Schmidt Delivered (Ballantine Reader's Circle)

Book Description

Recently widowed, Albert Schmidt has triumphantly rediscovered domestic bliss in the Hamptons with Carrie, the Puerto Rican waitress who is younger than his daughter. Schmidt is content with keeping his own hours and steering his own course, even as he becomes entertained--and increasingly ensnared-- by the odd billionaire Michael Mansour. Among Schmidt's other heartbreaks and delights is the scandal engulfing his detested son-in-law. Where will it all lead? Is Mansour a true friend or just a big cat playing with a WASP mouse? Can May and December remain on the same calendar as the sun sets? Through it all, one thing is clear: Schmidt has found a new life far beyond the deck chair.

With the elegance and mordant wit readers have come to expect of him, Louis Begley has created a magnificent story of how virtue may be rewarded.

Customer Reviews:

Boring sequel.......2004-01-02

I really enjoyed reading "About Schmidt". Of course I had to read the sequel... and was utterly disappointed. Begley had nothing left to write about. Many times he keeps repeating dialogues. I wonder who made the decision to write another book about Schmidt. Maybe the reason was the success of the first book. Well, it was a mistake. It leaves a sour taste. Many times I was thinking: "Ok, now that is the fantasy of an old man, who would like it to be that way." There just was not much story to tell anymore, because everything was said in the first book.

"Her face, when she returned, was a beautiful blank.".......2003-07-27

"Schmidt Delivered" was not the next book on my reading list, but after finishing "About Schmidt," I had to read the sequel. "Schmidt Delivered" picks up the story two years after the conclusion of "About Schmidt." The protagonist, Albert Schmidt, a retired lawyer, is still living in the Hamptons with a young, Puerto Rican waitress, Carrie. Carrie's annoying and clingy ex-boyfriend is conveniently packed off to Florida. Schmidt's sour daughter, Charlotte, the source of a great deal of grief in "About Schmidt" has more or less dropped her relationship with her father. It would seem that Schmidt's life has settled into a fairly regular domestic routine--Carrie goes off to college every day, and Schmidt waits for her to come home. He fills his spare time by dithering with the post and deciding which Trollope novel to read. Schmidt realizes that he has isolated himself with Carrie, and while this is partly due to the fact that Schmidt's relationship with Carrie is socially unacceptable, Schmidt's isolation is also due to a desire to keep his relationship with Carrie intact. But Schmidt is losing Carrie, and he knows it. He has aged (he's in his 60s), and meanwhile Carrie is off running marathons with a local bodyguard.

An eccentric millionaire, Mr Mansour, moves into the area, and immediately zooms in on Schmidt. In spite of Schmidt's attempts to avoid Mansour, a relationship begins to develop between the two men, and Schmidt finds that his life is changing once again. Schmidt, who views any change in routine as "a mountain he was at first unwilling to climb," resists the drastic alterations in his life, but it's inevitable that Schmidt's life will change again.

I enjoyed "Schmidt Delivered" every bit as much as "About Schmidt." Sequels can be very disappointing, but "Schmidt Delivered" met all my expectations. Characters from "About Schmidt" appear in the sequel and include: obnoxious in-law Renata Riker, spoiled rotten daughter Charlotte, and even Schmidt's loyal friend Gil. As Schmidt heads into another crisis, he also comes to terms with his role as a father and as a friend. This book is full of interesting characters who captured my attention. I found the strains in Schmidt's relationship with the amoral Carrie highly poignant, but the relationship was simultaneously portrayed without a shred of sentimentality. Schmidt remains a sympathetic and complex character, and I am going to read everything written by this excellent author--displacedhuman.

those pesky quotation marks.......2003-04-20

Begley claims quotation marks make his pages unsightly. He can use them or not, it's a free country, but there's a reason most of the civilized world uses the darn things. It's called clarity. Having dug my way through both Schmidt books without the benefit of adequate puncutation I'd highly recommend Begley give it up and bow to convention. However neat the pages appear, it just ain't worth it. And since when did anyone care about neat-looking pages? That said, Schmidt Delivered was a satisfying experience, mostly due to Begley's memorable characters. Hope the little guy has at least one more Schmidt book in his quiver and that he relents and uses those darn quotation marks to help us keep the musings and the speeches separate.

Deliver Me From Schmidt.......2002-08-07

Schmidt is one of the more annoying literary characters I've recently come across: grey, pallid, 'civilized' to the point of being little more than an ageing wuss. His daughter is churlish, his lover sweet (or at least Schmidt thinks so, even when she gets pregnant by another man) but unfaithful, his next-door neighbor a lout. I kept yearning for Schmidt to get these people out of his life, or at the very least, tell them off--but no, he never seemed able to rise to the occassion. At its best, this is a dull book about a dull man. At its worst, it's an irritation.

Schmidtie Finds Himself.......2001-07-14

What an odd little book! I never really connected with the characters, and the peculiar writing style and use of punctuation (or rather lack thereof) makes it difficult to discern whether a character is thinking or speaking out loud. For instance, here’s a passage that leaves you puzzled as to who is saying or thinking what:

______________________________________________________________

Jesus, Schmidtie, said Carrie, after he had given her, all during lunch, and even before, while they putting the cold chicken and the tomato salad on the table, the polite silent treatment that had been, while Mary lived, part of his ingrained behavior. What’s the matter with you? I get up early to be out here in time so we can eat and then take a nap, and you treat me like a piece of .... I don’t have to take this.

He wasn’t only sulking. He felt dead inside.

You’re right. You don’t. I don’t suppose you will.

Thanks a lot. I want to shower You can do the dishes by yourself. You’re so good at it.

______________________________________________________________

Schmidt is a recently widowed, successful lawyer who was forced to retire early when the firm no longer needed his specialty. He has taken up with a Puerto Rican former waitress 40 years younger than him who has moved into his home. He is paying her way through college. Although he thinks he is in love with her and asks her to marry him repeatedly, she refuses and actually starts seeing another man while still living with Schmidtie. His friend also tries to hit on her (some friend!). Schmidtie has a placid, rather empty and lonely existence with few friends, no productive work and no hobbies other than gardening.

Schmidtie also has a strained relationship with his daughter, Charlotte, who seems to only want his money and is critical of everything he does. Schmidtie finally sorts it out end as this peculiar, boring book grinds to an end. While I often regret that a good book has come to an end, I wasn’t sorry to turn the last page of this one, so I could pick up another book and look for something more interesting and engaging.

Average customer rating:
SCHMIDT DELIVERED

Manufacturer: Alfred A. Knopf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000GPXVUU

Average customer rating:
Schmidt Delivered
Louis Begley
Manufacturer: Knopf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OPEMOQ

Average customer rating:
Schmidt Delivered
Louis Begley
Manufacturer: Knopf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OXA472

Average customer rating:
Schmidt Delivered (Ballantine Reader's Circle)
Louis Begley
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OVQOLE

Average customer rating:
The Vedas, or the religious books of the Hindoos: A lecture delivered in Central Hall, Brooklyn, N.Y., Nov. 11th, 1884
H. C Schmidt
Manufacturer: Hallet & Breen
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0006F8SJE

Book Description

In a world where humans have made mutants the victims of horrible discrimination, Professor Xavier's School For The Gifted is a sanctuary, a safe haven for oppressed mutant youth. But the unimaginable happens when a student reinvents himself as Kid Omega and decides to take over the school. It's mutant vs. mutant...will the school ever be the same?

Customer Reviews:

Morrison's Best Arc Yet.......2006-08-20

I've had mixed feelings about Grant Morrison's run on New X-Men. On one hand, the stories he has told thus far have been good, and are responsible for introducing Cassandra Nova, Xorn, and the Special Class of X-Men. But I have sometimes found the pacing to be a bit off, and the art tends to really bug me. In Riot at Xavier's, those two problems are pretty non-existent. For once, the art is consistently good and the story is told at the right speed.
Quentin Quire is a star pupil at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. He is an Omega-level mutant and has the potential to be the world's next great telepath, on par with Jean Grey, Emma Frost, and Charles Xavier himself. His intelligence and little patience causes him to be unliked by his peers, especially the popular Slick, Tatoo, and the five Stepford Cuckoos. Upon learning that he was adopted and finding out that a respected mutant was the victim of a human attack, he decided that he had had enough of trying to pursue Xavier's dream in the world that hates and fears him, and he decides to give people a reason to hate and fear him. Displaying how affective his powers can be by showing the handsome Slick's true, and grotesque, form. He assembles a gang that dresses similar to how mutants were dressed in racist depictions made by humans to generate fear of mutants. Calling himself Kid Omega, Quire leads his gang in acts of violence against humans and instructs them to challenge Xavier and the X-Men.
Cyclops, Beast, and Emma Frost must deal with Quire's uprising while Xorn, the newest teacher and X-Man, leads the "Special Class". This class consists of the most bizarre and grotesque mutants at Xavier's. In a cruel twist of irony, mutantkind has gotten to the point where the ones that appear human can show a sort of racism to the ones who do not appear human. Members of the Special Class include Beak, Angel, Ernst (a young girl with the wrinkled face of an elderly woman), Martha (a brain in a jar), and Dummy (sentient gas). He takes them on a trip to the woods where Beak and Angel begin to get intimate, and the U-Men return.
As Quire calls for the students to let go of Xavier's dream (he goes as far as to wear a "Magneto was Right" t-shirt in front of Xavier), we begin to see a darker side of Charles Xavier. He begins to show signs of oppression and hatred to Quire. Granted, the kid is out of line with many of the things he says and does, but it is interesting to see Xavier, who is based on Martin Luther King, begin to act to a fellow mutant the way some humans act towards mutants.
A few things I noticed in this story line was that the X-Men didn't seem to do very much themselves. This is the story of Quentin Quire and Xorn's Special Class. Xavier and the X-Men are present at the events, but it seems that this story is about the students. I also must say that it seems unlikely that a bunch of punk kids can take out Wolverine as fast as they did, but Quire is an Omega-level mutant. Speaking of Wolverine, he and Jean Grey were barely in this story. However, Jean does factor in to a very important sub-story.
As I said, this is definitely Grant Morrison's strongest arc of New X-Men yet. His stories probably aren't for everyone, and they are definitely not the best comics I've read, but these are entertaining and poignant stories (also, if you are a fan of the phenominal Astonishing X-Men, these stories directly tie into Joss Whedon's masterpiece).

Awful . . . keep Morrison away from Marvel.......2005-12-29

Since when have comics become a medium for projecting current topical events (drug use, puberty-induced angst, teen pregnancy)? Morrison is a gifted writer, but its obvious that the guy is trying to kill the title.
Things are complicated enough in the X-Men titles (New X-Men, Uncanny X-Men, Ultimate X-Men, Exiles, etc.), but this takes it to a new level. Who are these people? What do they bring to the table in terms of advancing the storyline? Why is Xavier just sitting around and letting his students kill people?
And what's with the art? I can forgive on the condition that this is the same guy who penciled the original Aeon Flux, but thats about it.

Just awesome.......2004-09-09

Riot at Xavier's, the fourth collected volume in Grant Morrison's New X-Men run, continues the strangely gifted writer breaking the unwritten laws of the X-Men mythos. An Omega level telepath named Quentin Quire, spurned by the death of celebrity-like mutant, begins forming a gang inside the school as their opening day to the public approaches. Loaded with snappy dialogue, Morrison's master storytelling, and superb art by Frank Quitely (who actually managed to ALMOST do all the art for a full storyarc), this volume ends on a tragic note, along with some hard choices to make for Beak, and Jean learning of the psychic affair between Cyclops and Emma Frost. However, this volume is only the calm before the storm, and is followed by the pivotal events in Assault on Weapon Plus, and the cataclysmic events in Planet X and Here Comes Tomorrow.

great.......2004-03-16

While the art is still at the same level, the story is my favorite of all the volumes. There are more twists and surprises. It makes you think. It is a great story.

The best X-Men run in years continues..........2004-01-20

The main point of Morrison's run on New X-Men has been to breathe fresh life into the old concepts as well as making room for new ones to emerge. This is very apparent in this collection, which stands out as one of the high points in his run. Combine an inventive, gripping story, snappy dialogue and beautiful art and you have the spectacular story shown here.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent, original fantasy.......2003-07-31

"Darktraders," the second book of the Hellflower trilogy by eluki bes shahar, is one of the best books I've ever read.

I've already reviewed the first book through a review I did for the omnibus "Butterfly and Hellflower." And at that point, I'd given the trilogy 4 and a half stars.

However, I realized a few days ago that this story has not only stayed with me (which is the hallmark of a great story), but that the ideas are original, compelling, and believable.

Therefore, five star story.

Butterfly, the ship captain heroine, and Valijon Starbringer, the Hellflower mercenary hero, have an interesting sort of chemistry. Because Butterfly is in love with her former ship's computer, an Artificial Intelligence (actually a very old, very proscribed Library), Paladin, she has no interest in Valijon. (And Valijon is too young for Butterfly anyway; he's only barely past puberty, whereas she's in her 30s.)

Taking the love interest out makes the rest of the story stronger, oddly enough, and it becomes a story about the following things:

What is the truth?

Can we believe our leaders?

Will absolute power always corrupt?

Can people change?

It's not every story that can do this. And when a story can, especially over 12 years after it was originally released (at least, the first story, "Hellflower," was released in 1991, I think), maybe it isn't too much to call this a classic series.

I definitely believe that the Hellflower trilogy should be recommended reading for people new to s/f -- because it shows the potential of the genre to explore new ideas, and old ideas in a new setting, in an unusual and provocative way.

Five stars. Highly recommended.

And let's hope some publisher with some sense out there will ask Ms. shahar to reprint these books. Please!

Average customer rating:

Worth reading

Review for "Killing Fields, Living Fields"

Great portrayal of God at work

Exciting history of the Cambodian church!

Killing Fields, Living Fields
Don Cormack
Manufacturer: Monarch Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Cambodia | Asia | History | Subjects | Books
Missions & Missionary Work | Evangelism | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Tears of My Soul, The: The Story of a Boy Who Survived the Cambodian Killing Fields

Reconnecting God's Story to Ministry: Crosscultural Storytelling at Home and Abroad

Call of the Minaret

Mission in Acts: Ancient Narratives in Contemporary Context (American Society of Missiology Ser)

When the War Was over: Cambodia and the Khmer Rouge Revolution

ASIN: 0825460026

Book Description

(Foreword by Peter Lewis) "This heart-wrenching, heartwarming narrative prompts tears, prayers, praise, and hopes in turn. It is a long time since I read anything so poignant." --J. I. Packer

Customer Reviews:

Worth reading.......2007-06-04

Many valuable accounts of Christians' lives and experiences in Cambodia from the early 1920's to the late 1990's.

Review for "Killing Fields, Living Fields".......2006-03-24

The book is good for those who are interested in the understanding the religious background of the country, particularly in the missionary work.

Great portrayal of God at work.......2006-01-27

A very vivid & inspiring account of missionaries at work in Cambodia! For someone like myself who doesn't know much about missionary work, especially in third world countries & during war time, it's a real eye & spirit opener! This book lets me witness God's abundant grace through many great Christians, bringing me tears on few occasions. I have a deeper understanding of what it means to be humble, to love, to have faith, & to commit as a Christian.

Exciting history of the Cambodian church!.......2003-02-25

While this book does provide a historical account of the formation and growth of the Cambodian evangelical church, I enjoyed it more for the exciting tales of what the Lord accomplished in the lives of these wholly committed believers.

Their stories fill you with sorrow over the horrors they had to face in return for their faith, but they also fill you with awe at the amazing grace and deliverance shown to many of these saints as they served their Lord so faithfully.

I highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in the history of the Pol Pot era in Cambodia and especially to believers who are wish to be inspired by those who have been tested and found faithful.

Average customer rating:
Salvation in the Killing Fields
Aileen Ludington
Manufacturer: Pacific Pr Pub Assn
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
General | Christian Living | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
Southeast Asia | Asia | History | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 081630890X

Customer Reviews:

Creative, fun and easy to follow.......2000-04-15

I have had this book for quite some time and was pleased with the variety of recipes and ideas it presented. I expected much less for the price. The introduction contains info on roasting, selecting, brewing, steaming milk and other important details. It contains a section of hot drinks without alcohol and another section of drinks containing alcohol. Those are followed by a section of cold drinks with and without alcohol. The final section is a collection of recipes incorporating espresso as one of the ingredients. Some recipes are: Espresso Jack Daniels Rib Sauce; Pork Tenderloin with Espresso Sauce; Espresso Special Chili; Red Beans and Rice; Tiramisu; Espresso Chocolate Cheesecake; Espresso Pecan Pie; Chocolate-Espresso Gelato; Espresso-Scotch Frosting and Espresso Truffles. I recommend this book to those who love coffee and also enjoy trying new things. There's lots of fun to be had here and it's a great starter if you're new to the realm of espresso drinks.

Average customer rating:

Espresso!: Drinks, Desserts and More
Shea Sturdivant , and Steve Terracin
Manufacturer: Crossing Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0895945142

Average customer rating:
Rare Character Dolls
Maree Tarnowska
Manufacturer: Hobby House Pr Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Antiques & Collectibles | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0875883060

Average customer rating:
Embroidered Purses: Design & Techniques
Linda Tudor
Manufacturer: Batsford
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Embroidery | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
General | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
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Creating Romantic Purses: Patterns & Instructions for Unique Handbags

Beginner's Guide to Embroidered Boxes (Beginner's Guide to Needlecrafts)

Embroidered Bags & Purses

Making Vintage Bags: 20 Original Sewing Patterns for Vintage Bags and Purses

Heavenly Handmade Bags: Over 25 Designs To Stitch, Knit, Embroider & Embellish

ASIN: 0713488778

Book Description

Combining fashion, design, textile art, and embroidery, this beautiful and practical guide shows crafters how to make one-of-a-kind embroidered purses. From simple 2-sided styles to elaborate gusseted box designs, from small elegant clutches to roomier drawstring bags, they’re inspired by the finest historical examples and an international array of textile patterns. Exquisite illustrations also suggest innovative and unusual ideas for embellishment. Stitch a Chinese Silk Clutch inspired by the sea, a purse with bonded silk and velvet, and a colorful, cylindrical English Patchwork Harlequin design—and then show them off with pride.

Amazon.com

In common usage the term "monument" usually refers to symbolic sculptural constructions that honor great people, military victories, or victims of disasters or genocide. In this book, however, it typically denotes actual buildings that serve practical purposes connected with death and burial. This may not sound like a particularly promising subject, but don't be misled: Monument Builders is a meaty and significant work that explores subtle issues of spirit and human mortality--and architects' attempts to capture and express it.

An extensive essay--"Modernism, Architecture, and Death"--occupies a third of the book and traces the development of funerary architecture and sculptural memorials. It is followed by an eclectic portfolio of 29 designers' funerary projects, most of them recent. Familiar names and major talents such as Gunnar Asplund, Herman Hertzberger, Arata Isozaki, Maya Lin, Fumihiko Maki, Aldo Rossi, Moshe Safdie, Carlo Scarpa, and Peter Eisenman populate this section, along with less-well-known but often equally interesting designers. The constructions themselves run the gamut from a minimalist stone marker--Wim Cuyvers's grave for his father--to architecturally ambitious building complexes such as Rossi's near-legendary Modena cemetery ensemble. Nearly all of the included works achieve a quiet, contemplative serenity.

Edwin Heathcote, an architect and editorial staffer at Church Building magazine, clearly knows his subject intimately, and has produced an enlightening and impressively authoritative book. Physically, it is equally impressive, featuring a large format, quietly elegant layout, and copious, well-reproduced illustrations--mainly in color. --John Pastier

Book Description

A thoughtful exploration of modern architectural monuments and memorials

Structures built in response to death pose unique architectural challenges-challenges that transcend the physical to encompass symbolism, beliefs, and culture. Monument Builders highlights this rarely discussed yet fascinating building type, exploring the links between different perceptions of death and their expression in architecture over the course of the twentieth century. Sensitive but never somber, it features the work of an impressive international roster of architects as it moves from neo-classisist and modernist treatments of death to holocaust memorials and other difficult projects.

Customer Reviews:

Superb; excellent look at the "architecture of death".......2002-01-21

Edwin Heathcote continues his excellent series of books portraying noteworthy architectural marvels, this time looking at monuments and memorials to the dead. After reading two other "Builders" books ("Airport Builders" and "Church Builders") I am now three times impressed.

The first third of "Monument Builders" contains a very good description of the evolution of the "architecture of death," touching on the necropolis, various forms of ancient tombs, and the different manifestations of modernism, including expressionism, cubism and other applications pertaining to war memorials. It's a fine recounting of the history, architectural style and attitudes toward remembering the dead.

The remainder of the book focuses on specific architectural projects with several pages of text supplemented by superb photos, plan drawings and renderings in the first-rate style which typifies Mr. Heathcote's work in this series of books. In most cases, it's one monument per architect; however, an occasional pleasant deviation results in the exposition of several creations by a given architect. I reiterate: the photograpic work is incredible.

Again, true to form, Academy Editions has published a solid volume on quality paper, suitable for library or coffee table.

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