The Exciting Life of an Emigre

Book Description

A story of the life of a peasant boy wearing hobnailed, cobbler-made shoes coming to America in time for the struggle of survival during the great depression. He learned to fly during his military service through the war years. He worked in industry until retirement. His hobbies include restoring cars, airplanes, and building one of his own design.

Customer Reviews:

For Hypnosis fans.......2007-01-28

It has been a pleasure to read this book. If you really want to know about hypnosis in medicine and therapy you must read between lines, and this book is full of insight and wise enough to be a surrogate of Milton H. Erickson himself. You will learn history and you will learn about hypnosis methodology not written before. Yes, maybe I am exaggerating just a little,but,just read it, you will learn a lot of hypnosis and yourself.Dr. David Guzman, President of Mexican Board of Clinical Hypnosis.

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Letters of Milton H. Erickson, M.D.

Manufacturer: Zeig, Tucker & Theisen, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Perfect Paperback

General | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1932462910
Release Date: 2007-02-19

The Letters of Milton H. Erickson (ISBN: 1891944118)

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The Letters of Milton H. Erickson (ISBN: 1891944118)
Milton H.; edited by Zeig, Jeffrey K. and Geary, Brent B. Erickson
Manufacturer: Zeig, Tucker & Theisen Publ.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NQIQN4

Book Description

Encompassing the entire scope of the practice of midwifery, this new edition has been extensively revised and updated to reflect the full scope of current midwifery practice.

Customer Reviews:

Varney's Midwifery text.......2007-09-29

Excellent book for nursing and midwifery students. Any midwifery practitioner would do well to always have the latest copy in their reference library.

A must read.......2003-11-21

I have always found Varney to be useful and easy to read, especially in comparison to Speroff or Gabbe. I think that this book was never intended to be the definitive text on home birth. If a midwife's interest lies in homebirth, seek out books that cater to that option. I found the skills sections especially helpful. It isn't Varney's job to unite midwives, her primary job is to educate. You can not teach the spirit of midwife through a book, that's where mentoring comes into play. This is certainly a must have for all practicing midwives, regardless of educational background.

Technically accurate, boring read.......2002-11-06

I am impressed by Varney's vast knowledge of hospital procedures as they relate to midwifery care. However, I found this to be "textbook" as a very boring read. Her information did not really cover the practice outside the hospital setting as thoroughly as would be needed for someone praticing in that setting. Her information would be most appreciated by the CNM and the L&D nurse - a great resource for them.

This is a good reference book, but not the best for homebirt.......2001-06-15

This book is a good reference book, but not the best one for homebirth midwives. Myle's, and Anne' Frye's books I have found to be more applicable in my practice. To the above person that thinks that Circumsision should not be addresses, I could not disagree more. Circumsision is a subject that should be addressed prenatally, and Since midwives are supposed to provide basic Post-partum care to the mother and baby during the first six weeks It is essentual that midwives and parents are educated about the issue antapartum

Not for those looking for Home Birth information!.......2000-05-26

This book does no service to the Home Birth community. If you are looking for information on all facets of birth in a MEDICAL setting, then this book would be for you. Home birth facilitators would never recommend some of the practices in this book. (The Zanelli technique, for instance. Which is when you have a baby that's head has delivered but the shoulders are stuck, and it shows you how to push the baby back inside the womb.Or as already mentioned, Circumcision.) This book would be useful for those birth facilitators that intend to practice exclusively in a hospital setting.

Book Description

100 recipes specifically written for gas grills.

Includes meat, poultry, fish, seafood, sandwiches, appetizers, sides, sweets, salsas, sauces, marinades.

All recipes tested on different gas grills and backed by the Better Homes and Gardens Test Kitchen.

Customer Reviews:

Good guy gift.......2007-02-18

I bought this for my son who uses his gas grill all the time. It's been a good purchase since he's learned some ways to improve his skills.

great for beginners to advanced.......2002-07-01

I bought this book for someone who told me they would like to cook on the grill more, but doesn't know much about cooking times or any recipes for grilling, so I went to amazon and browsed through grilling books and chose the Better Homes and Gardens Gas Grill Cookbook after being able to look at some of the pages on the site (which is a great way to choose a book -it's almost like being in the book store). I was very pleased with this book - I not only found it to be a perfect gift for a beginner, but I liked the book for myself and I have been grilling for many years. Another plus is the recipes can be used in any type of cooking, so I would recommend this book to anyone who owns a grill or anyone who is looking for new ideas for meals.

For Beginning Grillers/Barbequers.......2001-06-19

Ordered this in honor of my first grill. Taught me the basics in simple and delicious fashion. Most helpful are the charts on the inside covers.

Better Homes and Gardens Gas Grill Cookbook.......2000-04-30

This cookbook comes in an easy format to read format and lies flat on a counter. I have grilled for years, yet I learned things about grilling in general that were extremely helpful. In addition, all the recipes were categorized for easy reading and the recipes were not complicated nor confusing. In fact, I am most impressed with the simplicity, as well as the mouth-watering choices for backyard barbeques.

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Bradley Complete Gas Grill Cookbook
Nancy Elmont
Manufacturer: Dorison House Pub
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0916752526

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Bradley's Complete Gas Grill Cookbook
Nancy Elmont
Manufacturer: Dorison House Publishers, Incorporated
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

General | Outdoor Cooking | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0916752542

The Complete Barbecue Cookbook: Recipes for the Gas Grill and Water Smoker

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The Complete Barbecue Cookbook: Recipes for the Gas Grill and Water Smoker
Charmglow
Manufacturer: Contemporary Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

The Complete Barbeque Cookbook Recipes for the Gas Grill and Water Smoker

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The Complete Barbeque Cookbook Recipes for the Gas Grill and Water Smoker
CHARMGLOW
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill Contemporary
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Baking | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

The Complete Outdoor Cookbook: 400 Gourmet Recipes for the Backyard, Campsite and Wilderness Cooking; Including Charcoal, Gas Grill and Campfire Tech

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The Complete Outdoor Cookbook: 400 Gourmet Recipes for the Backyard, Campsite and Wilderness Cooking; Including Charcoal, Gas Grill and Campfire Tech
Yvonne Young Tarr
Manufacturer: Random House Trade
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

Camping & Hiking | Outdoor Cooking | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

General | Outdoor Cooking | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0812963261

Ducane Gas Grills: Instruction manual and cookbook

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Ducane Gas Grills: Instruction manual and cookbook
Unknown
Manufacturer: Ducane Co. / The Gillespie Agency
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000VR24EM

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Gas grill cookbook

Manufacturer: Benjamin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Baking | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0875022405

Pro Chef Cookbook (Appetizer Thru Dessert On Your Gas Grill)

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Pro Chef Cookbook (Appetizer Thru Dessert On Your Gas Grill)

Manufacturer: Focus Lifestyle Products
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000FVU4NM

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ProChef Cookbook: Appetizer thru Dessert on your Gas Grill
Jane Boras
Manufacturer: Focus Lifestyle Products
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000IT8FOQ

Book Description

Tropical forests are filled with many varieties of this beautifully colored bird. This manual discusses these different breeds and offers information on selection, plus how to keep them healthy and happy. Over 40 striking, full-color photos, plus dozens of helpful line drawings.

Customer Reviews:

Budgerigars in the wild............2005-01-09

Until I began reading about parakeets, I did not know LONG-TAILED PARAKEETS existed in the wild. I also thought all parakeets looked like my granddaughters budgies (blue or yellow with undulating stripes on their backs). The `Manual' on Long-Tailed Parakeets by Annette Wolter includes sections on everything from diet and health maintenance to 'how-to' brooding of parakeets. I especially like the many photos of the various wild parakeets from around the world (many taken in their native habitat) including a shot of a Quaker parrot like mine, which is apparently really a Quaker Parakeet. A number of the birds I think of as Conures are also parakeets.

Wolter's book is an accessible easy-to-read volume with much of the material about companion bird keeping also found in other "bird" books (especially those by Vriends, who was her consulting editor) as well as relatively exclusive photos of various parakeets she describes as 'long-tailed'. The only thing I dislike about the photos in this book and many other bird books is that they often show birds biting on plants and almost always fail to identify the plant involved. As a gardener, I would like to know just exactly what that bird is chewing on so that I can grow it in my house (there are plenty of "do" or "don't" plant lists, but I know some of the plants shown in photos are not on those lists.

Pretty pictures is about all.......2002-11-30

Not worth much more than that in my opinion. I feel it was a waste of my money actually. The book has some nice photo's but as far as information goes, I can learn more from 1 website than I did from this book..

A Guide to Australian Long & Broad Tailed Parrots & New Zealand KakarikisýýTheir Management, Care and Breeding

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A Guide to Australian Long & Broad Tailed Parrots & New Zealand KakarikisýýTheir Management, Care and Breeding
Kevin Wilson
Manufacturer: ABK Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Birds | Animal Care & Pets | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Reference | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

Animal Husbandry | Agricultural Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books

Birdkeeper's Guide to Long-Tailed Parrots

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Birdkeeper's Guide to Long-Tailed Parrots
David Alderton
Manufacturer: Tetra Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Birds | Animal Care & Pets | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Reference | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

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Long Tailed Parrots
David Alderton
Manufacturer: Tetra Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Animal Care & Pets | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

General | Birdwatching | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1564651576

Book Description

This book will teach you step-by-step how to make "beadie babies" bead animals. 25+ easy to follow projects make it fun and easy. Color photos of each project will keep you on track! A great art motivator, making bead animals helps younger children develop counting, patterns and fine motor. Older kids just think its fun. This activity will keep your children entertained for hours.

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Cost Effective Self-sufficiency or the Middle-class Peasant
Eve McLaughlin , and Terence McLaughlin
Manufacturer: David & Charles PLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0715374745

Amazon.com

In the tradition of men like Dennis Thatcher, Peter Edelman may be best known to the public because of his better-known wife: Marian Wright Edelman, president of the Children's Defense Fund. Yet Edelman himself made headlines in 1996, when he quit his job as an assistant secretary at the Department of Health and Human Services to protest President Clinton's signing of a welfare bill. This election-year law, written mainly by Republicans, marked a "fundamental break with the longstanding commitment of the Democratic Party to protect poor children." To make matters worse, in Edelman's view, Clinton quoted the words of Robert F. Kennedy at the signing ceremony. Edelman had worked for RFK, and he was outraged: "President Clinton's misuse of Robert Kennedy's words highlighted a stark difference between the two young leaders. One pressed for social justice whenever he could. The other, originally projecting a commitment to renewing national idealism, ended up governing mainly according to the lowest common denominator." (Edelman did not actually oppose Clinton's reelection: "I have never believed that worse is better. Clinton was always fortunate in the quality of the enemies he attracted.")

Searching for America's Heart is not primarily about the Clinton presidency, but it is about the evolution of American liberalism from RFK's heyday in the 1960s to the prosperity of the 1990s, and Clinton necessarily plays a large role in this story. Edelman intends to ignite what he calls "the new progressivism," which he believes is in keeping with RFK's legacy. He still wants to fight and win the War on Poverty. His views are suited for the left-wing of the Democratic Party: some will consider them a return to the failed past; others will think they offer hope for the future. Whatever the case, Edelman is probably correct when he writes that much is up for grabs right now: "This is a time of particular opportunity. The prosperity of recent years, the ensuing surpluses, the increase in local activism, and the effect of the new welfare law in deflating anger at the poor come together to offer opportunity." The question is, in which direction? Edelman has strong opinions on this matter, and he shares them with force and eloquence in these pages. --John J. Miller

Book Description

Peter Edelman has worked as an aide to Robert F. Kennedy, a lawyer, a children's advocate, and a policymaker. He has devoted his life to the cause of justice and to ending inequality. But in 1996, while serving in the Clinton administration as an expert on welfare policy and children, he found himself in an untenable position. The president signed a new welfare bill that ended a sixty-year federal commitment to poor children, and as justification invoked the words of RFK. For Edelman, Clinton's twisting of Kennedy's vision was deeply cynical, so in a rare gesture that sparked front-page coverage in the New York Times and the Washington Post, he resigned from the administration. The nation, he believed, had been harmed.
Drawing on Edelman's vast personal experience with the issues and many of the key figures, SEARCHING FOR AMERICA'S HEART shows that in an age of unprecedented prosperity, Americans have in many respects forsaken their fellow citizens. While we daily break economic records, we have largely given up our vision of social and economic justice, leaving behind a devastatingly large number of poor and near-poor, many of them children. Edelman shines a bright light on these forgotten Americans. Also, based in part on a firsthand look at community efforts across the country, he proposes a bold and practical program for addressing the difficult issues of entrenched poverty. Edelman focuses on novel ways of braiding together national and local civic activism, reinvigorating our commitment to children, and building hope in our most shattered communities.
Surveying the American landscape at the beginning a new presidency and a new Congress, SEARCHING FOR AMERICA'S HEART lays the foundation for a newly conceived politics, a vision true to the legacy of Robert F. Kennedy.

Customer Reviews:

Heartbreaking How Little Ground We Have Covered Since RFK.......2003-04-24

Edelman's book examines the failures Welfare Reform--essentially punishing the poor--and how Bill Clinton co-opted RFK's memory to push his own centrist agenda. This is the kind of book conservatives hate, because it is hard to refute on emotional or straw man grounds.

Unintentionally Funny.......2002-05-13

I got a very few laughs out of this very dreary little tome. "Chapter One - RFK: The Man Who Loved Children" rather unironically resembles hagiographic bios of Uncle Joe and Uncle Adolf, among other leaders who cultivated public images of being friends of the little ones. If you enjoy pious, sentimental and self-congratulatory trips down memory lane, you'll love this book. Otherwise, I'd suggest that you take a pass.

Remembering the forgotten Americans.......2001-09-07

Robert Kennedy had a rare understanding of the poor, and he tried to help those that live in poverty. He understood poverty in terms of individual faces; and not as a nameless mass of people that can be easily grouped together or defined. Often he would go and meet people that lived in desperate conditions of poverty. He cared enough to go to places that other political leaders would avoid. Peter Edelman worked for Robert Kennedy in the years from 1964-1968. He believes that the vision that Robert Kennedy had for America's poor is still very valid today. That vision is presented in "Searching For America's Heart". Kennedy believed in a very broad based effort against poverty that recognized the responsibility of government and all other segments of society; combined together with the vital responsibility of the individual. He believed that there should always be a safety net for those in dire need. He genuinely wanted to help people to have a better life, and to care for their children. That spirit has often been lost in today's world, and millions of Americans, a great number of them children; still live in poverty. Most of the poor are rarely thought about or seen by other people, and it is almost as if they do not exist at all. They are truly the forgotten Americans. But Edelman points out that there is much that we can do that could change this tragic reality, and that we can remember the heart that Robert Kennedy saw in America. That American heart is defined by decency, justice and fairness for all citizens. This book presents the challenge of finding and rekindling that most essential American heart.

A vision true to the spirit and legacy of RFK.......2001-04-19

RFK began to lay the foundations for a newly conceived politics in this country. And indeed now more than ever we need such a bold and practical approach and Edelman, with his vast experience seems to clearly underastand this and pick up where RFk left off. An excellent and important book, particularly when our country has largely forgotten or left behind RFK's vision of great hope and inspiration in our present age of unprecendented prosperity. I would also highly recommend another excellent book "Robert F. Kennedy: A Spiritual Biography" by Konstantin Sidorenko for those who are not already familiar w/ RFK and his life and the politics of the 60s. It is a superb short and vigorous biographyand a good introduction to further reading of one of this country's most complex and fascinating politicians and leader.

ROBERT KENNEDY - RELEVANT TODAY.......2001-04-19

Robert Kennedy remains a central figure in recent history. He had an impressive resume -- mafia prosecutor, Attorney General 1960-1964, Senator 1964-1968 and presidential candidate, 1968.

Edelman contrasts the fiery idealism of the 1960s with the seemingly more jaded approach towards political issues in recent times. To his credit, Edelman treats Robert Kennedy with respect. During his career in public office, Robert Kennedy was the advocate of disenfranchised persons. He encouraged people to work together as a community and seemed to feel that group efforts towards a common goal would ameliorate many societal ills such as poverty and bigotry.

While Edelman praises the late Senator, he appears to take a rather condemnatory posture with President Clinton, whose tenure in office (1992-2000) came some 30 years after the incindiary activism of Robert Kennedy's times. Edelman does not appear to take into account that due to the different issues and questions of the times, the approaches that seemed to work in one era might not work in another. It is just an opinion. Times usually dictate the responses and approaches that are made toward issues. Although Edelman knew both Robert Kennedy and President Clinton, he seems to view them as a study in contrasts. The former was a passionate activist and the latter a jaded politician. Edelman seems to take the position that persons currently in public office take a more opportunistic approach than those who held high public office in the 1960s.

All in all, this is a very well written book that will leave readers thinking about it for a long time.

Average customer rating:
Searching for America's Heart: Rfk and the Renewal of Hope
Peter B. Edelman
Manufacturer: NY
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000MU2TH0

Average customer rating:

A wonderful hagiography!

Good bio

A book revelling the glamours and struggles of a musician

A very complete, very "British" book

The Biography Jacueline du Pre Deserves

Jacqueline Du Pre: Her Life, Her Music, Her Legend
Elizabeth Wilson
Manufacturer: Arcade Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Instrumentalists | Classical | Composers & Musicians | Arts & Literature | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
General | Composers & Musicians | Arts & Literature | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Hilary and Jackie

Jacqueline du Pré: A Biography

Jacqueline du Pre In Portrait

Jacqueline du Pre - Favourite Cello Concertos ~ Boccherini, Dvorak, Elgar, Haydn, Monn, Saint-Saens, Schumann

Jacqueline du Pré - a lasting inspiration

ASIN: 1559705191

Amazon.com

This biography of the cellist Jacqueline du Pré, who died in 1987 after a long struggle against multiple sclerosis, has been written with the full support of her husband, the musician and conductor Daniel Barenboim. At first sight it could be construed as something of a counterweight to books critical of Barenboim written by du Pré's brother and sister--in particular A Genius in the Family. But while Barenboim does present his side of the story--in relation to both du Pré's illness and the strains it put upon their marriage--Elizabeth Wilson has in fact presented a balanced portrait of du Pré not only as a woman but also as an artist. And this is the book's real strength.

Wilson, a cellist herself, knew du Pré in her playing days and has paid as much attention to the music as to the offstage emotional dramas. She burst upon the music scene as a phenomenally talented 16-year-old, and ever since, du Pré's fame and tragic life story have made the task of stripping the myth from the reality no easy task. In fact, Elizabeth Wilson has done a professional job in unraveling du Pré's enigmatic life and legacy, but most of all, she reminds us that du Pré became famous in the first place because of her genius as a musician. --Nick Wroe, Amazon.co.uk

Book Description

' She was beautiful. She was a musical genius. She was married to another prodigious musician, the conductor and pianist Daniel Barenboim. Their fairy-tale marriage turned them into a royal musical couple. In this definitive biography, Elizabeth Wilson, herself a cellist who knew Jacqueline du Pr in her playing days, charts du Pr's meteoric career from her early identification with the cello to the achievement of her stardom by her early twenties, when she became a legend virtually overnight.

For over a decade Jacqueline du Pr performed the cello repertory with all the best symphonic orchestras to standing-room-only houses around the world, and during those years she also recorded the entire cello literature. At the age of twenty-seven, however, Jackie was felled at the height of her career by multiple sclerosis. She died in 1987, leaving behind a rich and extraordinary musical legacy, and renowned as one of the best-loved musicians of the century.

Jackie's unworldly nature and ability to communicate in her playing the full spectrum of human emotions hid a complex personality where dark doubts coexisted with the certainty of her talent. Wilson details Jackie's passionate, tumultuous, complicated relationship with her sister Hilary, depicted in the film Hilary and Jackie. She also examines the origins and nature of Jackie's extraordinary talent, assesses her lasting importance as an interpreter, and concludes her biography with a sensitive account of du Pr's tragic physical decline, when, no longer able to play, Jacqueline struggled bravely against the ravages of her unforgiving illness. Du Pr's glorious career, her valiant fight against hopeless odds, brings additional inspiration to this edifying biography."

Customer Reviews:

A wonderful hagiography!.......2004-09-10

When looking for a biography of Du Pré, I consciously avoided the ill-reputed memoir by her siblings and opted for this "more balanced" account. However, Wilson clearly has as many stakes in her recounting of Du Pré's life as Hilary and Piers du Pré had, and whatever the merits of this book, objectivity is not among them. I guess people who knew their subject personally rarely make good biographers, and in that respect the involvement of Barenboim in this venture is worrisome. Wilson's over-the-top, sustained exaltation almost becomes the verbal equivalent of du Pré's larger-than-life style of playing. But even a performer of this stature can give only one "best ever" concert, not ten or twenty...
There can be no question about du Pré's extraordinary talent and charisma. Her 1965 Elgar disc still stands firm as one of the absolute must-haves of classical recordings. Why can't Wilson let that be enough, why the need to describe her subject as if she were a creature of all-round unearthly perfection? Du Pré has suffered much from the fact that her precocious talent set her apart from "normal" people; Wilson widens the gulf rather than bridging it, thus posthumously compounding the trauma. The fact of the matter is that du Pré was not only an extraordinary musician, but also an ordinary, flesh and blood, and therefore flawed human being.
In Wilson's rendering, however, du Pré is literally flawless. This is most evident in her reporting on less than perfect concert performances. The blame is immediately diverted from the cellist: the instrument was no good; the conductor was unsympathetic; the orchestra was sloppy... When citing some insightful critical reviews of Du Pré's New York debut, rather than using them to add profile to her image, Wilson again jumps into defensive mode, not afraid to draw the embarrassingly feeble conclusion that these 'nit-picking' critics simply weren't able to open up to du Pré's artistry. She won't hesitate either to then go on and tell us why she, Wilson, thinks it was actually a very good performance - as if her personal opinion is of any particular interest to the reader.
Worse, by letting go of objectivity, Wilson ignores the core dilemma of du Pré's playing: the overbearing presence of her personality in it, often overruling the intentions of the composer and sometimes reducing the music, as one reviewer astutely observed, to a mere "plaything". It explains her lack of interest in composers, backgrounds, or scores of the works she played; it may also explain why she chose to spend the tragically brief decade of her musical maturity playing the same, unadventurous handful of works over and over again, rather than exploring (let alone inspiring) new repertoire. She contented herself with works that were apt vehicles for her style of playing and was quick to drop pieces that did not immediately "fit" her (e.g. Shostakovich's First Cello concerto, or the Britten Cello Symphony). Wilson off-handedly explains Du Pré's narrow choice of repertoire with the extraordinary and nonsensical claim that the literature for solo cello is relatively limited. Why, even the father of her brother in law, Gerald Finzi, wrote a wonderful cello concerto she never played.
Insights into the personality and psychology of the cellist are completely absent. How du Pré's personality worked, and why, remains completely unclear. Her refusal to accept real responsibilities, exemplified by the willy-nilly cancellation of concert appointments, suggests a certain immaturity - but Wilson simply files it under "spontaneity". Baffling contradictions abound. Du Pré needed an audience to be able to play, we're told, yet she played exactly the same whether she was in a recording studio or in concert. She remained simple and unassuming, yet was very picky when it came to selecting orchestra's with which she did and didn't want to play. The marriage to Barenboim was heaven itself, nevertheless all of a sudden they are breaking up and both conducting extramarital affairs, dramatic developments that are mentioned by Wilson out-of-the-blue, and as quickly passed over.
By avoiding going into these thorny questions and glossing over du Pré's image, the book quickly becomes repetitive, even boring. We are told ad nauseam how strongly du Pré communicated through her playing, how rich her musical intuitions were, and how everybody instantly fell in love with her. Endless paeans of praise fill page after page. Claims are made that at times stretch credulity: did Muscovites really burst into tears by the dozens at hearing Du Pré play something as innocuous as Haydn's C major concerto? Was she really able to imagine the orchestral accompaniment of the Delius concerto from the solo voice alone at first acquaintance? Or are we crossing the line between biography and mythology?
The breathless adoration unfortunately also goes at the cost of accuracy. The violinist is called Buswell, not Buzwell; Gerald Finzi died in 1956, not 1959; halfway through the Moscow chapter Natalia Gutman suddenly changes into Natasha; - even musical terms are misspelled: we come across things like "spicatto" and "fermato".
By the time Wilson arrives at the harrowing final illness (dispatched very succinctly, by the way), she has put du Pré at such a distance from the reader and humanity in general that it is almost impossible to feel moved at all at this devastating tragedy. I will now be seeking out "A genius in the family", where hopefully Jackie will reemerge as a human being.

Good bio.......2001-07-17

Jacqueline du Pré was a child prodigy on the cello. She made her debut at the age of 16, having been held back by her mother and cello teacher. But once she hit the stage - she became an international star. Her playing was so interpretive that she was often criticized for detracting from the music. However, she also influenced many notable classical musicians of our time with her fervent interpretations of the cello repetoire. Her career as a cellist, however, was short-lived as, at the age of 27, she was diagnosed with MS. Her cheerful demeanor and courageous outlook on life is chronicled here, as are most of her performances.

This biography, while some times reading like a discography of Jacqueline du Pré is a very biased toward du Pré's husband's point of view, but much more even-handed about du Pré than Hilary and Jackie. However, Elizabeth Wilson is herself a cellist and student of du Pré and she makes a lot of assumptions that the reader will also have a thorough understanding of certain musical terminology such as up or down bow or glissando. This is an interesting book, but may be terdious to anyone who does not have a thorough grounding in the cello repetoire, classical music or the playing of a stringed instrument.

A book revelling the glamours and struggles of a musician.......2001-02-08

A sensitive book on the life of Du Pre as a musician and a person. This book contains detail reviews of Du Pre's playing in concerts. The readers will be Wilson also tell us about her life and struggles apart from her performing life. Good balance biography.

A very complete, very "British" book.......2001-01-21

Du Pre-philes are going to be flush with pleasure after reading this. It's a scholarly work that seemingly pins down every concert that Du Pre ever played, often with mini-reviews of the performances. It's far preferable to the trashy "Hilary and Jackie" and does far better service to Du Pre's life and art. Thankfully, the ending segments dealing with Du Pre's illness are short and to the point.

American readers should be aware that this is a VERY "British" book. Wilson uses British spelling and grammar throughout, and assumes a knowledge of the local geography. Like many British writers, Wilson has a charming ignorance of America, and even goes as far as to "correct" our spelling - "The Lincoln Centre (sic)", "Pittsburg (sic)", "The Carnegie Hall (sic)". On page 300, a truck stop in the Midwest is hilariously referred to as a "highway transport cafe."

Recommended for Du Pre's many fans.

The Biography Jacueline du Pre Deserves.......2000-01-15

Elizabeth Wilson knew Jacueline du Pre and while such a relationship may not produce a good biography, this is an excellent one. This book is much needed, particularly following the film "Hilary and Jackie." This book answers all the questions about Ms. du Pre and gives us clear insight into who she was and how she came to be the woman who was unquestionably one of the great instrumentalists of the 20th century. I found myself reading this book and listening to recordings of Ms. du Pre play; an unbeatable combination.

Book Description

Many people think of the death camps when they think of the Holocaust. However, for many thousands of Jews, the Holocaust was in their towns and in the fields, the hills, and on the riverbanks.

Customer Reviews:

Emotional and riveting..........2005-08-09

With so much information on the horrors inflicted during the Holocaust available, it takes a small persoanl story like this one to touch the reader's emotions. To see events unfold through the eyes of the author - experiencing her pain and hope, courage, disappontments and strength - was wrenching and breathtaking. Katz's finely written story left me in awe of the family's will to survive. It makes you question your own humanity and wonder whether you would have had the strength to go on, as she did. Everyone should read this book!

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