Shohola Falls: A Novel

Book Description

A coming-of-age novel with a twist - along with two interracial love stories, a depiction of the explosive 1960s in America, and a cross-country search for Mark Twain.

With the death of his mother and the sudden disappearance of his father, teenager Tommy Blanks is left to live alone in the Bronx on the money his father left him and what he can steal. His shoplifting eventually lands him in Upstate New York in a Catholic Boys' Home run by a demonic priest. There Tommy falls in love with a local girl, Nada, but also meets his nemesis, Adam Delano. After a school-wide brawl, Tommy escapes and is presumed dead by the local authorities when they find his hat floating in the river.

Tommy is taken in by a local hermit, a Korean war veteran, who leads him to Tommy's great-great grandfather's deserted house in a nearby town. History and fiction converge with the discovery that Thomas BlankenshipdashTommy's great-great grandfatherdashis the young man whom Mark Twain used as the prototype for Huckleberry Finn. And Tommy's life on the road as an orphan parallels Twain's resourceful Huck Finn. Eventually, his search for the facts and the meaning of his own experience leads Tommy to Chicago, the Southwest, San Francisco, and finally back home to Shohola Falls. Pearson's evocative prose works to dramatic effect in a novel that is part mystery, part bildungsroman, part love story. The book will appeal to a general audience and especially aficionados of Twain.

Customer Reviews:

perfect picture of Shohola.......2006-07-26

I have lived in the Shohola, Pennsylvania for many years and this novel by Michael Pearson hit the bullseye! It offers a beautiful and accurate picture of the rivers and mountains I love. The story itself is mesmerizing and as wonderfully mysterious as the forests neear it.

a wonderful book to get to know america.......2004-07-04

Being from Belgium, I liked having the chance to read this novel by michael pearson because i learned many things about america, a country i'd like to visit one day and have always been fascinated with. The book tells a great deal about the characters but also about american history and even its literature. Marl Twain's Huckleberry Finn is my favorite american novel, and Shohola Falls gave me insight to twaqin and his great work.

An Imaginative look at Twain, history and the present.......2004-05-04

I love mark twain's work and Shohola Falls inventively played with the master's fictions -- and was fascinating in its own right. The main character, Tommy Blanks, is a moder-day version of Huck Finn, a little sadder and a little wiser, perhaps. I love the way Pearson weaves history and fiction together seamlessly. It's a fine book.

a discovery.......2004-01-04

I just saw the movie cold mountain and loved it. Then I happened to stumble on the novel Shohola Falls by Michael Pearson, and I felt that I had found a novel that had a similar mystery and sense of the quest to it as that film had. Like cold mountain, Shohola Falls is a love story, a story about two people coming toward one another froma great distance. The movie has gotten a lot of attention (as did Frazier's book), but I recommend Shohola Falls as a hidden gem.

more than a coming of age novel.......2003-11-27

Shohola Falls is much more than a coming of age novel. It is a story filled with drama and history. It follows a track into the heart of race and desire in America, but it does it through the fascinating characters it creates -- historical and imagined. Well worth reading!

Amazon.com

This fast-moving adventure opens Maggie Furey's second fantasy sequence, "The Shadowleague"; her first was the "Artefacts of Power" tetralogy. The Heart of Myrial is set in a particularly artificial-seeming fantasyland, which proves to be not a world but a technomagical construct, divided into isolated regions by sorcerous barriers of force. Thanks to the machinations of a bad guy who may have good motives, these "curtain walls" are now failing--the first symptoms being clashes between the enclaves' different environments, leading to prolonged descriptions of truly lousy weather. In theory the barriers are guarded by and can be penetrated only by Loremasters of the Shadowleague, a secret inner circle of representatives from this patchwork world's various species: humans, dragons, centaurs, wind-sprites, insectile aliens, and more. In practice the Shadowleague is almost impotent.

Against this complex background, various characters struggle across the landscape through terrible weather. A woman Loremaster and her irrepressibly feisty firedrake companion play leading parts in the large cast (many of whom suffer death or worse). After tortuous regroupings and plot twists centered on a particular city that houses a key magical shrine, the book concludes with a gory invasion of nasties through the holed curtain wall. It reads well enough, and of course there's more to come. --David Langford, Amazon.co.uk

Book Description

Three unlikely heroes must penetrate a land of sorcery and secrets to save a world hurtling toward chaos.

From the dazzling imagination of Maggie Furey comes an astonishing new epic of a wondrous world on the brink of collapse...  and the daring trio who will risk the deadliest odds to save it.

The world of Myrial is racing toward apocalypse.  For aeons, its mysterious Curtain Walls have functioned to separate realm from realm, and race from race, so that each cordoned area remains a sanctuary for its species.  But now the miraculous walls that have provided order for so long are disintegrating with disastrous results.

Mingling climates are causing unrelenting rains or deadly droughts, while warlike races are preying mercilessly on the helpless and meek.  And the carnage will only grow worse unless a seasoned woman-warrior, a brazen firedrake, and a venerable Dragon with amazing telepathic powers--all trusted members of the Shadowleague--succeed where everyone else has failed.  For they must first locate the heart of Myrial, where the secret for undoing this disaster resides.  In order to reach their goal, however, they must overcome treachery, intrigue, and evil--and a mysterious figure from the past whose actions threaten to tear the Shadowleague apart.

Customer Reviews:

Whew..........2005-03-14

The back of this book was completely misleading. I assumed that this book would be centered on the three characters Veldan, Kaz, and Aethon, but boy was I wrong. The story starts off with them, sure, but then you are introduced to a slew of other characters, and the whole book follows each of their stories and how their paths cross.

This sounds like a problem, but it really wasn't. I did find myself frustrated occasionally when I wanted to know what happened to another character but had to wait and read a boring story of another. But after the beginning you do get interested in all of them, so the frustration ends quickly. If you read her Aurian books, this is a little different. In those there were also many subplots, but you could easily distinguish the main characters. This book is like one huge subplot though, and even though Veldan and Kaz are on the cover, I still don't get the feeling they are the main characters. I'm hoping that'll change in the next book.

This book moves very slowly time-wise. Everything occurs in about three days, and sometimes its difficult to line up what each character is doing in order. I'm sure thats on purpose though, and it definetly keeps you on your toes.

The characters are very likeable in my opinion, especially Kazail the firedrake. I've noticed Furey is very good at characterization, not making a person completely bad or good, and gives them the ability to change. One thing I preferred about this book over her last series is less wimpy characters. For those of you who read the Artefacts series, you should know what I'm talking about (I can't stand whiners). I'm crossing my fingers that it'll stay that way.

And for all you romance lovers, there isn't any in this book, although some future possibilities seem to be forming. Overall, I really did enjoy this book, even though it had a few flaws. I'm even more glad that I have the next two handy. If you did read her last series (and liked it), I would recommend you pick up all three. Otherwise, try the first one and see how you like it. I think all fantasy readers should give it a shot though.

Solid Read... Well-tied together.......2005-01-15

This book sat on my shelf for almost two years before I picked it up. Than I read it over the course of a single day and I was mighty pleased to discover it! The story is told from the perspectives of many of the characters, good and bad, and this is the greatest strength of the book. It was extremely interesting how nothing and nobody was pure good or pure evil, and how all their motives were well justified. Some people may not like that, but it's real, and I was impressed by how well Maggie Furey pulls it off. It's very interesting when you see how two essentially good people could hate each other and each believe the other was of poor character when the truth lay somewhere inbetween. Whilst the world did not grip me, it is quite unique and different to the fantasy norm and there does seem to be plenty of potential in it. However, it is the characters that pull the story along at a ever increasing rate, especially as all their lives are intertwined in so many clever and surprising ways. The ending is a cliffhanger that will leave you wanting more, and I highly recommend this. As an avid fantasy reader, it is better than a lot of the tripe associated with the genre. Also, it's not too predictable, as I have far too many different ideas as to how the trilogy could be wrapped up! (Beware, the story does start a little slowly...)

Yes, No, and Okay.......2003-08-13

This is a good book. It was good enough for me to get the second and third as soon as they came out in soft back. However, it is not as good at the Aurian books and kind of reminds me of the four Aurian book (Dhiammara) which I did not care for that much.

I happen to like her writing. The charaters are intersting, the story is intersting, but please read all three books one after another. The first two kind of end in the middle of stuff, and there are a *lot* of questions that are not answered until book three. But it comes out as plesant, and full in the end, much worth reading.

But not enough to lsoe sleep over.

Furey Strikes Again!.......2003-07-14

The Heart of Myrial is fairly well-written, with interesting characters and an intriguing plot. At the beginning, the tie-in between most of the characters seemed nonexistant, and I was concerned about the pacing of the action. However, the characters come together--in sometimes unexpected ways--and the action picks up well.

Furey's descriptions are beautiful and (mostly) not overdone, not getting in the way of the action, while still making a nice impression. It helps that the descriptions are often colored by a character's thoughts, instead of just having bland narrative.

The characters vary in temperment, intelligence, and species. Many of them develop in interesting ways, and even characters that I initially disliked usually turned out to have likable aspects. This actually annoyed me slightly, because it's hard to change your opinion of a character from 'bad guy' to 'kind of an okay person' or from 'good guy' to 'despisable bad guy.' Still, it's true to life in that first impressions aren't always perfectly accurate.

I very much enjoyed reading this book & highly recommend it, especially to fans of Furey's previous books. I recommend reading at least the first page before buying it if you haven't read Furey before, for her style doesn't suit everyone. Still, it rates among the best books I have read, and I'm eager to read the sequels. This was a great book.

A tragic dissapointment.......2002-11-22

The plot and basic storyline of this book is intiguing. Maggie Furey creates a magical world filled with mythical beasts with a surprising twist. Each species is divided by a magical curtain that protects both the weaker species from the more aggressive ones and the different environments that each species needs to survive in seperate. I will stop here to avoid spoiling the story, because if I hate one thing about book synopsis or movie previews is that they give away the whole story before I even get a chance to read or watch them.
However, the reason why I give this book two stars is because the writing style kills any enjoyment that can be obtained by reading this book. I find it surprising that such a terrible writer can be published. I mainly blame the editor that could have done a better job at cleaning up the run-on sentences and overuse of discriptives.

Average customer rating:

Heart of Myrial
Maggie Furey
Manufacturer: ORBIT (LITT)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000K1YEBU

Average customer rating:

The Heart of Myrial
Maggie Furey
Manufacturer: Orbit
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

The Heart of Myrial. Book 1 of the Shadowleague

Average customer rating:

The Heart of Myrial. Book 1 of the Shadowleague
Maggie Furey
Manufacturer: Orbit
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000M64UEO

Average customer rating:

The Heart Of Myrial
Maggie Furey
Manufacturer: Book Club Associates
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OIIXZC

Set of 3 Novels. Shadowleague Trilogy: Volumes 1-3 By Maggie Furey - The Heart of Myrial, Spirit of the Stone, Echo of Eternity

Average customer rating:

Set of 3 Novels. Shadowleague Trilogy: Volumes 1-3 By Maggie Furey - The Heart of Myrial, Spirit of the Stone, Echo of Eternity
Maggie Furey
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000VGL76O

Product Description

Shadowleague Trilogy: Volumes 1-3 By Maggie Furey - The Heart of Myrial, Spirit of the Stone, Echo of Eternity.

Amazon.com

"There is a certain glee in my work," says Joe R. Lansdale. "But for me, it heightens the horror." The Drive-In: A B-Movie with Blood and Popcorn and its sequel (The Drive-In 2)--both well known to Lansdale fans--are back in this welcome omnibus edition. The story is about a bunch of affectionately described characters in small-town Texas who go to a horror-movie marathon at the local drive-in. While they're watching The Toolbox Murders, a bright red meteor with a toothy smile swoops down and traps them in the drive-in for all time. Then the fun begins: endless re-runs of the same movies and fights over concession food, followed by anarchy, religion, cannibalism, bodily transformation, crucifixion, mad bikers, and a supernatural Popcorn King. It's not just silly, though; it's social commentary. The lesser (but equally surreal) sequel further explores the end-of-the-world scenario. As Lansdale himself says, "The Drive-In is quirky as hell. It's kind of a cult book, and it's not for everybody." The Drive-In was nominated for a 1989 World Fantasy Award for Best Novel.

Customer Reviews:

Trapped In The Drive In Theatre?That Sounds Pretty Cool!!!.......2005-05-01

Ths book introduces the reader to a group of four teenage boys who spend their Friday nights at the Orbit Drive In Movie Theatre. A meteor passes overhad and allcontact with the outside world is ceased. What happens next is a study of the "Group Dymnamics" of people who are thrown togther in a situation with no escape. My Socology Professor at Univesity would have loved this book!!! This book takes me back to my wild, misspentyouth at the Drive In Movie Threate where for $3.50 you could see two movies (that used to be called a "Double Feature" for all you youngpeople readingthis) and at Intermission you could risk food poisining by eating a soggy hamburgr from the Concession Stand. "Cold beer and hot nights" as Billy Joel once sang!!!

I just wanted.......2004-03-14

I just wanted to jump on the bandwagon of clapping this book on the back. Six stars!

Doesn't get much weirder.......2003-10-29

The quintessetial B-movie in fiction form. This novel is so out there, at first i didn't think i could suspend my disbelief enough to enjoy it, but once i did, what a ride. Imagine if you asked your ten year old nephew to come up with a scary story, that's about what this book boils down to, sheer nonsense, but it works beacuse Lansdale's writing is superbly funny and entertaining. ... I long for another installment in the drive in series, but for now we'll have to settle with the comic book adaptation.

Great pulpy stuff from the Texan master..........2003-04-21

Joe Lansdale often writes tales that requires the reader to be able to suspend disbelief and this one is a prime example. The tale follows 4 teenagers who become trapped in a drive-in by a mysterious force-field. From then on things become more and more chaotic; biker-gangs, cannibalism, religious fanatics, hippies, the popcorn king are but a few of the things you will encounter while reading this. The second novel is just as good although radically different. I don't think I will ever be able to forget the character of poppalong cassidy. It says a lot that such a wild and unconventiional book as this one is still in print after all these years. Don't miss this one; very entertaining and you'll laugh your pants off.

You'll laugh your behind off!.......2003-03-03

Really wunnerful, cheesey pulp stuff. You will laugh your behind off. Has the really outrageous Lansdale humor but some genuine scares as well. Like Shannon's novel 'Night of Beast' it is a tribute to the gory glory days of horror fiction the 70 and 80's

Customer Reviews:

Worth your money.......2006-01-31

McComiskey's 3-volume set on the "minor prophets" is outstanding, the best I have read. The exegesis is carefully done within the historical context and with a high view of biblical inspiration. The insights offered are rich, bringing out the many wonderful word-plays that the English reader misses. All three of these volumes are well worth their price.

Good!.......2005-12-04

It is a great tool for a study in minor prophets.
Only complaint about this edition it have too much blank spaces on pages. Are they left for study notes? Or product dimensions are chosen too big?

Review of The Minor Prophets, Vol. 1.......2005-10-06

I would have given the book a 5-start rating based on the sections on Hosea and Joel, but the expository commentary on Amos was not as good. Many references were made to "types of Christ" and also to passages in the New Testament at the expense of explaining the material at hand within the cultural context and the historical setting. On the other hand, the sections on Hosea and Joel were outstanding and extremely helpful in preparing a Sunday school lesson. I would buy this book again for the sections on Hosea and Joel (it is still a good bargain) and make sure to find another informative commentary on Amos.

The Minor Prophets.......1999-12-24

The Minor Prophets succesfully meets the expository and exegetical needs of students of the minor prophets. The amount of lexical and syntactial analyses of the Hebrew text are measured appropriately and do not dominate the exegetical portion of the commentary. Students of the original languages are aided by the scholars' thorough research; still, the authors leave enough room for readers to deal on their own with the important grammatical issues which surround the text. Where there are uncertainties as to the meaning of a particular word, such is clearly stated. Thankfully, several solutions are proposed nonetheless. Furthermore, sufficient attention is given to historical and cultural issues, issues which may influence one's interpretation of the text. Overall, the commentary is very well-written, easily read, and is sure to be of great benefit to any student of the Old Testament.

A great Commentary that takes The Word of God seriously.......1999-07-09

The commentary is devided in two sections on every text. 1)the exegetical part with the crux interpretum, then 2) the expository part.

I think this is a great way of writing a commentary because not all pastors and preachers know hebrew and if u don't a very exegetical commentary is rather booring to read. This commentary is great to read even if u don't know a word of hebrew. The exegetical part are good and explores the text very good. It gives you a feeling of the hebrew language and increase your understanding of the text.

McComiskey has really succeded in making the minor prophets understandable and he is almost narrative in his apporach to the minor prophets.

it is truly a great commentary and I know I will use it a great deal in my ministry and therefor I will strongly recommend it!

Book Description

This sumptuous volume accompanies a traveling exhibition of the same name that opens at Winterthur in February 2005. The full-color volume highlights 117 exquisite export porcelain objects from the extensive Leo and Doris Hodroff Collection at Winterthur. Authors Ron Fuchs and David Howard ground their presentation with an introductory overview of the manufacture of porcelain, the history of the china trade, and the importance of export porcelain in European and American history and material culture.

Individual entries are grouped according to function: dining wares, drinking wares, household and personal utensils, and decorative wares. Each grouping is preceded by a short essay that places the objects within a historic context. An illustrated appendix addresses the coats of arms found on many of the objects, and an extensive bibliography offers supplementary readings.

Customer Reviews:

A Book to Treasure.......2005-03-30

This is a wonderful book, cataloging an amazing exhibit. The writing is clear, informative and interesting and the images are beautifully photographed. Anyone interested in porcelain or even decorative arts more generally should certainly buy this book, written by an up and coming curator and the leading expert in the field. This book would make a great gift.

Book Description

Collectors will love this warm encyclopedia guide to these distinctive baby boomer dolls of the 1940s and 1950s! All dolls are pictured in color with their original costumes and the latest collector prices. From the Gene Autry doll, to the Hispanic Terri Lee dolls, learn what makes these dolls so special to collectors! The book guides the reader through the background and creation of the Terri Lee dolls, from the early composition dolls, to the painted plastic, vinyl, and hard plastic dolls, to the recreation of Terri Lee dolls in 1999 and current introductions. Also features a price guide with year 2000 values!

Customer Reviews:

Tops in my opinion for identifying and valuing these dolls!.......2006-06-28

Basically this book is THE BEST if you are at all interested in the Terri Lee dolls and finding out which one you have, does it have its original clothing and what might it be worth. This wonderful guide begins with the background and creation of the Terri Lee dolls-- beginning with the early compo dolls, the painted plastic dolls, vinyl, and hard plastic, then their recreation in 1999 and also current introductions. It has absolutely fabulous clear color photos and all dolls are pictured with their original costumes and the latest collector prices (for the year 2000). Original boxes are shown for some, enlarged pictures of the accessories, and so much more! You won't be disappointed -- it is truly a well researched reference guide and the author deserves 5 stars for this book.

Could Be Better.......2004-02-25

This book on Terri Lee dolls has some great pictures but not much information. If you really need help identifying the doll and clothes, this is not the book to buy. The book dedicates space to 1/4 page pictures of the author's grand children, Shirley Temple and lots of identical information. The same copy is duped onto different pages.

Average customer rating:

Waste of time and money

very easy to comprehend & quite informative

Well, here's another 2 cents, or in Praise of Excellence (Neurologist-Psychiatrist)

My two cents... (review by former research scientist)

Learning How Our Brain Works

Making a Good Brain Great: The Amen Clinic Program for Achieving and Sustaining Optimal Mental Performance
Daniel G. Md Amen
Manufacturer: Three Rivers Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1400082099
Release Date: 2006-12-26

Book Description

Daniel Amen, M.D., one of the world’s foremost authorities on the brain, has news for you: your brain is involved in everything you do—learn to care for it properly, and you will be smarter, healthier, and happier in as little as 15 days!

You probably run, lift weights, or do yoga to keep your body in great shape; you put on sunscreen and lotions to protect your skin; but chances are you simply ignore your brain and trust it to do its job. People unknowingly endanger or injure their brains, stress them by working at a frenzied pace and not getting enough sleep, pollute them with caffeine, alcohol, and drugs, and deprive them of proper nutrients. Brain dysfunction is the number one reason people fail at school, work, and relationships. The brain is the organ of learning, working, and loving—the supercomputer that runs our lives. It’s very simple: when our brains work right, we work right—and when our brains have trouble, we have trouble in our lives.

Luckily, it’s never too late: the brain is capable of change, and when you care for it, the results are amazing. Making a Good Brain Great gives you the tools you need to optimize your brain power and enrich your health and your life in the process. The principles and exercises in this book, based on years of cutting-edge neuroscience research and the experiences of thousands of people, provide a wealth of practical information to teach you how to achieve the best brain possible. You will learn:

•how to eat right to think right

•how to protect your brain from injuries and toxic substances

•how to nourish your brain with vitamins and do mental workouts to keep it strong

•the critical component of physical exercise, and which kinds work best

•how to rid your brain of negative thoughts, counteract stress, and much more

Full of encouraging anecdotes from Dr. Amen’s many years of experience, Making a Good Brain Great is a positive and practical road map for enriching and improving your own greatest asset—your brain.

From the Hardcover edition.

Customer Reviews:

Waste of time and money.......2007-09-05

exercise, proper diet and supplements may help your brain function - wow I didn't know that !

very easy to comprehend & quite informative.......2007-09-05

The way that this book is written is quite general and uses laymans terms. It was very easy to understand and read quite smoothly. The chapters thread into one antoher making the educational process that much easier.

Well, here's another 2 cents, or in Praise of Excellence (Neurologist-Psychiatrist).......2007-08-26

It is difficult to add significantly to the many high rating this book has already earned from esteemed colleagues, but Amen has another winner. Using the information that he's garnered over his years of looking at both Patients and the SPECT scans, he has developed some rational and excellent guidelines to making the most out of the one brain we have.

From regular exercise, playing music, fish oil, acetyl carnitine, ginkgo biloba, an intimate relationship, and social activities to the avoidance of excess alcohol, nicotine, trans fats, sports without a helmet; he has organized a superb collection of practical ways to make and keep a good brain great.

I circulate a copy of this CD to my patients, because it is easy to understand; and his interventions are very doable. While none of his ideas were especially foreign to me, his recognition of their worth and organization of his book is especially valuable.

My fantasy is that his book with help at least one parent see the foolishness of letting their children risk lifelong brain damage by ignoring proper brain protection.

This book is well worth reading.

My two cents... (review by former research scientist).......2007-07-16

I think the two top reviews are very well written, so I am not going to revisit the same territory. In essence, I agree with everything they said. This book is loaded with sound advice, good references, supplement recommendations, etc.

What I wanted to add is that it is a very readable, practical and enjoyable book for anyone. For anyone with a brain (all of us!), it's an inexpensive investment in return for a lifetime of benefits. Dr. Amen focuses a lot on prevention of problems, especially those related to aging and the brain. As a former biochemist, his suggestions make sense and I have implemented them in my own life.

If you are on SSRIs (e.g. Zoloft), have ADD/ADHD or other issues, there is a lot of value added material about how certain supplements can be VERY helpful and as effective as some drugs. He also includes warnings where it is appropriate and they seem to lean on the conservatie side.

I don't have any reservations about this book or the credibility of the author. It's a "no brainer" decision from my perspective, I don't know of one that is better and I read a lot!

Learning How Our Brain Works.......2007-06-27

This is a scientific book written in layman's language about the functioning of the brain. It contains self tests to determine if the reader has any problem area. Then, suggestions for improvement are offered. Learned so much.

Average customer rating:

A Good Read
A Partial Review
Alistair Cooke's Insights on Renown Figures

Memories of the Great and the Good
Alistair Cooke
Manufacturer: Arcade Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1559705450

Amazon.com

Alistair Cooke writes in the preface to this collection of 23 biographical sketches, "Most of these pieces tend to find, and rejoice in, what is best about their subjects." That is not to say that the distinguished British print and broadcast journalist (resident for many years in America) is starry-eyed about the men and women he profiles: George Bernard Shaw was a crank; Frank Lloyd Wright a prima donna; General George Marshall an appalling public speaker. Yet Cooke's smooth prose and keen insights explore the larger issues his subjects' stories raise and invite readers to appreciate the people who have made a difference. Franklin Roosevelt's visionary leadership was possible because of a gentleman's agreement with the press inconceivable today: they never printed a single photo of him in his wheelchair. FDR's vice president, John Nance Garner, was a Southern politico who understood only power and back-scratching: "There is one man left who is like him," Cooke wrote in 1967, "Lyndon Johnson"--cogently and simultaneously nailing LBJ's strength and weakness. Politicians and statesmen preponderate here (Cooke's Winston Churchill portrait is justly famous), but the author covers writers (P.G. Wodehouse, Robert Frost), performers (Gary Cooper, Duke Ellington), and columnists (James Reston, Erma Bombeck) with equal shrewdness. --Wendy Smith

Book Description

Customer Reviews:

A Good Read.......2003-01-07

Prior to buying this volume of Alistair Cooke's writings, I knew him only as the former host of Masterpiece Theater, with his career as a journalist being only something I had heard about. The essays collected here are from various periods of Mr. Cooke writing career (1957 through 1999) and include a diverse group of people, including Frank Lloyd Wright, Irma Bombeck, Gary Cooper, Barry Goldwater and Eleanor Roosevelt . Each essay is rather short, averaging about ten pages. I read a comment by a reviewer that Mr. Cooke was excellent at creating a "portrait" of his subjects. While this is probably true, "Memoirs of the Great and Good" aims more at anecdotes and episodes, that Mr. Cooke elaborates upon, rather than having the detail and depth of a short biography. Many were written upon the death of the subject, so they are valedictory in tone. The essay about FDR relates an occurrence that happened to Mr. Cooke when he encountered the President as he was arriving to give a speech at Harvard. The last piece is a book review of "The Last Lion" by William Manchester, a biography of Winston Churchill, that gives us an insightful look into the early years of Churchill.

In sum, I found these essays to be thoughtfully written and compulsive to read. It was surprising to realize how quickly I went through the book.

A Partial Review.......1999-12-27

"Memories of the Great and the Good" is a collection of essays that, as much as introducing the more casual and less public sides of nearly two dozen luminaries, reveals the evolution of America and of Alistair Cooke. The pieces stretch from 1951 through 1999 and the most useful advice, repeated both in discussing Churchill's love of war and hatred of the idea of women's suffrage, and in dismissing the alleged racism of golfer Bobby Jones, is to beware the "shame of seeing a man out of his time." One reporter recently dubbed Cooke the Dorian Gray of journalism, perhaps both for having been silver-haired and apparently the same age for as many decades as not, and because it is difficult to tell to what time the man himself belongs.

Even though he is my grandfather, I can be no help on that score; in recent years I have seen the replacement of a knee and an angioplasty (both of which he has mentioned in his weekly BBC "Letter from America") leave him as sprightly as I have ever known him.

Each essay reflects the time of its creation, whether that was 1967 or 1999. The 1974 piece on Duke Ellington mentions a visit to the bandleader's flat "on the swagger side of Harlem," and comments, "There is such a place," the Duke being at the top of "the hierarchy of Negro social status." Yet the 1999 piece on FDR is most memorable for an account of the unexpected, unseen, and contemporarily unpublishable view of the president being carried out of a car and limping, assisted, into a giant hall. By urging the reader to look at his subjects in their times, he sometimes implicitly admonishes himself for failing to do so. "Wodehouse at Eighty," for one, shows the father of Jeeves unquestionably out of his time, an anachronism as viewed--and, to be honest, caricatured--by Cooke, in his early fifties at the time. In other essays he steps almost too much into the times and shoes of his subjects, for example when mirroring the outlook of Erma Bombeck, whose career "was that of her generation--brace yourselves!--mother and housewife." While many of the pieces attempt and succeed at portraying the individuals 'in their time,' a large number of the pieces were written far after 'their times' as obituaries, which should not be surprising as Cooke shares with every nonogenarian the fact of having seen an extraordinary number of players both step onto the stage and then take their bows and make their exits some time later.

Combined with this historical span, what is truly worthy about this book is that, like his earlier "Six Men," it displays the extraordinary degree of access which he, as a foreign correspondent par excellence, enjoyed with a dizzying array of figures. George Bernard Shaw is in a behind-the-scenes committee discussing the pronunciation of proper "BBC English." "The General"--Eisenhower-- sits on his back porch, commenting on his golf and waiting for Cooke's t.v. crew to reposition themselves. And Duke Ellington is in his boxers and a towel, devouring breakfast at two p.m. These are the kind of stories that I've heard come out over drinks in his study, or on Christmas afternoon in Vermont, as if they were the most pedestrian, ordinary experiences.

On October 2, 1999, a fascinating sixteen-minute interview about the book was broadcast on Weekend All Things Considered, recorded in that self-same study in New York. NPR's finest have come to call, just as Cooke did on Wodehouse or Ike; as Cooke thus becomes a living museum of the twentieth century, I wonder if his plea is partly that he himself not be viewed out of his time. In the interview, he posits that America and Americans have, in asserting our 'rights,' lost track of the collective societal duties to which they correspond. With this I must respectfully disagree; we must recognize that these courtesies, if they existed, were only accorded to a small, privileged establishment. Thus, I far prefer a society where anyone can enforce his rights, to one that relies on a collective sense of duty from which many could never benefit. In any case, "Memories of the Great and the Good" offers a rare look, at Cooke (long an icon of Britain to Americans and in icon of America to Britain) and at many of the most important actors on the stage of the twentieth century. I truly hope you will enjoy it.

Alistair Cooke's Insights on Renown Figures.......1999-12-23

I purchased this book for my 13 year old son for Christmas, and took the liberty of reading it. I read Cooke's sections on George C. Marshall, Winston Churchill,Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Bobby Jones because I was familiar with all of them from other works. Cooke writes in a breezy style, butI believe he captures the noble, transcendent charateristics of each man.I enjoyed each sketch thorougly. His vignettes are all perceptive. I hope that this might spark my son's interest in reading more about these figures. Overall an excellent, quick read.

Boynton the Classic Prints: A Portfolio of 12 Great Drawings and Three Pretty Good Ones

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Classic doesn't even begin to describe these prints

Boynton the Classic Prints: A Portfolio of 12 Great Drawings and Three Pretty Good Ones
Sandra Boynton
Manufacturer: Workman Pub Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0894808117

Customer Reviews:

Classic doesn't even begin to describe these prints.......2006-06-24

For the true Boynton fan, this collection of her most endearing artwork, seen worldwide on cards, mugs and other invaluable personal items, is not just classic, it's PRICELESS. If you can find a complete portfolio (15 prints) you have been truly blessed. Snatch up any copies you can find, sure to be worth millions (well, at least more than the purchase price) someday.

Making a Good Brain Great: The Amen Clinic Program

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Making a Good Brain Great: The Amen Clinic Program
Daniel G. Amen
Manufacturer: audible.com
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Download
ASIN: B000BSP6ZA

Diary of a Tuscan Chef: Recipes and Memories of Good Times and Great Food

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Diary of a Tuscan Chef: Recipes and Memories of Good Times and Great Food
Cesare Casella
Manufacturer: Doubleday c1998
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000ON9L9E

Epitaphia: Or, A collection of memorials, inscribed to the memory of good and faithful servants, copied on the spot, in various cemetaries [sic] throughout ... Surry [sic], Warwick, Worcester, and York

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Epitaphia: Or, A collection of memorials, inscribed to the memory of good and faithful servants, copied on the spot, in various cemetaries [sic] throughout ... Surry [sic], Warwick, Worcester, and York
J. W Streeten
Manufacturer: Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, and Green
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

[Epitaphia], or, A collection of memorials, inscribed to the memory of good and faithful servants, copied on the spot, in various cemetaries throughout the counties of Berks, Buckingham, Derby

Average customer rating:

[Epitaphia], or, A collection of memorials, inscribed to the memory of good and faithful servants, copied on the spot, in various cemetaries throughout the counties of Berks, Buckingham, Derby
J. W Streeten
Manufacturer: Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, and Green
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Good food, good fun, great memories: A collection of nostalgic recipes from the kitchen of Irene Karozos

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Good food, good fun, great memories: A collection of nostalgic recipes from the kitchen of Irene Karozos
Irene Karozos
Manufacturer: General Publishing & Binding
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B0006S5F4C

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Memories of the Great & the Good

Manufacturer: Pavilion
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000FMSWRQ

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Memories of the Great and the Good
Alistair Cooke
Manufacturer: Pavilion
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000K7MI5I

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