Wolves of the Calla (The Dark Tower, Book 5)

Book Description

Set in a world of extraordinary circumstances, filled with stunning visual imagery and unforgettable characters, the DARK TOWER series is unlike anything you have ever read.

Here is the fifth installment, "one of the strongest entries yet in what will surely be a master storyteller's magnum opus" (Locus).

Roland Deschain and his ka-tet are bearing southeast through the forests of Mid-World on their quest for the Dark Tower. Their path takes them to the outskirts of Calla Bryn Sturgis. But beyond the tranquil farm town, the ground rises to the hulking darkness of Thunderclap, the source of a terrible affliction that is stealing the town's soul. The wolves of Thunderclap and their unspeakable depredation are coming. To resist them is to risk all, but these are odds the gunslingers are used to. Their guns, however, will not be enough....

Download Description

"Roland Deschain and his ka-tet are bearing southeast through the forests of Mid-World, the almost timeless landscape that seems to stretch from the wreckage of civility that defined Roland's youth to the crimson chaos that seems the future's only promise. Readers of Stephen King's epic series know Roland well, or as well as this enigmatic hero can be known. They also know the companions who have been drawn to his quest for the Dark Tower: Eddie Dean and his wife, Susannah; Jake Chambers, the boy who has come twice through the doorway of death into Roland's world; and Oy, the Billy-Bumbler. In this long-awaited fifth novel in the saga, their path takes them to the outskirts of Calla Bryn Sturgis, a tranquil valley community of farmers and ranchers on Mid-World's borderlands. Beyond the town, the rocky ground rises toward the hulking darkness of Thunderclap, the source of a terrible affliction that is slowly stealing the community's soul. One of the town's residents is Pere Callahan, a ruined priest who, like Susannah, Eddie, and Jake, passed through one of the portals that lead both into and out of Roland's world. As Father Callahan tells the ka-tet the astonishing story of what happened following his shamed departure from Maine in 1977, his connection to the Dark Tower becomes clear, as does the danger facing a single red rose in a vacant lot off Second Avenue in midtown Manhattan. For Calla Bryn Sturgis, danger gathers in the east like a storm cloud. The Wolves of Thunderclap and their unspeakable depredation are coming. To resist them is to risk all, but these are odds the gunslingers are used to, and they can give the Calla-folken both courage and cunning. Their guns, however, will not be enough. "

Customer Reviews:

A Must Read Series.......2007-10-09

Roland is the last living member of a knightly order known as gunslingers. The world he lives in is quite different from our own, yet it bears striking similarities to it. Politically organized along the lines of a feudal society, it shares technological and social characteristics with the American Old West, as well as bearing magical powers and the relics of a highly advanced, but long vanished, society. Roland's quest is to find the Dark Tower, a fabled building said to either be, or be located at, the nexus of all universes. Roland's world is said to have "moved on," and indeed it appears to be coming apart at the seams -- mighty nations are being torn apart by war, entire cities and regions vanish from the face of the earth without a trace, time does not flow in an orderly fashion; even the sun sometimes rises in the north and sets in the east. As the series opens, Roland's motives, goals, and even his age are unclear, though later installments shed light on these mysteries.

This series was mostly inspired by the epic poem "Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came" by Robert Browning, the full text of which was included in an appendix to the final volume. In the preface to the revised 2003 edition of The Gunslinger, King also identifies The Lord of the Rings, the Arthurian Legend, and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly as inspirations. He identifies Clint Eastwood's "Man with No Name" character as one of the major inspirations for Roland. King's style of location names in the series, such as Mid-World, and his development of a unique language abstract to our own, are also influenced by J. R. R. Tolkien's work.

The Dark Tower is often described in the novels as a real structure, and also as a metaphor. Part of Roland's fictional quest lies in discovering the true nature of the Tower. The series incorporates themes from multiple genres, including fantasy fiction, science fantasy, horror, and western elements. King has described the series as his magnum opus; beside the seven novels that comprise the series proper, many of his other books are related to the story, introducing concepts and characters that come into play as the series progresses.

Epic storytelling and more.......2007-09-05

With the Dark Tower series Stephen King has managed to combine an epic fantasy quest with classic Old Westerns, a bit of gothic horror, and urban fantasy thrown in for good measure. What you get from this mix is a series destined to be a classic.

Roland the gunslinger from Gilead and his ka-tet, having survived a giant mechanical bear and other evils in Wizard and Glass, stumble upon the small town of Calla Bryn Surgis. Once in a generation this town with an unusually large number of twins, must give up half of its children to "the Wolves" who take them to the dark land of Thunderclap for a few days and send them back as raving idiots who eventually grow into giants and die in their thirties. Just like the little Mexican town in the classic Western the farmers of this small community ask the traveling gunslingers to help them fight off the bad guys, but this is no ordinary Western.

King has his heroes traveling back and forth to 1970s New York on their quest to save the rose that is the Dark Tower, too, fighting bad guys along the way and discovering the bizarre connections between his world and ours. Also, thrown into the mix is the disgraced Father Callahan of 'Salem's Lot, Maine who just happens to be the local priest in the Calla. Add to that Susannah, a recovering schizophrenic member of the ka-tet, who is carrying something unspeakable in her womb, a robot named Andy who serves the farmers of the Calla by carrying messages and telling horoscopes, and you've got the most unusual adventure story to come out in years.

Amid all this King spins out a story that is both compelling and homey somehow. I felt like I was listening to him tell it by a campfire on a crisp autumn night. Even if you are not normally a Stephen King fan b/c you don't read horror fiction give this book, and this series a try. Fantasy and Sci-fi fans will especially love it.

Beware if you are offended by violence and language. It is not the worst out there, but this is adult stuff.

The Dark Tower series went from classic to rubbish in this entry. .......2007-08-31

I love the first four books in this series, but when this crappy follow-up came out, I found that it sucks hard. The story is stupid and the writing is lame. Its garbage. Ignore this rubbish and stick with Dark Tower Novels 1-4.

Stephen the king.......2007-08-29

I admire Stephen Kings work. He is one of the few writers out there, who actually gets better with every book he writes. The Dark Tower series, I feel is quite simply Kings quintessential story, his master piece.

It has taken him most of his adult life to write his tale of the 'The Gun Slinger', but my wasn't it worth the wait. I fully recommend this book, most people who are considering this book, I imagine will already be fans of the series, and you will not be disappointed! For those who are new to Roland's tale, what are you waiting for, 'The Tower' awaits......

Stephen King Dark Tower Series.......2007-07-25

tThis book arrived in a timely in excellant condition, and packaged very good. I was pleased with all

Average customer rating:

One girl's story....
Awareness
WOW
Moving and touched close to home
OH, THOSE TERRIBLE 50S-60S!!

Without a Map: A Memoir
Meredith Hall
Manufacturer: Beacon Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Women | Specific Groups | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0807072737

Book Description

Meredith Hall's moving but unsentimental memoir begins in 1965, when she becomes pregnant at sixteen. Shunned by her insular New Hampshire community, she is then kicked out of the house by her mother. Her father and stepmother reluctantly take her in, hiding her before they finally banish her altogether. After giving her baby up for adoption, Hall wanders recklessly through the Middle East, where she survives by selling her possessions and finally her blood. She returns to New England and stitches together a life that encircles her silenced and invisible grief. When he is twenty-one, her lost son finds her. Hall learns that he grew up in gritty poverty with an abusive fatherâin her own father's hometown. Their reunion is tender, turbulent, and ultimately redemptive. Hall's parents never ask for her forgiveness, yet as they age, she offers them her love. What sets Without a Map apart is the way in which loss and betrayal evolve into compassion, and compassion into wisdom.

"Meredith Hall boldly charts one of the bravest of stories, the journey from disrupted youth up through that most tricky and forbidding territory, the family circle. Bone-honest and strong in its every line, this work of memory is a remarkably deep retrieval of its times and souls, thereby reflecting our own."
âIvan Doig, author of Heart Earth

"This is an unusually elegant memoir that feels as though its been carved straight out of Meredith Hall's capacious heart. The story is riveting, the words perfect. It is rare to read a work that manages to be at once artful and compelling, which for me best describes Meredith Hall's debut work. She is an author who deserves to be widely read. Few people write like this. Fewer still have the courage to live like this – without the comfort of any clichÃ©."
âLauren Slater, author of Opening Skinner's Box, Prozac Diary, and Welcome to My Country

"Meredith Hall's long journey from an inexcusably betrayed girlhood to the bittersweet mercies of womanhood is a triple triumphâof survival; of narration; and of forgiveness. Her portrait of her own empty bravado collapsing into total psychological and geographical dislocation is one of the most harrowing passages I've ever read. The subsequent turn toward memory and honesty is agonized, profound, and salvific. Without a Map is a masterpiece."
âDavid James Duncan, author of The Brothers K and God Laughs and Plays

"Meredith Hall is like a geiger counter ticking along the radium edge of these recent decades. She gives us self as expert-witnessâWithout a Map is smart, sharp, and redemptively honest. "
âSven Birkerts, author of The Gutenberg Elegies and My Sky Blue Trades

"Meredith Hall's story of loss, shame, and betrayal is also a story of joy, reconnection, and survival; each memory takes us deep to the marrow of sorrow and celebration. A work of extraordinary beauty and grace."
âKim Barnes, author of In the Wilderness: Coming of Age in Unknown Country

"Without A Map tells an important and perceptive story about loss, about aloneness and isolation in a time of great need, about a life slowly coming back into focus and the calm that finally emerges. Meredith Hall is a brave new writer who earns our attention."
âAnnie Dillard, author of Pilgrim at Tinker Creek

"Think for a moment of Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale, of banishment, reconciliation, redemption, and you'll get the scope of Without a Map, the new memoir by Meredith Hall . . . An extraordinary tale, made all the more moving by Hall's unsentimental prose and ample heart."
âgettrio.com

"a compelling, painful, hopeful story." âmore.com

"Meredith Hall's magnificent book held me in its thrall from the moment I began reading the opening pages. WITHOUT A MAP is a fluid, beautifully-written, hard-won piece of work that belongs on the shelf next to the best modern memoirs, and yet is in a category all its own. It is a moving example of a difficult life redeemed first through examination, then reflection, then finallyâlike a rough stone polished until it gleamsâinto a genuine work of art."
âDani Shapiro, author of Family History

"Hall, a brave and graceful writer who teaches at UNH, examines her life with wide open eyes and an equally open heart. Even as she wrestles with the grief of many lossesâher child, her parents' love and respect, her standing in her community, her identityâshe demonstrates the writer's gift of separating from her own experiences, establishing an objectivity that allows her to make meaning for herself and readers."
âRebecca Rule, Nashua Telegraph

"Open adoptions and connections between birth mothers and their children were not the way of life for a young girl who got pregnant in the '60s. Meredith Hall, in her beautifully written, poignant memoir, tells us what life was like for a naive girl who found herself pregnant and abandoned by her mother and father. This is a tale of loss, of endless traveling in search of an intangible something, and, ultimately, of forgiveness."
âGayle Shanks, Changing Hands Bookstore, Tempe, AZ

"Hall's sensitive, honest account of her personal odyssey shows one remarkable woman transcending this trauma to become a better, stronger person."
âWendy Smith, AARP The Magazine

"Hall's life, as depicted in this memoir, was nothing if not two thingsâdifficult and fascinating. With no family, friends or other support system, she took her life into her own hands at an early, tender age, and she fell quite far before finally rising up. The reader gets the benefit of her trials, a gritty view of the world from America to Europe to the Middle East."
âINtake Weekly

"Without a Map tells a stunning story of exile and ostracization. Meredith grew up on the seacoast of New Hampshire and became pregnant at age 16, in 1965. Her memoir is a rare and clear glimpse into the social mores of the mid 60's, and reveals the state of shame many families faced when an unmarried daughter became pregnant."
âLiz Bulkley, Host of "The Front Porch," NH Public Radio

"Appalling and infuriating, yet uplifting and inspiring, Without A Map pulls you into Hall's personal experience of sudden rejection and expulsion from her only sources of sustenance and connection. As an adoptive parent I cried and cheered for her through her exile and return to a very different home. Meredith Hall is a hero of awesome courage and eloquence."
âFrank Kramer, Harvard Book Store, Cambridge, MA

"[Without a Map] is a searing memoir about loss, betrayal, love and, in some measure, reconciliation. It has already brought Hall a celebrity that surprises her: stories in People, Oprah and Elle, an interview on National Public Radio, brisk sales in a crowded marketplace. It is on the extended New York Times bestseller list. What is arresting about this memoir is the world it reveals."
âMike Pride, Concord Monitor

"Without a Map, is so well written that it was hard for me to accept that the book had to end."
âTina Ristau, The Des Moines Register

"Painfully honest and beautifully writtenâ¦Meredith Hall has managed to distill courage from raw pain, and then somehow write this gem of a book about the experienceâ¦A stunning bookâ¦You must read it."
âLola Furber, Maine Women's Journal

"Fans of Jeannette Walls' The Glass Castle should take note of Meredith Hall's memoir, heartbreaking and ultimately heartwarming..."
âMary Cotton, owner of Newtonville Books, Newton TAB

Customer Reviews:

One girl's story...........2007-09-24

Meredith Hall's memoir is one girl's story of unplanned pregnancy (and its aftermath), told and retold over the generations. A cautionary tale here for young women--one brief lapse in judgement can ripple through the rest of one's life, the awful price paid over and over and over again. I appreciated Ms. Hall's willingness to share her painful story, although much was left out that would have helped frame things more clearly for the reader, i.e. how her placement of a child for adoption affected her marriage (was there one?), did it affect her second and third pregnancies, etc. For further reading about the adoption process pre-1970's, check out the excellent "The Girls Who Went Away."

Awareness.......2007-09-23

What I enjoyed the most about this book was the awareness that it brings. America has painted a fairy-tale image of adoption, and this book reveals the fact that not all children are given a "better life" with another family. Meredy's son was one of those people. Forced to give him up at the age of 17, Meredy, like many birth mothers of this time, wasn't given much detail about where her baby ended up. It was portrayed to her that he was given to a good home in Virginia. Instead, the truth (that would come out over 20 years later) was that he was given to an abusive family just a mile away from her father's home.

Hall is an excellent writer. The way this story is written makes you feel as though you are living in the times and culture that the author faced. It is unfortunate that her parents' lack of guidance contributed to the situation that she faced. Instead of facing the responsibility they in turn rejected her just as harshly as her child was taken from her.

It is a sad, emotional story marked by an ending of peace and reconcile and forgiveness for the family that did not provide a better childhood for her son.

WOW.......2007-09-19

I thought the beginning was good. But then the book just got better and better. It was much more than expected, unfortunately for Ms. Hall. All I can say, is WOW!

Moving and touched close to home.......2007-09-19

This book changed her life forever. With no choice on whether to relinquish her baby for adoption, she was left with an indescribable emptiness that could not be filled. It was a heartfelt book written with painful honesty and love. It is a book that was hard to put down.

OH, THOSE TERRIBLE 50S-60S!!.......2007-09-19

When I was reading this book about Meredith Hall growing up in the 50s and 60s, and suddenly faced with pregnancy at age 16, her pain and confusion and utter despair were palpable to me! I had to stop several times to cry..... In places, it was almost unbearably sad. She was so naive, and her parents were so wrapped up in their own lives as to be uninterested in her or any growing-up, adolescent problems she might have. I know, because I grew up at the same time, in the same circumstances. I knew girls who got pregnant at a very young age, and whether they kept their babies or gave them up for adoption (abortion was not an option then), their lives were never the same, and they carried a painful, heavy burden. Some still do.

In this book, however, something happens in the writing that causes it to lose veracity. Maybe because it was not written as a book, but rather chapters were written for other publications and then everything was put together to form this book. For whatever reason, it began to feel like a lot of short pieces strung together. There are lots of unanswered questions at the end of the book. Such as, who is the father of the two sons that she was able to keep? Whatever became of the father of her first baby? It appears she currently lives on a farm of sorts, yet teaches writing in a university, none of which is ever touched upon. Why has she become so self-indulgent after a lifetime of never, ever being able to speak up for herself? Something doesn't ring ture with the last third of the book.

Be that as it may, it does stand as a testament to the girls who became pregnant in those days. All choices were terrible! And I never knew, or heard about, any parent or any adult having any understanding or empathy for these girls, let alone trying to help them through the pregnancy or help them get on with their lives after the pregnancy. Never! And that is a very sad testament to the kinds of parents who were raising children in the 50s and 60s. Very sad.

I am glad that the author's life has worked out so well. I am sorry that she felt she had to include the chapter on killing the chickens, because I think that's where she lost me. She and her young sons had named them. Then she killed them with her bare hands. And then she laid them out for her sons to see. Terrible! It took a while for me to get that picture out of my mind..... during which time I had to put the book down and go on to something else. And when I got back to this book, it was hard to care as much. And I had just finished reading the delightful LITTLE HEATHENS by Mildred Kalish and she writes a lot about killing chickens and such goings on on her farm in the 30s and 40s, but never as tasteless and crass as the description in this book.

I wanted to love this book all the way through, but sadly I couldn't. However, I am giving it 4 stars because the first part of the book is so powerful.

Average customer rating:

What A Good Book, but I give another recomendation
King Blazes Old Trails
A Blaze from the past
A good melodrama
Blaze, we hardly knew ye

Blaze: A Novel
Richard Bachman
Manufacturer: Scribner
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

Suspense | Thrillers | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

General | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Fiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Mystery & Thriller Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 141655484X
Release Date: 2007-06-12

Book Description

The last of the Richard Bachman novels, recently recovered and published for the first time. Stephen King's "dark half" may have saved the best for last.

A fellow named Richard Bachman wrote Blaze in 1973 on an Olivetti typewriter, then turned the machine over to Stephen King, who used it to write Carrie. Bachman died in 1985 ("cancer of the pseudonym"), but in late 2006 King found the original typescript of Blaze among his papers at the University of Maine's Fogler Library ("How did this get here?!"), and decided that with a little revision it ought to be published.

Blaze is the story of Clayton Blaisdell, Jr. -- of the crimes committed against him and the crimes he commits, including his last, the kidnapping of a baby heir worth millions. Blaze has been a slow thinker since childhood, when his father threw him down the stairs -- and then threw him down again. After escaping an abusive institution for boys when he was a teenager, Blaze hooks up with George, a seasoned criminal who thinks he has all the answers. But then George is killed, and Blaze, though haunted by his partner, is on his own.

He becomes one of the most sympathetic criminals in all of literature. This is a crime story of surprising strength and sadness, with a suspenseful current sustained by the classic workings of fate and character -- as taut and riveting as Stephen King's The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon.

Customer Reviews:

What A Good Book, but I give another recomendation.......2007-10-16

This is a great book, but I must say that everyone who liked this novel needs to go check out Detained Differences by J. Robert Rowe. You will love that book! I think even those that didnt like this novel will love that one! Detained Differences is extremely action packed!

King Blazes Old Trails.......2007-10-10

King (aka Bachman) agains provides a masterful tale. With King, the story, not the ending, is the focus (the joy is in the journey not the destination). Blaze is no different. It is wonderfully told and then just sort of ends. While not a "traditional" horror story, Blaze has a nice rough edge to it that will satisfy both mystery and horror story lovers.

A Blaze from the past.......2007-10-08

Blaze is a man whose appearance and intelligence were forever altered during his childhood by a violent and drunken father. Although a gentle and tender man, Blaze is a con artist, mostly due to the influence of George, a swindler, and someone he admires and trusts. George's death does not alter Blaze's dependence on George. He continues to hear George's voice instructing him to complete a con that they had discussed prior to George's death. Kidnapping for ransom is the idea, but, when Blaze falls in love with his tiny victim, the scenario changes.

Once again, King creates characters we care about. Even the tiny baby has a vivid personality! Settings are clear and alive, brimming with action. Although I don't consider this to be as good as King's more recent novels, I am glad he revived Blaze. The little twist at the ending of the story is unforgettable.

A good melodrama.......2007-10-04

In "Blaze", a hulking criminal drifter nicknamed Blaze follows through on his late partner's plan of kidnapping the son of a very wealthy couple for the ransom. Blaze is very mentally challenged thanks to his father's beatings so he makes mistakes that quickly put the police on to his trail. He is, however, bright enough to keep the child safe and develop a bond with the tyke. Oh, there is one other bit of troubling news; Blaze still talks to his dead partner, George.

Everyone in the world knows by now that Richard Bachman is actually Stephen King. He pulls Bachman out when he wants to write a Jim Thompson style crime thriller or something else that would be outside the norm for Stephen King. "Blaze" is a novel that has been around for awhile. King always felt it just wasn't good enough so it was never published before now. Now, however, he finds it may be interesting as nostalgia, and it is. It's also interesting to see King developing his early skills.

As a story it is Ok, a reworking of the Lindbergh kidnapping by way of "Of Mice and Men". If you're expecting something along the lines of "The Shining" or "Pet Semetary" than this isn't for you. It is a study of a basiclly good person driven to the unspeakable by the horrors of parental abuse and the neglect of the state orphanage system.

As a character I guess Blaze dose OK, I liked him and, although the conclusion is a predictable, he is still a likeable loser, even if he isn't the huggable kind. He has a violent temper that is best not to arouse. Aside from him there really isn't any other characters. There is George (a bully who could control Blaze) that is refered to constantly, but he is a figment of Blaze's imagination. There is John from the orphanage, and he is also likable. One wished better for him.

It is a good book, but more of a curiosity than anything else.

Blaze, we hardly knew ye.......2007-10-04

I truly wasn't expecting to enjoy this book as much as I did. This is probably the first Stephen King book in years where I wasn't aware of its existence until I received it in the mail. With such little fanfare, I wasn't really expecting to enjoy this at all but was surprised to find that not only did I enjoy it very much, it was actually quite moving.

Definitely worth a read as the story of Clayton "Blaze" Blaisdell Jr. was a very simple, yet touching tale of a dim-witted grunt of a man who decides to follow through with a kidnapping plot that his deceased partner began to set up with him before his death. What follows is an intensely readable tale that ends just like you might think it will but leaves you satisfied.

I'd recommend this book to any King fan and anyone who is curious about King's more grounded, less fantastical side.

Average customer rating:

A classic for a reason
A little long...
great story
Blueberries for Everyone!
Blueberries For Sal

Blueberries for Sal
Robert McCloskey
Manufacturer: Viking Juvenile
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Humorous | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

Staff Favorites | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Baby-3 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0670175919

Amazon.com

Kuplink, kuplank, kuplunk go the blueberries into the pail of a little girl named Sal who--try as she might--just can't seem to pick as fast as she eats. Robert McCloskey's classic is a magical tale of the irrepressible curiosity--not to mention appetite--of youth. Sal and her mother set off in search of blueberries for the winter at the same time as a mother bear and her cub. A quiet comedy of errors ensues when the young ones wander off and absentmindedly trail the wrong mothers.

Blueberries for Sal--with its gentle animals, funny noises, and youthful spirit of adventure--is perfect for reading aloud. The endearing illustrations, rendered in dark, blueberry-stain blue, will leave you craving a fresh pail of your own. (Picture book)

Customer Reviews:

A classic for a reason.......2007-08-23

A wonderful book that depicts Sal and her mother's adventure on blueberry hill. Beautifully written and fun to read, my kids have deemed it one of their all-time favorites!

A little long..........2007-08-15

While I love the story, the simple illustrations and the theme, I think it is somewhat longer than it needs to be. My two year old tends to agree and begins squirming to get another book before we finish the story.

great story.......2007-08-14

A cute little story with a little suspense. About a girl and her mother, a bear and her mother on a mountainside all collecting blueberries. A little long for young children (1-3) but will be a nice bedtime story later on.

Blueberries for Everyone!.......2007-08-07

Blueberries for Sal is one of the best children's books available today. Ranking right up there with Dr. Seuss and Frog and Toad Are Friends, the illustrations and writing in this wonderful story make a special time out of story time.

Sal sneaks some berries out of Mom's bucket, and then wanders off for a nap. Waking up, she follows "Mom" pushing through the underbrush...who turns out to be a kindly Mother Bear. Little Bear, meanwhile, has done the same...ending up following Sal's Mom!

Sorting out the children and Moms, with both families leaving full of blueberries, helps us all to understand just how alike we are -- all beings who inhabit this lovely earth.

Told with humor and great illustrations, this is an excellent gift in hardback for the new baby, or for any child's birthday or going-away gift, ages 1-10. Highly recommended. I've read this book to my children probably 35 times over the years, and I look forward to reading it to my grandchildren as well.

Blueberries For Sal.......2007-05-14

This is a timeless book for children that all enjoy. What a delightful story! My children and now my grandchildren love this wonderful story of two youngsters getting mixed up on Blueberry Hill.

Average customer rating:

Review
Wanted more of an autobiography
Intriguing,surprising insights about foucs & tenacity
The Women Who Raised Me
A wonderful book

The Women Who Raised Me: A Memoir
Victoria Rowell
Manufacturer: William Morrow
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Actors & Actresses | Arts & Literature | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Entertainers | Arts & Literature | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

African-American & Black | Ethnic & National | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Ethnic & National | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Women | Specific Groups | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Performing Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 006124659X
Release Date: 2007-04-10

Book Description

The story of a remarkable woman's rise out of the foster-care system to attain the American dream—and of the unlikely series of women who lifted her up in marvelous and distinctive ways

Born as a ward of the state of Maine—the child of an unmarried Yankee blueblood mother and an unknown black father—Victoria Rowell beat the odds. Unlike so many other children who fall through the cracks of our overburdened foster-care system, her experience was nothing short of miraculous, thanks to several extraordinary women who stepped forward to love, nurture, guide, teach, and challenge her to become the accomplished actress, philanthropist, and mother that she is today.

Rowell spent her first weeks of life as a boarder infant before being placed with a Caucasian foster family. Although her stay lasted for only two years, at this critical stage Rowell was given a foundation of love by the first of what would be an amazing array of women, each of whom presented herself for different purposes at every dramatic turn of Rowell's life.

In this deeply touching memoir, Rowell pays tribute to her personal champions: the mothers, grandmothers, aunts, mentors, teachers, and sisters who each have fascinating stories to tell. Among them are Agatha Armstead, Rowell's longest-term foster mother, a black Bostonian on whose rural Maine farm Rowell's fire to reach for greatness was lit; Esther Brooks, a Paris-trained prima ballerina, Rowell's first mentor at the Cambridge School of Ballet; Rosa Turner, a Boston inner-city fosterer who taught Rowell lessons of independence; Sylvia Silverman, a mother and teacher whose home in a well-kept middle-class suburban neighborhood prepared Rowell for her transition out of foster care and into New York City's wild worlds of ballet and acting and adulthood.

In spite of support from individuals and agencies, Rowell nonetheless carried the burden of loneliness and anxiety, common to most foster children, particularly those "orphans of the living" who are never adopted. Heroically overcoming those obstacles, Rowell also reaches a moment when she can embrace her biological mother, Dorothy, and, most important, accept herself.

Ultimately, The Women Who Raised Me is a story that belongs to each of us as it shines a glowing light on the transformational power of mentoring, love, art, and womanhood.

Customer Reviews:

Review.......2007-09-07

This was a well written book. The author gives a heartfelt account of her life in foster care. She begins her story as a small child in rural Maine and concludes as an adult actress in Hollywood. This is a great book that deals with foster care, mental illness, achievements, and adversity in a young woman's life.

Wanted more of an autobiography.......2007-08-16

I know the title says the women who raised me, but I really wanted to read more about how she got into acting, what it was like to be on the young and the restless and work with dick van dyke. She spends many chapters about her ballet years, but doesnt mention what it was like to get into tv acting, which is really her career, not ballet. She is known for being a TV star. She did a great deal of research into her families/friends - I think too much. I had to skip many many pages because it got boring. She mentions her marriage, but never talks about getting divorced. I never knew if she married Wynton or not, had to look it up on the net. She doesn't get into her relationships with men much or her children. I got the impression Wynton was raising her son? but who knows. She seems very multi talented though and it was great that she put so much time into writing a book in addition to her other charities/career.

Intriguing,surprising insights about foucs & tenacity.......2007-08-10

This is an exceptionally touching journey through the life of a foster child that was exposed to a number of phenomenal women.

All their lives were woven together beautifully by the author [Rowell]and revealed that despite backgrounds that were so different, these women all exhibited determined, giving spirits through their own talents.

A must read!!

The Women Who Raised Me.......2007-07-28

A very touching story , well written and informative. So sad at times. I loved that there were pictures of these incredible women to put faces on the heroes! Inspiring too, that with love and guidance, our children can thrive in difficult life situations.
As a grandmother to a mixed race child, very distubing also, that we still have so far to go in the US.

A wonderful book.......2007-07-01

I could not put down Ms. Rowell's life journey. I knew very little about her, only that she was an actress in a soap opera. She is an incredibly strong woman. I have great admiration for her. She could so easily have turned her back on her painful past and distanced herself from orphans; but she chose not to. She embraces her birth mother and all who assisted her.

Dead and Berried: A Gray Whale Inn Mystery (Gray Whale Inn Mysteries)

Average customer rating:

Not as good as the first
What a fabulous series !
Dead and Berried
No Rest for the Residence on Cranberry Island
An excellent second episode in this mystery series

Dead and Berried: A Gray Whale Inn Mystery (Gray Whale Inn Mysteries)
Karen MacInerney
Manufacturer: MIDNIGHT INK
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Women Sleuths | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

General | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Mystery & Thriller Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 073870914X

Book Description

In this delicious follow-up to Murder on the Rocks, developers have returned to Cranberry Island. This time, they're planning to wipe out a natural cranberry bog, along with the island's namesake berries, to build a luxury subdivision. Natalie Barnes isn't sweet on the idea of commercial interests souring their cozy oasis, but the single innkeeper has other problems on her plate: a withering relationship with her best friend Charlene, the sudden appearance of her ex-fiancé with a tempting proposal, and eerie bumps in the night suggesting the Gray Whale Inn is haunted. Worst of all, there's a killer on the loose, picking off people like ripe fruit. When Charlene's lover-the handsome chaplain with a stake in the development- is stabbed to death, Natalie promises to find the murderer for her griefstricken friend, who's also the number-one suspect.

Customer Reviews:

Not as good as the first.......2007-10-16

I enjoyed the first book in this series (Murder on the Rocks) very much. This second offering does a great job of giving more background on the Cranberry Island residents and Natalie herself but the mystery itself falls flat. While the author throws around a lot of suspicion, the outcome itself seems quite random.

Its hard to say more without giving too much away (I hate reviews that do that) so I'll finish by saying I would recommend this if you really liked the first one and that I would read a third one if the author chooses to keep the series going.

What a fabulous series !.......2007-09-05

I stumbled across the previous (and first) book in the "Gray Whale Inn" series -- "Murder on the Rocks" -- when looking at my Amazon recommendations. It looked so incredibly good, that I immediately picked up that book as well as this one (the second in the series). What a hit !!! Amazon didn't steer me wrong.

If you love cozy mysteries, you'll love this one ! I think it is one of the most well-done series I have read in awhile and I compare it to Cleo Coyle's Coffeehouse mysteries. The location of Cranberry Island, Maine is what really makes the book. The writing is so descriptive that I expected to see the coast of Maine outside my window when a stopped reading for a moment. The descriptions of the setting are so intriging that I actually spent some time looking on Google for information on the Cranberry Islands --- I was that fascinated!

If you love a good mystery --- If you love the coast of Maine ---- If you love B&B's ----- this series is for you !!!!

Dead and Berried.......2007-07-03

This was a great read .. Am looking forward to more book's by this author .

No Rest for the Residence on Cranberry Island.......2007-05-22

Natalie Barnes is facing the beginnings of the off season. With few bookings at her bed and breakfast over the winter months, she's hoping to make ends meet. But that soon becomes the least of her worries. A stranger noise is waking her up in the middle of the night. Is her inn haunted? Her ex-fiancee has shown up as a guest, wanting another chance at making their relationship work.

But more troubling is the death of Polly Sarkes. Polly had lived on the island her entire life and helped with the laundry at the Gray Whale Inn. When she appears to vanish, Natalie goes to her house and finds her dead, an apparent suicide. At least that's what the sheriff quickly rules it, but Natalie isn't so sure. Her friend had too much life. Beside, she was in the middle of packing a suitcase. Natalie quickly learns that Polly was the only hold out in a deal to sell some land for a new development. Was that the motive for her murder?

I enjoyed the first in this series, so I was looking forward to this one. I was glad to join these characters again. After two books, they already feel like old friends. And the recipes at the back sound wonderful again.

On the whole, the plot was great with plenty of twists that kept me turning pages. I do have a couple complaints about it, however. Murder related to development on the island was the plot of book number one. I was disappointed to see that play such a prominent part of this book. Additionally, the ending, while satisfying, was rushed.

These complaints weren't enough to keep me from enjoying the book, however. I'm already booking my next stay at the Gray Whale Inn.

An excellent second episode in this mystery series.......2007-03-21

When Natalie Barnes' laundress doesn't show up for work, the island innkeeper goes to Polly's house to investigate ... and finds the woman lying in the nearby cranberry bog. And that's just the beginning of a busy time for Natalie, who spends the next few days trying to prove that Polly's death was murder, not suicide. When the new Episcopalian priest is killed as well, Natalie not only tries to figure out the connection but also winds up being a prime suspect. A series of follow-up mishaps have Natalie believing the local rumors about her home being haunted by the ghost of a previously-murdered woman. And in the midst of it all, her ex-fiance from Texas shows up with a new marriage proposal, even as he outwardly flirts with a blonde and buxom bed-and-breakfast guest. How will it all end? Who knew life on a small island off the coast of Maine could be so hectic and fraught with danger?

Ms. MacInerney has given us an excellent sequel to the first Gray Whale Inn mystery. We hope for many more!

Murder on the Rocks: A Gray Whale Inn Mystery (Gray Whale Inn Mysteries)

Average customer rating:

Delighted
Simply Awful.
The Best Food Mystery Ever!!!!
Needs some work
Cranberries and Whales

Murder on the Rocks: A Gray Whale Inn Mystery (Gray Whale Inn Mysteries)
Karen MacInerney
Manufacturer: MIDNIGHT INK
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Series | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

Women Sleuths | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

General | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0738709085

Book Description

Trading Texas heat for Maine's tangy salt air, Natalie Barnes risked it all to buy the Gray Whale Inn, a quaint bed and breakfast on Cranberry Island. She adores whipping up her signature blueberry coffee cake and killer cranberry scones for her guests. But when her guests start turning up dead, the police and most of the townspeople think Natalie has added murder to the mix.

Now, Natalie must get cooking to solve the mystery and find the true killer before she loses the Gray Whale Inn. Or her life...

Customer Reviews:

Delighted.......2007-08-09

Delighted to discover this author, heroine and inn! The mysteries are well developed and the recipes are an extra treat. I hope there will be more than two!

Simply Awful........2007-08-09

I can't even finish it, it's so poorly written and so boring. I am so disappointed. I thought I had found a new author to read. Oh, well.

The Best Food Mystery Ever!!!!.......2007-06-22

I love this book! I could not put it down! I also can't wait to start trying her recipes, they sound delicious! I could almost taste the blueberry coffee cake as I was reading! I am on to "Dean and Berried"!

Needs some work.......2007-05-18

I just finished "Murder on the Rocks" and while I think this series has potential, the writing needs to be edited better.

1. Natalie frequently complains about how she is flat broke and unable to eat at restaurants. She runs out of groceries and ends up with nothing to eat but a peanut butter & jelly sandwich. However, she is constantly baking up huge batches of cookies and brownies to take to friends and neighbors around the island. Whenever she needs something out of the freezer, she is pawing through chuck roasts and bacon to find the fruit she needs. So is she broke and hungry or not?

2. When a guest at her inn is found dead, Natalie sneaks into his room (against direct police orders) and finds significant evidence that she then hides. When the police later suspect her of being the killer, Natalie is unable to show evidence pointing away from her, because she stole it from the crime scene. Is she really this stupid?

3. An intruder breaks in and clobbers Natalie. She doesn't bother to call the police immediately, instead just waits for them to show up the next day.

4. Natalie pretends to be someone she's not in order to obtain private information she has no right to, and opens and reads her guests' mail.

While the plot is presented as "Natalie is a suspect in a murder she didn't commit and tries to find the real killer" she is guilty of numerous counts of obstruction of justice and just plain stupidity. It was hard to swallow.

Cranberries and Whales.......2007-04-13

A delightful quick read. Anyone who has ever been to Maine - or perhaps even stayed in a bed and breakfast will enjoy the story line of this joyful mystery novel. Natalie, the central character and owner of The Gray Whale Inn shows a lot of moxie when threatened by an unprofessional officer of the law. In MacInerney's subsequent book, Dead and Berried, Natalie displays courage again by not abiding her close friend to be falsely accused of a crime by the same officer.

The plot line moves right along - the array of characters are both interesting and entertaining and quite frankly, the mystery works because the reader is never sure who among the characters could be the villan. The intriguing writing of MacInerney piques the reader's interest because of the ebb and flow of the goodness (and not so good) of the characters.

Read Murder on the Rocks and the second of the series and you will be watching for her next book.

Average customer rating:

Frank and Josephine Hardy rush to the rescue!
not bad..not bad at all
Stone Barrington "light"
Dark Harbor
What? Exactly!

Dark Harbor (Stone Barrington Novels)
Stuart Woods
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Literature & Fiction | Bargain Books | Stores | Books

Mystery | Mysteries & Thrillers | Bargain Books | Stores | Books

Look Inside Mystery & Thriller Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: B000JSDPR8

Book Description

Stone Barrington investigates the secrets of a CIA officer's suicide in this next thriller in the bestselling series.

Stuart Woods's newest bestseller, Dark Harbor, brings us the perfect mix of sexy intrigue and swift suspense that have earned him legions of fans over the years. In this latest thriller, Stone enters the picturesque town Dark Harbor off the coast of Maine, where the shocking deaths of three people have cast a long shadow over this island haven-a locale as mysterious as it is exclusive.

Stone Barrington hasn't heard from his cousin, Dick Stone, in years-though he has fond memories of a teenage summer spent at his house in Maine. Then, Lance Cabot of the CIA interrupts an otherwise pleasant meal at Elaine's with news of Dick's death-apparently by his own hands. It seems that Dick Stone, a quiet family man who doubled as a CIA agent, methodically executed his wife, daughter, and then himself-or did he? What would cause a loving father and husband to murder his family as they slept? Before his death, Dick had appointed Stone executor of his will, giving him full control of the disposition of a sizable family estate. Was Dick preparing for his suicide, or forewarning Stone of his murder?

With the help of his ex-partner, Dino, and his friend Holly Barker, Stone must settle the estate and piece together the elusive facts of his cousin's life and death as a CIA operative. At every step Stone knows he is being watched by Dick's family-and one of them just may be a killer.

Customer Reviews:

Frank and Josephine Hardy rush to the rescue!.......2007-09-06

(This refers to the book-on-tape version) About halfway through this I realized that the mystery wasn't going to have a great resolution and that several seemingly important details (a household appliance, a kidnapping, a murder here or there) were going to be kicked into the rough in the hopes that the reader would forget about them. I was reminded of the Hardy Boys novels I grew up reading, but they're really more tightly structured (although not as much sex) than this book. Getting into the motorboat and quietly going up the cove to the abandoned boathouse! Figuring out from the angle of the bullet that - gasp! - it wasn't a suicide! Hopping into a plane to chase the villains through the sky - to almost crash into them! Almost all action taking place off-camera!
When Woods wants to write about something he cares about (Hollywood and the movie biz, airplanes ... umm, anything else?) he can bang out a darn good tale (The Prince of Beverly Hills). Plots with more depth or intrigue seem to get away from him (thus requiring insertion, as it were, of fairly gratuitous sex scenes to distract the reader - not that there's anything wrong with that) and, with this one, there's a sense in which the reader is just asked to say "keep turning the page - at least some of these details will be 'splained by the end". A book for people who miss Nancy Drew, Frank and Joe and their chums ferreting out the truth while getting into scrapes and escaping peril almost every chapter!

not bad..not bad at all.......2007-08-30

It's been a while since I've read anything but Stuart Woods, must less a Stone Barrington novel. It's nice to see that everything I enjoy about the Stone books was not missing from this one.

Overall I found the book pretty good, although I have to say that stone and his friends constantly walking into money (and the bedroom) does get a little annoying =)

It's Stone's uncanny knack of getting himself and the people closest to him in trouble that makes these books engaging reads. All the usual suspects are in this one: Stone, Dino, Holly Barker (I like how she's now crossed from her own series into the Barrington books), Lance, and a few others.

One thing I found annoying about the book was the way it ended. Woods is great at letting you think you figured out whodunnit only to pull the rug out from under you at the last minute, but a lack of explanation for certain crimes that took place in this book left me a little unsatisfied. I think if the book were another twenty or so pages, it would have been even better.

All in all, another solid addition to the Stone Barrington series of books. A fast and engaging read.

Stone Barrington "light" .......2007-08-22

Having followed Stone through his past adventures this was a resounding disappointment !! Woods must have called this one in !!!!

Dark Harbor.......2007-05-29

"Dark Harbor" is the 12th Stone Barrington novel by Stuart Woods. Barrington travels to Dark Harbor, and island off the Maine coast to execute the will of his first cousin, Dick Stone who had died along with his wife and daughter in what the police ruled as a murder-suicide. Barrington and his former NYPD partner believe that it is a triple murder by the position of the gun. They also learn that Dick was a high ranking CIA officer from Lance Cabot. They think it could be work related. There are 4 other murders and a kidnapping on the island. Stone, Dino, and the local policeman, Young, solve the murders. This is an entertaining murder mystery even though it is not Woods' best effort.

What? Exactly!.......2007-03-30

This book gets two stars because I actually read the whole book. What a dumb plot. And what's with the characters? Everyone has a pilot's license in their back pocket, they all have 5 million dollars waiting for them somewhere, and a bunch of other seemingly disconnected coincidences, which is a lame attempt to resolve the ridiculous plot.

Woods, buddy, please for the love of God and all humanity, get some better names for your characters. Stone Barrington? And his grilfriend is named Arrington? Huh?

Stone Barrington is investigating a murder case about his cousin whose last name is Stone. How stupid is that? What a childish/amateur way of trying to make a plot twist.

The one bright spot in this book...never mind, there isn't one.

A Midwife's Tale: The Life of Martha Ballard, Based on Her Diary, 1785-1812

Average customer rating:

Midwife's Tale
martha ballard midwife
The Tale of a Woman in Early American New England
Formidable Foremom
Not Just a History Book

A Midwife's Tale: The Life of Martha Ballard, Based on Her Diary, 1785-1812
Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Authors | Arts & Literature | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Women | Specific Groups | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Women's Studies | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

History | Women's Studies | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Nonfiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0679733760
Release Date: 1991-06-04

Book Description

Drawing on the diaries of a midwife and healer in eighteenth-century Maine, this intimate history illuminates the medical practices, household economies, religious rivalries, and sexual mores of the New England frontier.

Customer Reviews:

Midwife's Tale.......2007-02-25

Interesting diary of a Maine midwife. Not the easiest read but enjoyable.

martha ballard midwife.......2007-02-11

I enjoyed this book. Though it doesnt read like a "story" It has alot of information about the way of life back then besides the midwife part.

The Tale of a Woman in Early American New England.......2007-01-11

Sometimes we get the idea that women really had it quite bad in Colonial and Early American Society. True, they had secondary status in the eyes of the law and the church. If one, however, reads the diary of Martha Ballard, as presented to us by Professor Ulrich, we catch a glimpse of the kind of empowerment some women could have in that time.

Martha Ballard illustrated just how vital a women was to the existence of the American household during her lifetime. Taking away, for a moment, that she had a very successful midwifing practice, women contributed to the general welfare of the family, and even the economy, by their industriousness. Women's household chores, which seem so mundane to everyone today, actually allowed families to sustain themselves quite well. What a woman produced in the home, hopefully in excess, could then be turned around and traded within their community for other items which would provide for the family. Men, on the other hand, typically worked for wage labor and then came home to do what little they could during the rest of the day. Or, men farmed all day and did not have the time nor energy to do what the women of the household did. So, if the women then did not do their portion of their work, the family would be in serious jeopardy of depravation. Also, you will see how instrumental the children of a home were in the survival of the family and also how children were raised and trained for adulthood.

However, when you couple into the mix Martha Ballard's mid-wifing practice, which as you will read was quite successful at its peak, Ballard was someone who could then exercise greater influence within the family because of her increased earning power.

So, this book can provide a great insight into family life in Early American New England. And maybe, you will understand how women were empowered in other ways.

Formidable Foremom.......2006-12-27

We've heard stories of how our great-great-great-grandmothers rose before dawn, plowed the lower forty, baked biscuits and then raised a barn, all before noon. A Midwife's Tale seems to confirm this. Laurel Thatcher Ulrich draws upon a remarkable document, the diary of a New England midwife, Martha Ballard of Hallowell, Maine, who recorded the details of her daily life between 1785 to 1812. Ulrich deconstructs Ballard's laconic entries to reveal the complex routine of a woman who kept a household for seven people, ran a cottage textile workshop, and served as midwife at the birth 816 infants during her 27 years of practice. (There were male physicians in the community, but they rarely intervened in this woman-dominated ritual unless there was a breech or still-birth to be dismembered.) Ballard's ministrations, in fact, went far beyond birthing to the practice of general medicine. She could apply poultices, lance abscesses, expel worms, induce vomiting, stop hemorrhages, bring down a fever, and - all else failing -- gently close the eyes of the dead. In this way, writes Ulrich, the midwife "mediated the mysteries of birth, procreation, illness, and death."

With the help of collateral documents, Ulrich fills out Ballard's entries to give a more complete view of society in a milling village of the early 1800's. She also tracks Ballard's personal fortunes from the height of her prestige into eventual decline. The author takes pains to point out how much of this misfortune was inevitable (the elderly of any era are of necessity pushed from the center to the circumference of society) and how much was due to the hand dealt by fate: Martha had her daughters before her sons; the girls married and moved out, leaving their mother the care of three rather loutish males. The episode underscores how necessary a reliable pool of labor was to the running of any rural household; southern families had their slaves; northern families had their daughters. Historian John Lewis Gaddis calls this book "an exercise in historical paleontology [that] succeeds brilliantly." Winner of the 1991 Pulitzer Prize for history.

Not Just a History Book.......2006-06-23

I have read "A Midwife's Tale" so many times that it has fallen apart. I went on Amazon to see if I could find a hard copy to replace the one I wore to pieces. When I saw the reviews, I decided to put my two cents in. I was also compelled to puchase the video based on this book. The video did an excellent job of translating the book to video and putting a voice to Martha. Although I was intrigued by the concept of a complete diary of a midwife, I was not prepared for the impact it would have on me. As an alternative health care provider, I often use herbs to help patients and have actually assisted in the delivery of 3 babies. I am an older woman that has raised my children and now have grandchildren. Martha's life parallelled mine in so many ways. She had a hard time finding help, her children were less then obedient, particularily her eldest son. Premarital sex was rampant. Her husband seemed to often ignore her. He was perfectly happy in jail while she froze at home while her children neglected her. Her faith in a God carried her so many times. I began to casually start reading chapters whenever I was having a particularily difficult day, thinking to myself, "I wonder what challenge Martha overcame this chapter?" She touched my life in such a tender, loving, healing way even though our lives were seperated by 100's of years. I wonder if she ever thought who would read her diary in the future and what an inspiration she would be? I offer this book as a gift of a wonderful woman's life.

Average customer rating:

I wish I'd never started.
dont go beyond the warning!...spoilers!!!
The Crimson King Revealed
A little disappointing.
I liked it ...

The Dark Tower (The Dark Tower, Book 7)
Stephen King
Manufacturer: Donald M. Grant/Scribner
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Action & Adventure | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Literary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Suspense | Thrillers | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

General | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

Epic | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

Dark | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

Dark Tower Book 7 | Top 30 | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 1880418622
Release Date: 2004-09-21

Amazon.com

At one point in this final book of the Dark Tower series, the character Stephen King (added to the plot in Song of Susannah) looks back at the preceding pages and says "when this last book is published, the readers are going to be just wild." And he's not kidding.

After a journey through seven books and over 20 years, King's Constant Readers finally have the conclusion they've been both eagerly awaiting and silently dreading. The tension in the Dark Tower series has built steadily from the beginning and, like in the best of King's novels, explodes into a violent, heart-tugging climax as Roland and his ka-tet finally near their goal. The body count in The Dark Tower is high. The gunslingers come out shooting and face a host of enemies, including low men, mutants, vampires, Roland's hideous quasi-offspring Mordred, and the fearsome Crimson King himself. King pushes the gross-out factor at times--Roland's lesson on tanning (no, not sun tanning) is brutal--but the magic of the series remains strong and readers will feel the pull of the Tower as strongly as ever as the story draws to a close. During this sentimental journey, King ties up loose ends left hanging from the 15 non-series novels and stories that are deeply entwined in the fabric of Mid-World through characters like Randall Flagg (The Stand and others) or Father Callahan (Salem's Lot). When it finally arrives, the long awaited conclusion will leave King's myriad fans satisfied but wishing there were still more to come.

In King's memoir On Writing, he tells of an old woman who wrote him after reading the early books in the Dark Tower series. She was dying, she said, and didn't expect to see the end of Roland's quest. Could King tell her? Does he reach the Tower? Does he save it? Sadly, King said he did not know himself, that the story was creating itself as it went along. Wherever that woman is now (the clearing at the end of the path, perhaps?), let's hope she has a copy of The Dark Tower. Surely she would agree it's been worth the wait. --Benjamin Reese

Visit the Dark Tower store
Over 30 years in the making, spanning seven volumes, Stephen King's epic quest for the Dark Tower has encompassed almost his entire body of fiction. Find every volume of this fantastic adventure, an interview with the master himself, and much more in our Dark Tower Store.

Authors on Stephen King
Mystery writer Michael Connelly thinks Stephen King's "one of the most generous writers I know of." Thriller author Ridley Pearson says "King possesses an incredible sense of story..." Read our Stephen King testimonials to find out what else they and other authors had to say about the undisputed King of Horror.

The Path to the Dark Tower
There are only seven volumes in Stephen King's Dark Tower series but more than a dozen of his novels and short stories are deeply entwined with the Mid-World universe. Take a look at the non-series titles, from Salem's Lot to Everything's Eventual. Can you find the connections?

History of an Alternate Universe
Robin Furth, an expert on Stephen King's Dark Tower universe if ever there was one, has created a timeline of Mid-World, the slowly crumbling world of gunslinger Roland Deschain. Read it and get up to speed on a world of adventure.

Hail to the King
Fans applauded and critics howled when Stephen King was awarded the National Book Foundation's Medal for Distinguished Service to American Letters. In typical fashion, King accepted the honor with humility and urged recognition for other "popular" authors. Listen to a clip of his acceptance speech, then order the entire speech on audio CD.

Book Description

All good things must come to an end, Constant Reader, and not even Stephen King can make a story that goes on forever. The tale of Roland Deschain's relentless quest for the Dark Tower has, the author fears, sorely tried the patience of those who have followed it from its earliest chapters. But attend to it a while longer, if it pleases you, for this volume is the last, and often the last things are best.

Roland's ka-tet remains intact, though scattered over wheres and whens. Susannah-Mia has been carried from the Dixie Pig (in the summer of 1999) to a birthing room -- really a chamber of horrors -- in Thunderclap's Fedic; Jake and Father Callahan, with Oy between them, have entered the restaurant on Lex and Sixty-first with weapons drawn, little knowing how numerous and noxious are their foes. Roland and Eddie are with John Cullum in Maine, in 1977, looking for the site on Turtleback Lane where "walk-ins" have been often seen. They want desperately to get back to the others, to Susannah especially, and yet they have come to realize that the world they need to escape is the only one that matters.

Thus the book opens, like a door to the uttermost reaches of Stephen King's imagination. You've come this far. Come a little farther. Come all the way. The sound you hear may be the slamming of the door behind you. Welcome to The Dark Tower.

Download Description

"All good things must come to an end, Constant Reader, and not even Stephen King can make a story that goes on forever. The tale of Roland Deschain's relentless quest for the Dark Tower has, the author fears, sorely tried the patience of those who have followed it from its earliest chapters. But attend to it a while longer, if it pleases you, for this volume is the last, and often the last things are best. Roland's ka-tet remains intact, though scattered over wheres and whens. Susannah-Mia has been carried from the Dixie Pig (in the summer of 1999) to a birthing room -- really a chamber of horrors -- in Thunderclap's Fedic; Jake and Father Callahan, with Oy between them, have entered the restaurant on Lex and Sixty-first with weapons drawn, little knowing how numerous and noxious are their foes. Roland and Eddie are with John Cullum in Maine, in 1977, looking for the site on Turtleback Lane where ""walk-ins"" have been often seen. They want desperately to get back to the others, to Susannah especially, and yet they have come to realize that the world they need to escape is the only one that matters. Thus the book opens, like a door to the uttermost reaches of Stephen King's imagination. You've come this far. Come a little farther. Come all the way. The sound you hear may be the slamming of the door behind you. Welcome to The Dark Tower. "

Customer Reviews:

I wish I'd never started........2007-10-03

Other (negative) reviews seem to sum up my opinion pretty well. Please don't start this series. If you start, please don't read the last book. It's really just bad. And it could have been so good.

dont go beyond the warning!...spoilers!!!.......2007-09-13

when i finally put down book six of this epic adventure i found myself relishing every page of the 7th and last book. before i could start the last book i had to get myself in the right mind set, it was that important to me. for all those who say the whole series was ruined by this books, i feel sorry they feel so strongly. this book is really a great book. the only problem is the ending of it all. after Roland leaves patick to go to his finally won dark tower i should have stopped reading. even stephen king tells the reader to stop if you enjoy the first ending. and i was close to putting the book down then,so close.
but i kept reading.
i remember telling a good friend who had finished the series already that i though the worst ending to the series would be if all the main characters had forgotten what they had achieved. i told him i would hate such a cop-out ending. well i cant say jake and eddie really forgot, since they died and Susanah, i could have over looked her memory loss since i was glad to see she found her way back to new york.
but when i finished the book, the one thing i had feared had come true. Stephen king ended the series with such a cop-out ending, the one i had told my friend i would hate. Roland standing in the desert he began in. "the man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed." and he remembers nothing of his preiviouse adventure. really. i wanted Roland to die in that tower. i wanted him to have his final resting place in the top room of his finally won tower. in my mind that is where Roland died. in the worst way possible. THANKs KING. THANKS FOR COPIN-OUT!!!!!!

The Crimson King Revealed.......2007-09-13

this is the one we've been waiting for! Those stalwart souls who have journeyed with Roland,the gunslinger, and his cohorts finally arrive.
It's ben rough going,to put it mildly;my designated source of disgust were the "lobstrocities"Although the Wolves in the Calla were "no picnic".
Book 7, "The Dark Tower" introduces us to a revolting little half baby half spider but when The Crimson King is encountered this entity disintigrates into ashes to ashes dust to dust.
Stephen King"s "Crimson King is a shock but not really for "Childe Roland to the Dark Tower came" by Niina Lockwood
fermbois@yahoo.com

A little disappointing........2007-09-07

I started the Dark Tower series with anticipation of a really good epic tale and for the most part it was...at least until Steve decided to interject himself into the story. Sigh..how self-serving and unimaginative can you get. I actually stopped reading and said out loud, "You have got to be kidding! Oh, Steve, no". I only continued on with the series because, in spite of this egotism, he had written some truly memorable characters and I just had to see what happened next. I particularily loved that he wasn't afraid to kill them off. Most writers are too insecure to trust their readers enough to do away with a really good character. I think this just enhances the experience of a good story. All in all, I would recommend this series as a whole just for the plain good storytelling of King at his most imaginative and to just overlook the author's intrusion.

I liked it ..........2007-09-06

Especially the part when Roland sings the names of all the people who helped (and died) so he could reach the Tower. If this series could be made into a movie or movies (which I doubt) that would be one of the best moments in cinema ever, it gave me goosebumps and haunted me (that night I dreamed of the Tower and what could be inside - I hadn't read the Coda yet). The ending is cruel, but I think it worked as a metaphor for the cleansing of one's karma (ka - karma?). I also hoped that Roland could get his much deserved rest when he reached the Tower, but maybe his whole quest perfected him somehow, and now he will make the right choices through his journey, so he can be worthy of entering the White and be at ease at last... Just my opinion.

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books