Never Let Me Go

Book Description

From the Booker Prize-winning author of The Remains of the Day comes a devastating new novel of innocence, knowledge, and loss. As children Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy were students at Hailsham, an exclusive boarding school secluded in the English countryside. It was a place of mercurial cliques and mysterious rules where teachers were constantly reminding their charges of how special they were.

Now, years later, Kathy is a young woman. Ruth and Tommy have reentered her life. And for the first time she is beginning to look back at their shared past and understand just what it is that makes them special–and how that gift will shape the rest of their time together. Suspenseful, moving, beautifully atmospheric, Never Let Me Go is another classic by the author of The Remains of the Day

Customer Reviews:

mesmerising.......2007-10-08

Describing Never Let Me Go to a friend, I realised how prosaic it all sounded. These precious children, cocooned in the rarefied atmosphere of English public school ( so we are led to believe) and acutely attuned to any emotional discordance in their isolated groupings. Describing it as such, it all seems so snobby and trite. And yet Ishiguro somehow imbues it with such portent that it seems terribly weighty, as if more than the couplings of a few twenty-somethings is at stake. Which of course it is, we pity these individuals, for what society has done to them, for the situation they have been born into. That is Ishiguro's genius here, that the novel works on so many levels and invites so many interpretations. Is this a dystopian vision of the UK's future? A commentary on the class-blighted present? A critique of amoral scientific rationalism? The protagonists live, breathe and act as though entombed in a gigantic social test tube, which in one sense they are. This is a fascinating, important novel, that will outlive its age. Nothing Ishiguro has produced in the past suggested he was the new HG Wells, but after Never Ler Me Go, the comparisons will not desist.

Lovely.......2007-09-29

This is one of those wonderful books that you just want to press into someone's hands without saying too much about it. It's a book to figure out as you go along. Even the genre remains a mystery for awhile, something I don't think I've encountered before.

Beautifully written, heartbreaking in the good way, and it really stays with you. I feel like I really know the people in it. I can't recommend this highly enough.

If you're a Margaret Atwood fan, by the way, try this. And vice versa.

Thought-provoking premise, skillful writing, but author fails to engage deeper meaning, premise is faulted. Moderately recommend.......2007-09-27

As a child, Kathy H. attended Hailsham, an elite boarding school where children were raised to be both healthy and artistic and taught to believe that both their health and creativity were essential to themselves and to the world they would one day enter. Now an adult, Kathy reflects back on her life. She charts the very slow progression of her growth, her friendships with fellow students Tommy and Ruth, and her knowledge, as she herself gradually began to learn about her role in the outside world--and what this role dictates about her identity. A combination of heavy introspection and soft-scifi, Never Let Me Go has a thought-provoking premise and is brilliantly written, but fails to reach its potential, spending all its time in excruciatingly slow buildup and none of it in impact, theory, or debate. Enjoyable, but somewhat empty, and so moderately recommended.

This book's greatest strength is its writing style, but it is also one of the most irritating aspects. Kathy, the narrator, is intensely thoughtful and analytical, breaking down her personal history into eras, important moments, and developing themes. She walks the reader through the story of her life much in the way she lived it, slowly, very slowly, bringing to light her final realizations. In other words, there is a lot hidden in this book, and it takes the book's entire length--literally until the last fifteen pages--to reveal it all. In between are circuitous examples, where Kathy starts to talk about one event, goes back a bit to explain why the event was relevant, explains the event itself, and then goes on without having drawn a major conclusion--instead, she's just mapped another point on her gradual arc or argument. The resulting pace is excruciating, both artful, brilliantly thought-out and executed, and simply painful as the reader is lead along, disappointed, and lead along again. The book's pace bring the characters to life (although both Ruth and Tommy lack some dimension) and, with it, the life that they lived, through Hailsham and beyond. As such, it is the highlight of the book, worked like an artform, but it is also intensely irritating and makes the book (which actually reads quite quickly) seem longer than it is.

There are a near-infinite number of issues, from the ethical to philosophical, that could be brought to question and debate in this book. The very premise almost begs them--both the science of the base culture and the purpose of Hailsham itself. Unfortunately, however, none of these topics are brought to issue in the text. Instead, the book is consumed by the very slow progression of the story, the creep towards the "twist" revelations of who the children are and what purpose they serve. When finally revealed, these revelations are not all that big--not because they lack the potential to be, but because they pale in comparison to the immense buildup that leads to them. The characters just barely exceed the gradual revelation of the book's premise and are largely just passive carriers of the story, and so the other various issues, the possible debates, never enter into the text. So when other reviewers talk about the questions this book raises, what they're really talking about is the potential for questions--and that is not the same thing. The burden of meaning for this book, everything that the reader could take away and continue to think about, rests entirely on the reader, who must pull out the themes and ask the questions himself, carry on the debates himself. The author shirks his responsibility, and the book suffers for it, failing to live up to its potential.

My final complaint with this book is that the underlying concept seems, blandly, unrealistic. **SPOILERS** follow, so be warned: The fact that in the book's contemporary culture the clones are considered non-human despite looking, acting, and living like humans seems entirely impossible. Consider: Humans never viewed the first cloned animals as different than their original counterparts; indeed, we were amazed and drew attention to the fact that they were identical, that they were clones. So why would cloned humans be any different (especially that these clones pass in human society as normal and indistinguishable)? Outside of the huge wastefulness of cloning entire humans just to harvest their organs, the fact that the cloned humans were not considered humans seems unreal to me, no matter who the gene donors were, no matter what brief attempts Ishiguro (though Ms. Emily) makes to justify it. **END SPOILERS** This is the underlying basis of the book's conflict and plot, and so problems with this concept create problems throughout the book. They weaken the foundations, making it difficult to accept the book and, as a result, even more difficult to take on the work of finding and analyzing themes, which the author fails too do. In the end, Never Let Me Go has a thoughtful premise with heavy potential for thought, theory, and debate, and it is skillfully, even artfully written, but the book fails to live up to its potential: the author does not tackle his own themes, and no matter how interesting the premise, it is an unreasonable one. I wanted to enjoy this book, and I did, but I felt cheated at the end: the final product was surprisingly empty, with the burden of meaning placed entirely and unfairly upon the reader alone.

Dystopia Now.......2007-09-18

In the novel Never Let Me Go, while employing an engaging premise, Kazuo Ishiguro explores the black chasm between "the unfortunates" and "those who would presume to aid the unfortunates". Although this is a dark hole indeed, the author succeeds in shining enough light in there for us to want to learn even more about the shadowy forms we've glimpsed scurrying into its fissures (now that I've killed that metaphor...).

Told from the point of view of Kathy H. (one of these unfortunates) Never Let Me Go, a sort of recent past dystopian chronicle, reveals her abstrusely horrific plight as a "carer" (those who help to guide "donors" to a peaceful end) working within the boundaries of Ishiguro's imagined minority group. Kathy and her "boarding" school friends, Ruth and Tommy, attempt to unlock the truth behind some hidden doors of their early life, learning some hard lessons in the process.

On the surface, Never Let Me Go becomes an almost science fiction, a `what could've been' or `what could still be if we're not careful' kind of a moral caveat. But what saves this book is its underlying implications; it asks questions for the real world like: Are we truly helping when we endeavor to comfort and protect groups (racial, ethnic, political, religious, class, etc..) who are perceived as less fortunate than our own? Should we instead educate these groups so that they may empower themselves in time? OK. I'm being a bit leading here, but still these are important questions to ponder in this global society.

Overall, Ishiguro deftly blends science fiction (bio-ethics) and more general socio-political themes to concoct an enjoyable thought-provoking experience. I happily recommend it.

4 stars

A Sad Yet Hopeful World.......2007-09-09

This book is sad, yet still offers glimmers of hope. The characters are naive. But they're this way because it's all they know, because of their upbringing. I enjoyed it, and would recommend it to people who like suspenseful, thoughtful books.

Average customer rating:

Skilled writer, but leaves me cold
Good intentions, mediocore application.
To be or not to be?
Just below par for finishing
Beautiful and thought-provoking

Never Let Me Go
Kazuo Ishiguro
Manufacturer: Knopf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1400043395
Release Date: 2005-04-05

Amazon.com

All children should believe they are special. But the students of Hailsham, an elite school in the English countryside, are so special that visitors shun them, and only by rumor and the occasional fleeting remark by a teacher do they discover their unconventional origins and strange destiny. Kazuo Ishiguro's sixth novel, Never Let Me Go, is a masterpiece of indirection. Like the students of Hailsham, readers are "told but not told" what is going on and should be allowed to discover the secrets of Hailsham and the truth about these children on their own.

Offsetting the bizarreness of these revelations is the placid, measured voice of the narrator, Kathy H., a 31-year-old Hailsham alumna who, at the close of the 1990s, is consciously ending one phase of her life and beginning another. She is in a reflective mood, and recounts not only her childhood memories, but her quest in adulthood to find out more about Hailsham and the idealistic women who ran it. Although often poignant, Kathy's matter-of-fact narration blunts the sharper emotional effects you might expect in a novel that deals with illness, self-sacrifice, and the severe restriction of personal freedoms. As in Ishiguro's best-known work, The Remains of the Day, only after closing the book do you absorb the magnitude of what his characters endure. --Regina Marler

Book Description

From the acclaimed author of The Remains of the Day and When We Were Orphans, a moving new novel that subtly reimagines our world and time in a haunting story of friendship and love.

As a child, Kathy–now thirty-one years old–lived at Hailsham, a private school in the scenic English countryside where the children were sheltered from the outside world, brought up to believe that they were special and that their well-being was crucial not only for themselves but for the society they would eventually enter. Kathy had long ago put this idyllic past behind her, but when two of her Hailsham friends come back into her life, she stops resisting the pull of memory.

And so, as her friendship with Ruth is rekindled, and as the feelings that long ago fueled her adolescent crush on Tommy begin to deepen into love, Kathy recalls their years at Hailsham. She describes happy scenes of boys and girls growing up together, unperturbed–even comforted–by their isolation. But she describes other scenes as well: of discord and misunderstanding that hint at a dark secret behind Hailsham’s nurturing facade. With the dawning clarity of hindsight, the three friends are compelled to face the truth about their childhood–and about their lives now.

A tale of deceptive simplicity, Never Let Me Go slowly reveals an extraordinary emotional depth and resonance–and takes its place among Kazuo Ishiguro’s finest work.

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"So exquisitely observed that even the most workaday objects and interactions are infused with a luminous, humming otherworldliness. The dystopian story it tells, meanwhile, gives it a different kind of electric charge. . . . An epic ethical horror story, told in devastatingly poignant
miniature. . . . Ishiguro spins a stinging cautionary tale of science outpacing ethics."
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Perfect pacing and infinite subtlety. . . . That this stunningly brilliant fiction echoes Caryl Churchill’s superb play A Number and Margaret Atwood’s celebrated dystopian novels in no way diminishes its originality and power. A masterpiece of craftsmanship that offers an unparalleled emotional experience. Send a copy to the Swedish Academy."
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"Ishiguro’s elegant prose and masterly ways with characterization make for a lovely tale of memory, self-understanding, and love."
—Library Journal (starred review)

"Ishiguro’s provocative subject matter and taut, potent prose have earned him multiple literary decorations, including the French government’s Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres and an Order of the British Empire for service to literature…. In this luminous offering, he nimbly navigates the landscape of emotion — the inevitable link between present and past and the fine line between compassion and cruelty, pleasure and pain."
—Booklist

Praise for Kazuo Ishiguro:
"His books are Zen gardens with no flowery metaphors, no wild, untamed weeds threatening — or allowed — to overrun the plot."
—The Globe and Mail

"A writer of Ishiguro’s intelligence, sensitivity and stylistic brilliance obviously offers rewards."
—The Gazette (Montreal)

"Kazuo Ishiguro distinguishes himself as one of our most eloquent poets of loss."
—Joyce Carol Oates, TLS

"Ishiguro is a stylist like no other, a writer who knows that the truth is often unspoken."
—Maclean’s

"One of the finest prose stylists of our time."
—Michael Ondaatje

"Ishiguro shows immense tenderness for his characters, however absurd or deluded they may be."
—The Guardian

"[Ishiguro is] an original and remarkable genius."
—The New York Times Book Review

From the Hardcover edition.

Customer Reviews:

Skilled writer, but leaves me cold.......2007-08-30

This one is clearly a well-crafted book- the story is thight and the characters are well described and realistic within their strange and tiny world. In the words of comic artist Dan Clowes, however, the book maintains an icy distance between artist and reader. Not bad of itself,i was in the mood for a waarmer read.

Good intentions, mediocore application........2007-08-23

I'd have to disagree with previous reviews in saying that I did not at all find the book slow-paced, nor boring, although definitely anticlimatic.

What disturbs me the most is the part about the 'students' humanity being defended through their art. I'm not sure if Ishiguro was implying that the students were not human, but it seemed as though through their actions they were only imitating human life. None of them ever really loved, even when they thought they did. And even when it was brought up that their art was a glimpse into their soul, can anyone believe that making art would prove that someone was human? Just because someone has the ability to create art that is seemingly 'moving' or 'good' doesn't mean they understand what they are doing or purposefully creating the art because of what is in their souls. Even Kathy points out that none of them really knew what was good or not, they all just seemed to have a scale that was ingrained into them on how to rate art. On how many tokens it would acheive. It was not a very convincing arguement to say that art was being used to make them more human.

There's a subtle line, I believe, between the way the 'students' interact with one another and the way the rest of the world interacts. In a way, every ounce of them clings to the way they believe Hailsham was, even though they start to distort their memories and forget things. I'm not sure if it was poor characterization or a deliberate attempt by Ishiguro to make the 'students' seem slightly less human. But if you're writing a book about clones interacting with each other in a somewhat normal way, trying to make them seem normal, then why end up making them not so human after all.

And I disagree with the writing. I do not think it is one of the best written books in a hundred years. Ishiguro is obvious in pointing things out to the reader even when he's trying to be subtle. Especially in the way he explains his metaphors in simplier terms in the following sentence, as if implying the reader couldn't figure it out. Or in the ways that he had to go out and blatently say that the gaurdians were afraid of the students without even showing it, even in the last greeting at madame's house. I'd rather be able to think for my own, thank you.

To be or not to be?.......2007-08-19

I agree with Robert Bezimienny's review that the characters are flat and the premise of the story is only sketchily developed. It's a story about people who aren't quite human yet behave like most people you know. So, maybe they are human? It's also a tragic love story about two people who should be together but aren't. What separates them? Unlike the author, I think their own passivity--not another person--is to blame. So, how is that tragic, really?

The first third of the book is pure, page-turning suspense. Life at this English boarding school is definitely odd. What truth lies behind it? Gradually the reader surmises much of the truth and the last third of the book is anticlimatic. I wish the author had continued the suspense with new twists and curiosities. Because the characters are unsatisfying and the emotions distilled like water. One character goes into wild rages but these are described at a great distance. More often, we see this character close up as quite easy-going.

There is a villain of sorts but she is not developed to any real impact. I disliked her and grew impatient that her friend did not see through her but since she never did, what was there to get excited about?

Even though many reviewers seem to love this author's style, and this book in particular, I admit to prefering more red blood in my stories. The movie "The Remains of the Day" should give you an idea if this type of Britainia is your cup of tea.

Just below par for finishing.......2007-08-14

A lot of other people have already articulated what I felt about this book, but I'd still like to stress the lower end of ratings a bit more.

I liked the concept, the slow revealing of what it's all about and occasionally even the actual content, but most of the time I just found it a bit too distant and hard to connect with. On a page-to-page basis, there wasn't much to keep me reading.

Maybe I'm just too picky about books. The author seems nicely original. But he's just missing something. Human-oriented science fiction that's interesting neither science fictionally nor humanly.

Beautiful and thought-provoking.......2007-08-10

This book is so well written the mere prose brings tears to my eyes. The story itself is heartwrenching as well, in the subtle, restrained way of Ishiguro, of course. What's unbelievable is how complacent the children are about their fate: no rebellion, no runaways. But put that aside, because the story is worth it.

And Never Let Her Go : Thomas Capano: The Deadly Seducer

Average customer rating:

Gripping
Very Intriguing Tale of a Powerful Man Who Just Couldn't Let Go!
JSaunders
Ann Rule's Best To Date
a cautionary tale

And Never Let Her Go : Thomas Capano: The Deadly Seducer
Ann Rule
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0684810484

Amazon.com

Thomas Capano was a powerful man in Delaware. The golden child of a respected immigrant family, he had everything most people could ever hope for: money, a family he adored, widespread respect and admiration. His former lover Anne Marie Fahey was never that lucky. Her youth was a seemingly endless string of heartbreak, disappointment, and misery. Somehow, though, she managed to get through it all--her mother's death, abuse from her alcoholic father, devastating poverty--and make a niche for herself as a trusted secretary to Delaware's governor. Thirty years old, she had a whole new life ahead of her. She'd met a young man whom she hoped to someday marry and start a family with, and she finally seemed able to put her past behind her.

But Thomas Capano did not want to be put behind anyone. It was his sheer arrogance--the arrogance that couldn't accept rejection, that couldn't fathom being caught and convicted--that killed Anne Marie Fahey, and Ann Rule's telling of Fahey's story reveals the mind of a true monster. Capano's narcissism prevented him from feeling anything for anyone but himself, but the gripping narrative of And Never Let Her Go is surely the story that Fahey and her family would have wanted to be told. --Lisa Higgins

Book Description

From America's most celebrated true-crime writer comes the heartbreaking real-life drama of a doomed young woman hopelessly trapped in a web of sexual intrigue, political manipulation, and emotional deception by her charming and successful -- but ultimately deadly -- lover.

The author of fifteen New York Times national bestsellers, Ann Rule, a former Seattle policewoman, has researched thousands of homicides and understands every facet of murder investigation. Now, in the most complex and shocking book of her long career, she delves into the motivation that drove a seemingly successful man to kill, and she explores heretofore unknown aspects of a fatal affair between a beautiful young woman who moved confidently in the heady world of the upper echelons of government and a widely admired millionaire attorney who was an immensely popular political figure.

On June 27, 1996, thirty-year-old Anne Marie Fahey, who was the scheduling secretary for the governor of Delaware, had dinner with a man she had been having a secret affair with for more than two years. "Tommy" Capano, forty-seven, was perhaps the most politically powerful man in Wilmington. Son of a wealthy contractor, former state prosecutor, partner in a prestigious law firm, advisor to governors and mayors, Tom Capano had a soft-spoken and considerate manner that endeared him to many. Although recently estranged from his wife, he was a devoted father to his four beautiful young daughters, the trusted son of his widowed mother, and the backbone of his extended family. But sometime after 9:15 that night when Anne Marie and Tom left a Philadelphia restaurant, something terrible happened to Anne Marie. It would be forty-eight hours before her brothers and sisters realized that she had disappeared entirely.

Ann Rule brilliantly traces the lives of both Fahey and Capano as she discloses the intimate details of their ill-fated bonding. A vulnerable, trusting woman becomes spellbound by a charming, duplicitous married man, and what begins as a seemingly unremarkable affair is slowly transformed into an obsessive, convoluted, and deadly relationship.

Through her impeccable research, Rule peels away layer after layer of deception to reveal a man who lived a secret life for decades, a man so greedy that he would sacrifice anyone to gain what he desired. One of his many mistresses -- all of whom were unknown to one another -- was Deborah MacIntyre, an attractive and wealthy member of one of Wilmington's oldest families and an administrator of an elite private school. She, too, would become part of the mystery surrounding Anne Marie's disappearance.

As three prominent families are destroyed to satisfy one man's jealous obsessions, this unfathomable tragedy becomes a tale that few would believe if it were presented as fiction. Shockingly, it is all true. Destined to become a classic,...And Never Let Her Go is a riveting account of forbidden love and murder among the rich and powerful, and a chilling insight into the evil that sometimes hides behind even the most charming façade.

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From the "New York Times" #1 bestselling author of "Bitter Harvest" comes the heartbreaking story of Anne Marie Fahey, a doomed young woman hopelessly trapped in a web of politics, sex, and murder by a charming, successful--yet murderous--lover.

Customer Reviews:

Gripping.......2007-10-03

Like most all of Ann Rule's true crime novels, this was absolutely absorbing. Very thorough research made for an indepth reading about the lives of everyone involved in the case, everyone except - Kay Ryan Capano, the wife of the murderer. Throughout the whole book, I found myself asking, "What about Kay? What did she know and when?" I suppose it isn't the fault of the author if it is because Kay wouldn't grant her a real interview, but I just found it to be a major missing component of the story. I finished this book feeling so angry with the narcissistic Capano family.

Very Intriguing Tale of a Powerful Man Who Just Couldn't Let Go!.......2007-06-25

I always wonder what sparks the interest of Ann Rule to pick her book topics. This case is set in Delaware not her Beloved Pacific Northwest. The characters involved include a pretty young Irish American woman named Anne Marie Fahey and her lover, Thomas Capano, an Italian American powerful lawyer in Wilmington, Delaware. As the story unfolds, the readers will learn about Fahey and Capano's childhoods, their lives, and the events that led up to Anne's disappearance, murder, and her remains forever out to sea off the New Jersey coast. None of her remains have been found and Capano is sitting on Delaware's death row. When Anne decided enough was enough, Capano couldn't take her rejection and killed her.

JSaunders.......2007-02-09

This is a well-crafted and beautifully narrated story that was eventually made into a TV mini series (no surprise that the book is better). I work in Wilmington and witnessed first hand the media circus during the court proceedings. This is an excellent book because Ann Rule takes you by the hand and escorts you through the hype and into the heart of the story. She also effectively presents the history of Wilmington in such a way as to prep the reader for a gulp of "inside knowledge" of a small, close-knit town. It's a great read that's easy to follow.

Ann Rule's Best To Date.......2007-02-08

This is the best book about the Capano case I have ever read and it is in my opinion, Ann Rule at her finest. Rule paints a very vivid picture of the life and times of beautiful Anne-Marie Fahey and prominent Wilmington attorney, Tom Capano. Rule makes her subjects so real (and they are) come alive on every page and she does a great job of describing the life and culture of where the story takes place in Wilmington, Delaware. The story ends with Anne-Marie's tragic murder by Tom Capano who was once a pillar of his community. A very gripping and compelling true crime read. Highly recommend.

a cautionary tale.......2006-12-05

Ann Rule is my all-time favorite true crime author. The reason I like her writing so much is that she really gets inside the minds of the victim, the perpetrator, and even their families and friends. What made the victim vulnerable? What made the murderer commit such a dramatic and final act? Ann Rule draws a very sympathetic picture of 30-year-old Anne Marie Fahey. Anne Marie survived a truly horrible childhood, made it through college, and had a great job in politics. She was carrying on a dallianace with Thomas Capano, a rich, successful, and married attorney. She tried to end the relationship after meeting a nice young executive whom she hoped to someday marry. But she carried scars from her childhood that kept her life from being perfect and which put Thomas Capano in a position of power over her. Reading the book, I felt like I knew Anne Marie. But Capano's need to maintain control over the several lovers he kept on the side still seems inexplicable. Though seemingly superficial and shallow, he was not a love 'em and leave them philanderer. Not able to let go, he sacrificed his marriage and his wonderful career for control over these young women. What in his background made him do this? A fascinating story, and a cautionary tale for women looking for the perfect man.

Hooked: Write Fiction That Grabs Readers at Page One and Never Lets Them Go

Average customer rating:

I'm HOOKED -- and You Will Be Too!
Cynical and Dispiriting
Want to improve your craft?
Not So Great
Great ideas and an easy read

Hooked: Write Fiction That Grabs Readers at Page One and Never Lets Them Go
Les Edgerton
Manufacturer: Writers Digest Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1582974578

Book Description

*The first pages are the #1 key to acceptance or rejection of manuscripts--most agents and editors claim to make their decision on a manuscript after the very first page, which means that no writer can afford to have a weak story beginning

*The first and only fiction-writing book that focuses exclusively on beginnings--no other book on the market addresses story beginnings in a comprehensive manner

Agents and editors agree: Improper story beginnings are the single biggest barrier to publication. Why? If a novel or short story has a bad beginning, then no one will keep reading. It's just that simple. Hooked provides readers with a detailed understanding of what a beginning must include (setup, backstory, the inciting incident, etc.); instruction on how to successfully develop the story problem; tips on how to correct common beginning mistakes; exclusive insider advice from agents, acquiring book editors, and literary journal editors; and much more.

Customer Reviews:

I'm HOOKED -- and You Will Be Too!.......2007-09-10

HOOKED is superb! Concrete and practical, this book lays out the keys to making that crucial first scene work in a clear and succinct manner. One of the best things about it is it is UP TO DATE with what editors and agents are looking for NOW. This has changed a lot in recent years, so many otherwise-excellent books fall short because they are now dated. HOOKED helped me fix the first scene in my own book which is now under serious consideration by a major publisher. Several folks in my writing group have purchased it and I intend to recommend it to others.

Thanks to Les Edgerton for a terrific addition to my craft library. This book will get plenty of use!

Elizabeth McIntyre, RI

Cynical and Dispiriting.......2007-08-30

I cannot agree with the accolades that Amazon reviewers are heaping upon this book. This is one of the most cynical and dispiriting books on writing I have read.

Les Edgerton continues in the tradition of Dwight V. Swain and Jack Bickham: when writing fiction, the bottom line counts for everything, while artistry and craft count for nothing. The writer's job is to hook the reader fast and never let him go, not because that will make for a good read, but because agents and editors need to be hooked fast or they won't read beyond the first few pages. Forget the leisurely buildup, just get the horses out of the gate fast!

Edgerton admittedly focuses on genre fiction and has little use for what might be called "literary fiction." My own interests, as reader and writer, also lie with genre fiction, but I think Edgerton (and Swain and Bickham) might show a bit less contempt for the road they chose not to follow.

What all three authors provide (despite their protests to the contrary) are formulae. The problem is, many successful genre books don't follow these formulae. Let's take Dan Brown as an example. I certainly do not regard Brown as a good writer (his prose is barely serviceable), but he has achieved the sort of success that Edgerton holds up as a goal.

1. Edgerton: Never ever open with a dream.
Brown's "Angels and Demons" does exactly that.

2. Edgerton: Never ever open with an alarm clock ringing.
"Angels and Demons" opens with a ringing phone that serves the same purpose.

3. Edgerton: In general, avoid writing a Prologue.
Both "Da Vinci Code" and "Angels and Demons" open with brief prologues.

4. Edgerton (quoting a literary agent): Never open with a villain.
Each of the above prologues depicts the villain doing his dastardly deed.

Now, Edgerton realizes that many bestsellers violate his rules. So how does he answer this? By saying that those novels are flawed, and that they succeed in spite of their flaws! (Perhaps because of the authors' popularity).

There are many other problems with this book. It deals indiscriminately with writing novels, short-stories, and movie screenplays. These are 3 different genres, and what works for one will not work for the other. Yet Edgerton lumps them all together.

Finally, Edgerton provides a plethora of what he considers to be great opening lines (among them his own wretched line cited by another reviewer). None of these lines made me want to read further. In fact, half of them didn't even seem well-written.

A book that covers the same ground as "Hooked" but does it much better is "The First Five Pages" by Noah Lukeman. I would also recommend "Self-Editing for Fiction Writers" by Browne and King. True, their prose is a bit more formal than the down-home, aw-shucks style practiced by Edgerton. But they leave his book in the shade.

Want to improve your craft?.......2007-08-26

As the title implies, this book is about "hooking" your readers from the opening page and never letting them go. Les Edgerton's laid back teaching style and world-wise approach to writing has made HOOKED one of my favorite writing tools.

This book easily appeals to whatever stage of the writing game you happen to be in. From ways to avoid overusing backstory to creating a story problem that sustains an entire manuscript, HOOKED has it covered with tips and examples that you can begin using in your own manuscripts right now. If you're truly interested in improving your craft and hooking agents, editors and most importantly, READERS:) get HOOKED.

Not So Great.......2007-08-14

This book, like others have written, features great instruction on the art of writing modern fiction, particularly that imperative hook.

For me, however, the author's often insightful suggestions are completely obscured by his own partiality. He cites 4 to 5 of his own openers (because they're just that great), and truthfully, they don't warrant the inflated, self-confessed praise that Edgerton gives to himself. Other examples are largely extracted from short stories, not novels. These two genres are separated in necessity and style by miles; therefore, Edgerton's haphazard melding of the two detracts from his overall goal.

If you're willing to overlook the author's self-indulgence and swallow the superficial, hollow and often displeasing examples of other "amazing hooks" provided in this manual (as I reluctantly did), then by all means, go for it. But I found that, by the last page, my suspension of disbelief had long disintegrated. There are too many examples of poor, elementary and sometimes laughable writing in this book to believe that all of the publishing industry looks solely for 7th grade style, bony, misdirected language and various forms of mind-numbing instant gratification when it comes to the search for worthy literature.

Please note that my above comments do not negate that this book has some formidable insights and admirable suggestions regarding structure and the ten components of an opening. But I think that many excellent writers out there deserve better advice from a better source. So, whether you decide on this nifty blue book or not, remember this sentence:

"He was so mean that wherever he was standing became the bad part of town."

"He was so mean that wherever he was standing became the bad part of town."

"He was so mean that wherever he was standing became the bad part of town."

And... well, you get the idea.

By the last page, you will know this sentence as you do your own name. It's Les Edgerton's own "whopper" of a hook, and he claims that most people couldn't resist reading on from a genius opener like that, although he willingly admits that "it's my own story and one should at least appear to be somewhat humble". Personally, after the fifth citing of this same (and very bad, film-noir-esque) sentence, it made me put the book down. It took a while to pick it up again, and longer still to trudge through the spontaneous flashes of very blatant boasting. I couldn't get past it, but maybe you can.

Make your own judgments. These are only mine.

Great ideas and an easy read.......2007-07-16

Here is a book that focuses 90% of it's attention on the most important 5% of your novel. With an easy to read format, helpful ideas, and clear instruction, it is a great addition for any fledgling writer.

The key to getting published in today's market is getting read. The key to getting read is having a killer opening. This book is a no-brainer to improve the opening of ANY novel.

Furious Pursuit: Why God Will Never Let You Go

Average customer rating:

God is indeed the one doing the pursuing and that they can stop all their striving to win God's favor
Powerful Reminders of Lasting Truth
Finally
Book simplifies finding God
The Ultimate Love Relationship

Furious Pursuit: Why God Will Never Let You Go
Tim King , and Frank Martin
Manufacturer: WaterBrook Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Spirituality | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 1400071496
Release Date: 2006-07-18

Book Description

You’re not defined by what you’ve done.
You’re defined by Who pursues you.

What if you could believe that God not only chases you, but has yet to leave your side for a second, has yet to go a minute without courting you, whispering in your heart, I’m right here? What if you could believe that God is never distant, never out of reach, never indifferent to what’s going on in your life? Would that make a difference in your relationship with him?

And what if you could go a step further and believe that God’s pursuit has nothing to do with your level of faithfulness? He is just as near, and just as vigilant in his pursuit, regardless of your dedication to the spiritual disciplines, and in spite of your struggle with sin.

Because of his nature, it is impossible for God not to pursue you. In Furious Pursuit, Tim King and Frank Martin invite you to lay down the smaller story of your life and instead tap into the Larger Story. To begin today by allowing God to transform the nature of your relationship with him. To stop chasing God and start embracing the Romance that is already well under way.

Begin today! Open yourself to God’s Furious Pursuit.

Companion workbook also available.

Customer Reviews:

God is indeed the one doing the pursuing and that they can stop all their striving to win God's favor.......2007-06-05

Subtitled "Why God Will Never Let You Go," FURIOUS PURSUIT opens with Frank Martin's admission that he's tired of chasing after God. Like so many Christians, over the years Martin had been subtly and perhaps even unintentionally fed the lie that we need to spend our lives pursuing God --- as if God is running on ahead of us and daring us to see if we can catch up. His admission, however, led him to a deeper understanding of the kind of relationship God wants to have with us, one that is not based on our pursuit of him but rather on his relentless pursuit of us.

That's good news for many who believe they must strive to find God, impress God, grab God's attention, make God love them, and so forth --- if only they can believe this good news. To bolster their premise that God is the one chasing us, Tim King and Frank Martin have organized their thoughts and the book along the lines of a classic courtship, beginning with the encouragement to stop running after God and allow yourself the pleasure of being the one pursued for a change.

The authors then describe the romance that is already in progress, God's passion for you and what you need to understand about his nature and his desire to be in relationship with the people he created. "Whether or not you like it," they write, "whether or not you ever fully grasp the concept, you are playing a part in history's greatest and grandest Love Story. And although the Story is not about you, it has everything to do with you."

If you've ever read John Eldredge's THE SACRED ROMANCE, this is probably starting to sound familiar. If you haven't, then read on, because the authors at this point lead us to a section on the courtship itself and show us how our understanding of our identity is critical to appreciating God's pursuit of us, how God wins us over to this romantic relationship with him, and how we can fully enjoy that relationship in the present. A final section describes this relationship as a "marriage to be consummated," beginning with a divine proposal that we commit ourselves to God for eternity. The authors describe our positive response to this sacred invitation in this way: "You and I give ourselves freely and willingly into the arms of God, allowing ourselves to be folded completely into the fury of his love and enraptured by the passions of his desire."

Christians who are tired of running after God --- and who have not read Eldredge and others who have written extensively on our role in the larger story of God's love --- will likely find a great deal here that will help convince them that God is indeed the one doing the pursuing and that they can stop all their striving to win God's favor. (King and Martin have also created a companion workbook, which I have not read, that is available separately.)

--- Reviewed by Marcia Ford

Powerful Reminders of Lasting Truth.......2006-10-08

Tim King and Frank Martin have written a masterpiece which reminds us of God's eternal presence in every day life. Each chapter combines personal stories with Scriptural insight and truth. This well-crafted book provides great encouragement to every reader.

Here's a small taste from page 117: "It is impossible to walk with God in the past or the future; we can walk with him only in the present moment. And because God doesn't submit to a linear time line, every moment is an eternal moment."

"Our view of time has led us to think of eternity as something in the future, as some grand blessing to come at the end of this life. But what is eternity if it isn't life with the Eternal One? Eternity is living with God today, being fully alive in his presence moment by moment. Every moment is an eternal moment because every moment can be lived in the company of God."

"God longs for us to be fully engaged with him, fully focused on our relationship. He longs for us to step out of our time-limited space and into sacred eternal space. He invites us to step out of ourselves and into eternity with him, to discard the myth of linear time and live in the reality of his immediate presence."

"In God's presence you are enough. In eternity with God, you have enough. In the sacred place, time is always lived in the present moment."

This book will stir eternal thoughts which will last far longer than the reading experience. It's a book worth reading--and reading again to soak deeply in the spiritual truths.

Finally.......2006-09-04

It is very refreshing to read a work that really describes the true meaning of our relationship with God.

God is so much bigger then our small stories.

I could not put the book down once I began.

Thank you Mr. King for a marvelous work.

Book simplifies finding God.......2006-08-25

Reviewed by Cherie Fisher for Reader Views (07/06)

Are you tired of chasing after God with endless lists of rules and impossible tasks? There's Good News!!! "Furious Pursuit: Why God Will Never Let You Go" is a book written for those of you like me who have been searching for God, but always seem to end up feeling hopeless, alone and tired. This book carefully lays out God's larger story of love as the greatest love story ever told.

"Furious Pursuit" simplifies what I always thought was the most daunting task in my life - finding God. So many of the theological approaches today end up making us feel totally worthless, with the path to finding God an impossible task. King and Martin lay out a very simple approach to this - recognizing that God is already pursuing us and letting it happen. We are wooed by God through initial courtship, dating and finally the long-term commitment of marriage. And the best part is? The happy ending in this divine romance is about us.

This well-written and thoughtful approach to God works so well because the authors organize and describe God's relationship with us by using examples of everyday relationships; oftentimes using personal and painful experiences to make a point. So much of the time we are so busy living our lives of quiet desperation that we fail to see that we are part of a much larger picture. It is such a relief to realize that we are an important part of God's story and that his love for us is completely unconditional.

The most poignant section for me was the chapter "Living in the Eternal Moment - Knowing God in the present tense". So many of us spend the majority of our time thinking about past failures or planning how to do well in the future that we lose the wonderful things that the moment offers. After reading this chapter I spent a whole day consciously living in the present and it was tough. Every time I started thinking about past or future situations I brought myself back to the present to be fully conscious of what I was experiencing. You know what I found? I have so many wonderful moments everyday if I take the time to notice them. And if I really think about all the time I spend feeling badly about past mistakes there is nothing I can do to change them except to make better decisions in present situations. And, as for worrying about future situations? I have always been provided with the things that I have needed.

"Furious Pursuit" helped me to see God in a whole new light and to look forward to my everyday relationship with God instead of being overwhelmed and lost. King and Martin have also written a companion workbook to go along with this book and I am looking forward to getting it and following the ninety-one day program.

The Ultimate Love Relationship.......2006-08-21

This delightful book reminds me of God's unconditional love for us. He loves us and actively seeks us for a love relationship. To realize that God is personal, loving, open, seeking, and desiring His best for me - whatever my shortcomings - is breathtaking. Read it, enjoy it, and forever live in the presence of our loving Creator. God is the Master Designer. Live as He designed you! For love.

Furious Pursuit Workbook: Discovering Why God Will Never Let You Go

Average customer rating:

Best Workbook I've Ever Seen

Furious Pursuit Workbook: Discovering Why God Will Never Let You Go
Tim King , and Frank Martin
Manufacturer: WaterBrook Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Spirituality | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 140007150X
Release Date: 2006-07-18

Book Description

A Sacred Journey Toward the Heart of God
Go deep into the things of God by allowing God to go deep into the things of your life!

In your relationship with God, there is a romance to be embraced, a courtship to be nurtured, and a marriage to be consummated. And this relationship demands a level of intentionality. Of learning to walk with God daily, trusting in his goodness and mercy, resting in his faithfulness. Of allowing his furious pursuit to transform the nature of your relationship to him.
Inside, you’ll encounter such transforming truths as:

·What it means to be pursued by Love
·God’s quest for a willing heart
·Navigating the “thorn stories” of pain, loneliness, and rejection
·Embracing the vows of a Sacred Lover
·Accepting God’s Divine Proposal
·Recovering the Larger Story of God’s unrelenting faithfulness

Take advantage of the life-changing tools and resources, including questions for individual and group study, a daily Conversations & Reflections Journal, and daily inspirational messages available at www.furiouspursuit.com. Let God take responsibility for your relationship with him, so you can experience the freedom and acceptance that are already yours. Frank Martin and Tim King invite you on a journey of personal and spiritual transformation, a journey toward fully embracing the Furious Pursuit of God!

The companion workbook to Furious Pursuit by Frank Martin and Tim King

Customer Reviews:

Best Workbook I've Ever Seen.......2006-10-13

Furious Pursuit is the best workbook that I have ever seen. It is actually revelant to spiritual formation, and not just a bunch of busy work. This is a real reflection and meditation guide. The workbook's unique design allows the reader to spend as little as 10 minutes in it, or as much as all day. It is broken out into 7 themes that cycle in a way to help the reader break out of our habit of being caught up in our "smaller stories." This workbook is perfect for small groups or individual study. It is complemented by the 91 daily audio messages by Tim King available [...]. I beleive you will find a great blessing with this workbook.

Average customer rating:

never let me go

Never Let Me Go
Kazuo Ishiguro
Manufacturer: Faber and Faber
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0571224113

Customer Reviews:

never let me go.......2006-03-26

I wondered what Ishiguro was trying to tell us with his "Never let me go". It seems we live in a world where decisions are made without regard to human compassion and we are all human, right? "Never let me go" seems to explore the basic instincts of attachments between people and these attachments assist us in realising who we are. But why are we here? You quickly begin to realise with characters surnames existing of letters only that the main characters are making up numbers, are they people?
Kathy H is a carer of donors. Donors who complete usually by their third or fourth donation. Kathy H and Tommy D have an attachment but Tommy D is resigned to his fate and Kathy H accepts.
The complexity of the relationships between Ruth, Kathy and Tommy make them every bit human but Kathy's honest about her own feelings seems to enable her to be more compassionate and hence a better carer.
I see Ishiguro's book as a fairytale at an adult level with the usual characters of the wicked witch, the princess and her prince.

Never Let You Go (The Circle K Sisters) (Silhouette Romance, 1453)

Average customer rating:

Really 2 and 1/2 stars - Not a Keeper
The beginning of a delightful summer series!
A story saved by style

Never Let You Go (The Circle K Sisters) (Silhouette Romance, 1453)
Judy Christenberry
Manufacturer: silhouette
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Romance | Subjects | Books

Silhouette Romance | Series | Romance | Subjects | Books

General | Contemporary | Romance | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0373194536
Release Date: 2000-06-15

Customer Reviews:

Really 2 and 1/2 stars - Not a Keeper.......2006-03-15

Enjoyed, but I wouldn't read again.

The beginning of a delightful summer series!.......2000-07-23

Once again, popular romance author Judy Christenberry presents her fans with a delightful new summer series following the love lives of a cast of enchanting and intriguing characters. In the first book of the series, "Never Let You Go," readers are introduced to the Kennedy sisters of the Circle K Ranch.

Orphaned as young children, Abby, Beth and Melissa are taken in by tough but tenderhearted Aunt Beulah in order to be raised together as an intact family. Upon their aunt's death, the girls inherit the family ranch along with a sizable monetary endowment, and are now working against daunting odds to make it a successful operation.

The girls' aunt had always encouraged them to pursue their dreams, and Beth's dream is to become one of the top barrel racers in the country. But she needs some expert help, and when it comes in the form of the handsome horse trainer Jedadiah Davis . . . well, this venture might make two dreams come true!

But Beth and Jed don't quite hit it off, although they both feel an enormous attraction towards one another. But at first, they get along as well as oil and vinegar. The twosome's hearts soon overcome their hard-headedness, and a great love blossoms under the dusty Texas sky.

Judy Christenberry has a knack for making readers feel right at home with her stories, and "Never Let You Go" is no exception. Strong family ties and heart-stirring romance makes Judy one of today's most popular authors of contemporary romance. Look for the continuation of the Kennedy girls stories in the "Circle K Sisters" series with Melissa's story in "The Borrowed Groom," set for July publication and Abby's story, which will appear in "Cherish The Boss," in August.

A story saved by style.......2000-07-15

In this first story about the Kennedy sisters, Beth Kennedy meets and matches wits with Jed Davis, her new trainer. Striving to be the best barrel racer possible, Beth needs Jed's assistance. But his feelings for Beth make Jed want to continue on down the isolated road of his life.

Christenberry has crafted a good story here. Both Beth and Jed have suffered a similar loss in their lives which Beth feels should bring them together though Jed feels her wealth drives them apart. She feels his prejudice is unwarranted and he believes that her heart is too soft. There's a great deal of miscommunication between the two of them but an equal amount of character development that goes on during their interaction with, as well as independently of, each other.

The development of these two characters is fully illustrated through Christenberry's wry and witty tone when it comes to these characters, especially Jed and his self-deprecation. I really enjoyed the rapport between the three sisters and am looking forward to their stories in the upcoming months ahead.

Average customer rating:
Never Let Me Go
Kazuo Ishiguro (
Manufacturer: Alfred a Knopf Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Similar Items:

Never Let Me Go

The Unconsoled

When We Were Orphans: A Novel

Housekeeping: A Novel

The Inheritance of Loss

ASIN: 0739457950

Average customer rating:
Never Let Go
Sherryl Woods
Manufacturer: silhouette
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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Edge Of Forever (Silhouette Special Edition, 484)

ASIN: 0373094469

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