And Justice There Is None

Amazon.com

The life of Scotland Yard's Gemma James is changing in major ways--she's just been promoted to Inspector, she's pregnant, and she and her young son are about to move into spacious new digs with her lover, Detective Superintendent Duncan Kincaid. Then the beautiful young wife of a Portobello Road antiques dealer is murdered in the driveway of her Notting Hill home and the case lands in Gemma's disappearing lap. Dawn Arrowood, as Gemma soon discovers, was pregnant when she died, most likely by Alex Dunn, a porcelain dealer in Portobello Market whose disappearance after the murder makes him a prime suspect. But Gemma rules him out as the killer, focusing her investigation on Karl Arrowood, the dead woman's husband. When Karl is murdered, she's stymied, but then Kincaid's investigation into what may be a serial killer turns up a bizarre connection to Gemma's case and a link to Karl Arrowood's sideline as a drug smuggler. As usual, Crombie handles a complicated plot with style, providing enough twists and turns to hold the reader's attention while driving the narrative to a stunning conclusion. --Jane Adams

Book Description

Award-winning author Deborah Crombie has elevated the modern mystery novel to new heights of human drama and multilayered suspense with her critically acclaimed tales of intrigue featuring Scotland Yard Detective Superintendent Duncan Kincaid and Sergeant Gemma James. In their latest outing, Kincaid and his former partner--and soon-to-be roommate--follow a twisting trail of rage and retribution whose buried roots are about to exact a deadly toll on the living.

And Justice There is None

Gemma James is adjusting to professional and personal changes that include her eagerly sought promotion to the rank of inspector--and a future now intricately entwined with Duncan Kincaid. But her new responsibilities are put to the test when she is placed in charge of a particularly brutal homicide: The lovely young wife of a wealthy antiques dealer has been found murdered on fashionable Notting Hill.

Dawn Arrowood was six weeks pregnant. Her lover, Alex Dunn, a porcelain dealer in London’s bustling Portobello Market, appears absolutely devastated by her death, but Gemma’s the main focus of investigation is soon Karl Arrowood, who had the most powerful motive for killing his unfaithful wife. But this case sets off warning bells for Duncan: it’s far too similar to an unsolved murder in which an antiques dealer was killed in precisely the same way and when the escalating violence claims yet another victim, he and Gemma find themselves at increasing odds with each other--as two separate investigations become linked in the most startling of ways. Their hunt for a killer will traverse the teeming stalls of the city’s antiques markets to a decades-in-the-making vendetta of history and hatred that has been honed to a flawless, deadly point. To solve this case, Gemma and Duncan must walk a merciless razor’s edge through a place where true justice will be a long time coming.

From the Hardcover edition.

Download Description

Gemma James is adjusting to professional and personal changes that include her eagerly sought promotion to the rank of inspector -- and a future now intricately entwined with Duncan Kincaid. But her new responsibilities are put to the test when she is placed in charge of a particularly brutal homicide: The lovely young wife of a wealthy antiques dealer has been found murdered on fashionable Notting Hill.

Dawn Arrowood was six weeks pregnant. Her lover, Alex Dunn, a porcelain dealer in London's bustling Portobello Market, appears absolutely devastated by her death, but Gemma's the main focus of investigation is soon Karl Arrowood, who had the most powerful motive for killing his unfaithful wife. But this case sets off warning bells for Duncan: it's far too similar to an unsolved murder in which an antiques dealer was killed in precisely the same way and when the escalating violence claims yet another victim, he and Gemma find themselves at increasing odds with each other -- as two separate investigations become linked in the most startling of ways.

Their hunt for a killer will traverse the teeming stalls of the city's antiques markets to a decades-in-the-making vendetta of history and hatred that has been honed to a flawless, deadly point. To solve this case, Gemma and Duncan must walk a merciless razor's edge through a place where true justice will be a long time coming.

Customer Reviews:

Definite lull in this series.......2007-01-12

I am a fan of the early entries in this series but the last few additions - including this book - have been disappointing. The series tracks two British homicide detectives - Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James - who while solving crimes have become somewhat more than just partners. (Reading this series in chronological order is not necessary but definitely helps with respect to said relationship between our two heroes as well as with reoccurring characters.) In the earlier books, the author did a very good job in juggling this romance, police procedures, character development of suspects/victims, while spinning a very good mystery. In this volume, Duncan and Gemma find themselves hunting the murderer of a young beautiful woman married to a rich antique dealer in the environs of Notting Hill. The blending of multiple story lines highlighted above that worked so well in the past simply falls flat here. Connections between the under developed characters defy belief including the use of "anonymous" flashbacks. The procedural is disjointed and the "personal" aspects of this story are at the very least jarring - the ending right out of a "B" movie. Because of all this the mystery itself was readily apparent to this reader about a third of the way through - and "solving" the mysteries I read is not something I pride myself on. Pass on this one.

Mediocre detective novel.......2006-01-14

"And Justice there is None" is an inferior attempt to replicate Elizabeth George's far more interesting series of books. Crombie has obviously put a lot of effort into the novel but the book failed on a number of counts.

First of all -- and most importantly -- it ISN'T EXCITING. There was no forward momentum in the plot. Crombie doesn't know how to sequence events to increase the tension level; she doesn't know how to truncate or frame scenes to leave one waiting for the next twist.

Secondly, the detectives engage in unbelievable behavior. It's one of those books in which half of the interviews begin with someone making a nice cup of tea. The detectives form a personal friendship with two characters who are clearly suspects and -- here's the kicker -- this friendship doesn't turn out to present conflicts for the detectives. The friends the good guys who are never investigated fully by the police and (SPOILER? -- well, OK, maybe not) turn out to be innocent. And their totally, totally good people, too. Yawn.

Thirdly, the events in the two detectives' personal lives are dull. These sections, which are independent of the murders which form the mystery, seem almost written by rote.
Elizabeth George creates compelling characters and, in her good books, they are vividly imagined with rich interior lives. Crombie simply doesn't create characters with similar interest.

This is the third Crombie I've read -- I've really tried to like her -- and I'm giving up on her. There are far better mysteries and thrillers with which to occupy my time.

Very intriguing mystery.......2005-05-10

I was introduced to this series of mysteries earlier this year and have been reading the books in order. I have enjoyed reading them and found this, in terms of the mystery, to be one of the best so far. Crombie writes well thought out, intricate stories, and this when left me guessing until the end. My 4 star rating is due to the fact that Kincaid really seems to be more of a side character here. Gemma is really the main character, which is fine, but I would have liked to have seen more interaction between the two. I highly recommend this series as well as Peter Robinson's "Inspector Banks" series.

There is justice for this book if you read it.......2005-05-02

This British mystery series starring Inspectors Gemma James and Duncan Kinkaid is one of the most satisfying. The stories are always interesting and topical, and the characters are always very clearly drawn. And Crombie has a nice touch with dialogue, which is what I really enjoy in a book. This book is set almost entirely in Notting Hill, which Al and I visited when we were in London last fall and enjoyed very much. From my memory, Crombie captures the flavor and feel of that part of London to perfection. The mystery story itself is fairly original with several seemingly disconnected people dying by the same odd means and, of course, we get to watch as capable people connect the dots. I had sussed the killer long before the denouement but that didn't stop the enjoyment. Especially enjoyable is watching the vertical build of the life of James and Kinkaid together with their blended family and the horizontal coming together of the murders and their solution, which is buried in the past (very nicely handled). As with her previous outings, this was a very carefully constructed book. No complaints at all.

A Rich Tapestry of a Book!.......2004-04-14

With this book, I think that Deborah Crombie proves her right to be up there with P.D. James and Elizabeth George. This is a beautifully written, though complex tale of love, possession, hate and evil. In this book Gemma has a murder in her patch. It's her first big case as Inspector, and the murder is of prominent woman who had her throat cut in her own driveway. Gemma and her new team try to put the pieces together and as they start to do that it becomes apparent to her and to Duncan Kincaid that there are striking similarities between this case and one that happened in Duncan's territory. They get to work together to try to prove a connection. At the same time Duncan and Gemma are combining their households and moving in together. It should be a completely happy time for them, but they both find that this case is going to cause tragedy to a number of lives, maybe even their own. This is a rich, complex, psychological thriller that is extremely complex and multi-faceted. I take my hat off to Ms. Crombie

And Justice There Is None - A Duncan Kincaid / Gemma Games Novel

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And Justice There Is None - A Duncan Kincaid / Gemma Games Novel
Deborah Crombie
Manufacturer: Bantam Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000RIR6LQ

Average customer rating:

Excellent book

Healer... or Teenager?

This Book Was Wonderful

Ellen please write more

cool
Bedlam Boyz
Ellen Guon
Manufacturer: baen
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Guon, Ellen | ( G ) | Authors, A-Z | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0671721771

Customer Reviews:

Excellent book.......2004-09-17

I just finished reading it on Baen's website, where they have a bunch of books available online to read. I've always been a fan of her work, and this lives up to the expectations I have of her. :)

Healer... or Teenager?.......2003-08-11

Is it possible to be both a normal teenager and a healer? Kayla sets out to prove that it is indeed possible and emerges mostly victorious in the end.
Along the way she encounters gang violence (typical in Los Angeles, I suppose, but I bet you didn't realize there were evil elves involved in drug deals!), a rather interesting pot of stew (do YOU want to be the featured dinner presentation?) and a brief love interest.
This book is part of the Urban Fantasy series that Mercedes Lackey and others have written, including Summoned to Tourney, Knights of Ghosts and Shadows, Bedlam's Bard, Born to Run, and Wheels of Fire. This part of the series is more recent and up to date than the others which were written in the mid-90s.

This Book Was Wonderful.......1999-05-11

As a fan of fantacy books that feel free to interact with the mundane, I can't help but love this novel. Ellen has knocked herself out in bringing the main characthers alive. I've read it many times and can't wait to read it once more!

Ellen please write more.......1998-12-30

I read Bedlam Boyz several years ago, and have been checking for more from Ellen Guon ever since. I write this mostly to encourage Ellen to please write more! I started with Mercedes Lackey but have found Ms. Lackey to be increasingly and annoyingly whiny in her books. Ellen Guon has just the right combination of attention to character and plot, a balance which Ms. Lackey has lost. Ellen -- please write more!

cool.......1998-07-22

i must admit that i read this book before i read the other two but i enjoyed all three quite well. i enjoyed the depth these books go into on training and all the things that would happen if there really were magic workers out there now, that makes the entire set really fun to read.

Book Description

For teachers, counselors and parents, this comprehensive new resource is filled with up-to-date information and practical strategies to help kids with attention deficits learn to control and change their own behaviors and build the academic, social, and personal skills necessary for success in school and in life. The Kit first explains ADD/ADHD behavior, its biological bases and basic characteristics and describes procedures used for diagnosis and various treatment options. It then details a proven set of training exercises and programs in which teachers, counselors and parents work together to monitor and manage the child's behavior to achieve the desired results.

Customer Reviews:

Through and comprehensive.......2006-12-06

There's certainly no dearth of information or misinformation on ADHD available to the public. However, compiling a comprehensive knowledge base for the newly initiated is a challenge. I came across this book after reading nearly everything the public library had to offer on ADHD. In this book Dr. Flick succinctly puts together an excellent resource on all the evidence-based information on ADHD. He also includes sections on "alternative" treatments that will appeal to some but is careful to indicate where science meets the marketting.

If you're new to ADHD this tome may be a little intimidating. The writing is here is a bit more dry than some other good sources on the subject like Barkley, Rosenthal, Phelan or Hallowell. Also as with all books on ADHD published before 2000-2002 some of the details on medication are out of date. The only serious omission is an explicit section on choosing good professionals to help you manage ADHD. But if you read and assimilate all the information in this book you should become a good judge of whether or not every member of your treatment team is functioning well.

If you are only buying one book on ADHD to keep on your shelf at home this is it.

ADD parent not satisfied!.......2005-09-12

I purchased this *kit* based on the fact it had ideas, activities ... etc. Maybe me having ADD I missed some info on it? When I got it I was surprised to find it was a book! Not a *kit* at all. So I will probably never use it ... unless I was to purchase a copier machine and print off items as needed. I have read some of it and it had good ideas and info. Just not what I had purchased it for at all! =(

what a great resourse.......2005-08-30

this book is an excellent resource. I used it in a class I took and scored an A...

Highly organized and lots of great ideas and methods to get started.

A Must for Parents with ADHD kids.......2005-03-04

This book is an excellent reference for any parent with children having ADHD. It covers so much information, and provides actual ideas and behavior modification plans to start on immediately. Going through the exercises is also very helpful in helping parents understand more clearly the difficulties they are experiencing with their children, and what behaviors they should try to eliminate, which need to be ignored, etc. The book was fairly objective in regards to providing the different treatment options available for ADHD. It should be read by parents of children both on and/or off medication, so that a good solid behavior modification plan get get into place.

brilliant but where was the section on diet????.......2004-10-03

brilliant book but it was like a whole chapter was missing! nothing at all on diet and nutrition, the fundermentals of ADHD. great book but with the diet mentioned, such as the Feingold diet etc this book would be like an ADHD Bible.the strategies etc were superb, well done but please consider THE DIET!

Book Description

Savory crab cakes, panfried to a crisp golden brown. Succulent sea bass roasted on a bed of fennel. Tender lobster meat cloaked in drawn butter. When it comes to fish and shellfish, there is no end to the variety of dishes both flavorful and quick-cooking that can grace your table.

In the pages of William-Sonoma Collection Seafood, you'll find more than 40 recipes for innovative appetizers and entrées as well as updated renditions of all the time-honored classics, from aromatic mussels marinière to hearty seafood paella. Whether you want to whip up a simple supper of Cajun-spiced catfish served with greens or present an elegant dish of lobster risotto drizzled with white truffle oil to hungry guests, here are ideas to suit every occasion.

The recipes are accompanied with colorful photos and helpful sidebars on ingredients and cooking techniques, making each dish easy to envision and simple to prepare. A glossary and basics section round out everything you need to know to handle seafood with success, from skinning fillets and removing pin bones to testing for doneness. An essential addition to the kitchen bookshelf, Seafood will inspire the busy cook to prepare and enjoy a healthful and delicious fish or shellfish dish on any night of the week.

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JUST FOR THE HALIBUT,..

Eating more healthfully with fish?

Excellent basic fish cookbook

The Williams-Sonoma Collection: Fish
Shirley King
Manufacturer: Free Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Seafood | Meat, Poultry & Seafood | Cooking by Ingredient | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0743226402

Book Description

From delicate fillets of sole sauced with butter and lemon to flavorful salmon paired with apple and fennel, the variety of fish dishes is nearly endless. And even with so many different ways to prepare it -- sautéed on the stove top, braised in the oven, or grilled over an open fire -- the fresh, clean taste and delicate texture of fish always shine through. Quick and easy to cook, fish is an excellent choice for any occasion.

Williams-Sonoma Collection Fish offers more than 40 recipes, including classic fare as well as exciting new ideas. Inside, you'll find simple dishes for quick suppers, intriguing recipes for serving guests, and hearty main courses for satisfying meals. There's even a chapter devoted entirely to other seafood besides fish, including scallops, shrimp, and lobster, rounding out the delicious array of choices.

Full-color photographs of each recipe make it easy to decide which to prepare, and each dish is accompanied by a photographic side note that highlights a key ingredient or cooking technique, making Fish much more than just a simple collection of recipes. An informative basics section and extensive glossary fill in everything you need to know to add delicious fish to your cooking repertoire.

Lean, healthful, and quick to cook, fish plays an important role in the modern kitchen. Whether you are in the mood for salmon on the grill, traditional trout amandine, or a rustic bouillabaisse, there is always a distinctive and delicious way to prepare any type of fish.

Williams-Sonoma Collection Fish offers more than 40 easy-to-follow recipes, including both familiar classics and tempting new ideas. In these pages, you'll find appealing fish dishes for any occasion -- from a casual weeknight supper to a more formal affair. This beautifully photographed, full-color recipe collection will quickly become an essential addition to your kitchen bookshelf.

Customer Reviews:

JUST FOR THE HALIBUT,.........2006-03-29

MMM MMM. SOOO MANY FISHY IDEAS IN THIS BOOK. IF YOU LIKE FISH, OR SEAFOOD, GET THIS BOOK! IT NOT ONLY SHOWS YOU HOW TO PREPARE YOUR FAVORITE LIL FINNED FRIENDS, BUT IT GIVES YOU SOME GREAT IDEAS FOR MARINADES AND SAUCES. DEFINITELY A GOOD BOOK.

Eating more healthfully with fish?.......2005-04-30

For those looking to eat more fish and less meat for health reasons, such as the need to reduce saturated fats in the diet, this cookbook offers some wonderful recipes prepared in a variety of ways--using the grill, broiler, oven, soup pot, and frying pan. The recipes use a wide variety of fish and shellfish, including suggested alternatives for some of the more esoteric choices (monkfish, pompano, skate) not always available away from the coast. Recipes range from "simple suppers" to fancier, special occasion preparations, and each recipe is accompanied by an attractive full-page photo of a beautiful presentation.

Cooks looking for a complex blend of flavors to set off the fish (especially in sauces) will find that many of these recipes depend instead on only one or two ingredients for their primary flavors--a red snapper recipe is flavored with rosemary and pernod, cod flavored with vegetables and basil, and skate with brown butter and lemon juice. Those who enjoy fruit with their fish may enjoy the halibut with oranges and molasses, salmon with fennel and apple salsa, and salmon with a sauce of mango juice.

Many of the recipes show elaborate presentations--oven-poached whole salmon covered with 1/16" slices of English cucumbers, and orange roughy with 1/8" zucchini slices, easy to do if you have a food processor but a bit fussy to assemble. The halibut fillet en papillote can be prepared ahead, so the "fuss" is done before the guests arrive. Those who plan to cook fish on the grill will need to plan for split-second timing of the grilling and the presentation, and to be sure to have the correct implements for turning the fish to avoid shredding it on the hot grill, a reason many people avoid grilling fish for guests.

Those on low fat diets need to be aware that several of these recipes call for high-fat cooking and sauces--fillets of sole meuniere calls for 6 T. of butter, trout amandine for 4 T. of butter and 4 T. olive oil, the skate with brown butter sauce for 8 T. butter, the striped bass in green curry for 14 oz. of coconut milk (very high in saturated fat), and the New England fish chowder for 1 c. half-and-half and 1 ½ c. of whole milk. Still the selection of forty-two recipes, both fish and shellfish, offers many new ideas for the cook who needs inspiration, and some recipes can be adapted to lower fat cooking.

Note: Williams Sonoma has an earlier Fish cookbook by Joyce Esersky Goldstein, available Used. The recipes in the Goldstein edition are heartier in flavor and less fussy in preparation and presentation. Mary Whipple

Excellent basic fish cookbook.......2003-12-08

I took the Williams-Sonoma "Fish" cookbook out from my local library and was fairly impressed with it. I have a number of seafood cookbooks in my personal collection, but there are several things I really like about this book. First off, though the book is not large, it covers all the essential seafood recipes, such as gravlax, bouillabaisse, chowder, paella, crabcakes, boiled lobster, fish and chips, sole in lemon-butter sauce, etc. Rest assured, the book contains at least one good recipe for every major type of fish or shellfish, so it is a good basic reference to have. Every recipe features a photo of the completed dish on the opposite page, often featuring a very nice presentation. Most importantly, and something that is lacking in far too many cookbooks: the recipes are laid out on the page in a very clear and organized fashion. A list of the ingredients is on the left, the recipe instructions are in the middle, and a small photo with notes is on the right. There are also helpful hints and serving tips at the bottom of the page. This makes it very easy to size up the recipes and take them on. Also included at the back of the book are tips on selecting and cleaning fish, advice on different cooking methods, and a glossary covering attributes of different fish species. Whether you're a beginner cook or an experienced amateur such as myself, this book will improve your knowledge and technique of fish cookery.

Average customer rating:

A touching account of our relationship with Man's best friend.

Great book!!

Fascinating book

Soul Friends: Finding Healing with Animals
Kate Nicoll
Manufacturer: Dog Ear Publishing, LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Healing | Alternative Medicine | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
General | Dogs | Animal Care & Pets | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
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Accessories:

RESPeRATE Blood Pressure Lowering Device

Airborne Effervescent Health Formula, Original Orange, 10 Tablets (Pack of 3)

ASIN: 0976660369

Book Description

This book follows the psychological process leading to the adoption of an animal companion and alerts adopters to potential unconscious needs, patterns of behavior and elements of rescuing that hugely impacts dog adoptions in today's world. This insightful exploration encourages readers to complete self-examination prior to adoption that is more meaningful than current applications and potentially avoids fallout from unsuccessful adoptions. Psychological elements that impact the meeting of the "perfect dog" are often misunderstood and seemingly disregarded by potential adopters. Nicoll explores her personal history, her first experience with pet loss and rescue fantasies as potent narratives that may lead to irresponsible relationships with our animal companions. Current trends toward positive reinforcement in dog training explore psychological theories of cognitive and behavioral approaches in everyday interactions with animals. Nicoll encourages readers to delve deep into the psychological underpinnings of the human-animal bond to enhance the relationship and find meaning in our life with dogs. The work of companionship is highlighted as a potential opportunity for deep self-reflection and healing while playing, learning and living life with our animal friends. Guidelines for seeking healing with our soul friends will potentially decrease unsuccessful adoptions and promote a sense of reverence for the healing lick.

Customer Reviews:

A touching account of our relationship with Man's best friend........2005-09-06

Soul Friends is an emotional account of finding your special 'Soul Friend'. Our relationships with our dogs can comfort us when we need companionship and unquestioning loyalty the most. This special bond works both ways. Kate Nicholl provides guidance for those who want to rescue a dog or get a puppy. How do we decide what type of dog to adopt? Are we ready to dedicate the time and resources necessary to take care of a dog? Rescuing a dog may mean that dog needs special attention, an inordinate amount of patience, and an overwhelming amount of love. It takes time to build that special relationship with your soul friend. You should read this book to help you find yours.

Great book!!.......2005-08-07

Kate Nicoll blends rich personal experiences, a sound expertise in counseling, and an catching passion for dogs into a tender book that should be valuable to anyone interesting in helping themselves or others heal.

The honesty and bravery of her introspections serve as moving guides as Nicoll brings information from diverse fields of science and counseling together into a deeply personal and moving book about the healing power of the dogs right around us.

With both unflinching honesty and loving compassion, Nicoll shows the healing dogs can bring to even the most horrible situations--as companions and guides.

This book should be almost as fine a companion as the dogs Nicoll portrays.

Fascinating book.......2005-05-14

I found this book to be very intriguing. Nicoll uses her personal experience and insight to help us understand the tremendous healing power that occurs when we share our lives with our dog companions. That inexplicable bond that occurs between a person and their dog is examined by Nicoll with tender stories and wonderful metaphors. This book delves into how and why we are attracted to dogs and how impactful they are in reflecting back to us some of the best and worst parts of ourselves. The human-animal bond is a sacred and special relationship and Nicoll has done a great job in trying to examine the how and why of it. The many anecdotal stories and dog command metaphors help make the book a fun and easy read and clearly shows the potentially healing power of dogs in our lives.

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The Complete Book of Seminole Patchwork: From Traditional Methods to Contemporary Uses
Beverly Rush , and Lassie Wittman
Manufacturer: Madrona Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Native American | Regional | History & Criticism | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
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The Complete Book of Seminole Patchwork: From Traditional Methods to Contemporary Uses
Beverly; Wittman, Lassie Rush
Manufacturer: Madrona Pub
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OLY2MM

Book Description

A study of the development of political and social institutions in Baghdad, center of the Abbasid Caliphate, in that neglected period between Abbasid collapse and the coming of the Seljuk Turks. Three brothers, Daylemite mercenaries from the southern Caspian succeeded in establishing a dynasty that lasted nearly a century, controlling Iraq, a good part of Iran and the Gulf. The period has been labled the "Iranian intermezzo" but careful examination shows that the dynasty shaped the basic institutions to which the Seljuks would fall heir: the chief amirate, the system of army fiefs and the bureaucracy. It was a period of profound change and dislocation which fostered an open and creative cultural atmosphere. The Caliphate, bereft of power, was re-established as the center of authority and legitimation.

Book Description

The fifty plates of the Bizzarie di varie figure (Oddities of various figures) are the liveliest and most original etchings of a highly creative, if little known, Florentine artist, Giovanni Battista Braccelli. Using small copper plates, Braccelli etched three introductory texts and forty-seven pictorial images. Many of the images in the Bizzarie depict pairs of dynamic figures constructed from fabricated elements--wooden boxes or frames, square and round metal links, metal plates, cylindrical containers, braided hair, wooden screws, and twisted wax tapers; their poses suggest tumblers, acrobats, contortionists, dancers, duelists, sportsmen, and actors. Bodies constructed of cubic forms are impossibly twisted and shaped to suggest deceptive stunts or magic tricks--bodies gliding through themselves or each other. There are figures whose bodies are composed of lozenges similar to the black-and-white diamonds that adorn the costume of Harlequin, prancing extravagantly and gesticulating as if they were appearing on stage.

This copy of the Bizzarie, in the Lessing J. Rosenwald Collection, is the best preserved of only two complete copies, and the only one in North America. The Bizzarie exhibits characteristics of the artistic style called Mannerism, which originated in Italy in the sixteenth century and opposed the idealized naturalism of the Renaissance. Many Mannerist artists served nobility (in Braccelli's case, the Medici), creating works of art that puzzled and amused. The pictorial plates in the Bizzarie are not numbered or marked, and as one turns the pages, the images seem to unfurl at random, producing an overall sense of surprise and capriciousness. It is not difficult to understand why Braccelli's witty and original etchings engaged the imagination in their day, and continue to entertain in ours.

Commentary by Sue Welsh Reed, essay on intaglio etching.

Book Description

Recalling his childhood in fascist Italy during WWII, the author unearths a multicolored array of characters and situations, from the comic to the grotesque. His elegant and extremely odd aunt and uncle host a lunch party; his precocious teen cousin daringly allows young Nazi soldiers to follow her all the way to the door of the synagogue; the temple's choir director, having lost his position at La Scala because he is Jewish, leads the temple choir in a rousing rendition of Verdi, leaving the congregation in tears. These people, many of whom died horrible deaths, are brought to life on the page, their weaknesses, charming idiosyncrasies, and glories intact. Through vivid details, Zargani recreates their humanity with humor and love-and in some cases with envy or lust. The title refers to the author's father, Mario, a violinist forced to give up his livelihood with the fascists' ascension into power.

Customer Reviews:

Confusing.......2007-08-26

The book is not in order. The author jumps around to different times and places that are hard to follow. I guess I expected something different.

an astonishing book which should be much better known.......2003-05-16

I came across this book on a shelf, and could not stop reading it. I could not believe such events could be written with such humor and poetry; it reminded me a little of "Angela's Ashes" but in that book the boy only faces terrible poverty (as if that could be an "only"); in this book the huge forces of war are out to kill young Aldo and his family and hundreds of thousands of others because they are Jews. The book is told in no chronological order, but the seven years between 1938-45 are relayed a month here, a season or perhaps a harried afternoon there, as one might recall them in passionate memory fifty years after, as the author does indeed relate them. The small intimate and ordinary bits of the lives of the author, his brother and their parents ring against the great tragedy of war: in the midst of running for their lives, they stop at a hospital for a minor test for the children, the young boy in boarding school with almost nothing to eat devours another boy's lard sandwiches sent from home. A young woman appeals suddenly in lacy black underwear, her despair overcoming her modesty in a desperate cry for life..why is this book not better known? It is astonishing.

Alexander Stille review from LA Times.......2002-08-31

Against the Odds

FOR SOLO VIOLIN: A Jewish Childhood in Fascist Italy, By Aldo Zargani Paul, Dry Books: 230 pp., paper
By ALEXANDER STILLE
Alexander Stille is the author of several books, including "Benevolence and Betrayal: Five Italian Jewish Families Under Fascism" and "The Future of the Past."

August 25 2002
With the gradual passage of those who survived the Holocaust and World War II as adults, we have an increasing number of memoirs of the generation that experienced that time as children. Aldo Zargani was born in 1933 and was 5 when Benito Mussolini passed the racial laws that forced him to leave Italian public schools and cost Zargani's father, a violinist, his job. Zargani was 7 when Italy entered World War II and 10 in 1943, when Italy tried to withdraw from the war and was occupied by Nazi Germany, forcing the Zarganis--father, mother and two sons--to spend a terrifying year and a half in hiding.
"For Solo Violin" is a gracefully written, elegiac memoir of childhood that effectively renders the pain, psychological dislocation and fear of coming of age under the shadow of fascism's racial laws and Mussolini's disastrous alliance with Hitler's Germany. The book is a useful corrective to the many books and articles that have tended to downplay the havoc that Mussolini's racial policies wreaked because they stopped short of the extermination program of Nazi Germany. As Zargani notes, he did not distinguish as a child between fascism and Nazism because by the German occupation of 1943, Italian fascists and German Nazis were working together to arrest and deport the country's Jews.
Zargani paints a number of affecting thumbnail sketches of the many relatives and family friends who were captured and killed. While others have stressed that Italy's Jews had among the highest survival rates of Europe's Jewish population, Zargani notes that between a quarter and a third of those left in the country by 1943 perished, which, given the brevity of the Germany occupation, means that deportation and death were hardly exceptional events.
Because these are childhood memories, "For Solo Violin" is more a series of fragmentary scenes and vignettes than a coherent, complete narrative of the family's experience. Following the promptings of memory, Zargani moves back and forth in time, producing a narrative that is, at times, poetical and finely re-imagined but also, at times, choppy and confusing. This impressionistic approach leaves us, however, with some powerful memories that convey the sense of material life at that time: the excitement and luxury of riding in an automobile in Italy in the 1930s; learning to skin moles and cook chestnuts during the terrible hunger and deprivation of the war; a boy whose only word is "goat"; a poor, illiterate family that lives on hunted cats and small-time theft.
One vignette perhaps best sums up the weird combination of anti-Semitism and generosity that Zargani experiences. After the war ended, the old peasant woman who had helped hide his family asked Zargani's mother: "Please explain to me, Madam, if you don't mind, how nice people like you can eat babies every year at Easter?" The woman had evidently absorbed the centuries of Catholic preaching about Jewish ritual murder and yet it did not prevent her from risking her life to save a Jewish family.

A clear autobiographical testament.......2002-05-07

For Solo Violin: A Jewish Childhood In Fascist Italy is the memoir of Aldo Zargani, a man who survived being a Jewish child in northern Italy during the brutal era of 1938-1945, when the Fascists and Nazis held sway and a deliberate, well orchestrated campaign of genocide was underway. Told from a vantage point of fifty years later, For Solo Violin recalls the wonder of childhood mixed with shocking events of war and murder in this deeply moving, personal account. For Solo Violin is a clear autobiographical testament, recommended for Judaic Studies supplemental reading lists, and a welcome addition to the growing library of Holocaust literature.

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