Moth Smoke: A Novel

Average customer rating:

Watch a train wreck

Deterioration

The Story of You and Me

Plummetting

good book

Moth Smoke: A Novel
Mohsin Hamid
Manufacturer: Picador
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Literary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0312273231

Amazon.com

Since the late 1970s, India in all her infinite variety has been brought to life as a posse of Indian authors writing in English have exploded onto the scene: Salman Rushdie, Arundhati Roy, Anita Desai, Rohinton Mistry, Vikram Seth, Bharati Mukherjee--the list is legion. But what of Pakistan--that Siamese twin, painfully separated in the partition of 1947? Though neither as numerous nor as well known as their Indian counterparts, Pakistani writers are beginning to make an impression on Western readers. Novelists from Rushdie to the Pakistani Bapsi Sidwha have written about the partition and the bloody civil war that followed; even stories set in modern-day Bombay or Lahore cannot escape the aftershocks of the division. On the surface, Mohsin Hamid's first novel, Moth Smoke, seems more domestic than political drama: narrated from several different perspectives, it tells the story of Daru Shezad's ill-fated affair with his best friend's wife, Mumtaz. But in a country like Pakistan, the personal and the political are difficult to separate, and as the story moves along, the divisions between gender, class, and opportunity provide a not-so-subtle commentary on the fissures that run through contemporary Pakistani society. The novel begins, tellingly, with a historical fragment about the internecine wars of succession that followed the rule of Emperor Shah Jahan (builder of the Taj Mahal):

Imprisoned in his fort at Agra, staring at the Taj he had built, an aged Shah Jahan received as a gift from his youngest son the head of his eldest. Perhaps he doubted, then, the memory that his boys had once played together, far from his supervision and years ago, in Lahore.

Jump ahead several hundred years to Lahore in the summer of 1998. Childhood playmates Daru and Ozi have just reunited again after Ozi's three-year stay in America. Glad as he is to see his old friend, Daru can't keep his eyes off of Ozi's wife, Mumtaz. "You know you're in trouble when you can't meet a woman's eye," he says. But woman trouble isn't his only problem; he's also addicted to hash, which leads to his dismissal from an upscale job as a banker. Soon Daru spirals out of control into a degraded existence on the fringes of society. Then a young boy is killed in a hit-and-run accident, and he is accused and jailed. Shah Jehan would probably recognize this age-old story of love and revenge playing out once more--this time against the backdrop of the Indian-Pakistani arms race. Hamid artfully weaves the subcontinent's tragic history into his characters' no-less-tragic present, rendering Moth Smoke a novel that resonates on many levels. --Sheila Bright

Book Description

When Daru Shezad is fired from his banking job in Lahore, he begins a decline that plummets the length of this sharply drawn, subversive tale. Before long, he can't pay his bills, and he loses his toehold among Pakistan's cell-phone-toting elite. Daru descends into drugs and dissolution, and, for good measure, he falls in love with the wife of his childhood friend and rival, Ozi-the beautiful, restless Mumtaz.Desperate to reverse his fortunes, Daru embarks on a career in crime, taking as his partner Murad Badshah, the notorious rickshaw driver, populist, and pirate. When a long-planned heist goes awry, Daru finds himself on trial for a murder he may or may not have committed. The uncertainty of his fate mirrors that of Pakistan itself, hyped on the prospect of becoming a nuclear player even as corruption drains its political will.Fast-paced and unexpected, Moth Smoke portrays a contemporary Pakistan as far more vivid and disturbing than the exoticized images of South Asia familiar to most of the West. This debut novel establishes Mohsin Hamid as a writer of substance and imagination.

Customer Reviews:

Watch a train wreck.......2007-09-07

In Moth Smoke, Mohsin Hamid crafts a complex story and leaves you to judge the characters, their insecurities, their arrogance, and their crimes. He has written a candid and uncomfortably honest account of contemporary Pakistan.

Dara has lost his job, and all desire to pull out from the economic slump that leaves him in. He is resigned to let his insecurities take him over. Reuniting with his childhood pal Ozi and Ozi's beautiful wife Mumtaz, bring out all the hitherto buried uncertainties. Dara's clandestine attraction for Mumtaz and his envy for Ozi cloaked under morally uptight condescension thrust him into the belly of Pakistan's corrupt judicial system.

Whether it is the drug addiction or his insistence on becoming martyr to his love, Dara's decline is not unlike the much scrutinized moth fatally spiraling towards the candle flame. From being a banker to a drug peddler to a petty criminal, Dara smokes through to the inevitable end.

Mohsin Hamid has inferred interesting parallels between the characters and the nuclear rivalry of blood brothers India-Pakistan. And the fatalistic nature of the moth to bring forth certain unstated thoughts of Dara.

It is a cleverly laid out book which unravels as a play with each character recounting their side of the story. The writing style for the narratives of each character is very similar and this is where I feel Mohsin Hamid left me desiring for something better. Each character's narrative sounds similar in language, their diversity and disparity is not manifested in their language.

Mohsin Hamid's achievement in Moth Smoke is that he has steered completely clear of the immigrant literature formula. A lot of South Asian author's first books fall for the obvious and tend to talk about their immigrant lives, childhood memories triggered by smells of pickles or jasmine oil, houses full of aunts and uncles. There is none of the sepia-toned flashbacks which make even the hottest day appear mellow, beautiful in our memories. Rather he says it like it scorchingly is.

[...]

Deterioration.......2007-09-04

Having managed to claw his way into the middle class, a young man falls into destitution when he's fired from his job at a bank. The book traces his physical and moral deterioration, through a love affair with his best friend's wife, which is, as usual, unconvincing. However, the character's voice is compelling and the book has a propulsive downward energy that keeps us reading to the end.

The Story of You and Me.......2006-02-16

The most beautiful quality of this book is that despite the odd situations the central character puts himself in, like striking an affair with his best friend's wife, rolling joints while driving on main roads, living in dismal conditions and much more, throughout this book you feel that you are reading about yourself, the people around you, just another face in the crowd. In short this book epitomizes beautifully the fact that every person's life is a story, a remarkable, matchless tale. Definitely one of my favorite books.

Plummetting.......2006-02-09

In his debut novel, Moth Smoke, Mohsin Hamid lifts the veil from the less affluent sects of Pakistani society. The protagonist of Moth Smoke, Daru, is a middle-class employee at a Pakistani bank. His life soon falls apart, the rungs of the social ladder suddenly snapping beneath his feet, sending him plummeting into an immoral abyss of desperation, crime and drug abuse.
Set in Lahore in the sultry summer of 1998, Moth Smoke adeptly depicts the shocking disparity between the social classes of Pakistan. Daru is introduced in the novel as a well-educated young man, who socialises with the jet-set of Lahore. Soon, however, after a severe hang-over following an orgy, his misconduct costs him his job.
Later, subsequent to nuclear testing in Pakistan, the Pakistani economy crumbles around Daru, leaving him unemployed for longer than he had anticipated. His electricity is cut off and he begins taking drugs compulsively. Daru relinquishes all hope of salvaging his social identity, reluctant to take up any career. Thus begins his downfall, as he starts an affair with his best friend's wife, resorts to trading drugs and unremorsefully commits robberies. Finally, the ensuing events get him arrested for a crime he never committed. Daru, doomed to a life of captivity, reminisces the incidents which had lead to his decline.
In conclusion, Moth Smoke highlights the distinction between Daru, a middle-class employee, and his friend, Ozi, a wealthy, well-connected entrepreneur. Mohsin Hamid demonstrates that whereas the lower classes of society act as a buffer against the collapsing economy, the rich remain unaffected by the political dissention prevalent in the country.

good book.......2005-10-10

read this book. one of my all time favorites. actually. it is my all time favorite. touching all the way through. i felt like daru was my pakastani counter part.

Average customer rating:

Moth Smoke: A Novel
Mohsin Hamid
Manufacturer: Picador
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000QYC6RK

Average customer rating:

Mmm, evil Kira!

A must-read

Star Trek Dark Passions I of II - Absolutely stunning!

One of the best.

A fun ride in the Mirror Universe

Dark Passions Book One of Two (Star Trek)
Susan Wright
Manufacturer: Star Trek
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

Adventure | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
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Obsidian Alliances (Star Trek Mirror Universe, Bk. II)

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Section 31: Rogue (Star Trek The Next Generation)

ASIN: 0671787853

Book Description

Klingons and Cardassians rule the Alpha Quadrant in an uneasy alliance that hides a viper's nest of backstabbing plots and counterplots. Annika Hansen has become a trained operative for the Obsidian Order. Her latest target: Kira Nerys, the duplicitous Intendant of Bajor, whose ruthless ambition has brought her to a position of power second only to the Regent himself, the fierce Klingon warrior known as Worf. To get close to her prey, Annika must worm her way into the Intendant's notoriously fickle affections. Easy enough to accomplish, perhaps, but it remains to be seen who is truly manipulating whom....

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Customer Reviews:

Mmm, evil Kira!.......2007-01-01

I had always loved the "Mirror Universe" episodes from all of the various Trek series. It gave a refreshing respite from the regular Star Trek universe where everyone is always supposed to be so darned high-minded and goody-goody. And the episode featuring evil Kira and Garak was always my favourite of these. So when I saw this book on the store shelves with "Intendant Kira" featured in all her wicked glory right on the cover I knew I HAD to read it.

I was disappointed that evil Garak is actually not in the book much and is just a minor character. Instead this 2-volume story focuses on the female characters of the parallel universe. This story takes place sometime before the DS9 characters rediscover the parallel universe.

It details the backstabbing political intrigues involved as Kira maneuvers for ever more power within the Klingon-Cardassian Empire, which in the parallel universe succeeded in crushing the former Terran Empire thanks to our universe's James T. Kirk having earlier convinced the parallel universe's Spock to spread a pacifist message there.

But there are others vying for the same power that Kira wants, or seeking to keep her from it. Among them are Deanna Troi, who occupies a position of great influence as lover of Worf, head of the Empire. Also Enabran Tain, head of the Obsidian Order, who sends his crack Terran assassin Agent Seven on a mission to infiltrate Kira's power base. And Tain's disgruntled rival Gul Dukat, who also seeks to regain some of his former power.

I thought the first of the two books was great, as we get LOTS of evil Kira, plus the cool spy intrigues of Agent Seven. Book 2 on the other hand.... well, I'll write a review for that one soon too, but just let me say I thought it wasn't quite as good.

But I still LOVE the mirror universe and wish they would write MORE stories taking place there. It's got a lot more gritty atmosphere and has the possibility to tell some very edgy stories.

So should you get this book? Sure, it's just plain a lot of fun. -- But don't get your hopes up too high for a brilliant conclusion. Just sit back and enjoy the ride (especially this first volume).

A must-read.......2004-08-21

This is a great crossover novel. I really enjoyed the B'Elanna of this 'reality': she embraces her Klingon half, hates her human half, and befrieds Seven. You should read this, if you like DS9, TNG, OR VOY.

Star Trek Dark Passions I of II - Absolutely stunning!.......2004-05-23

Over the years, Susan Wright has proven herself to be an extremely reliable author in the Star Trek universe and this "Dark Passions" duology is no exception to that. I found the entire story to be thoroughly intriguing, extremely well paced and the characterizations to be perfect for what one might expect of these characters in the mirror universe.

With this small duology, Susan Wright took the rather apropos approach of building upon the known and unknown characters in the Star Trek Deep Space Nine mirror universe episodes and created an extraordinary story that actually takes place prior to start of the series, giving her the advantage of having all of the characters to use and giving her the opportunity to create a much more original story to include killing certain characters off. This is an extremely powerful story that involves the majority of the female characters in the current Star Trek universe, proving their "mettle" so to speak and using them to perfection.

The only true complaint I would lodge about this duology falls more into place with the decisions of those at Pocket Books than with the author and that is the fact that this "novel" was broken into two books. Considering the rather standard sized text and the fact that the first book is only 232 pages and the second is 200 pages, this could've and should've been one novel instead of an obvious ploy to ply an extra $6.99 out of "passionate" Star Trek readers; bad on the powers that be at Pocket Books.

The cover art for this novel makes this and the second novel that much more intriguing considering the originality of the story.

The Premise:

As it might spoil the story a bit I won't delve too deeply into the premise of this wonderful story. Suffice it to say, this story involves the majority of the major female characters from "The Next Generation," "Deep Space Nine" and "Voyager" in extremely enlightening roles carrying an extremely original story to fruition through healthy amounts of intrigue and action...

Overall, I highly recommend this and the second book in this small duology to any and all fans of Star Trek fiction and especially to those that thoroughly enjoyed the mirror universe episodes on Star Trek Deep Space Nine. {ssintrepid}

One of the best........2002-10-14

this book is one of the best depictions of the mirror universe ive seen... it caugth me in the first few pages i read it (both volumes) in 3 days...

It would be hard to do better.

A fun ride in the Mirror Universe.......2001-08-08

Initially when I found out this was a two book series I was annoyed b/c I felt that it was really one book broken into two to increase revenue. After reading both, I realize that although this is partially true, the two books each have a very different flavor to them.

Book One really sets the tone with the mad rush for power in the former Terran Empire. In the beginning none of the charachters really came across as one of the "good guys" (or gals as the case may be) and it wasn't until about halfway through the story that it became clear who the protagonist was. There are lots of cameo's by charachters from NegGen, DS9, & Voyager who show up in some very unexpected places; I half expected Kirk or Uhuro to be thrown into the mix. In addition, there are also some very unlikely romantic pairings, which will keep the reader off balance - as one reviewer mentioned "this is not your father's Star Trek".

I can honestly say that the plots twists kept me guessing all the way through both books. Both of which are a quick read and lots of fun. Susan Wright left the door open for further books in this continuity, but these will be tough to top.

Average customer rating:
Star Treak Dark Passions Books One & Two
Susan Wright
Manufacturer: Pocket Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000TZLXAW

Book Description

A delicious, healthy breakfast is only a few steps away!
Did you know that a typical bakery blueberry muffin contains up to 500 calories and 36 grams of fat? Is it possible to make delicious morning treats without all that fat? Yes, it is! Amazingly, you can cut the fat without resorting to bland artificial substitutes for the flavorful ingredients you crave: real eggs, sugar, and chocolate.
Patty Neeley has again shown us how to make healthy food taste delicious. Following up on the success of Sweet Deceptions, Neeley has written the ultimate guide to baking flavorful lowfat muffins and other breakfast treats. Miracle Muffins is filled will delectable recipes and wonderful tips to make the morning meal the best one of the day. Classic, fruity, savory, and cake-like muffins abound, including:
·Blueberry Streusel Muffins (only 167 calories and 3 grams of fat)
·Almond Poppy-Seed Muffins
·Raisin Bran Muffins
·Pumpkin Spice Muffins
·Parmesan and Fresh Herb Muffins
Miracle Muffins also contains recipes for other heavenly treats such as scones, breakfast breads, coffee cakes, waffles, and syrups. With the nutritional analysis following each recipe, it is easy to see exactly how much fat and how many calories you are cutting by trying these lowfat innovations.
Neeley also includes a chapter on baking tips, utensils, and ingredients to help even the beginning baker create delicious treats every time.

Customer Reviews:

not everyday ingredients.......2006-01-31

Ricotta cheese is in every muffin recipe, along with many other ingredients that most people do not have as everyday ingredients in their kitchens. Others are oat bran, barley flour, wheat bran and buttermilk is also throughout. But what annoys me the most is to make any muffin recipe I must make a special trip to the store to purchase needed ingredients, that I do not normally have on hand in my kitchen. I would prefer some recipes that I can make without a special trip to the store using what I have. I would also like to say I do cook a lot and find it enjoyable. I thought when I read the unusual ingredients; well I will try it, they may be good; they weren't. I do not agree with the other reviews posted here.

Awesome cookbook!.......2005-08-17

This book has the BEST recipes for not only muffins, but scones, pancakes and waffles. The Buttermilk Pancakes are the best - my kids love them! "Miracle Muffins" is also great for teaching your kids how to bake and how to use healthy ingredients. All 4 of my kids (including my 14 year old son) love this cookbook. We've used it so much it's stained with oil, flour and the binding is ready to crack! You will love this book - I highly recommend it!

I collect muffin cookbooks, this is my favorite.......2004-05-12

I have to admit, I'm addicted to muffins! I wanted to lose weight without giving them up and this book allowed me to do just that. It contains the absolute best recipes I've ever tried. When I want a sure winner, which is often, this book is my first choice. Don't be afraid to experiment, these recipes allow you to make substitutions. If I don't have low-fat ricotta cheese, I use low or non-fat yogurt. I also substitue the oil with applesauce. If you prefer whole grains like I do, use whole wheat pastry flour. Patty Keely's formula is outstanding. You can't go wrong!

Miracle Muffins---reprint the book, please.......2000-08-16

This is a wonderful little book chock full of healthy and tasty low fat and low sugar recipes. My family especially loves the easy-to-make scones, in all the different varities. I wanted to buy another copy for my grown daughter, but it is no longer available. I'm hoping that the publisher will reprint more copies.

Delicious, Nutrious Muffins.......1999-07-14

This is a great little muffin book packed with over 100 delicious foolproof recipes. About half are for muffins. Although some exotic ingredients are used, most of the recipes are quick & easy to make. Recipes have between 3-6 grams of fat, though most contain 4-5 grams. This may seem a little high, but the muffins are a bit larger than most. Baking papers are filled to top, producing nice round muffins. Recipes include a wide variety of muffins including those with fruit, savory ones, & coffee cake style. Scones, waffles, hotcakes, breakfast breads, syrups & spreads are also included. The book also discusses equipment & ingredients. Many useful hints & tips are included as well. One of my favorite recipes is the Parmesan & fresh herb muffins. I also love the banana drop scones & strawberry topping.

Customer Reviews:

Depression Glass Figural Fantasies.......2001-11-24

This book features solid glass animal figurines, animal boxes, bookends, decanters, vases, and lamp bases. There are also a large number of non-animal items, notably figural flower holders (nude and draped ladies, & geishas), glass Buddhas, and sundry mermaids and madonnas. Where appropriate, the authors note reissues. Companies featured in this book include: American Glass Co., Cambridge, Co-Operative Flint Glass, Duncan, Fenton, Fostoria, K.R. Haley, Heisey, Imperial, Indiana, New Martinsville, Paden City, L.E. Smith, Tiffin, Viking, and Westmoreland. And what glass book would be complete without the ever-popular "mystery section?" There are lots of Cambridge swans, Heisey horses, Imperial slag animals. (There is a dizzying array of glass horses: rearing fillies, kicking colts, Clydesdales, Plug Horses, and so on.) Some of the items are actually post-Depression: for example, Viking's colorful Epic line, which was issued in the 50's, 60's, and again in the 80's.

This is a truly charming book, and I have obtained a lot of pleasure from it. It is filled with both black & white, and full color photos, as well as a few original ads from magazines. Many of the items are true collector pieces, and high-end, from hundreds to thousands of dollars: for example, Heisey's large amber "Flying Mare," which books at $2,200-$3,000, and L.E. Smith's green King Fish Aquarium, an enormous fish-shaped container valued at several hundred dollars (a shipping nightmare, I imagine!). Some pieces, such as Tiffin's crystal pheasant paperweight with controlled bubbles, are so rare that the authors are at a loss to put a price on them. Nevertheless, some of the smaller animal figurines are still widely available at inexpensive prices. This book is currently out of print, but available secondhand. The authors have done a fabulous job, and it is a must for collectors of collectible glass figurines.

Average customer rating:
Glass Animals of the Depression Era
Lee; Spencer, Dick Garmon
Manufacturer: Collector Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OA31I4

Average customer rating:
Quilters Almanac (Quilt in a Day)
Eleanor Burns
Manufacturer: Quilt in a Day.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Quilts & Quilting | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
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Lover's Knot

ASIN: 0922705348

Book Description

-A perennial best seller, this new edition features the most popular portfolios and brand-new plans from the nation's top designers. This encyclopedic showcase has been completely revised and updated to reflect the new century in style and design. -Rugged mountain retreats to European estates, you'll find the perfect size and style home to fit you and your family's needs. -Begin your tour with Best-Selling Homes, a full-color chapter featuring some of the most beautiful homes in the nation. -Complete blueprints are available for every home and feature easy-to-read floor plans and additional planning products to give your home that personal touch. Whether your taste runs to French cottages or Craftsman bungalows, Encyclopedia of Home Designs, Third Edition is sure to have the home you've been looking for.

Customer Reviews:

Good book with many designs but lacking.......2007-02-17

We are planning to build our own home to replace a teardown on a suburban lot. Since I have zero experience in homebuilding, I bought half a dozen books through Amazon. This is one of the more useful ones.

You will find an endless number of home designs and floorplans, much better than some of the more expensive books written by architects. There are plans for many types of "normal" homes - the kind that most of us want AND more importantly can actually afford to build. It would be nice to have more info, i.e. color photos for each of the actual homes, particularly interiors, but probably not enough space in a book of 500 plans (one per page) that sells this cheap.

My main critique is the lack of home designs that appear to be appropriate for California suburbs - most of the designs look best suited for east coast or midwest, or maybe huge tracts with a lot of space. Also too many designs with garages that face the side of the house - many people don't have lots that can accomodate a driveway that big. Also many of the windows are funky and the designs should include more back door/deck/pool options (doesn't everyone want a pool or at least a nice yard?) rather than the heavy emphasis on front yards design (again - many people don't have that kind of space).

But overall I think that amateurs like myself who are looking for design ideas for building a home won't be disappointed. And the book provides easy instructions for ordering blueprints - with very reasonable prices.

Not quite an encyclopedia but its getting close........2005-10-29

A huge book full of various floor plans for most budgets and tastes.There are many floorplans here.I'm sure you will find something you like.A great book.

If you are buying books on floorplans then add this one to your collection.Its good value for the price.I also recommend this book too:
1)"The ultimate book of home plans",By Creative homeowner.

Encyclopedia of Home Designs by Home Planners.......2003-10-11

This work is excellent if you are planning to build a home
and specific sets of blueprints are required. The authors
provide every kind of schematic for comparative home designs
in America and in Europe. This book could probably save you thousands of dollars in architectural fees if you know how
to use and apply it.

Encyclopedia of Home Designs: 500 House Plans

Average customer rating:

Encyclopedia of Home Designs: 500 House Plans
home Planners
Manufacturer: Home Planners
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

Design & Construction | Home Design | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

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The Ultimate Book of Home Plans

ASIN: 091889493X

Book Description

This best-selling collection of 500 home plans is now bigger and better than ever. A mainstay of bookstores and libraries since 1984, this book has introduced hundreds of thousands of readers to stock house plans and helped them choose and build the home of their dreams.

Encyclopedia of Home Designs: 500 House Plans from Award-Winning Blue Ribbon Designers (Blue Ribbon Designer Series)

Average customer rating:

Great book! Much better than others
Hillside/Sloping lots neglected (somewhat)
500 House Plans

Encyclopedia of Home Designs: 500 House Plans from Award-Winning Blue Ribbon Designers (Blue Ribbon Designer Series)

Manufacturer: Home Planners
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1881955362

Book Description

-A best-seller since 1984. -Has introduced hundreds of thousands of readers to stock house plans and the home of their dreams.
-Includes 32 color pages of reader's favorites.
-Plans are unique from Volume II.
-Homes from 680 to 7,200 square feet.
-Complete construction drawings available separately.

Customer Reviews:

Great book! Much better than others.......2001-05-30

My husband and I are getting ready to build our own house and as such have purchased a lot of house plan books - learning after the first couple purchased that they all contain basically the same flor plans. This book on the other hand was a great find as we had not seen the vast majority of plans in it, but were also very pleased to find it full of very unique, aesthetically pleasing and even practical building ideas. I highly recommend this book - hands down over any other one I've seen.

Hillside/Sloping lots neglected (somewhat).......2001-01-31

This book is great if you're building on flat or very gently sloping terrain. The cross section of plans can fit most lots and the plans are very high quality either as is or as an inspiration for your own design. If you're looking for ideas for a sloping lot this is not the book. The section on hillside homes is really poor especially for a book of 500 plans!

500 House Plans.......2000-06-05

I think this book was great,and encourage people looking for houses to buy it. I'm looking for a new house and it helped me.

Book Description

Noted film scholar Wheeler Winston Dixon offers a behind-the-scenes look into the lives of both major and marginalized figures who have dynamically transformed the landscape of international cinema in the twentieth century. Fifteen interviews spanning two decades of research are collected here, with many appearing in uncut form for the first time. Dixon’s interviewees represent a wide range of cinematic professions (directors, animators, actors, writers, and producers) from several branches of cinema (artistic, avant-garde, and commercial) with Dixon providing an introduction prior to each interview.

Purposeful in his selections, Dixon offers up voices from twentieth-century cinema that have never before had the chance to speak at such length and detail, as well as much more well-known figures addressing unique and obscure aspects of their respective careers. Collectively, this volume presents a treasure trove of firsthand information of keen interest to film scholars and movie buffs alike, while providing a glimpse into the future of cinema in the twenty-first century.

Average customer rating:

A wonderful tribute to an unsung film hero!

The Films of Freddie Francis
Dixon Wheeler Winston
Manufacturer: The Scarecrow Press, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Entertainers | Arts & Literature | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Direction & Production | Movies | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

General | Movies | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

General | Foreign Languages | Reference | Subjects | Books

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Reference | Performing Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0810823586

Customer Reviews:

A wonderful tribute to an unsung film hero!.......2006-06-04

I wish Freddie Francis would get a British honour and that is why I purchased the book. It's not a trashy tell all biography but a critical film analysis book rich with film history. Freddie Francis is in his 90s and film professor from Nebraska, Wheeler Winston Dixon has wisely used his films to analyze and criticize them without malice or insult. It's a book that compliments Freddie's film career and I can't understand why he never got a British honor or much else. He is truly an unsung hero. I know the price is steep but it's worth it if you're a film buff.
Sadly, Freddie Francis never earned a British honor and died recently. This book itself is quite an honor for his memory.

Average customer rating:

Tepid

Inside Hammer
Jimmy Sangster
Manufacturer: Reynolds & Hearn
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Direction & Production | Movies | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

General | Movies | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Industry | Movies | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Performing Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 190311120X

Customer Reviews:

Tepid.......2002-10-03

One gets the impression that the publishers of this book were solely reliant on the prospect of a few thousand die-hard fans going ga-ga and drooling over the opportunity to hear one of Hammer's great stalwarts reminisce about the studio's halcyon days. For it is certain that much of this book couldn't entertain anyone other than a starry-eyed follower of the House of Horror, one who hangs on any and every word uttered by one of the studio's greats. Much of the commentary is simply mind-numbing in its banality. Sangster's style is casual and colloquial, which becomes very irritating at points. One chapter begins, "This is my favourite film of all time. No. Let me rephrase that. It is the favourite one of MY films. There are many other films I have enjoyed more, but this is the favourite film that I have made." The book frequently sinks to this level of redundancy and dullness. On another occasion, he comments to the effect that a particular film is the greatest Hammer ever made, only to say at the end of the chapter something like, "Not the greatest, but nothing to be ashamed of." Comments about other people are often trite, and evidence that Sangster was stuck for words (typical would be comments like, "Terence Fisher. Nice guy. Very nice guy."). Did anyone bother to edit this book? On the other hand, if it had been edited down to what was useful, necessary or interesting, it would surely have been a very slim volume.

Another problem with the book is that it is patently obvious that Sangster has considerably less regard for Hammer's gothic horrors (and, after all, that is what most of the fans want to hear about) compared to his enthusiasm for the psychological thrillers. His disinterest in, say, the Dracula and Frankenstein series shows.

There are a few morsels to be savoured among an otherwise mediocre offering. There are some interesting stills, and many of the incidents and details Sangster recalls are fascinating. However, they are too few and far between to save a tediously pedestrian work.

Average customer rating:
Light 'em Up!: A Gaffer Remembers a Lifetime Making Movies
Mo Gillett , and Freddie Francis
Manufacturer: The Book Guild Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1857760476

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