Average customer rating:
- Yet Another Solid Entry in the Series
- In which, having no reason to care, Spenser goes on a bit of a rampage . . .
- Symbolism Steeps & Steams. Spenser Loses Sleep, Speaks-in-Tongues to Loss & Life
- parker v kellerman v connelly etc
- Boring
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Valediction
Robert Parker
Manufacturer: Dell
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The Widening Gyre (Spenser Novels (Dell))
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A Savage Place
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Ceremony
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A Catskill Eagle
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Looking for Rachel Wallace
ASIN: 0440192463
Release Date: 1992-06-02 |
Book Description
The most dangerous man to cross is one who isn't afraid to die. But the most deadly is one who doesn't want to live. And Spenser has just lost the woman who made life his #1 priority.
So when a religious sect kidnaps a pretty young dancer, no death threat can make Spenser cut and run. Now a hit man's bullet is wearing Spenser's name. But Boston's big boys don't know Spenser's ready and willing to meet death more than halfway.
"Tough, wisecracking, unafraid and unexpectedly literate --in many respects the very exemplar of the species." (The New York Times)
Customer Reviews:
Yet Another Solid Entry in the Series.......2007-09-18
VALEDICTION is a fine Spenser novel, and deals primarily with Spenser's relationship with Susan Silverman, his longtime girlfriend. The novel begins with Silverman leaving Spenser, and moving to San Francisco. In order to take his mind of his troubles, Spenser takes a new case involving a dancer allegedly kidnapped by a religious cult.
The mystery plot is nothing special, but VALEDICTION is worth reading because it explores Spenser's emotional life and vulnerabilities. As another reviewer mentioned, there is probably more character development in this novel than most of the other books combined.
I do not recommend making this your first Spenser book. I instead suggest reading PROMISED LAND, LOOKING FOR RACHEL WALLACE, and A SAVAGE PLACE to get some more background on Spenser first. Otherwise, I highly recommend this novel to all Spenser fans.
In which, having no reason to care, Spenser goes on a bit of a rampage . . ........2007-06-16
Upon her graduation from Harvard, Susan announces to Spenser that she is moving to San Francisco - she doesn't want him to know where she will be. She will call him when she wants him to hear from her. Left feeling shattered and numb, he is gratified by the distraction when the choreographer from Paul's dance troupe hires him to find a missing dancer, whom the choreographer claims has been forcibly kidnapped by a religious cult. During Spenser's investigations, he pulls out several threads, including connections between the church the girl is with and a local crime boss, a heroin ring and money laundering. He also learns, from Susan, that she is seeing someone else and actually has been for some time - even before she left Boston.
While not lacking in witticisms, this book is notably darker than many previous installations (with the exception of "A Savage Place"). I liked it, but it wasn't easy to read at times. My heart broke for Spenser in many cases. I also felt bad for Linda - the art director from across the way with whom he has flirted for so many years finally has a name! - since she is essentially fulfilling the role of rebound date and all the badness that tends to go with that.
Not to be missed by the hard-core Spenser fan!
Symbolism Steeps & Steams. Spenser Loses Sleep, Speaks-in-Tongues to Loss & Life.......2007-01-26
This might not be much of a review since the only word which has come to mind since I've finished the read is, "WOW."
More than most offerings in this series so far, # 11 VALEDICTION concluded a catharsis which had been building through previous plots. The theme set by the title and dedication in THE WIDENING GYRE, # 10, continued to gyrate here, accumulating insight about the center holding (at the cliff-edge of a workable level of obsession), weathering The Storm, using as Super Glue a commitment to Capital "L" LOVE.
Even so, I believe that a reader could open this offering in the series as a first taste of Spenser and easily slip into the plot (more like willingly fall down a well) and enjoy it. I'm thankful, though, that I received the addictive effect of having carefully read and reviewed the previous 10 books in order, prior to approaching VALEDICTION.
The solitary, diary-narrative-style set in GYRE continued in VALEDICTION, yet with a gradual erosion of the set-apart, lonely P. I. Emotions ran (and rutted mesmerizing-ly) so deeply that, especially in retrospect, I felt more like I had lived within this book instead of reading its words. I fell so far into the story that I'm not able to immediately recall details of the action, though there was plenty (of delicious detail and apothecary action).
I was particularly intrigued by purposely-parallel-situations exposing various levels-of-obsessions. Parker used Spenser's male client as a juxtaposition of nearly identical feelings of loss endured in a contrasted way to Spenser's handling of Susan's journey taking her further and further away. The precise way in which Susan initiated her abandonment of Spenser was quietly shocking, to the reader as well as to Spenser. Yet, Parker's way of dealing with this complex type of trauma, through Spenser and other characters, was one of the best dramatizations I've read, of coming through the deepest types of separation or loss.
This novel traveled to the ends of several roads in the visceral labyrinths of human intimacy. Lusciously included in this labyrinth were signature scenes with Hawk, Paul & Paige; touching phone conversations with Susan; and a Partridge-Pear-Tree-Gateway, which opened "Through-The-Looking-Glass" of the woman-at-the-drawing-board who'd been posed through several previous novels, in the window across from Spenser's office. Whew. Take a breath.
Impressive to the Nth degree, Dr. Parker. You've done it again, yet gone beyond anywhere you'd been. I have no doubt that the next eleven Spenser novels have been written at sequential levels of mastery, with the first eleven proving a foundation of perfection.
Landmark. Lazarus. Phenomenon. Whatever. Wow.
Linda Shelnutt
parker v kellerman v connelly etc.......2006-11-09
I am newly arrived at Robert B Parker's Spenser books and have been reading them avidly now for a few weeks (9 in , plenty to go). I just read 'Valediction' and then caught your previous reviewer's comments. I can't agree. As an avid US crime/P.I. book reader, there are very few by the 'major' writers that I don't like, but they all have a different approach and each spends more or fewer pages developing the main charater's personality. I love the Connelly 'Bosch' character and am now catching up with the earlier novels, I have tracked the Kellerman 'Delaware' novels from the beginning. The point I wanted to make is that each can tell a great story (very seldom that they fall down on plot) each can comfortably and believably carry over the main characters development from novel to novel, and so on. The great thing I am finding about Parker is that (in trying to catch up on all the earlier novels I missed) I can read them in one or two sittings and Parker has this great ability to skip from scene to scene (and ensure the reader knows what has happened) without a great amount of explanatory detail and to nail emotions which resonate with the reader without extensive analysis. And he is very funny - laugh out loud funny.
I feel really blessed to have found this guy - 'Valediction' is an emotional and physical roller coaster and I can't wait for 'A Catskill Eagle' - looks like another sleepless night tonight
Boring.......2006-11-04
Perhaps I am in the minority of readers when it comes to the Spenser novels by this writer. They are consistently lacking in a deep plot as well as character development. Spenser is nowhere near the characters that have been developed by Connelly or Kellerman, not to mention Coben. There is a richness in the work of these writers that is sorely missing in reading one of the books by Parker. They are harmless and truly mediocre.
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Bloody Merchants' War (Valediction for Revenge)
Roland Cheek
Manufacturer: Skyline Publishing (MT)
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Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0918981093 |
Book Description
Poor farmers and ranchers gripped in bondage by an iron triangle of crooked merchants, an oppressive military regime, and a corrupt Territorial government. Lincoln County New Mexico was not a good place for a fugitive wanting only to blend peacefully, without attention into his surroundings. Instead, Jethro Spring is ambushed by events beyond his control; events that spiral into a conflict without clear distinctions between good and evil, right or wrong, friend and enemy. Eventually the young fugitive chooses, but did he make the right choice? With Billy the Kid? For John Chisum? It was indeed a Bloody Merchants' War.
Average customer rating:
- Wow! This is One Terrific Western Novel!!
- A tautly written novel
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Echoes of Vengeance (Valediction for Revenge)
Roland Cheek
Manufacturer: Skyline Publishing (MT)
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Binding: Paperback
Historical
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ASIN: 0918981085 |
Book Description
An isolated military outpost in a remote region of the Department of the Upper Missouri. An embittered commandant who believes unkind fate kept him from fame and glory during the recent War of Secession. A band of starving Blackfeet too riddled with smallpox to withdraw to their reservation. A yound mixed-breed army interpreter whose aging parents are with the Blackfeet tries to prevent a massacre-in-the-making; he's beaten and dragged to the guardhouse for the attempt. Thus the stage is set and principal characters in place for the opening pages of Echoes of Vengeance
Customer Reviews:
Wow! This is One Terrific Western Novel!!.......2005-07-02
I met Roland Cheek a few weeks ago at the WWA (Western Writers Association) convention in Spokane, Washington. I write gardening books but I've just written several westerns myself and recently joined the WWA.
Roland Cheek, the author of Echoes of Vengeance, was assigned to be my "mentor" for the conference. He is a salty, interesting, unconventional man, a man's man, a strong, tough looking guy, a man who has been a big game hunting and fishing guide and cowboy his entire life. Roland strikes you as 100% authentic...which he is.
I just finished reading Echoes of Vengeance, which is the first one of a series of six related western novels, all following the same character, young Jethro Spring. Spring is a half-breed; his mother was a Blackfoot Indian, his father a trapper. Jethro is wanted by the law for killing the man who killed his parents. The story follows him from one state to another, from one coast to another mostly in the early 1870's. The book starts out with a bang, the action is clear, clean, always believable, and it moves along with the pace and power of a runaway freight train.
In this marvelous book, not only is there plenty of great action, boxing, bar fights, shootings, killing, but Cheek explores a great many social problems of this time and place, and does so without ever being preachy. The characters are different, always interesting, and completely real...and importantly too, we the readers come to care deeply about the characters.
This is a tough story, not all apple pie by any means, but an honest one. Adults who read it will darn sure like it, but I'd bet that a great many young adults would also be crazy about it. I feel lucky to have met Roland Cheek and even luckier to have read one of his novels. I plan to read all the rest of them, too, for sure. I've always loved Louie L'Amour's books, but honest, Roland Cheek writes every bit as well, and, well, check it out. You've got a real treat ahead of you...I'd bet my hat on it.
A tautly written novel.......2002-05-16
Echoes Of Vengeance by Roland Cheek is a tautly written novel of Jethro Spring, a young man who must suffer the consequences of dealing with the murderer of his parents. He's forced to travel through the Northern Rockies wilds and the Cherokee Strip, among other locales of natural beauty and splendor. Bounty hunters pursue him through Texas, until he must reach a final reckoning in this varied, flavorful and solidly written western saga.
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Lincoln County Crucible (Valediction for Revenge ; 3)
Roland Cheek
Manufacturer: Skyline Publishing (MT)
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ASIN: 0918981107 |
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Fantasy Collection: Crystal Line, Witchlight, Crisis on Doona
Anne McCaffrey , and
Marion Zimmer Bradley
Manufacturer: Media Books Audio Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD
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ASIN: 1578155819 |
Customer Reviews:
Fade to Black.......2004-02-19
I've read several of the books in the Shadowrun line and this one is my favourite to date. It is one of the few shadowrun books that gives a decent portrayal of shadowrunners and shadowrunning as described in the game. It does an excellent job of capturing the atmosphere of the world, and gets heavy into the nuances of the etiquette and wheeling and dealing a shadowrunner must go through to survive. If you are new to the game and want to get some tips for roleplaying shadowrunners this is the book to read. It is also an excellent source of inspiration for the GM. There are no grand sweeping, save the world sort of plots in this book, just good old fashion shadowrunning as it should be.
The Shadowrun novel by which all others should be judged........1999-01-02
Absolutely the finest of FASA's Shadowrun fiction, this one has it all. No BS game-speak, a killer plot, believeable (if not exactly likeable) characters. Great setting as well, expecially for the overall texture and subculture; Smith's Newark is a character in and of itself. Compared to earlier SR novels (including Smith's Striper Assassin), this was the first that impressed me as a viable story outside of the SR mythos; FTB can stand on its own in the sci-fi/cyberpunk genre. I recommend this book to all new players of the game, as an intro to a non-comic book version of the SR world. I was particularly impressed by the lack of plot devices; the story isn't some cutesy mystery or heroic fantasy with a pat ending. It reminded me somewhat of Ellroy's books. I also recommend Smith's "Who Hunts the Hunter" and "Steel Rain". A must-read for all non-munchkin Shadowrunners and GMs; this book makes the GM screen's characters come to life (heh heh).
Product Description
**** ($3.99 USA POSTAGE FOR BOTH BOOKS, WHICH WILL BE MAILED AT THE MEDIA - BOOK RATE WHICH IS SLOW SURFACE MAIL, 14- 21 DAYS DELIVERY TIME). 2 - NYX SMITH USED PAPERBACK BOOKS - 1) WHO HUNTS THE HUNTER AND 2) FADE TO BLACK.
Customer Reviews:
I am so happy to find a new copy of this old friend.......2006-11-20
I have a 20-year-old softbound copy of this cookbook that is in tatters, so I am very happy finally to find a fresh copy. I have made many of the recipes in this book and my family has a couple of all-time favorites, especially the pork with green beans and the vegetarian lasagne. While the basic recipes are wonderful, I frequently find them to be bland. My cookbook is filled with margin notes about what herbs and spices I have tried over the years to enhance the recipes. Nonetheless, this is a treasured part of my cookbook library.
Great recipes and resources.......2006-10-09
The first part of the book is lots of info about nutrition and so on, very interesting and informative (like talking about how potatoes have gotten a bum rap, there really healthy, she mentions one guy who lived healthily for 300 days on nothing but potatoes (and a little margarin). The second part is a few hundred recipes, which are great - easy, delicious, pretty fast, a lot of them with ingredients we keep around the house. Some of our favorites - the chili recipes, the spaghetti pancakes, multigrain pancakes (good with soy flour and blueberries), etc. This (along with books from Moosewood, Tara Duggan, and the Quick Vegetarian Pleasures book) is one of primary cookbooks; we use it all the time. Highly recommended.
Great cookbook which has withstood the test of time........2006-05-03
I bought this cookbook back around 1992 and the tattered paperback is the most used cookbook in my kitchen.
I live with a vegetarian, so most of what I've cooked has been the meatless recipes, and without exception, they have all been wonderful! Some of these recipes are also my potluck dinner staples (esp the Tri-Color Chickpea Salad). The Quick Lasanga with Bean Sauce has been the hit of every party I've taken it to, and the Lentil soup is to die for.
At one point, I went through a heavy-duty baking phase, and tried many of the muffin and quick bread recipes in this book. Again, there wasn't a dud in the bunch - everything I baked was excellent and won praise from all who partook.
Most of the recipes in this book are very good "as is" (they don't need much futzing with). There is some prep work involved (lots of chopping of veggies and the like), so many of the recipes do take some time. Almost half of the book consists of information about food, nutrition, cooking hints and techniques, which I've found to be very useful. Personally, if you have to have one main cookbook, I'd say that this should be it!
A great cookbook for everyday use.......2006-02-24
Putting "high carbohydrate" in the title is a no-no these days with the lo-carb craze that's going on, but I'm here to tell everyone that this is a great cookbook full of healthy recipes. Brody focuses on recipes that are often low-calorie and almost always include lots of veggies and other complex carbs, and she has many delicious desserts that aren't overloaded on fat and sugar. True weight management comes with exercise and watching overall calorie intake, while ensuring a majority of those calories are healthy ones. This cookbook is perfect for anyone who's interested in increasing his/her repertoire of delicious, healthy recipes.
Stands the Test of Time.......2006-01-24
I have owned this cookbook for about 15 years, and have since compiled an extensive cookbook collection of several hundred volumes. I still use this book, and have never met anyone who didn't love the turkey burgers; the garlicky green beans and braised red cabbage are also excellent. It contains many delicious recipes that are also healthy but are still satisfying and tasty. An excellent all-around cookbook that is meant for a home cook, not a professional chef. I am replacing my well-worn paperback version today.
Book Description
The Ultimate Koi
- Anatomy and Physiology of Koi
- Historical Background
- Koi Varieties
- Koi Ponds
- What a Koi Must Accomplish
- Pond Building
- Buying Koi
- Diet and Feeding
- Disease and Parasites in Koi
- Handling Koi
- Showing Koi
Find us online at http://www.idgbooks.com
Customer Reviews:
Not Koi about information.......2007-08-23
A good intro ductory book on the hobby. More information about building the pond than an established koi keeper might like and not enough detail on their dietary habits.
Would recommend to anyone who needs koi help.
The Ultimate Koi.......2006-02-23
Helpful for understanding the types of koi and their origins; as well as care of koi. A good book for beginning koi keepers.
Book Description
Join an expert craftsman on a full-color journey to see how classical motifs evolved through the Greek, Roman, Romanesque, Renaissance, and Neoclassical periods; and learn how to add exquisite period details to all your woodworking projects, too. Detailed carving instructions help you incorporate relief panels, bands, foliage, tablets, escutcheons, scrolls, cartouches, fans, sunbursts, shells, keystones, and finials into your own work. A final project chapter offers easy-to-follow examples of these elements brought together in the making of chests, benches, cabinets, and mirror frames. Plenty of photographs, practical guidance, and fascinating historical commentary will inspire woodworkers and interest students of art and those curious about the development of ornamental styles.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent guide to classical architectural woodcarving.......2007-08-06
This book supplements his earlier work, Carving Architectural Detail in Wood. Both are exellent resources to learn how to carve classical architectural detail. Illustrations and text walk you through the steps and tools necessary to carve beautiful motifs. Wilbur has traveled and photographed extensively to bring to you examples of fine work; then he demonstrates the techniques necessary to bring them to life on your workbench. These books move you beyond the beginning carver stage to volutes, fans, Doric and Corinthian designs, multiple level flowers, and garden pineapples. If you are tired of beginners books, go to these.
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Judaism from the Renaissance to Modern Times (Jewish Studies at the Turn of the Twentieth Century)
Manufacturer: Brill Academic Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 9004115587 |
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Eulalia Valldosera: Works 1990-2000
Jorge Luis Marzo ,
Nuria Enguita Mayo , and
Eulalia Valldosera
Manufacturer: Witte de With
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ASIN: 9073362490
Release Date: 2001-08-02 |
Book Description
Eulalia Valldosera has created an oeuvre of unusual beauty since 1990. Valldosera works in the media of sculpture, installation, photography, and performance in a variety of combinations. She distills a constellation of dreamlike moments centering on the female body, domestic environments and the everyday objects. Her intimate work is crafted from light, shadow, reflection, and movement. This book presents a significant body of her work first time and is co-producted with Fundacio Antoni Tapies.
Average customer rating:
- delightful, tongue in cheek memoir
- Gentle humor, fine craftsmanship, sentimental and perceptive
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Minor Heresies, Major Departures: A China Mission Boyhood (Philip E.Lilienthal Books)
John Jenkins Espey
Manufacturer: University of California Press
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Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0520082508 |
Book Description
An American boy, son of Presbyterian missionaries, was born in Shanghai early in this century. The boy lived two lives, one within the pious church compound, the other along the canal and in the alleys of a traditional Chinese city. There he faced the alley brats' Lady Bandit, heard the shrill screams of a child's foot-binding, learned rank obscenities from passing boatmen, and, while still in short pants, chewed Sen-Sen and ogled snake-charmers in the old Native City. He sailed up the Yangtze to attend boarding school, and along with his Boy Scout patrol, met Chiang Kai-shek. And when John Espey grew up, he wrote about his years in China.
This memoir is the story of those years, and while it is a wry, affectionate account, it also conveys an often overlooked picture of China in the years before communism. Seen through the eyes of a child, the interplay of religion, commerce, and American colonialism that took place during this period is revealed more tellingly--and more lightheartedly--than in many an analysis by an "old China hand."
Espey's bent is to use a "Chinese" approach to his subject, that is, to hide a second meaning within his words, to speak in parables. This he learned from both his single-minded missionary father and the family's Chinese cook. The result is that the reader of Minor Heresies, Major Departures will learn a great deal about the Pacific Rim while having a rollicking good time.
Customer Reviews:
delightful, tongue in cheek memoir.......2003-02-08
Minor Heresies, Major Departures is best summarized by Robertson Davies' back cover quote describing how Espy makes "high comedy about Presbyterian missionaries without any way jeering at their sense of dedication." These episodes from his childhood are a delight to read. He combines the truth of a child's eyes with the sarcasm of an adult as he describes events such as the battle with his sister for the longest prayer or his failure at "cementing the international bonds of love and law" during play with the cook's nephew.
This book is recommended not just to those interested in missionary work, but to anyone who enjoys travel or cross-cultural memoirs. If you are looking for an inspirational tale of missionary good deeds, however, it might not be your cup of tea.
Gentle humor, fine craftsmanship, sentimental and perceptive.......1998-10-26
John Espey's memoirs of his Shanghai boyhood are a finely done portrait of a moment in history. He expresses, with a wry humor, his "view of things" as a child, a view which contrasts with those of the adults around him. His disagreement with the Western perspective and Protestant missionary outlook that formed the backdrop to his life in Shanghai before WW II is recorded in civil tones; he gives people credit for good intentions and does not denigrate their sometimes misguided efforts. Espey's memories are a delightful entry into cross-cultural psychology--by one who knows what that term really means.
Book Description
This digital document is an article from International Bulletin of Missionary Research, published by Overseas Ministries Study Center on July 1, 1995. The length of the article is 747 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: Minor Heresies, Major Departures: A China Mission Boyhood. (book review)
Author: Alan Neely
Publication:
International Bulletin of Missionary Research (Refereed)
Date: July 1, 1995
Publisher: Overseas Ministries Study Center
Volume: v19
Issue: n3
Page: p137(2)
Article Type: Book Review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Books:
- Weeping on Wednesday (Lois Meade Mysteries)
- Well-Schooled in Murder
- WHERE SERPENTS LIE
- Wolf to the Slaughter (Chief Inspector Wexford Mysteries)
- A Fountain Filled With Blood (A Rev. Clare Fergusson and Russ Van Alstyne Mystery)
- A Grave Denied (Kate Shugak Novels)
- A Killer Collection: A Collectible Mystery
- A Question of Blood: An Inspector Rebus Novel (Inspector Rebus Mysteries)
- All She Was Worth
- Amuse Bouche: A Russell Quant Mystery (Russell Quant Mysteries)
Books Index
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