I am so glad you married me

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I am so glad you married me
Lois Wyse
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B00005W4LB

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Ode to a Lost Loved One

Baffling

An unusual and original love story..

So I Am Glad

Skip this one

So I Am Glad
A L Kennedy
Manufacturer: VINTAGE (RAND)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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Original Bliss

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ASIN: 0099457210

Amazon.com

There is no other word to describe what A.L. Kennedy does with her fiction than alchemy. How else to explain a novel like Original Bliss, which combined the basest of materials--an abused and depressed Glasgow housewife and a pornography-addicted professor--and conjured up literary gold? In So I Am Glad Kennedy does it again, rendering a remarkable love story out of two characters who, on the face of it, are not terribly lovable. Jennifer, for example, is a young woman who lacks what most people have: "whole hordes of feelings, all barrelling round inside them like tireless moles."

As I write this, I can see extremely clearly that nothing terribly bad has ever happened to me. I can't recall a single moment of damage that could have turned me out to be who I am today. I can dig down as deep as there is to dig inside me and there truly is nothing there, not a squeak. For no good reason, no reason at all, I am empty. I don't have any moles.

Jennifer, however, turns out to be a less than reliable narrator when it comes to the facts of her own life. Her parents, for example, had the damaging hobby of making her watch them have sex when she was a child. And now she has a few sexual quirks of her own, chief among them a taste for inflicting pain on her partners. If Jennifer is hardly the stuff of romantic fiction, neither is the man who drops suddenly and quite literally into her life: Martin, a sweating, frightened amnesiac who eventually claims he is Savinien Cyrano de Bergerac.

From this rather outlandish premise, Kennedy builds an intricate tale of mad love, bad love--and in the end, the love that heals all wounds. Is Savinien insane? A ghost? The literal resurrection of a long-dead French writer? Not even he seems to know for sure. As for why he's here now: "I must have been a catastrophe--He made me come back." And certainly Savinien has as many bad qualities as Jennifer--a killer in his past life, a drug addict in this one. And yet only in each other can these two damaged people find their salvation. What makes this story work is Kennedy's quirky humor and stunning prose style combined with a wholly original point of view. She can be every bit as tough as fellow Scottish writers Irvine Welsh or Duncan McLean, but she has a surprising tenderness, as well, investing even the most brutal moments with humanity and a frisson of wonder. --Alix Wilber

Book Description

The ferociously talented author of Original Bliss and On Bullfighting offers this haunting tale of two forlorn people who find in each other a hope and love as genuine and original as this marvelous book in which they come to life.

M. Jennifer Wilson is a mid-thirties radio announcer living in Glasgow. She shares a house with Art and Liz, two typical Scotland thirtysomethings, but her life takes a drastic turn with the arrival of her new housemate, an elusive man who glows in the dark and can't remember his name. He soon reveals himself to be none other than Savinien Cyrano de Bergerac, the famed writer and duelist of eighteenth-century France, and what unfolds is a love story stark and surreal, tender and humane.

Customer Reviews:

Ode to a Lost Loved One.......2006-07-02

(A review I wrote in January 2006)

Miss Kennedy is a Scottish writer who lives with her cats. That's the description I always find whenever I do any research on her. So there you have it. Lonely writer with cats. That always makes me feel a bit sad for her.

"So I Am Glad" is a special novel in the sense that there is a touch of magic realism in it. Namely, a famous historical person suddenly appears in her bedroom one day (or night, I don't remember). It's Cyrano de Bergerac, the one with the long nose as some of you may know. And the narrator/main character sort of falls in love with him and him with her. The narrator writes the book after his disparition, so it's a novel that deals highly with the loss of a loved one, at least that's how I felt it and at the time I read it I had myself lost a loved one so it made too much sense for my own mental health. It's a beautiful story, though so incredibly sad at times.

The thing is that Kennedy has read extensively the real works of the real Cyrano, and thus she felt a strong connection with that person (who really existed) and so she brought him into her novel and I must say I quite like that idea.

I don't even remember the name of the narrator... But I remember she works as a "voice"; she is a voice, she dubs commercials and record radio advertisings and so on and so forth. There are some sexual elements in the book; the main character has a past of abusive parents (though that's not very explicit in the novel, you won't find much on that) and as a result, she has become a dominant person in bed. She needs to dominate her partner to feel a sense of security in intimacy. So there are magical events and other more "realistic" things in the novel (notice I hate to use the word "realistic", it's all real to me).

This is a very moving novel. I personally would say it is an ode to a lost loved one (and in this case a loved one the author has only been able to imagine, and never ever met in real life, which makes it even sadder) and for that reason it was very touching to me, and also very hurtful. There's a letter in that book for the lost one, and Jesus that is heart-wrenching material. It's the sort of thing that makes you go "Oh my God, that SO is it."

I recommend you give this book a try if you think you're interested, and PLEASE don't believe what's written on the cover of the book; the marketing made for it is just plain dumb and the description of the book, which focuses on the dark sex, is completely stupid and totally misses the point of the book. It is not an acurate description and I find it very sad that they did that to the novel, it is not a dark tale of subversive sex and all that stuff; they don't even mention the magical apparition! Anyway, don't trust the cover. [That remark is about a different cover than the edition I post to review for; it's the cover which features a close-up of a mouth with fleshy lips, and so I have no idea what is written on the blurb of the edition presented here.]

Baffling.......2003-05-31

I guess after reading this I am baffled by when Kennedy was trying to achieve. I was initially drawn into this story, but mainly by the description of the woman's character and her life. When Savien turned up I wished he'd go away. He just did not seem like a real character. He had no redeeming features whatsoever and it was beyond me why she was attracted to someone who spent his time vomiting, mutilating himself and telling longwinded stories about his past which were neither interesting nor revealing.

But love is blind, so they say, and I guess Kennedy was trying to show that you can be attracted to anyone if you are psychologically damaged enough.

I'm afraid my patience with all this waned about two thirds of the way through. I think Kennedy should possibly stick to shorter fiction. Original Bliss, her short novel was much more successful.

All this is a shame because A.L. Kennedy is a brilliantly original wordsmith and although I enjoy her prose immensely the plot was just too thin to sustain my attention.

An unusual and original love story.........2003-03-04

From my point of view, this is a story about a detached woman, who falls in love with a man, who essentially doesn't exist, which psychologically is a perfect situation for an angry woman, who doesn't seem to possess the ability to love. On the other hand, the book at times, was very fluid with glimpses of good insight on the evolution, or lack there of, human behavior.

Several times while reading this book, I found myself a bit lost with it's sequence of events, some of which didn't seem fully explained to me, most importantly, why or how this man, Cyrano got to point b, back into this world. It also seemed odd to read smatterings of political ideologies from the main character, Jennifer, who herself remains an enigma without a cause.

Overall, I'm left in the middle about this one. I enjoyed reading the well written prose but couldn't find myself buying into the storyline.

So I Am Glad.......2002-10-05

In A.L. Kennedy's "So I Am Glad," a gently-glowing, short, disheveled man with a biggish nose finds himself in Jennifer Wilson's home. It turns out to be the seventeenth century Savinien Cyrano de Bergerac. If the reader can get past this bit of magic realism, this utter improbability, then they are in for an interesting -- and not always pretty -- character study.

For essentially this story is about Jennifer. She's a radio announcer, news reader, commercial pitchwoman. She lives in a boarding house with three other people. Her life is quiet, free from most emotional attachment. Being calm is her religion, and she mentions this desired state often.

Of course people are seldom what they seem in Kennedy's fiction, and Jennifer turns out to be a woman highly turned on by sadomasochist sex; in fact she goes too far at one point and seriously injures a coworker. Though Jennifer doesn't concede this, the reader is left wondering whether part of the blame for her sexual peccadilloes is the fact that she was forced to witness her parents' sexual congresses. All this furthers her emotional isolation...that is until Savinien shows up and opens up a world of feeling that she didn't quite know was within her.

Kennedy's prose is pitch-perfect throughout most of the novel. She sets up Jennifer's life both at home and at work in such a way that the reader can't put down the book. The dialogue between she and her roommates is right on cue. The sex scenes with coworker Steven are as creepy and ugly as were the ones in Kennedy's subsequent novel, "Original Bliss." The search involving her otherwordly guest's identity is intriguing. Savinien's attempt to reconcile the modern world and its mores with his own is always interesting, especially in one case when he engages in a surreal duel with a drug dealer. And then there is the wonderful ending, those pages with Jennifer and Savinien in Paris and their coming to grips with the future of their relationship! Near perfection!

The book only falters during the more intimate scenes between Jennifer and Savinien: the conversations, the feeling-each-other-out. The punchy prose sort of just stops and becomes muddy, the reader slogging his way through an emotionally-stunted character's attempts to find a deeper connection with a wholly unreal character.

Still, that is only one weakness in a strange little book showing the ugliness that seeps through even the most outwardly normal of lives and ending with the hope for redemption.

Skip this one.......2001-10-31

This is one of the rare books that I really couldn't stomach. The characters are psychologically very sick, the dialogue is thin and verbose, and there is a boring preoccupation with physical sex. When I came to the part about killing and eating a dog, I had had enough. Fair warning.

Charlotte Brown, or, I am so glad I have been to Sabbath school

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Charlotte Brown, or, I am so glad I have been to Sabbath school
Daniel P Kidder
Manufacturer: Sunday-School Union
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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So I Am Glad
A L Kennedy
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OHHGKG

Customer Reviews:

Graphic SF Reader.......2007-09-03

Hawkman and the Atom work well together, and a surprise betrayal that you don't see coming. Robinson's artwork is very nice, too. This is more of the eternal triangle of love, death and assassination that Hawkman, Hawkgirl, and their enemy Hath-Set have been trapped in for thousands of years. This time it comes from a very unlikely source.

6 Issues Of One Of Comicdom's Absolute Best Ongoings.......2005-07-08

Reprinting #s 7-12 of the current "Hawkman" series, "Allies & Enemies" covers a lot of ground, the various issues within taking on different ideas and being different kinds of books while still maintaining the coherency of the series.

Number 7 is the 'Past Lives' issue, covering a pair of Hawkman and Hawkgirl's previous incarnations in the DC Universe, those of Nighthawk and Cinnamon in the Old West, two characters who actually previously existed in the DC Universe but, I believe, hadn't been used for years and years and who I don't think ever had any connection to the Hawks until this current series. It's amazing how the Hawkman creative team is taking old and seldom-seen characters and making them into big parts of this series. Great issue for Hawkman fans, great issue for those who bemoan the scant existance of Western comics (once so plentiful on the scene) on the scene today, great book period. My only complaint is I would have liked the 'Past Lives' thing to run a few more issues, each book tackling a different period and set of incarnations. There's so much to the backhistory (spanning thousands of years!) of these eternally reincarnated characters yet to tell - just one more reason to hope the series makes it to # 500 and beyond, to have room to fit everything in.

Numbers 8 and 9 are both 'junction' issues (tying in a number of plotlines - pre-established ones and hints of upcoming ones) and interpersonal issues, with The Atom getting feature treatment along with the regulars in # 8 (very fitting, since he and Hawkman once shared an ongoing title on a regular basis and Dr. Fate joining the stars on center stage in the ninth. Both are dramatic, moving and exceptionally well done. Number nine is also getting into increasingly disturbing territory, as details of Hawkgirl's harrowing past (in this lifetime) begin to come out. Neither is going to over well with readers who prefer for every issue of each series to be all fighting and action, all the time. I love the mammoth battles as much as anyone, but I love the kind of thing we get in these issues too. Neither would be as effective without the other; the different atmospheres and different tones within a series play off one another and make the whole much better.

For numbers 10-12, there's less one can say without giving away plot points of earlier issues, both those in this book and in the previous 6 issues (aka the "Hawkman: Endless Flight" Trade Paperback). Suffice it to say they're more high adventure-oriented, they continue the trend of taking the Hawkman series to locales less seen in the DCU by going to the Himalayas and yes, the yetis are here. Some of the best-looking yetis ever drawn, ensorceled by evil magic into a deadly fighting force.

Needless to say (if you're familiar with the series at all) the art is impeccable. The supporting cast continues to grow and come more and more alive with each issue. And the Hawks are becoming as integral a part of the overall DC Universe as Superman and Batman.

Outstanding; extremely recommended.

Starman Part Deux!.......2004-06-05

"Starman" by James Robinson was my favourite comic for many, many years. In fact, it was the book that introduced me to the fascinating world of DC Comics' "Golden Age" and its colourful characters. I was genuinely distressed when it ended some years back (and I'm not alone, check out the reviews on the many "Starman" TPBs to see that). Therefore, I am genuinely thankful that James Robinson is continuing his magic (with Geoff Johns, another of my favourite writers) on the newly revived "Hawkman" title.

While the first volume ("Endless Flight") helped to introduce us to the characters and the city of St. Roch, this second volume is where the book actually takes flight. Those who loved "Starman" for its many "Times Past" storyline will be pleased to know that the same thing is happening here in "Hawkman" with its "Lives Past" (the first of which is reprinted here with Hawkman/Hawkgirl in the old West). This volume also reintroduced the "Gentleman Ghost" Jim Craddock, a Golden Age villain who bears comparison to the great character of The Shade in "Starman". All in all, like "Starman", we again have a book that is truly modern and yet is rooted in history - paying homage to the work of "Times Past".

Further bonus: The Atom guest stars in this book, Hawkgirl discovers the truth behind her parents' murder and we see some real developments in the relationship between Hawkman and Hawkgirl. Finally, the whole package is presented to us by the breath-takingly beautiful art of Rags Morales (inked by Michael Bair) and Don Kramer. The equally gorgeous painted covers by Andrew Robinson and John Watson are included in the back of the book.

This book is heartily recommended to everyone who loves the romance, chivalry and rich history of superhero comics.

Customer Reviews:

A good tale.......2005-08-06

A well written and enjoyable tale which highlights very well the fact that extremes of anything are dangerous: even extremes of equality, and that therefore has implications for our society and the restrictions we place upon how we act and think.

My only criticism is that I felt that the real story was with the couple and their awakenings, rather than with the aliens, and I didn't have much interest in the latter, they seemed to be a little too cliche, and also too much of a deux ex machina.

I found myself wishing that the author had skipped the whole thing about the aliens, and just followed the partners, and others they met, as they created an underground culture and attempted to liberate both each other and their their society.

S/M seeks SF. Objective: literature.......2004-09-27

The biggest point in this book is that what's equal and what's equitable are two different things. Except in a few very narrow senses, enforced equality enforces what a lot of people just don't want. See - I did find something nice to say!

The story has a familiar sound: the aliens come, and it turns out that their breeding physiology and recreational practices are very compatible with the invadees. There's the Mars Needs Women theme, but this time the men are of interest, too. (Right. And just like on Star Trek, the females of this alien species probably look pretty good in a bikini, too.) **SPOILER** After being stood up for a date by someone who doesn't even know his name, the Invading Overlord threatens destruction of the race unless -- well, once again, the aliens come. The submissives save the world (!?!).

Only ordinary s/m, barely ordinary sci fi. Read something nice from Black Lace or in one of Violet Blue's collections instead.

//wiredweird

Not your average scient fiction novel........2003-04-04

"Equality" -- what a great concept but what does it mean? In "The Velderet" it means a world where individuality has been sacrificed because of historical guilt and sexuality has become limited and government approved. But this is your average distopian novel where all sex is outlawed or what you do is so important as why you do it and with whom. Yes, there is the invasion of a foreign people who seem rather new guard or old guard in their approach to power relationships but that isn't really the focus of the story. Instead the two roommates who discovered shared kinks and give us insight into the power of fear and authority are the reasons to read this book.

a disappointment.......2002-08-02

I've liked Tan's writing in the past, but it doesn't carry well at this length. Not everyone can write novels. A bit precious, unbelievable s/f moments, much repetition. Not worth the read.

AWESOME.......2001-07-24

This book was incredible. I could not put it down from start to finish. I was actually upset that I finished it. I wanted to know more. Maybe if we are lucky she will write a volume two. In the mean time I highly recommend this book.

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Kosher By Design, the best kosher cookbooks of today!

love her books

BEAUTIFUL BOOK

VERY GOOD PICTURES - P E R I O D .

Beautiful Cookbook

Kosher By Design Entertains: Fabulous Recipes For Parties And Every Day
Susie Fishbein
Manufacturer: Mesorah Publications, Limited
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
Kosher | Special Diet | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
General | Special Occasions | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
Kosher Foods | Judaism | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Kosher by Design: Picture Perfect Food for the Holidays & Every Day

Kosher by Design Short on Time: Fabulous Food Faster (Kosher by Design)

Kosher by Design Kids in the Kitchen

The Kosher Palette: Easy and Elegant Modern Kosher Cooking

The Kosher Palette II: Coming Home, the Art and Simplicity of Kosher Cooking

ASIN: 1578194474

Book Description

Susie Fishbein has done it again! A new cookbook with all the elegance and flair of the original best-selling Kosher by Design, with more magnificent photography, great ideas and an array of fabulous recipes! Each recipe is simple yet elegant enough for any Shabbat, holiday, party or everyday meal. In addition, Susie reveals the secrets of successful hostesses. From an outdoor picnic to a formal anniversary dinner, Susie knows how to make your guests feel at home.

Kosher By Design Entertains features:
Over 250 brand new recipes and 200 stunning color photographs
Triple-tested recipes ensure accuracy, ease of preparation and elegant presentation
Nine different party formats complete with menu suggestions
Tips on creating the perfect ambience
Special Passover index
Resource and Buying Guide

Customer Reviews:

Kosher By Design, the best kosher cookbooks of today!.......2007-09-07

This book has very easy to follow recipes and beautiful pictures. I am planning to make all the recipes and that says a lot about this book. I have three out of the four Kosher By Design cookbooks and am not disappointed by any of them. I highly recommend this cookbook and any of the others in the Kosher By Design series.

love her books.......2007-01-18

i have tried many of the recipes from this book and they have all been excellent. I have given all of her books as presents to friends and they love them as well.

BEAUTIFUL BOOK.......2006-08-11

I GAVE THIS BOOK AS A GIFT, BEFORE I WRAPPED IT I LOOKED THROUGH IT. THE PICTURES OF THE FOOD ARE BEAUTIFUL. THE RECIPES SOUND GREAT, MOST OF THEM NOT TOO DIFFICULT.

VERY GOOD PICTURES - P E R I O D ........2006-07-25

I JUST WROTE ON THE TITLE WHAT I THINK ABOUT THIS BOOK. MORE THAN THAT: DON'T waste YOUR MONEY AND THE CALORIES ON THIS BOOK\RECIPES. FULL OF FAT RECIPES AND MOST OF THEM- VERY NOT HEALTHY.
I GAVE 2 STARS BECAUSE OF THE BOOK DESIGN - VERY IMPRESSIVE.

Beautiful Cookbook.......2006-03-20

This book would make a great gift for the kosher cook. Lovely pictures and recipes. More work-intensive recipes than I would hope for, but nice. GREAT, GREAT price!

Book Description

Herding Dogs: Progressive Training is the only book of its kind to guide the owner toward training the complete herding dog. Whether you are involved in farming or ranching, or simply want to explore your herding dog's heritage, you will find a wealth of information here. For those with competitive goals, Herding Dogs will enhance your knowledge with a philosophy that has the dog's individual breed and personality as the central focus.

Vergil S. Holland teaches the handler to understand the dog's reactions before beginning this progressive training. Whether it is your dog's first exposure to stock or your older dog with a new problem, you, as a handler, will find solutions to each problem and sound advice on each phase of training.

Special chapters on different personalities of the various herding breeds, with training modifications tailored to these differences, make it possible for you and your dog as a team to reach your maximum potential.

Herding commands and terms are thoroughly covered, as are those of basic Obedience for the stock dog. Working various kinds of stock-sheep, cattle and ducks-is covered to meet the needs of every stock dog owner. Detailed diagrams and concept maps throughout the book highlight the individualized training methods for each type of dog and stock.
A Howell Dog Book of Distinction

Customer Reviews:

I'm a Total Novice Herder with a Total Novice Dog.......2007-03-13

I have always had an interest in herding dogs and have owned them and been around them most of my life; however I have never known anyone that had any real knowledge of training for herding, or had a dog that was trained for that matter. This book is fantastic for a total novice. It takes you carefully and "progressively" into the world of herding and explains everything from the very beginning, including the somewhat confusing language that is used to communicate with the dog while the two of you are at work. Thank you Mr. Holland!

Herding Dogs: Progressive Training.......2007-03-04

Brand new book received in good shipping time.
This book is very informative, easy to understand and clear as to how to apply what is presented.
I believe it will help any level of sheepdog handler.

not for beginners.......2006-09-16

This book contains some really great information. The author gives details about all of the herding breeds, including many that I didn't expect. He gives insights about what each breed has been specifically bred for, i.e. driving, gathering, etc., that is very helpful in understanding your dog. A careful study of the personality types of dogs as it affects their approach to stock is also extremely helpful. He also gives several progressive excercizes that that seem very useful. Also, I appreciated the calm, quiet, but firm training style emphasized in this book.

Despite that, I was disappointed with the lack of explanation and clarity. If you are just getting started in herding, as I am, this might not be the book for you. I was often confused and feel that this book lacks enough details about the training process to be useful for beginners. Also, the author's clear preference for Border Collies as the ultimate herding dog was emphasized at points in such a way that made me a bit defensive about my "inferior" non-border collie.

Experience is the best teacher...........2006-05-24

I suppose a person can learn to remove an appendix, fly a plane, or conduct a defense by reading a book; but I know I would prefer my surgeon, pilot, and attorney to have had some hands-on experience before practicing on me. Same thing goes for herding livestock - there just is no substitute for a good trainer who knows what they are doing. Having a background in obedience, tracking, and agility gave me no headstart in herding - and no amount of bookreading changed that. When I found a trainer who was able to read me and my dogs, communicate with us, and be fair but firm, we made great progress.

With that said, I think this book is very helpful as a supplement to practice sessions. Learning to read stock and dogs, understanding pressure and release, draws, balance points - all those concepts have to be learned by the human and there is no substitute for learning in the field, in actual practice. If a friend wanted a basic herding book to look at to see if it is something they might want to do, this would be the one book I would probably recommend. Better yet, though, would be to have this person actually come out and watch dogs working stock.

If you are doomed to be an armchair shepherd, then this book is fine. Otherwise, your money is better invested in a herding instinct test, a stock handling class, or a day spent observing at a herding training facility. Books are an adjunct, at best, to learning to work with your dog in herding.

Gone to the dogs.......2006-02-23

This book is just the thing for someone who is interested in training a herding dog or just want to find out how it is done.This deals with herding sheep, but I was left wanting to know if this training could be used on other types on livestock? If you want to go herding this book wil herd you in the right direction.

Book Description

Courtney McWilliams takes the reader on an amazing journey through the collectibles and history of the Beatles. Over 575 color photographs illustrate a wide range of collectible Beatles items from yesterday and today. Among the collectibles covered are original memorabilia, jewelry, buttons, clothing, dishes, glassware, Yellow Submarine items, wall hangings, and music. Truly, there is something here to fire the passions of every Beatles collector and fan. Price listings are provided for each item displayed, according to condition ranging from good to near mint. Completing this text are a bibliography and an index.

Book Description

The Children's Beading Book is a fun, wonderful book for children of all ages. A fun story, a crossword puzzle, many patterns for jewelry and other activities that keep children busy for hours. A must-have for creative children of all ages. Likable characters and adorable illustrations make this a personal, creative experience that children will enjoy!

Book Description

The focus of this volume is the editio princeps of Papyrus Chester Beatty XVI: The Apocryphon of Jannes and Jambres, composed in Greek, perhaps as early as the first century C.E. A full commentary accompanies the edited text. An introductory section discusses the numerous references to the two magicians, who appear in Jewish, Christian and Pagan literatures as Moses' crafty opponents at the time of Israel's exodus from Egypt. Their exploits are recounted in over half a dozen languages, from the Syriac east to the Latin west and from Egypt's deserts to King Alfred's court. The Apocryphon is placed in its Graeco-Roman context, but is also discussed as a backdrop for the Faust saga of European literature. A basic book for anyone interested in biblical and related literatures.

The Apocryphon of Jannes and Jambres the Magicians: P. Chester Beatty XVI. (book reviews): An article from: The Journal of the American Oriental Society

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The Apocryphon of Jannes and Jambres the Magicians: P. Chester Beatty XVI. (book reviews): An article from: The Journal of the American Oriental Society
Michel Desjardins
Manufacturer: American Oriental Society
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B00096Q66W
Release Date: 2005-07-28

Book Description

This digital document is an article from The Journal of the American Oriental Society, published by American Oriental Society on July 1, 1996. The length of the article is 1305 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: The Apocryphon of Jannes and Jambres the Magicians: P. Chester Beatty XVI. (book reviews)
Author: Michel Desjardins
Publication: The Journal of the American Oriental Society (Refereed)
Date: July 1, 1996
Publisher: American Oriental Society
Volume: v116 Issue: n3 Page: p562(2)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Book Description

The wine label is a powerful icon of modern civilization. It is a precious object of art that symbolizes and disseminates the cultural and spiritual values of the land where wine is grown.

Wine label design has undergone a renaissance where art meets marketing in the most powerful way, penetrating the subconscious, utilizing the power of suggestion to imply flavor and quality. The acknowledged masters of the new wine label design are Jeffrey Caldewey and Chuck House. Over the past several decades they have played a pivotal role in defining the global wine renaissance. They have created design for some of the world's most sought after and/or most widely disseminated wine labels. Some labels are even pursued by collectors while others are displayed in the modern household as a design element.

This book is a collection of their most important works. Beginning with a short treatise on some of the philosophical aspects of modern iconography, it documents 100 wine labels and bottle designs in life size with complete descriptions of the genesis and thought behind each design concept. This book will become a classic in package design and essential for wine marketers and those who collect label art.

Customer Reviews:

Great Book for Wine Enthusiasts.......2006-03-15

This is a great book for any wine enthusiast. It is the ideal coffee table book to have out when your friends stop by. The book is interesting and a great conversation starter. I really enjoyed this book. Of course, it didn't have every wine label I was looking for, but it did contain many of them. This book would make a perfect gift for anyone.

A guide which offers a collection of work by the modern masters of wine label design .......2005-09-07

Jeffrey Caldewey and Chuck House's Icon: Art Of The Wine Label is also a highly recommended, distinguished guide which offers a collection of work by the modern masters of wine label design who have for decades helped define global wine label design strategies around the world. Icon is a collection of some of their best works, providing both an artistic assessment of the art of iconography to examples of 120 wine labels and bottle designs complete with their distinctive branding qualities.

Icon: Art of the Wine Label.......2005-09-02

This book was not only interesting to read, the artwork and dedication to all aspects of wine was unbeleivable. This is one I will read over and over again. Ok, maybe I will be just looking at the pictures...

Best of the Best!.......2003-11-01

ICON - the embodiment of spirit, matter, and time. In Einsteinian terms, ICON would be the equation that sums time, space, matter, and ideology.

ICON is a tour de force, a signature piece representing the extensive body of work by two of the wine industries brightest stars, Jeffrey Caldeway and Chuck House, package designers.

One once told me that the contents of a barrel, brown bag for a label, sans introduction, sipped from a coffee cup in your kitchen, will defy distinction by most and keep both the wine and the consumer most honest.

But we of sophistication desire more than honesty, and more is ours in ICON. To the vast universe of wine, the package brings order to chaos, diminishes chance, dispels mystery, stamps a caste, creates distinction, and strokes your ego and those of others. We assume the package as an intimate expression of Self, much in the same way one would don a designer creation. Albeit, a label does nothing to alter the wine.

In this treatise of wine package history, we are reminded that necessity is the mother of invention. Order to chaos produced the first labels. Labels of origin, distinction, and personality followed. It wasn't until recent times that ego drove the package, and Ego is the stuff of ICON.

This book reveals both Jeff and Chuck as modern day alchemists, intently stirring their witches brew of ego, dream, soil, anxiety, money, sweat, clone, ambition, microclimate, and desire, distilled into an amalgam of glass, cork, paper, and ink which will transform total of Past into the largesse of Future . . . a responsibility from which all but the most tempered would shrink.

And whom amongst us do we charge with this lofty responsibility? It must be entrusted to those select few who have the creative talent, skills, will, and ability to lift mere grape juice to the pedestal upon which it currently resides. Package designers must do for others what they are incapable of doing themselves.

Jeff Caldeway and Chuck House are gifted Iconoclasts, challenged with creating an artistic expression which will herald not only the product but, moreover, the totality of the person, the sole of the winemaker, the beast that lies within. We find the authors delving into a very intimate and complex process of discovery. Needs. Wants. Values. History. Family. Dreams. Hopes. Fears. Stuff. From all this they must derived a package that projects not only the person and the product, but also an expression that potentially becomes a fulcrum on which success and failure balance.

Drawing from ancient beginnings, Jeff Caldeway and Chuck House have successfully bred charm and aristocracy into the great wines and spirits of present day, inscribing pedigree after pedigree that will endure. Page after page brings to mind another example of success that can be directly attributable to the profound influence their package had on the wine selection process.

The depth and breadth of their body of work clearly place Jeff and Chuck at the forefront of the wine package business for more than three decades, leaving a legacy most others could only hope to achieve. ICON secures their place amongst the elite who's creativity exceeded all those before them, who's work will not soon be eclipsed.

Art, beauty, and finesse abound. ICON elicits something that is deeply satisfying, much like a well-turned ankle or great music. Printing, inks, paper, photography, binding are all first cabin. ICON is a calling card, a testament, and an example of excellence that the authors expect from themselves and deliver to others.

We are blessed to have such a fine compendium to grace our lives, the likes not often achieved. It is a gift, a reference, a history, a conversation maker, and a commanding centerpiece for any lover of wine and art. I would recommend you add ICON to your collection and see how long it stays on your coffee table! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Share it with a friend.

Must Have.......2003-09-26

A designers must have! Great inspiration on pushing the envelope in packaging design. Jeffrey Caldewey and Chuck House are the top of their field and it shows in every design. A great gift for the upcoming holidays. Everyone from wine connoisseur to artist will enjoy this book.

Book Description

An intimate and powerful narrative in which the Israel-Palestine conflict is presented, unusually, from the point of view of a Palestinian woman. A reflection of the author's personal experiences of displacement, loss and nostalgia, it speaks also for the millions of people all over the world whose lives are forever suspended between the old and the new.

Customer Reviews:

On Identify, Gender, England and being a Palestinian Refugee.......2006-09-02

This is truly an outstanding work. The search and confusion of identity is made even more difficult when one is a Palestinian refugee. Add to this the issue of gender and Ghada Karmi assertion of herself and her rights and you get a fascinating indeed thrilling mix. The first third of the book deals with the exodus from Jerusalem ..it is very moving and sad to see the events rushing to make little Ghada and her family refugees. In the next part we see Ghada the British emerging and finally with all the contradiction between home, school (with mostly Jewish friends) and the society at large especially with backdrop of the 1956 Suez war. The third and final part is the return and the contradictions of identities and the battle to assert herself as a single woman working for the cause. Ghada's move from the completely apolitical to the activist as part of her search of identity is very well nuanced and gives us a great insight into the meaning of being a Palestinian refugee.

Ghada Karmi is a gifted writer. This work is fascinating enough even if it was given as bullet points in a PowerPoint presentation, but this is hardly the case. Karmi has a facility with prose and is able to get into great detail to transform the readers into her life; this was very much the case in the fist part of the book, the exodus from Jerusalem. You can almost picture Ghada abandoned dog as their car sped away from the house never to return.

This is a thrilling work on par with Leila Ahmad Border Passage. Leila Ahmad an Egyptian American was not a refugee but here Tri-cultural experience in Egypt, England and America and her search of identity and issues of gender are very interesting and highly developed. Another highly recommended work of a Palestinian American is Nadia Captive of Hope, deals with exodus and gender issues and less so of identity.

Inside the mind of a dislocated Palestinian.......2006-03-03

This book is like a narrative of two different lives: the end of one and the beginning of another. Two lives that are not independent of each other though, as remnants of the one may not be overpowering to the point of eliminating the other, but are certainly powerful enough to haunt it, shape it, give it its final form.

Although in essence totally overwhelmed by emotions, Karmi manages to almost detach and distance herself from her own being, leave her body and float above everything and everyone. That way she describes people, situations and feelings in a detailed and factual fashion, devoid of the empathy that would crush the reader, immerse him in a whirlwind of unfulfilled expectations and unrelieved tension, and ultimately leave him feeling nothing short of miserable and exhausted.

Throughout the entire book, there's a marked emphasis on Karmi's relationships with other Jews, the friendships she formed and her refusal to see them in any other way than as individuals with traits that were or were not compatible, likable or acceptable to her. She almost goes out of her way to make clear that Jewishness never hindered her from befriending someone and not only that, but in an unfamiliar environment such as London was in the aftermath of the second World War, Palestinians and Jews that found themselves stranded there were entities that shared the misfortune of exile, and as such could indeed relate to one another. Moreover, the fact that Judaism was as much a respected as a familiar religion for Muslims, much more so than Christianity, played a role. As did the writer's initial stance, adopted by her parents and passed onto her from an early age, that it wasn't so much the Jews that were responsible for the Palestinians' fate and the violent takeover of their country, as ultimately the British, who as custodians of Palestine had the obligation to protect and safeguard the interests of the indigenous population. Instead, they forsook and betrayed them, and disposed of the Palestinian land -that was never theirs to dispose of in the first place- as served their purposes at the time.

Karmi experiences an internal conflict, wavering between her British identity and her Arab origins, desperately longing to be accepted by and fit in either society. She often describes the war that rages inside of her, the opposite forces pushing and pulling, on the one hand the need to put everything behind her and lead as normal a life as possible, and on the other the need to seek out her roots and fight with all her might the injustice that was meted out to her.

This book is so much more that a simple memoir, as it goes deep inside the mind of people who experience exile and dislocation, and gives a picture of the psychological turmoil they find themselves in and the void they will probably never be able to fill.

To be a palestnian refugee.......2005-12-23

This is a wonderful book that shows the humnan tragedy of becoming a refugee. In this case, the book talks about a refugee of the 1948 war for Palestine. While the book explains how the creation of the state of Israel have shattered the lives of three quarter million palestnians, it tells the story of one of them. The story of personal conflicts that face any palestnian refugee now, then and in the future:
- Can I return to Palestine and where is it now?
- How can I stay palestnian and at the same time contribute to my current non-palestnian community?
- Do I have the capacity to forgive israelies for what they did to my family and country?

While Ghada's responses to these questions were positive, and she insisted to find an answer to these questions, it is the role of each palestnian to find his/her own answers. Also, it is the role of non-palestnians to understand the palestnian refugee before addressing their plight. Therefore I highly recommend this book.

Interesting.......2003-10-21

I found this book to be of assistance to my desire to learn more about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Even though it is a Palestinian story, it has given me enough interesting information to continue my research.

What happened to Palestine and the Palestinians.......2003-08-16

This is an excellent and thoughtful book that takes the reader through the events that led to the destruction of Palestine and forced hundreds of thousands of people, like Fatima and her family from their homes. For many Palestinians, reading this book relives memories of a tragedy that so many of us have suffered and so little of the American public knows. I highly recommend it as an introduction to Palestine and the origin of the conflict between Palestinians and Israel.

The second half of the book which deals with the protagonist's search for identity in England is also very characteristic of what the Palestinian families who were forced to emigrate to different countries all over the world have to face: complete assimilation versus living in the injury done to us by the creation of the Israeli state.

There is no need for "the other viewpoint" in this book. This is the personal story of a Palestinian in the Palestine-Israeli conflict. Ms. Karmi does not need to justify the Israeli's feelings, although I think she actually tried.

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