Customer Reviews:
Quite an arduous reading experience.......2007-08-30
I read Nick Tosches' In the Hand of Dante a month or two ago, and I've been putting off this review ever since. Actually, I wasn't even sure I wanted to attempt a review because my opinions of the novel are rather ambivalent and, frankly, I didn't get a whole lot out of the experience. This is the kind of book that makes me think I should like it more than I actually do. After all, it's literary and deep (sometimes) and brought to life by a true wordsmith. Honestly, though, I found myself floundering through many a section of the story, and I've already forgotten more than I ever knew about what I was reading.
On the one hand, you've got the author inserting himself into the story as the protagonist. Due to his association with some shady, underground, fairly despicable people, he ultimately gets his hands on a long-lost original copy of Dante's The Divine Comedy. This is where the action of the book can be found, replete with lots of adults-only language, a few doses of brutality, and the blood of a string of murder victims. Alongside this story, however, is Tosches' take on Dante's own journey - seeking to tap into something deep and eternal, I guess. As I said, I got very little at all out of this section of the book. It moves along at a glacial pace, sells out to pretentiousness early on, and made the simple turning of each page something of an internal struggle. It doesn't help that Tosches apparently sought to use every word in the dictionary at least once, resulting in literary speed bump after speed bump. I'm an intelligent, well-educated fellow, and I was constantly running up against words I could not define (and had I chosen to seek out the definition of each one, I would surely still be trying to finish this novel all these weeks later). Using "big words" is no sin, of course, especially if the author actually knows what those words mean, but in Tosches' case I got the strong impression that he was just trying to show the reader how darn smart he thinks he is. That doesn't make for a good impression among many readers, and it puts to ruin Tosches' otherwise impressive writing style.
Despite what I found to be a remarkably promising story idea, In the Hand of Dante just didn't do anything for me. The only memorable passage in the whole book is the one many other reviewers have mentioned: Tosches' no-holds-barred attack on the publishing industry. That made for pretty gripping reading, but everything else left me quite nonplussed. I can't for the life of me figure out how this became a national bestseller, as I doubt many casual readers will make it past the first 50 pages. Only the most serious and dedicated of readers will want to tackle this novel.
Book Description
In this exuberantly acclaimed bestseller, Nick Tosches tells the tale of two odysseys: the efforts of Dante Alighieri to weave out of the grossness of his own humanity a poem that contains the sum of the world's wisdom and the very breath of the divine, and the deadly struggle, seven centuries later, to possess an object of inestimable value--the manuscript of The Divine Comedy written in Dante's own hand. Widely hailed as a work of astounding audacity and beauty, the novel draws on Nick Tosches's vast scholarship about the Middle Ages and an equally intimate knowledge of the most degenerate lowlifes of New York's toughest streets.
Download Description
Deep in a secret chamber of a Vatican library, a casket is opened for the first time in many hundreds of years. Inside is the rarest and most valuable art object ever discovered: the manuscript of The Divine Comedy, written in Dante's own hand. The manuscript makes its way from the priest to a mob boss in New York City, where a writer named Nick Tosches, near death and ready for anything, gets a phone call from a friend-there's a manuscript that needs authentication. For this writer, the temptation is too great; he steals the manuscript in a last chance bid to have it all. As this dark and twisted journey unfolds, so too does a parallel tale: the odyssey of Dante himself, a man trying to weave a poem that contains the sum of the world's wisdom and the very breath of the divine. IN THE HAND OF DANTE is a work of astounding audacity and beauty. It combines Tosches's vast scholarship about The Divine Comedy, Dante Alleghieri, and the Middle Ages with an equally vast and intimate knowledge of the lowest murdering scum of New York's ugliest streets. This is the masterwork that Nick Tosches has been building toward for years.
Customer Reviews:
Tosches Masterpiece.......2007-10-05
Nick Tosches has written a masterpiece of profane beauty unlike any other. Sex, history, violence, inspiration, poetry: all combined in the most potent vision of Tosches' brilliant literary quest. When there is a discussion of the greatest American writers (Mailer, Roth, Updike, etc) Tosches should be at the top of that list; no one writes with this power, intelligence and sheer mindblowing genius.
I did not make it past 30 pages.......2006-11-08
Without repeating what everyone else has said, I think the only thing that needs to be said is that this writing style is definately not to my taste. Frankly, reading it felt like the equivalent of slogging through heavy mud and did not feel worth the effort.
An incredible waste of paper and ink.......2006-10-02
The potential for a great story was there - Vatican intrigue, Dante's struggles, corrupt publishers, and a protagonist you love to hate. But the writing was too forced. Almost as if Tosches was following his self-taught method to write a classic - one part obscure latin, a dash of self-loathing, a healthy pinch of angst, and a healthy use of a thesaurus. After all, why just tell a story when one can spin a yarn, weave a tale, narrate an adventure, pontificate, illuminate, elucidate and enlighten.
I loved the first chapter, but..........2006-10-01
after the first half of the book the quality goes downhill. I like Louie and the priest, the early Dante chapters, the chapters spent in the Caribbean, and the coversations with the Jew. I would have liked to know more about Don Lecco. While reading this book, I found myself really wanting to like it, but forcing myself to finish. The ending was OK, but it was like a mercy killing. This certainly stacks more weight against the classic "drugs equals mad, good writing" supposition.
Worthless Drivel.......2006-07-09
I concur with the majority of negative reviews of this book. I'm no prude, but the excessive use of profanity throughout this book is tiresome and honestly lazy on the part of the author. If you enjoy endless narcisstic tirades by disgruntled writers and agree with the main characters that the only good use of a woman is to provide oral satisfaction, this is the book for you. Otherwise, don't subject yourself to 376 pages of slop I don't think can even be called literature. I will not be reading any more of Mr. Tosches' work, you can be sure.
Book Description
In which our Heroes--Khaavren, Pel, Aerich and Tazendra--are reunited again a mere five centuries later....just in time for an uprising that threatens to destroy the Imperial Orb itself!This is the story of the conspiracy against the Empire that begins in the mean streets of Underside and flourishes in the courtly politics of the Palace where Khaavren has loyally served in the Guards this past half-millennium.It is the tale of the Dragonlord Adron's overweening schemes, of his brilliant daughter Aliers, and the eldritch Sethra Lavode.And it is the tale of four boon companions, of love, and of revenge....a tale from the history of Dragaera, of the events that changed the world!
Customer Reviews:
Super Reader.......2007-08-04
The continuing adventures of Khaavren and his friends Pel, Tavendra and Aerich, who, in and of themselves, are not particularly dissimilar to Athos, Porthos and Aramis.
This intrepid group of adventurers must again join forces to prevent bad things from happening.
Khaavren is now a long-established member of the Guard, so he is just a little more privy to what goes on, and a tad more clueful.
I Don't Get It..........2007-07-31
How can Brust write not one, but two books in the wordy, flowery Dumas-style that I (truthfully) despise, yet somehow get me to love both of them?
This book is not as wordy as The Phoenix Guards, but it has its moments. The action can be slow in the beginning and middle, but the end makes up for it.
The Novelty Wore Off.......2007-04-21
Overall a pretty good read. The novelty of the writing style from Phoenix Guards has worn off but the plot did improve over Phoenix Guards. Based on these two books I'm sure I'll get around to reading more of Brust's work in the future.
Does not live up to its predecessor.......2006-07-24
In The Phoenix Guards, Brust managed to pull off an effective parody of Dumas while furthering the backstory of the world presented in the Taltos novels. Five Hundred Years After, unfortunately, fails to live up to expectations when placed in such august company. Where the first was thoroughly enjoyable, this story feels incomplete, and the writing feels forced. Perhaps this is due to the fact that this story was less a parody of Dumas's work than a glimpse into events that had happened in the Taltos universe, but regardless of what the cause, Paarfi, the faux-auteur that Brust has created, does not seem to have the same humour as one would expect.
On a whole, the novel is good, but not great. Still, it is well worth a read as long as you continue through and finish the entire series. When placed in the middle of the previous and following books, the style fleshes out, but as a standalone work, it definitely does not live up to the expectations formed after reading its predecessor.
An entertaining jaunt into Dragaeran society........2002-10-26
What would the Three Musketeers have been like 500 years after they originally fought together, in say oh, on our timeline, April 2125.
In The Phoenix Guard Brust introduced his three musketeers, and they had a similar parting of ways, but now forces are gathering to cause problems, Mario walks the world, and the friends get together again to save it.
I enjoy the adventures of Vlad Taltos, but this book and it predecessor are perhaps the most entertaining of the lot. Taltos is an outsider in the Dragaeran Society, Khaavren, Aerich, Tazendra, and Pel are within it. Their adventures are no less enjoyable than those of Athos, Porthos, Aramis, and D'Artagnan. Written with the same tongue and cheek perspective as the Taltos series, these books provide an intersting view of classical characters.
Customer Reviews:
Beautiful pictures, short on words.......1999-06-16
The pictures in this book are truly beautiful. However, those pictures don't come with details such as exactly what plants and how many of each are in each design. This is a great book to look through to get a sense of what _type_ of garden appeals to you, but don't look to it for help in actually designing your own beds and borders.
Average customer rating:
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Five Years After (Occasional hundreds)
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 General | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
General | Medicine | Subjects | Books
Central Governments | Administrative Law | Law | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0197213987 |
Average customer rating:
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John Huss: His Life, Teachings and Death After Five Hundred Years
David S. Schaff
Manufacturer: Wipf & Stock Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Classics | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Literary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Protestant | Church History | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
ASIN: 1579105343 |
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Starfire Down (Questar Science Fiction)
Lee McKeone
Manufacturer: Grand Central Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Contemporary
| General
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Fantasy
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| Subjects
| Books
| Alternate History
| Anthologies
| Arthurian
| Contemporary
| Epic
| General
| Historical
| History & Criticism
| Magic & Wizards
| Series
General
| Science Fiction
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| Subjects
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Similar Items:
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The Clone Crisis
ASIN: 0446361372 |
Product Description
The next step for those who want to discover angels in their lives, this book goes beyond angelic appearances to a keen new awareness of how angels influence world evolution and ones own personal psyche. You will explore new research on angels roles in personal and planetary karma, the angelic hierarchy, the origin and destiny of Christ, archangels and fallen angels, and the meaning of angels in the Revelation.
Customer Reviews:
Fantastic book.......2006-03-01
This book is fantastic for anyone of any religion who is interested in spiritual and unseen matters. Whether you're a taoist or a pentacostle, you'll be at home in the pages of this text. I couldn't believe that it was written the way it was written when I first spotted it in a store and read it. It is so spot on on so many levels that it's amazing. This text is extremely authoritative, and from what I understand, it's got a lot of things right.
Average customer rating:
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Gourmet's Parties
Gourmet Magazine Editors
Manufacturer: Random House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Special Occasions
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
| Books
Party Planning
| Special Occasions
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Etiquette
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0375500308
Release Date: 1997-08-19 |
Customer Reviews:
Instant gourmet host.......2000-03-31
If you don't have a problem following recipes this is a great book for all occasions. I've also found that I have been able to mix and match some of the menus. It takes all of the guess work out of organizing a menu for any type of meal-party. It helped me come up with a fancy way of making my outdoor BBQ more exciting. Perfect for the extremely busy host with no time for menu planning.
Book Description
Martha Stewart run for cover! The Surreal Gourmet is back with hundreds of unique ideas for throwing a worry-free dinner party. Bob Blumer -- master of creative entertaining -- takes angst-ridden hosts through the planning step by step. Here are over 25 recipes that can be quickly and easily prepared by even the most inexperienced cook, each accompanied by suggestions for wine and music to dine?(and cook) by. There's also an "advanced adventure club," featuring high-concept dinners like salmon cooked in the dishwasher (it works!). Filled with witty, full-color artwork, The Surreal Gourmet Entertains is sure to bring dinner companions together with fantastic food, a vibrant atmosphere, and lots of fun.
Customer Reviews:
High Octane Entertaining with Feud!.......2003-09-11
This guy is a blast! Not one to be turned on with entertainment gourmet TV types, this guy is exceptional. Tuning him in on FoodNetwork several times and really enjoying him and his creativity approach and the fun he has with food and serving it takes me back to my inspiration to enter gourmet --- Galloping Gourmet.
Galloping to Surreal -- this is great wealth of inspiration! Recipes and music and suggestions and great photos and the adventure club and alternatives --- it all makes for one rockin' cookin' adventure.
Check out the likes of "Champagne Rissoto" or "lobstercapecodstyle".
Try and you'll go back for more, forsurereal!
Brilliant illustrations!.......1999-09-18
This is a very user-friendly dinner and hosting guide. Infused with a Los Angeles, bohemian-chic, wine-glass-in-hand vibe. In addition, Bob is one hot tamale.
our favorite cookbook.......1999-09-15
The Joy of Cooking is a great cookbook, but The Surreal Gourmet's style makes it fun to read and try recipes. The recipes are popular favorites presented in an easy-to-follow format. At the end there are drink recipes, basics (stock, pesto, etc), and tips on setting up your kitchen, even music recommendations. The book lives up to it's title with cool illustrations and a refreshing style that is definitely surreal compared to other cookbooks.
Book Description
Finger foods prepared without lifting a finger.
Like Desserts, this next Half-Baked Gourmet volume features easy-as-pie hors d'oeuvres, dips, and finger foods, including Spicy Citrus Wings, Brie en Croute, and Greek Tomato Pizza. These semi-homemade treats are as easy to prepare as they are elegant and appealing to serve, and will make even the most hopeless cook seem like a gourmet.
Customer Reviews:
This book really works!.......2003-01-28
I bought this book when it came out, in 1972. We entertained a great deal, and because I also worked full time, this fun book made putting on a large feast for a big gathering easy to do. People were always impressed that I could work and still put together a huge meal without being stressed! Amusingly written, the menues are both varied and unusual, and with the integrated preparation and cooking techniques which are described, really very easy to prepare. Each menu has a shopping list, with the price of the ingredients noted (a fun look back at prices, e.g. 5 lbs of boned lamb just $6.00, or a 12 ounce bottle of vegetable oil - 28 cents!), equipment required, then the step-by-step approach to putting the entire menu together in an hour. According to my handwritten notes on a few pages, some of the recipes were over-peppered, but I do know that they were quite good! The prices may change, but the flavours and techniques do not...a fun book for preparing a good meal for a crowd!
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Cordon Vert: 52 Vegetarian Gourmet Dinner Party Menus
Colin Spencer
Manufacturer: Thorsons
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
| Books
| Baking
| Canning & Preserving
| Cooking by Ingredient
| Culinary Arts & Techniques
| Drinks & Beverages
| Gastronomy
| General
| Meals
| Natural Foods
| Organic Cooking
| Outdoor Cooking
| Professional Cooking
| Quick & Easy
| Reference
| Regional & International
| Special Appliances
| Special Diet
| Special Occasions
| Vegetables & Vegetarian
ASIN: 0722508948 |
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Party Food (Australian Gourmet Traveller)
Manufacturer: Australian Gourmet Traveller
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Special Occasions
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 1863962883 |
Book Description
This inspirational book provides an innovative selection of pates, dips, cocktail food, appetizers and buffet delicacies. The third in the Australian Gourmet Traveller small cookbook series highlights party food for people who celebrate an occasion with style and joy.
Customer Reviews:
An Interesting Take On An Ancient Method.......2000-09-13
Wood Fired Ceramics takes an interesting and refreshing look at wood firing methods. This book makes a great reference for anyone looking to become involved in wood firing or for current traditionalists looking for ways to modernize or add variety to their methods. A great addition to your ceramics library! Use it to grow in your experience.
Book Description
Of all Italian laces, the Milanese style is recognized the world over as the most beautiful. With 50 exciting patterns ready for copying, plus close-up photos of the finished work, crafters of all levels can now take advantage of these specialized stitches to create lush and spectacular designs. The projects range from the simplified Heartsease (illustrated with an 8-year-old's finished work), to the challenging Twin Peacocks, guaranteed to tempt the most demanding expert. Some of the patterns, such as Spray and Acanthus, are traditional, while others are original, and introduce vibrant colors and lavish designs from sources as diverse as Celtic and Japanese art.
Book Description
Turkoman jewelry hung in glittering clusters above a cottage fireplace, a colorful array of Pueblo pots brightening kitchen shelves, an Indian house-shrine forming a miniature alcove for a flickering flame....Here are interiors of all kinds in which ethnic art shines out as a challenging and fashionable alternative to conventional home decoration. Nicholas Barnard and James Merrell's painstaking location work in Europe and America has yielded dazzling color photographs of tribal and folk art beautifully harmonized with the best of Western design. The art of "primitive" peoples--ceramics and textiles, masks and metalware, baskets and carvings--was once dismissed in the West as heathen and crude, but artists such as Picasso and Matisse led the new enthusiasm for folk art in the early decades of the twentieth century. Today the range of artifacts available to us is boundless, from delicate Indonesian floral batiks to ghoulish Mexican Day-of-the-Dead figurines, from African earthenware to intricately fretted Indian screens. Exotic, charming, but always unusual and provocative, folk art can transform interiors of all kinds. Nicholas Barnard provides inspiring ideas for displaying objects, whether functionally as furniture, architectural fittings, or kitchenware, or simply as decorations, and advises on their care and collection. A comprehensive directory lists galleries where art can be seen, and retailers from whom it can be obtained.
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- In-depth analysis of the Batak peoples in modern times
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The Batak: Peoples of the Island of Sumatra (Living With Ancestors)
Achim Sibeth
Manufacturer: Thames & Hudson
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Indonesia
| Asia
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Folklore & Mythology
| Social Sciences
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
Ethnology
| Anthropology
| Social Sciences
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
Folklore
| Mythology
| World Literature
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
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General
| Arts & Photography
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Southeast
| Asia
| Travel
| Subjects
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All Titles
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
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ASIN: 050097392X |
Customer Reviews:
In-depth analysis of the Batak peoples in modern times.......1997-08-29
Unfortunately, the text is repleat with grammatical errors which makes the reading a little frustrating
Book Description
Patchwork quilts, woven coverlets, hooked rugs, painted furniture, carved decoys—these are among the most popular styles of folk art. If you’ve fallen in love with their old-fashioned charm, find out how to show them off effectively. Here are great display ideas for entryways, halls, living rooms, dining rooms, and kitchens—along with tips for mounting textiles and protecting baskets, china, and utensils.
Average customer rating:
- An excellent guide book for all cross stitchers.
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Cross Stitch Calligraphy: A Practical Guide to Creating Samplers, Monograms & Personalized Gifts
Iva Polansky
Manufacturer: Trafalgar Square
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Graphic Arts
| Graphic Design
| Design & Decorative Arts
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Cross-Stitch
| Crafts & Hobbies
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Crafts & Hobbies
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 1856261832 |
Customer Reviews:
An excellent guide book for all cross stitchers........1998-03-17
An excellent guide book for all cross stichers needing monograms or calligraphy in samplers etc. Well written with extensive diagrams and helpful information. A good book to keep on your shelf for reference
Average customer rating:
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Miss Supermodel America
Ian Halperin
Manufacturer: OGO Books
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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Women
| Specific Groups
| Biographies & Memoirs
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General
| Fashion
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Performing Arts
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
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ASIN: 0968480489 |
Books:
- Jump the Kennebec
- Jumping Frogs to Cannibalism (Mark Twain Series)
- Juno & Juliet: A Novel
- Knee-Deep in Wonder: A Novel
- La Nouvelle Heloise: Julie, or the New Eloise : Letters of Two Lovers, Inhabitants of a Small Town at the Foot of the Alps
- Late Night Talking: A Novel
- Little Miss Strange: A Novel
- Lives of the Monster Dogs
- Lud Heat and Suicide Bridge
- Me Bandy, You Cissie - The Journals of Bartholomew Bandy
Books Index
Books Home
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In the Company of the Courtesan: A Novel
Becket
Blaze: A Novel
I Feel Bad About My Neck: And Other Thoughts on Being a Woman
The Boleyn Inheritance
