
HOT, HOT, HOT.......2007-09-04
L.A. Banks is the best! This is definitely a must read and one book I could not put down until I was done. Damali and Carlos is a force to be reckoned with. This book and The Hunted are right now my favorite in the Vampire Huntress Legend. For those that have not read this series I strongly suggest that you do.
Different twist.......2007-01-16
I enjoyed this book. It was refreshingly different. Each story follows the good vs. evil theme, yet maintains an individuality that is uncommon in a series. I was fascinated with the concept of seven levels of heaven and hell.
MMMM..........2006-12-06
first off im 19.....and this book is hott...U could really feel tha love between Damali and Carlos...and it aint no cheesy kind of love either....Who knew vampires could love so deeply and with so much passion and the "good"parts(if ya get what im saying) are just as real none of that corney romance novel stuff....real passion thats makes u almost drop a fang yourself and offer ur neck 4 carlos.....Carlos may be only a character but he is sexylol it did seem like the book slow down in the middle but u could still feel and really "get" what the characters were going through....Dare u 2 read and not be turn on....
Wow..........2006-09-14
This book is terrible. I couldn't force myself to finish it and I read just about anything. The sheer amount of slang used in this book is overwhelming. I could feel my IQ dropping as I slogged through page after page. The story feels so flimsy and is not written well. I found my eyes still moving over the page but nothing was registering. It was really terrible. Please save your money, there are so many other authors out there that can really write and sell a good fantasy book. This just is not one of them...
Take It As It Is.......2006-05-24
LA Banks brings the heat again bringing back the characters from her beloved Minion book which started the series that we know as the Vampire Huntress Legend. Damali has been compromised while Carlos attempts to remain true to her and all that she stands for.
Damali Richards is known as the Millennium Neteru but is in love with a man of the dark side she will do everything to be by his side even if it means turn into what he is to continue loving him the way they love each other but not before she shows his type who she is really and what she really can do. Damali never thought she would see herself flux as hard as she did but when she finds herself surround by dark energy and having to do what it takes to survive Damali throws all precautions to the wind and takes in all that she knows to make her power plays and to remind everyone of what the Rivera's mean and what they stand for.
Carlos Rivera has loved Damali all of his adulthood and even decided that if necessary he would give her up to allow her to live a normal life but when things begin to take form he finds himself sitting between a rock and a hard place with decisions needing to be made and choices having to be dealt with he is willing to do everything to allow her to continue her safe journey and to do what she does and that's protect the living world. Carlos isn't sure what to do with Damali she is a force to reckon for but he will do everything within his willpower to keep her safe and to maintain his power to allow him to be what is he is but he knows he is willing to risk it all to keep Damali safe.
Carlos and Damali go on the adventure of their lives as they do everything necessary to protect their family and those who have become important but will it be enough to save everyone and to make sure everyone makes it to where they are suppose to go and where they are suppose to be. Continue to keep reading The Vampire Huntress Series as LA Banks brings the flavor that only Damali and Carlos could present.
Customer Reviews:
Great story mostly, but where's the end?.......2001-06-23
This book consists of two main sections separated by a short interlude. The first part is one hundred and eighty pages long and the second part is fifty-nine pages long. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to notice that the last section is quite a bit shorter than the first, and this is what kills the story dead. The shorter section is just as important to the story (indeed, it's where most of the major developments occur) but things are skipped over at a ludicrous rate. This culminates at the conclusion where we go from the potential destruction of an entire solar system to the resolution of the story inside two pages without any explanation. We aren't told anything about how the regulars escaped certain death, what the eventual fate of the star system and it's billions of inhabitants are, whether the aliens survived and just what on earth happened to Sam.
This was an extremely frustrating conclusion to the story, as I had been greatly enjoying the first two hundred or so pages. There are some fascinating discussions on religion and the power of a leader. Never do these become overbearing or tiresome. In fact, they were by far my favourite parts of the beginning and middle of the book. I grew impatient during the Doctor sections and the long explanations of the Beltempest star life cycles and wanted to get back to the sections I was enjoying. That said, I thought the Doctor got a very good showing in this book. While he's not given a lot to do, he handles his role with a lot of humour and charm. Jim Mortimer manages to give the Doctor the innocence that we've seen in VAMPIRE SCIENCE and SEEING I without falling into the trap of "the Doctor as a congenial idiot".
This book could really have benefited from a stricter editor. The prose was quite literally all over the place; in some places it's utilitarian, in others it tries to be poetical and in others it's incomprehensible. It's as if Mortimer was having major mood swings while writing this and let whatever whim he was experiencing at the moment dictate the tone of the prose he was currently creating. This would not necessarily be a bad thing, except that it leads to a few areas of incoherence where the reader is left unsure of what actually happened. And I'm not speaking about the author being deliberately ambiguous, I'm talking about confusion over how characters got to certain places, why people were trusting the Doctor without question, where some characters had been inserted into the narrative, etc. I don't mind having to piece together things without help from the author, but I am annoyed when people start following the Doctor around when they actually have more of a reason to stay where they are. Characters and character motivation are not something that feature heavily in this book.
The story contains the same faults as the prose. At times it's brilliant and at other times (such as the aforementioned non-ending) it's missing. I can just imagine in the future an editor standing over Mortimer demanding that he finish writing the chapters he's doing before moving on to the next good idea. "No, Jim, this is a great idea and you already have the first seventy-five percent of it finished. All you have to do is to finish writing the ending and it will be brilliant."
To sum it up, this is a very good book that's let down by some very big flaws. It's odd that a story that feels so rushed is actually about thirty or forty pages shorter than the Doctor Who range average. If Mortimer had taken the time to flesh out some of the good ideas that were present here (and bothered to write an ending), I think BELTEMPEST would stand to be one of the all-time best Doctor Who books. As it exists now, it's a bit of an oddity.
A good read........1999-12-07
A good read, novel in its format. I enjoyed it and would recommend it to other Whovians. Obviously, the vast difference in opinions between myself and the other reviewer show that this novel has something--check it out and decide for yourself.
The worst I've ever read.......1999-05-29
Do not buy this one. There is no adventure. It is more of a existential journey. The characterizations are way off base. I disliked both the Doctor and Sam. The writer should not do another Doctor Who book. I would give it zero stars if possible. Pure garbage.
I would skip this one, bad writing!.......1999-04-06
The Doctor is totally crazy in this one, I won't spend the money on it
Average customer rating:
- Very uplifting
- Outstanding Self Help Guide
- How to Maintain Your Sanity, Sense of Humor & Spirit At Work
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Office Sutras: Exercises for Your Soul at Work
Marcia Menter
Manufacturer: Red Wheel
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 Motivation & Self-Improvement
| Business Life
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Self-Help
| Health, Mind & Body
| Subjects
| Books
Motivational
| Self-Help
| Health, Mind & Body
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Religion & Spirituality
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Self-Help
| New Age
| Religion & Spirituality
| Subjects
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Personal Transformation
| Spirituality
| Religion & Spirituality
| Subjects
| Books
Similar Items:
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Office Kama Sutra: Being a Guide to Delectation & Delight in the Workplace
ASIN: 1590030206 |
Book Description
Is it possible to seek enlightenment--to feel alive and whole and useful and joyful--in an imperfect job? The Office Sutras can help transform any job--even one you hate--into an active part of spiritual practice. Work can be an arena that challenges you spiritually as well as professionally.
With humor and wit, Marcia Menter helps readers recognize that the things that drive them craziest at work can be doorways to growth and understanding in their lives, if they are approached with an open mind and heart. Chapters like "The Slough of Suckiness," "Are They Paying Me Enough?," and "The Dream That Got Away," share practical tehniques, exercises, and mantras for finding divinity in the resentments that can make anyone's job miserable. Each chapter includes inspiring Mantras for the Bad Days, such as "If God had wanted me to spend my whole life in my office, he would have given me a nicer office."
Menter contends that the job you have right now, for all its imperfections, may be just the spiritual challenge you need to confront the most important issues of life--issues like self-worth and fulfillment and paying your way in the world. Office Sutras will help readers find opportunities for growth and peace in even the most stultifying of work situations.
Customer Reviews:
Very uplifting.......2005-05-30
Great book. After a terrible day at work, I often grab this book and read the sections I have highlighted. One of those highlighted sections is in Chapter 1 and nicely sums up the book: "One basic premise of this book is that the things that drive your craziest at work can be doorways to growth and understanding if you approach them with an open mind and heart."
Outstanding Self Help Guide.......2003-09-22
I have read a myriad of self help books in my time and they have all contained useful tips and information, but Marcia Menter's Office Sutras stands out amongst the crowd.
Marcia Menter covers all of the aspects of one's work and offers practical, helpful advice on how to make the most of one's work experience even in situations where it seems difficult to have a positive perspective. One leaves this book feeling renewed and invigorated - ready to approach work with new vitality and contentment. Menter speaks directly to the reader's soul in a clear, easy to read style with real life examples that everyone can identify with. The book is laced with humor that keeps it alive and vibrant thoughout.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who has to deal with the trials and tribulations of work, even those who have what would be considered an ideal work situation. Reading Menter's book is one of the most inspiring things I have done for myself in a long time.
How to Maintain Your Sanity, Sense of Humor & Spirit At Work.......2003-08-20
I loved this book. I recognized myself in so many of the situations Menter describes; I wish I had this book when I was living through them - maybe some of the outcomes would be different.
There is a great deal of humor here and compassion, too. Menter describes typical stess provoking situations that occur every work day. Each chapter ends with practical exercises that you can do to help reduce your stress level when you find yourself in a situation or an alternate way to work through the situation. She sounds like a person who has lived what she is writing about so her advice has a very practical ring to it.
It is a great book and a wonderful guide. If you like your advice served straight with a dash of spice, you will like this book.
Product Description
From the Publisher Is it possible to seek enlightenment - to feel alive, whole, useful and joyful - in an imperfect job? The Office Sutras can help transform any job - even one you hate - into an active part of spiritual practice. Work can be an arena that challenges you spiritually as well as professionally. With humor and wit, Marcia Menter helps readers recognize that the things that drive them craziest at work can be doorways to growth and understanding in their lives, if they are approached with an open mind and heart. Chapters like "The Slough of Suckiness," "Are They Paying Me Enough?" and "The Dream That Got Away," share practical techniques, exercises, and mantras for finding divinity in the resentments that can make anyone's job miserable. Each chapter includes inspiring Mantras for the Bad Days, such as "If God had wanted me to spend my whole life in my office, he would have given me a nicer office." Menter contends that the job you have right now, for all its imperfections, may be just the spiritual challenge you need to confront the most important issues of life - issues like self-worth and fulfillment and paying your way in the world. Office Sutras will help readers find opportunities for growth and peace in even the most stultifying of work situations.
Average customer rating:
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Abby Mandel's Cuisinart Classroom
Abby Mandel
Manufacturer: Harpercollins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Baking
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
| Books
Special Appliances
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0060911824 |
Customer Reviews:
Invaluable resource for any bathroom remodeling job!!.......1999-07-16
This bathroom planner was the best resource for my job. It contained graphs, questions and answers, descriptions of all the materials and comparisons for price and value of each material. Even the home specialist I consulted with was impressed with this book.
Average customer rating:
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Bitter Witness: Otto Dix and the Great War (German Life and Civilization)
Linda F. McGreevy
Manufacturer: Peter Lang Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Dix, Otto
| ( D-F )
| Artists, A-Z
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Graphic Arts
| Graphic Design
| Design & Decorative Arts
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Criticism & Theory
| History & Criticism
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
German
| European
| History & Criticism
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0820467650 |
Average customer rating:
- An amalgamation of unique and fascinating stories
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Celebrity Stew
Leo Pearlstein
Manufacturer: Hollywood Circle Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
| Humor
| Movies
| Music
| Performing Arts
| Pop Culture
| Puzzles & Games
| Radio
| Sheet Music & Scores
| Television
Entertainers
| Arts & Literature
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
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General
| Biographies & Memoirs
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Business
| Professionals & Academics
| Biographies & Memoirs
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Advertising
| Marketing & Sales
| Business & Investing
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General
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Performing Arts
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
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ASIN: 0971130612 |
Book Description
"Celebrity Stew" shares Leo Pearlstein's behind-the-scenes adventures with Hollywood's royalty over the last 50 years. The book also highlights over 200 rare and nostalgic photos of many of Hollywood's biggest stars during his publicity campaigns. This includes photos of Steve Allen, who wrote the book's Foreword, Mickey Rooney, Bob Hope, Phyllis Diller, Abbot & Costello, Groucho Marx, Dinah Shore, and many others. The book gives a great overview of the public relations industry, while being fun, educational, and entertaining.
Customer Reviews:
An amalgamation of unique and fascinating stories.......2003-01-04
Written by Leo Pearlstein, a food publicity pioneer informally known as the unofficial "king of culinary public relations", Celebrity Stew is an amalgamation of unique and fascinating stories about Hollywood stars and their menus. Encounters with Bob Hope, Steve Allen, Bing Crosby, Danny Thomas, Groucho Marx, Mickey Rooney, Diana Shore, Phillis Diller, Abbott & Costello, and a great many more entertainment industry notables are anecdotally detailed in this veritable treasure trove of wit, wisdom, and brushes with celebrity figures. Also available in a trade paperback format (0971130612, ...), Celebrity Stew is very highly recommended reading, especially for the legions of fans for radio, film, and television celebrities and stars!
Books:
- Had a Good Time: Stories from American Postcards
- Hell's Bottom, Colorado
- How to Quiet a Vampire: A Sotie (Writings from an Unbound Europe)
- I Cry Gray Mountains On the Moon
- If I Told You Once: A Novel
- If on a winter's night a traveler
- Illustrations from the Bible: A Work in Progress
- In Search of Snow: A Novel (Camino Del Sol)
- Inferno: The Longfellow Translation
- Innocent Erendira: and Other Stories (Perennial Classics)
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Out With the Stars: Hollywood Nightlife in the Golden Era
- Hot Relationships: How to Know What You Want, Get What You Want, and Keep it Red Hot!
- Foundations of Systems Biology
- Foundations of Quantum Mechanics I
- History: Fiction or Science
- History: Fiction or Science
- Essential Labrador Retriever
- Andy Warhol Fashion Mix and Match Stationery
- Dwelling, Seeing, and Designing: Toward a Phenomenological Ecology
- Garden of Beasts: A Novel of Berlin 1936
Wickford Point
The Late George Apley
The Rector of Justin: A Novel
Appointment in Samarra: A Novel
The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable
