Amazon.com
It's not that Marnus Erasmus is forced to parrot his major-general father's prejudices--the 11-year-old has no idea he's even doing so. The voice Mark Behr has created is a mix of youthful innocence and hope and terrible hatred and ignorance. Unconsciously relaying tales of Communist indoctrination and Coloured abomination, the boy is all set to become another soldier of the white South African state. "Dad says he'll never forget what the Communists and the blacks did to Tanganyika. And Dad says we shouldn't ever forget. A Volk that forgets its history is like a man without a memory. That man is useless." Marnus's domestic memories, however, turn out to be far more difficult to deal with than any issues of national import. His final essay of the school year ends with the triumphant "Open eyes are the gateways to an open mind," even as his family is attempting to keep his firmly shut.
Book Description
Winner of the Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction from the Los Angeles TimesWinner of the M-Net AwardWinner of The Eugene Marais AwardWinner of the CNA Literary AwardWinner of the Betty Trask AwardA Booker Prize NomineeSet in the bitter twilight of apartheid in South Africa in the 1970s, The Smell of Apples is a haunting story narrated by eleven-year-old Marnus Erasmus, who records the social turmoil and racial oppression that are destroying his own land. Using his family as a microcosm of the corroding society at large, Marnus tells a troubling tale of a childhood corrupted, of unexpected sexual defilements, and of an innocence gone astray.
Customer Reviews:
National pride.......2007-01-12
Set in South Africa in the mid 1970s, and narrated by Marnus Erasmus, the eleven year old son of the well connected and politically influential Afrikaner General Erasmus and his now retired opera singer wife Leonora, the story gives real insight into how one's background and upbringing facilitate firmly held ideals and beliefs.
The Erasmus family plays host to a Mr Smith, the alias given to a visiting undercover Chilean General who sympathises with the Afrikaners' views. Through their interaction with Mr Smith, with their attitude toward their Coloured servants and their behaviour toward the Blacks, we get a very good impression of the Afrikaners' proud belief in their own superiority; however shocking such views may seem today.
But the beauty of the story is in the telling through the eyes of the eleven year old Marnus. Behr convincingly conveys the activities, expressions and innocence of youth, despite the perverted indoctrinated beliefs. His friendship with is class mate Frikkie, something of a bully and problem child at school; and his spiteful relationship with his older sister Ilse are well portrayed. Particularly endearing is the relationship he enjoys with his parents and his undoubted love and respect for them; a love than can even overcome the horrifying discovery Manus makes towards the end involving his father.
Interspersed with the current narrative is an ongoing account from the twenty four year old lieutenant Manus as he serves on the war front.
A beautifully written and revealing account, Behr succeeds in presenting an appealing view of a year in a family's life despite their horrifying attitudes and beliefs.
Too sensitive to beat the system.......2006-03-21
The beauty of this book is that it is so convincing. It helps you to understand how a sensitive, kind child can get caught in supporting a very wrong system.
There is this little boy, who wants to be loved by his mother and adored by his father, and this is so important for him that he is willing to pay any price for it. And beacuse he loves so much, he is incapable of seeing through their mistakes and finding his own route in life.
And during the book, first slowly and later with deafening speed , the pink curtains over this ideal life of the little Marnus are being torn away, and every time it happens ,Marnus still sticks to his former upbringing and stands loyal by the convictions of his father and mother. O yes, sometimes he sees the cracks in the appearances, as his sister Ilse or his aunt Tannie Karla try to show, but he cannot let the information in. That will treathen his quest for love from his parents. He tries so much... so much to behave that it is heartbreaking. His upbringing was too succesful. He cannot open his eyes,... Not when he sees how destitute Chrisjan , their former servant is, ...Not when he sees the pain of Little Neville, ...not when he sees how his infallible father mistreats his best friend. He cannot allow in his mind the realisation that the goodness of his parents is limited. And still love them despite their failings.
Yet he has learned a little bit when grown up. During the book we meet Marnus again as a grown up man of 26, when he is fighting in the South African Army against rebels on Angolan soil. Everytime the inserts appear you see how the exepriences of being twarted and confused as a child have their repercussion in his adult reactions. And you can see how he is learning and growing, albeit it piecemeal and slowly. "How come you are here as a soldier?", he asks one of his soldiers. It feels that it is one of the first times he turns towards a person of an other colour and asks a direct question about their thoughts. The first time he is really interested. And than also the remorse breaks through, so big that dying seems a reasonable option out of this guilt. Not choosen, just like he was unable to steer his own course as a child, but submitting to fate.
"The Smell of Apples" an enthralling novel by Mark Behr.......2004-01-23
"Memorable for the eye-opening authenticity with which Behr catches the Afrikaner mentality at home ... Behr's novel offers a disturbing confirmation that sincere and kindly people can still be the walking representation of evil" (Sunday Times)
Mark Behr's first time novel "The Smell of Apples" won the prestigious CNA Literary Debut Award and the Eugene Marais Prize. It was a wordlwide success, because it contains one of the most expelling themes in South Africa of the last 30 years.
Behr tells the story through the eyes of the 11-year old Marnus Erasmus who lives with his sister and parents in Cape Town of 1973.Behr links many aspects throughout the story so that the reader gets to know about Marnus's story of initiation, the apartheid system, the sexual mischiefs of his parents and Marnus being a 26-year old soldier in the Angolan Civil War.
But mainly the reader is led through the week of Marnus's life becoming more smart and grown up.He and his sister Ilse especially try to behave like adults when a Chilean general visits the family. This so called Mr.Smith has a symbolic function in the novel, because he is the one(the snake)who steels the apples out the families Garden of Eden.
All in all the novel by Mark Behr is a good introduction for readers who want to inform theirselves and who are interested in the apartheid system and the life of blacks and whites in this period of time.
The Smell of Apples.......2004-01-23
In his novel "The Smell of Apples" Mark Behr deals with problems of Apartheid by telling the story of a white South-African boy called Marnus Erasmus.
Throughout the book the strong relation to his father becomes obvious. Although Mr. Erasmus is really strict and authoritarian, Marnus regards him as a hero, especially because he is a general in the South African Army. Nevertheless the reader believes that Marnus's father is very considerate concerning his family, but this illusion gets destroyed when Marnus observes that his best friend Frikkie is raped.
The end of the novel is really shocking, but exactly that makes the book so interesting and readable. Telling the story through the eyes of a 10-year old boy makes the story even more dramatic.
I like the story and the characters, although the parts of the novel concerning Marnus's time in war are sometimes hard to understand
A closed look at South AmericaÂ's society.......2004-01-23
After Mark Behr's "The Smell of Apples" had earned best critics by famous newspapers like "The Sunday Times" or "The Daily Telegraph", I decided to get a personal impression of this book.
Indeed the story seemed to be quite interesting from begin on: Behr describes a harmonious family. He writes with with a sense for details and creates a perfect illusion, in which the eleven year-old protagonist lives.
This idyllic picture is first disturbed by the second time-level, which appears always suddenly without connection and ends the same way. Here Marnus is a 26 year-old soldier, who fights in Angola and finally dies.
The contrast of these two levels makes the reader soonly mistrust the harmony of Marnus's life and his family.
Little incidents engross this feeling time after time, although the really tragic end is very surprising anyway.
Mark Behr succeeds in showingthe former or maybe still actual conflict between South African Blacks and Whitesby analyzing the Afrikaner-mentality in an apparently normal Afrikaner-family.
The change of society (military) is told in a detailed and really understandable way. So you can experience the younger South African history by identifying with Marnus, who has to face bad things, but doesn't seem to learn from it anyway.
For the interested reader a real duty!
Book Description
"Dream" is a winner of 10 national awards: * International Reading Association Children's Choice -- 10,000 children across the country vote on the books they like best! * Teachers' Choice * Pinnacle Award -- Best Gift Book * Benjamin Franklin Award -- Best Book Celebrating the Human Spirit * Independent Publisher Award -- Best Children's Book * ForeWord Book of the Year Award -- Children's * American Booksellers Association Book Sense Children's Pick * Children's Book Center -- Starred "Our Choice" * iParenting Award * Adding Wisdom Award
15 of the top illustrators in the world each offer a gorgeously illustrated page in a beautifully told poetic story about life's hopes and dreams from childhood to adulthood, inspiring both children and adults.
From the smallest personal beginnings to the largest human triumphs, why are we here if not to dream? As you open the Dream Chest, you're whisked away on a colorful journey of a lifetime. WHOOSH through the teddy bears and castles of childhood. WHOOSH again into the labyrinths and mountains of adolescence and adulthood. Richly detailed contemporary art, thought-provoking quotations from historical sages, and a multilayered story combine to convey a simple yet powerful message -- you're never too young or too old to dream.
"Dream: A Tale of Wonder, Wisdom & Wishes" is a one-of-a-kind collaboration five years in the making. Bestselling author Susan V. Bosak (Something to Remember Me By, Science Is...) has teamed with fifteen internationally-acclaimed illustrators -- including winners of the Hans Christian Andersen Medal and Caldecott Medal. You'll find original illustrations by Wayne Anderson, James Bennett, Christian Birmingham, Raúl Colón, Leo and Diane Dillon, Robert Ingpen, Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher, Michèle Lemieux, Barbara Reid, Shaun Tan, and more.
Don't forget to hunt for the star each artist has hidden in their illustration -- and make a new wish with each one you find! Teachers can get classroom-tested reading tips and activities to use with "Dream" at legacyproject.org.
This is an inspiring celebration of living and dreaming for all ages. It's a book to explore and discuss with children, a keepsake and collector's item, and a lovely gift book for milestones like a birth or graduation, the holidays and birthdays. "Dream" offers wonder, wisdom, and good wishes -- for everyone who dreams.
Customer Reviews:
Dream.......2007-08-31
This book is beautifully told and has a very encouraging message to children from the age of 9 to 99.
wonderful book for anyone with a dream.......2007-07-04
This book is a wonderful collection of anecdotes & poems, a wonderful, joyful read for anyone who has wished upon a star. Great gift for a high school graduate.
Dream: A Tale of Wonder..........2007-05-28
THis is my standard purchase for a college graduation gift. It starts about dreams as a young child and continues on through life. As a child educator, and child care professional...the "young adults" always get a kick out of receiving a childrens book with an appropriate message for adults.
Richly Illustrated.......2005-12-21
"The award-winning bestseller "Dream" by Susan V. Bosak is a one-of-a-kind collaboration with fifteen of the top children's illustrators in the world, including two-time Caldecott Medal winners Leo and Diane Dillon. The book combines richly-detailed illustrations with a beautifully told poetic story about hopes and dreams across a lifetime that inspires both children and adults. Reviewers have described "Dream" as "dazzling," "thought-provoking," and "magical." It's won a remarkable 11 national awards, including the Pinnacle Award as Best Gift Book, a Teachers' Choice, an iParenting, and the International Reading
Association Children's Choice -- 10,000 children across the country read and vote on the books they like best. "Dream" is a wondrous book to explore with children, a rich cross-curricular classroom resource, and a lovely gift book for adults -- an inspirational holiday gift and a meaningful gift for milestones from a birth or birthday to a graduation or retirement." (review by The Legacy Project)
Beautifully depicts the importance of having a dream.......2005-06-05
A semi-finalists in the 2005 Independent Publisher Book Awards!
We are never too young or old to have dreams and pursue them; dreams are a necessary part of life. What we do with them, however, is our choice. "There's a whole world to conquer and you know exactly what you want: to make your own way...and make a mark on the world." The text takes us from the dreams of childhood to those of old age, relating that a successful life is about discovering and acting upon all the possibilities within us. Outstanding motivational quotations by noted historical figures are featured on each spread. The author enlisted the aid of 15 award-winning illustrators, whose work enriches the story and shows the power of art to inspire.
[...]
Average customer rating:
- An accidental treasure
- Winding tale full of ethereal music
- Book Review
- Lighter fare from Marley
- LEAD POISONING!!!
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The Glass Harmonica: A Novel
Louise Marley
Manufacturer: Ace Trade
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 United States
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The Terrorists of Irustan
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The Child Goddess
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Receive the Gift
ASIN: 0441007295
Release Date: 2000-09-12 |
Book Description
Eilish Eam is an orphan and street musician, living in 1761, London. She survives on pennies and applause, and nothing more. Until the night Benjamin Franklin stops to listen, awe-struck by her gift-and with plans for her future...
Erin Rushton is a classical musician living in 2018, Seattle. She stands in the orchestra, consumed by the music-and haunted by visions of a young girl from a different time, who needs her help...
"Marley makes her writing sing."-Everett Herald
"Louise Marley's knowledge of music and story make for a stunning combination of talent."-Greg Bear
"Marley shows a real feel for the elements that make fantasy (and science fiction) popular."-Locus
"Louise Marley deftly creates a detailed world full of complex characters so believable that they make you feel all their emotions with them: rage, powerlessness, rebellion, terror, determination, and hope."-Sharon Shinn, author of Archangel
Download Description
"Eilish Eam is an orphan and street musician, living in 1761, London. She survives on pennies and applause, and nothing more. Until the night Benjamin Franklin stops to listen, awe-struck by her gift?and with plans for her future... Erin Rushton is a famous classical musician living in 2018, Seattle. She stands in the orchestra, consumed by the music?and haunted by visions of a young girl from the past, who needs her help? "
Amazon.com
Marley's genre-crossing tale of music and healing is built, literally, around the human bones found beneath Benjamin Franklin's London abode. Eilish Eam, an Irish orphan from Seven Dials, is saved from a life of squalor when Franklin hears her playing musical glasses on the street. Eilish is taken into Franklin's household to help tune, and then to play, his latest invention--the glass harmonica. But though Eilish is enamored of the instrument, enjoys the comfort of Franklin's house, and delights in a friendship with renowned harpsichordist Marianne Davies, she cannot divorce herself from her past or the handicapped child, Mackie, whom she left behind.
Complementing Eilish's tale is that of Erin Rushton. Erin is a musical prodigy, the greatest contemporary player of the glass harmonica--an instrument that, in 2018, has become fashionable again due to the wave of nostalgia sweeping the country. Erin's America is the product of civility laws run amok. Cities have been "reclaimed"--and very nearly turned into theme parks of the past--while the unsightly poor have been removed to vast tent cities.
Erin has recently been troubled by an apparition, first seen when she plays Franklin's original harmonica in Boston. To add to her stress, Erin's twin brother, stricken by a neurological disorder and wheelchair-bound since childhood, has recently begun an experimental and potentially dangerous therapy under the direction of Gene Berrick, a young doctor struggling to overcome the taint of his tent-city upbringing.
As the tale progresses, Eilish and Erin glimpse each other more frequently, at first fearfully, and later affectionately, as they help each other understand the healing properties of their instrument.
It's been said that writing about music is like dancing about architecture, but Marley's background as an opera singer informs the rehearsal and concert scenes with great vitality.
Marley has packed The Glass Harmonica with enough ideas for several novels. She has intriguing things to say about the relationships between music, emotion, and health, and about the seemingly unbridgeable gap between privilege and poverty; but these parts somehow fail to make up a satisfying whole, and leave many questions--particularly about Erin's world--unanswered. --Eddy Avery
Customer Reviews:
An accidental treasure.......2007-08-22
This book surprised me. I wasn't sure what to expect when it was given to me, but I was pleasantly surprised at how firmly it kept me in its grasp. There were bits of it where I just wanted them to get on with it and tell us what happened, but it moved along at a fairly good clip.
The historical aspects of the story aren't as richly described as I'm used to with the historical romance genre, but this story isn't really a romance. There are romantic aspects to it, of course, with Erin and Gene coming together as a couple, but that's actually a very small component of the story.
The focus on the Glass Harmonica (or the Armonica, as it's ascribed to Benjamin Franklin as saying) is refreshing. I'd never heard of this instrument, I'm not sure if Louise Marley made it up for the story, but it's a fascinating subject, and the scenes involving Franklin and his contemporaries are very indicative of the period, I think.
I thoroughly enjoyed this story, even though it made me very sad at times. I really got into it, and I would highly recommend this book to anyone. It contains quite a bit more substance than most of the fluff I've read recently, but it's a good read. I must get my hands on more of Marley's work now.
Winding tale full of ethereal music.......2007-05-02
This book's hard to classify--fantasy or science fiction, mainstream or young adult. It's the tale of two women and the music that binds them. In the 1700's, a young poor girl busks the street playing music from glasses. She's mentored by Benjamin Franklin, who wants her to play his own glass instrument. In 2018, musical virtuoso, Erin, returns to play that same instrument.
The story is well-written, if a bit long. To me, the 1700's was a richer venue well depicted and compelling, while the future seems a bit barren and uncertain.
Book Review.......2006-04-22
Erin Rushton has the perfect life in the world of 2018: friends, a loving brother, a very successful job as a world famous musician, and the glass harmonica, an instrument rarely played in a typical orchestra. However, now as her brother's mental disorder takes a turn for the worst, the child prodigy begins to see the visions of a little girl, much like herself, more often...too often to the liking of her sanity. Her instrument has a rumored reputation of ultimately killing its artists. Even if the great Erin doesn't believe in the ridiculous tale, she can't help but wonder if her precious glass harmonica is actually driving her over the edge.
Centuries earlier, in 1761 London, Eilish Eam, a peasant orphan, is forced to make a living by sitting on the cold street corner before sunrise, playing her oddly enchanting water-filled glasses until her young twelve year old fingers become cold and sore. With almost nothing, Eilish returns tot eh rough Seven Dials into the home of Dooya and her sweet, young crippled son Mackie. This was the girl's everyday routine until the fateful morning an old colonist inventor by the name of Franklin stops to listen to her bewitching melodies. The glass harmonica never ceases to amaze these two troubled girls, and even plays a part in saving a life, as it can do nothing to prevent a wanted death. Louise Marley tells of these brilliant stories in the future classic The Glass Harmonica.
The author works in down points in both Erin and Eilish's lives. Erin's equally talented twin, Charlie, has been suffering from Friedreich's Ataxia since he was eight, disabling the use of his legs, but thanks to an engineered virus injected into his body, the ataxia was ceased. In Erin's opinion, the ataxia had not weakened him, but enhanced his mind as an orchestra conductor. Over the years, his desire to fit in with others and actually have the ability to walk has grown, driving him to try risky, and even life threatening procedures and programs. His latest attempt is working with Dr. Eugene Berrick, a fresh doctor using binaural beats to create new pathways in Charlie's brain. He believes if they succeed, Charlie's commands can have an optional route to travel through the nerves. The worried Erin can't help but mistrust the stranger, yet slowly fall in love with his untypical personality.
As Erin deals with her brother's outrageous efforts, Eilish can barely stand to live with herself knowing she has no power over Mackie's living conditions with his constantly drunk mother, which are worsened by his cripple. One night after Eilish left to live with Benjamin Franklin and work on his glass harmonica, or armonica, Dooya is stabbed to death in the streets, leaving Mackie to live with an already overcrowded foster family. In order for them to keep him in their house, Eilish grants them exquisite food and small sums of change in the Franklin home, plenty for the peasant household. Eilish falls very ill, but when word of Mackie's tragic fall of death in a chimney during a job reaches her, it further weakens Eilish, eventually leading to the inevitable death of the Irish orphan that even the armonica couldn't prevent. Before, the dark angel takes her, a relaxed, happy Eilish sees a healthy, perfect-legged Mackie run into her arms in a patch of field.
The conclusion linking the almost parallel lives is remarkable and very clever unlike any book I've ever read. Finally giving into her realistic visions of the mysterious girl, Erin returns to London. On her way to the street corner where the ghost was most life-like, a curator form the Benjamin Franklin house in London practically begs her to play at a gathering. That very night as her delicate fingers touch the ancient edges of the original glass harmonica, the spirit of the little girl takes a seat right next to her, mimicking Erin's movements while repeating the phrase: Tis like that, my little instrument. The saying made Erin realize the sounds of her instrument could save Charlie from the sudden blindness caused by the treatment. What really saddens the performer is that she also knows the unidentified bones found under the museum belonged to the spirit and that the original player of the first glass harmonica would forever be unknown.
This book takes a spin on the classic science fiction story, adding elements of tragedy, historical facts, and a bit of romance, making it one of the best science fiction out there.
R. Turner
Lighter fare from Marley.......2005-08-25
Not as thought-provoking, or as moving, as some of Marley's other works, notably "Terrorists of Irustan." It also feels rushed and left me just a little unsatisfied. Still, it is a sweet, pleasant novel, a nice bit of light reading.
The story of Eilish, an Irish orphan employed by Benjamin Franklin to play his newest invention, a glass harmonica, is interspersed with that of Erin, a modern/future musical prodigy of the same instrument. As Eilish navigates her way through 18th century London, Erin struggles to engineer her own independence as well as that of her composer brother Charlie, who cannot walk thanks to an inherited neurological condition. Music is the key to both of their lives, and specifically what they call "glass music", the sound of the glass harmonica. (Essentially a mechanized device for spinning glasses, played by rubbing wet fingers around the rim - think of the sound when you rub the rim of a wine glass.)
There is little real tension in this book, save for Charlie's struggles to walk and the mysterious illness (never specified, but I assume it to be lead poisoning) which plagues poor Eilish. Secondary characters are interesting, even when they're not altogether sympathetic. I was especially fond of Franklin, who comes across as the epitome of an absentminded professor.
A nice bit of historical fiction, and especially fun reading if you happen to be interested in music. I guess I'm just so used to Marley's "issue" novels ("Irustan", "Child-Goddess", "The Maquisarde") that this one was just a little bit too light for me. Judged on its own, though, it's a great effort.
LEAD POISONING!!!.......2005-01-09
This is a decent novel. There's nothing truly spectacular about it, but nothing awful either. The writing is nice and simple, and the characters cute, even if they are all overly "sensitive." (How many other readers wanted to slap Marianne?) Except for Gene, of course, who was so WOEFULLY underdeveloped I'm not even sure he qualifies as a character. You could tell Marley doesn't really have a clue about the personalities of "reserved" people. But on the whole, it was a pleasurable vacation read, entertaining but not too taxing of the intellect. So it gets 3 stars.
HOWEVER . . .!
The passivity of Eilish and the ignorance of those surrounding her concerning her "illness" drove me MAD. And reading previous reviews, no one else seems to have written a diatribe against lead poisoning, so here I go.
Marley approaches the lead issue with so much delicacy that I imagine a person unaware of the danger of lead dust might not realize that this is what killed Eilish - younger readers especially. Having worked in an environmental law clinic dealing with issues of lead poisoning, I'm pretty familiar with it. While this book makes it seem that it was merely the product of past ignorance, lead poisoning remains a very real danger today. Lead dust, as most people already know, can be a danger if your house or apartment has lead-based paint. But did you know that lots of lead dust can accumulate on window blinds? Children can also be poisoned by playing on lead-contaminated soil, common in many places. Sadly, a recently released study by Environmental Health Watch found that almost TWENTY percent of children in Cleveland, my hometown, have symptoms of lead poisoning. While the percentages in most cities are much lower (CDC in 2001 reported a national average of 2.2%), lead poisoning still leaves too many children, most of them living in poor urban areas, susceptible to recurring headaches, blurred vision, and brain damage. The sad thing is that lead poisoning is COMPLETELY preventable - but because most children suffering from it are poor, they do not receive the protection they should.
I really wanted Erin to save Eilish from such a pointless death, to tell her to get her arse out of that house, or at least have someone dust that stupid laboratory. You'd think Ben Franklin at least would know better. I was also annoyed at the weepy, complacent attitude exhibited by both the writer and Eilish herself towards her death. Fight, why don't you! Do SOMETHING! Even if Eilish didn't seem to mind that much, I at least expected more outrage from Marley - but maybe being an "artiste" makes her too delicate for such battles. Her wimpy characters surely seem to be.
Just wanted to point out an issue in the novel that seems to have been overlooked by most reviewers.
Customer Reviews:
Russia's heart and soul.......2007-06-22
Reading Soloviev's plea to his fellow Russians at the end of the 19th century to draw out and develop their own culture independent of Western influences appears now as a cry unheeded which should have been. Looking at Russias history durning the last century up into the present it seems fairly obvious how little Russia has been able to take it's own course either by outside pressure from the West, pressure from within which desires it to be Westernized, or a combination of the two. Soloviev shows how the West has fallen to the three temptations which Christ faced and was able to stand up against and while doing so advancing. While Russia has not fallen totally to such temptations but has remained static. Soloviev unfolds a positive, divine following, course Russia can take that would contrast and help overcome the negative, divine neglecting, course taken by the West. Reading this gave me a new appreciation of what Russia holds in itself if it were allowed to flourish unhinderred and by extension how other cultures too could bring much more to humanity as a whole if they were helped to find their own way of life, that best suits their character, rather than having a "best" way of doing things.
Incredibly Persuasive.......2005-04-10
This is the first book by Solovyev that I have read, and also the first by an Orthodox Sophiologist. It is intellectually thorough, honest, and complete. I am absolutely impressed with it. The author begins by acknowledging the failures of materialism, rationalism, capitalism and it's excessively individualist tendencies, and leads us step by step to the spiritual realm and how much we depend on it. He does not try to sever Christianity from it's roots in hellenistic philosophy, but integrates the two in a most beautiful and consistent way. I have to say that his arguments in favor of the Christian Religion are simply the most persuasive that I have ever heard, and he never resorts to the blind repetition of dogmatic assertions about how it is the one true faith, like so many other so-called mystics. Instead, he uses his education and wit to persuade the reader (he's so smooth that you don't even know that he is trying to persuade you, and maybe he isn't) that Christianity is actually the culmination of all of man's religious history which came before it. This is truly an outstanding read.
Average customer rating:
- For $2 a 5 star. For $10 a...well, you get what you pay for!
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A Cozy Book of Coffees & Cocoas: Rich and Delicious Recipes
Susann Geiskopf-Hadler
Manufacturer: Prima Lifestyles
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
| Baking
| Cooking, Food & Wine
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Coffee & Tea
| Drinks & Beverages
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General
| Cooking, Food & Wine
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ASIN: 0761501215
Release Date: 1995-09-27 |
Book Description
Espresso, French press coffee, cappuccino, café mocha, café latté. All over the world, rich indulgences such as Orange Spiced Hot Chocolate and Hazelnut Cappuccino mean it?s time to relax, recharge, and take pleasure in the moment.Fascinating coffee and cocoa legend and lore, an introduction to growing regions and types of beans, and dozens of easy recipes make this book ideal for any coffee or chocolate lover. You don?t have to live next door to a specialty café in order to enjoy deliciously decadent coffee and cocoa drinks anytime: from White Chocolate Café Latté to Raspberry Iced Coffee, explore recipes and traditions and discover what it means to become a connoisseur.
About the Author
Susann Geiskopf-Hadler is the co-author of numerous wonderful cookbooks, including The Vegan Gourmet, The Best 125 Meatless Main Dishes, The Best 125 Meatless Italian Dishes, The Best 125 Meatless Pasta Dishes, The Best 125 Lowfat Fish and Seafood Dishes, and other titles in Prima?s The Best 125 series. Ever Vigilant in her pursuit of the perfect mocha, Susann has spent years indulging in the offerings of coffee bars and cafés in more than 15 countries.
Customer Reviews:
For $2 a 5 star. For $10 a...well, you get what you pay for!.......2003-12-31
Ratings have to be based on value for cost. No coffee or cocoa lover should ever pass up the opportunity to treat themselves to fine breweing when the price is right. Just don't expect a comprehensive recipe book!
I do appreciate that the author didn't merely try to fill the book up with fluff so the page count could translate into a more impressive retail price - Bill Anderson.
Book Description
A resplendent visual history of jewelry during the last century! Whether they are precious stones or costume jewelry, beads and baubles have never failed to fascinate. Christie's Twentieth-Century Jewelry tells the beguiling story of decorative jewelry over the past 100 years. This authoritative and beautifully illustrated guide details how jewelry fashion became inevitably entwined with the swirling rush of socio-political changes that characterized the last century-from the glittering wares of the affluent 1920s, to the cheaper yet highly innovative jewelry of the war years, to the dwindling years of the century when an exciting variety of sculptural designs proliferated. It also links the important technological advances of the 20th century with the creativity of such legendary jewelry artists as Boucheron, Cartier, Tiffany, Lalique, and Dali, along with such modern artisans as Jackie Mina, Gillian Packard, and Andrew Logan. Superbly illustrated with over 120 lavish images from Christie's archives and private collections, this book is an essential gift for history lovers, nostalgia fans, collectors, and anyone else who is fascinated by the art of beautiful jewelry.
Customer Reviews:
unfortunate.......2005-09-24
After long period of waiting sell announced that they did not , and could not get book. My answer, don't list it for sale then till you have it physically.
Christie's 20th Century Jewelry.......2005-08-03
An excellent overview of styles and the people who made them over the last 110 years. An outstanding reference text.
Product Description
Cook Books
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Climate Change: Science, Strategies, and Solutions
Eileen, Ed. Claussen
Manufacturer: BRILL ACADEMIC PUBLISHERS
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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Environmental Science
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Environmental Science
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Climate Changes
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ASIN: 9004120246 |
Book Description
It is the greatest environmental challenge of the 21st Century. But what do we truly know about global climate change? And what can we do about it?
Most of the world's top scientists agree that emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases from human activities such as industrial processes, fossil fuel combustion, and land-use changes are causing the earth to get warmer. Impacts of this warming may include damage to our coastal areas, accelerated rates of species loss, altered agricultural patterns, and increased incidences of infectious diseases. The effects of climate change --- and efforts to mitigate climate change --- could also have substantial economic ramifications.
The book presents the latest research and analysis from prominent scientists, economists, academics, and policy-makers, including:
Tom Wigley and Joel Smith, who, along with other authors of the Science and Impacts chapter, explain the basic science of climate change, the growing evidence that human activities are changing our climate, and the impacts of these changes;
Eileen Claussen, John Gummer, Henry Lee, and other authors of the Global Strategies chapter, who describe what nations are or are not doing to address climate change, and the state of international climate talks;
Robert Stavins, John Weyant, Ev Ehrlich, and other economists, who explain why economic analyses of climate policy are conducted, why the projected costs of addressing climate change vary so widely among economic models, and how changes driven by today's economy can influence climate policy;
Gov. Jean Shaheen and other authors of the Innovative Solutions chapter, who describe what state and local governments in the United States and multinational companies are doing to monitor and curb greenhouse gas emissions; and
Forest Reinhardt, who offers business leaders advice on steering their companies on a path that is healthy for business as well as the global climate.
Climate Change: Science, Strategies, and Solutions is essential reading for anyone with an interest in the state of our global environment.
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Magazine Logotypes
Manufacturer: Books Nippan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 4760103198 |
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MAGAZINE LOGOTYPES
Manufacturer: Kashiwa Shobo Tokyo
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000IANPWM |
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Al Jolson: You Ain't Heard Nothin' Yet!
Robert Oberfist
Manufacturer: Rizzoli International Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0498025896 |
Books:
- The Stars Above Veracruz
- The Ventriloquist's Tale
- The Warlord's Son
- The White Bone: A Novel
- The Winemaker's Daughter
- The World of Premchand: Selected Short Stories
- Through the Safety Net: stories
- Time of the Butcherbird (African Writers)
- Tomb for 500,000 Soldiers (The Modern Classics Series, 1)
- Tzili: The Story of a Life (Appelfeld, Aharon)
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