Average customer rating:
- somewhat boring
- Falls flat
- An enjoyable read of historical fiction
- The weak side of Elizabeth, not a full view
- Queen Elizabeth Fans Beware
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The Virgin's Lover
Philippa Gregory
Manufacturer: Touchstone
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Binding: Paperback
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The Other Boleyn Girl
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Katherine
ASIN: 0743269268 |
Book Description
The National Bestseller
In the autumn of 1558, church bells across England ring out the joyous news that Elizabeth I is the new queen. One woman hears the tidings with utter dread. She is Amy Dudley, wife of Sir Robert, and she knows that Elizabeth's ambitious leap to the throne will draw her husband back to the center of the glamorous Tudor court, where he was born to be.
Elizabeth's excited triumph is short-lived. She has inherited a bankrupt country where treason is rampant and foreign war a certainty. Her faithful advisor William Cecil warns her that she will survive only if she marries a strong prince to govern the rebellious country, but the one man Elizabeth desires is her childhood friend, the ambitious Robert Dudley. As the young couple falls in love, a question hangs in the air: can he really set aside his wife and marry the queen? When Amy is found dead, Elizabeth and Dudley are suddenly plunged into a struggle for survival.
Philippa Gregory's The Virgin's Lover answers the question about an unsolved crime that has fascinated detectives and historians for centuries. Intelligent, romantic, and compelling, The Virgin's Lover presents a young woman on the brink of greatness, a young man whose ambition exceeds his means, and the wife who cannot forgive them.
Download Description
"In the autumn of 1558, church bells across England ring out the joyous news that Elizabeth I is the new queen. One woman hears the tidings with utter dread. She is Amy Dudley, wife of Sir Robert, and she knows that Elizabeth's ambitious leap to the throne will pull her husband back to the very center of the glamorous Tudor court, where he was born to be. Amy had hoped that the merciless ambitions of the Dudley family had died on Tower Green when Robert's father was beheaded and his sons shamed; but the peal of bells she hears is his summons once more to power, intrigue, and a passionate love affair with the young queen. Can Amy's steadfast faith in him, her constant love, and the home she wants to make for them in the heart of the English countryside compete with the allure of the new queen? Elizabeth's excited triumph is short-lived. She has inherited a bankrupt country, riven by enmity, where treason is normal and foreign war a certainty. Her faithful advisor William Cecil warns her that she will survive only if she marries a strong prince to govern the rebellious country, but the one man Elizabeth desires is her childhood friend, the irresistible, ambitious Robert Dudley. Robert revels in the opportunities of the new reign. The son of an aristocratic family brought up in palaces as the equal of his royal playmates, Robert knows he can reclaim his destiny at Elizabeth's side. Elizabeth cannot resist his courtship, and as the young couple slowly falls in love, Robert starts to think the impossible: can he set aside his wife and marry the young queen? Philippa Gregory's The Virgin's Lover answers the question about an unsolved crime that has fascinated detectives and historians for centuries. Philippa Gregory uses documents and evidence from the Tudor era and, with almost magical insight into the desires of Robert Dudley and his lovers, paints a picture of a country on the brink of greatness, a young woman grasping at her power, a young man whose ambition is greater than his means, and the wife who cannot forgive them. "
Customer Reviews:
somewhat boring.......2007-09-29
I have read all the books in this series re: Henry 8th and enjoyed all of them except this one. In spite of the history during this period of time, the reign of Elizabeth I, this book concentrates far too much on the sexual relationship between Elizabeth and Robert Dudley as well as his whining wife, Amy. In terms of a synopsis, other reviewers have gone into depth but, again, the book is somewhat devoid of historical value. Gregory's theory about how Amy died is somewhat interesting but so much more could have been done with this time period. I actually came to despise the characters Dudley and Elizabeth. She is being portrayed as weak, Dudley obsessed, dumb and easily manipulated. As one of the greatest rulers in England, I found this characterization of her unbelievable and annoying.
Falls flat.......2007-09-23
This was not at all like Philippa Gregory's other novels that I have read. Instead it was just filled with boring war talk and it made Queen Elizabeth seem weak, confused, and not a good leader whatsoever. Once I got over that fact, the book was just okay.
This story discusses Elizabeth's first few years on the throne. Her 'lover' is Robert Dudley (who also appeared in Gregory's novel The Queens Fool) and the book is central to him, his wife, and his affair with Elizabeth.
At first I sympathized with Elizabeth and I was naïve to even sympathize with Dudley himself for a short time in the beginning, but quickly I was repulsed by his devious and selfish behavior. As the book went on (and let me tell you it dragged on and on... not a fast read AT ALL...) I was quickly on the side of Amy Dudley and I felt horrible for the way she was treated and disrespected by her husband and the Queen.
I have adored the handful of Philippa Gregory novel's that I have read so far (The Other Boleyn Girl, The Boleyn Inheritance, The Constant Princess, and The Queens Fool) and I usually love biographical stories; therefore I was certain that I would enjoy this book as well. However, it was long, boring, and not filled with spice. If this is your first taste of Philippa Gregory, don't start with this book. Start with The Other Boleyn Girl; it is much better and much more fun.
An enjoyable read of historical fiction.......2007-08-07
This was my first Philippa Gregory book. It was a very enjoyable read, and I especially liked how she integrated historical events into the narrative. If you enjoy Elizabethan era history and movies like "Shakespeare in Love" you will enjoy this book.
The weak side of Elizabeth, not a full view.......2007-08-07
Elizabeth I may be the greatest most interesting ruler ever and I love Philippa Gregory, so what happened here? I know Elizabeth relied heavily on Robert Dudley but this book ONLY focused on the vigins "lover" so the other more compelling strengths of Elizabeth are just not mentioned. This book provides a distorted, narrow view of Elizabeth. I have learned more about Elizabeth I's strengths through other books and also the HBO movie "Elizabeth I" with Helen Mirren which was excellent. I suggest other sources for Elizabeth stories - keep looking.
Queen Elizabeth Fans Beware.......2007-07-25
While I have enjoyed several of Gregory's other works, including The Constant Princess, The Queen's Fool, and The Other Boleyn Girl, I couldn't even make it through this book. I am an avid reader of historical fiction and non-fiction and never have I been so disgusted with a portrayal of Queen Elizabeth I. Gregory writes about an immature, one-dimensional girl unable to make the simplest decisions without her lover, more focused on lust and adolescent games than running a country. Despite the fact that Queen Elizabeth I was fluent in English, Latin, Greek and had studied War, Science, Mathematics and was a model pupil throughout her schooling, Gregory expects you to view the Virgin Queen as little more than a village idiot who has the crown thrust upon her. While Gregory's works are on the whole fulfilling this left me completely dissatisfied and unimpressed with her writing.
Book Description
The charismatic and multi-talented Amy Sedaris is many things: actress, author, and yes, David Sedariss sister. Now, she takes on the world of entertaining in this blisteringly funny collection of bizarre tips, recipes and craft ideas (like mini pantyhose plant-hangers!) perfect for hosting an unforgettable fete. Your guests will rave.
Customer Reviews:
brilliance .......2007-09-27
I bought 4 copies of this - one to keep and 3 for gifts. This woman is a super genius from the Jello Super Genius Institute!
this book is so amy sedaris.......2007-09-21
i love amy. she is hilarious. this is a guide to entertaining people thru her eyes. want to throw a party? consult this book. surprisingly, it's painless, info-filled and with lots of practical tips and recipes. and it will also make you laugh! amy is kind of cute if you ask me, even at her age. as funny as her brother though not as famous.
2 pages of racism against asians repel me from liking this book or amy sedaris.......2007-09-17
I am angry with Amy Sedaris. I was liking this book so far, then opened to page 251 where I saw a nuclear missle running with a rickshaw on japanese wooden shoes, little asian eyes and the words "Korean Korner" in a karate font. This caricature is insulting to Asians, and Koreans. I am up for any joke or wit or sarcasm, but this seems ignorant to me. I ignored it by flipping the pages and saw a little worm in a beret and thought she is spoofing other cultures too so I was just going to let it go. But on page 267 Amy SEdaris gives direction on how to make a "CHING CHONG BURRITO"--- by using "mung beans". I stop there. That's not humor, that's ignorance. Amy Sedaris knows nothing about hospitality or Asian culture. You're a great ambassador, Amy. Good on you.
I like Amy........2007-09-06
Amy Sedaris cracks me up. I bought this book for myself a few months ago, and I absolutely love it. It's both serious and completely not serious at the same time. Every time I open it, I find new things to laugh about, but then it's also full of good advice and great recipes. The photos & drawings are a scream! This book is my new favorite gift for all my lady friends & family: my mom, my sister, my boyfriend's mom, my friends.... I now know how to put on pantyhose properly, and I'm really looking forward to making a fake cake sometime soon!!
A little surprised.......2007-08-29
I'm surprised at how much I didn't like this book. It's nicely put together and the layout is well thought out, but it's just a little off putting. Maybe it's the 1950's vibe or just the fact that she can be a little too silly. The information is really good, and I'll probably use it. I just wouldn't go so far as to say she's the next Ms. Manners.
Book Description
If you already speak English, but now would like to start speaking even better, then Speak English Like an American is for you. This book and CD set is designed to help native speakers of any language speak better English. Over 300 of the most-used American English idioms and phrases are presented in engaging dialogue, with plenty of usage examples, illustrations, and lots of exercises -- with convenient answer key -- to help you learn the material. The audio CD includes all of the dialogues. Ideal for self-study. A fun and effective way to improve your conversational English!
Customer Reviews:
Excellent choice and explanation of idioms.......2007-06-01
Being a non-native speaker who has lived in US for over 10 years, I've heard of many of the idioms in this book at work, on TV and in every day conversations. I didn't know what some of the idioms mean exactly until I read them in this book. I think the book is very useful for immigrants like me or simply anybody who would like to learn American English.
Homeowner.......2007-02-21
Excellent with a great many up-to-date expressions and words. CDs let you listen while doing other things. The book allows one to read what is on the CDs.
Unexpectable.......2007-01-10
I didn't expect i would have a great book to improve my English.
I'm in my home country now so I've got going on studying since one an half month . It has 25 lessons and I'm on 12th. I can't wait to skip for the next one because I wonder what's going to happen in subject. But I know I need to consume each lesson. The fiction is really set successfully.
I listen to its CD and my pronunciation has already improved.
I appreciate the edition and the author.
Nesibe
PS: sorry about my English if I've done something wrong:)
Speak English Like an American.......2007-01-10
One of the best idiom books out there, and I've tried quite a few. The stories are entertaining and most of the idioms are very common.
Excellent.......2006-06-02
I am really amazed of how much idioms and colloquial expressions you can learn just by listening to the CD. And guess what - these are idioms and phrases you REALLY hear everyday on the street, used by most people in everyday situations. Before, my English sounded a bit "artificial" and somehow forced. Now, the more I used the idioms I learnt here, the more natural and even friendly I sound to the native speakers.
Buy it, it's totally cheap for what it does!
Book Description
Chapters cover what instructors want students to know about MIS while Extended Learning Modules (XLMs) show students what they can do with MIS. A contemporary writing style and a wealth of examples engage students like no other MIS text. Arranged with chapter opening cases that highlight how an organization has successfully implemented many of the chapter’s concepts and chapter closing cases that help students apply what they just learned gives students the hands-on knowledge that is applicable in both their personal and professional experiences.
Customer Reviews:
Textbook: Management Information Systems for the Information Age with CD and MISource .......2007-09-29
On 8/28/07, I bought the textbook, Management Information Systems for the Information Age with CD and MISource. I am delighted with my purchase as all proved to be just as promised: perfect book's condition, as well as delivery within the time frame stated at the time of my purchase.
Lost Book.......2007-09-10
I've been waiting 25 days for the book and still waiting. Amason was great with trying to resolve the problem and crediting my account.
Management Information Systems.......2007-06-08
This book is easy to read and understand.
The Opening case at the beginning of each chapter deals with companies we are all familiar with which makes it interesting to read.
Book Description
Yarns made from plant fibers, modern synthetics, and silk take the spotlight in this collection of 21 classic knitting patterns for socks, scarves, hats, bags, vests, sweaters, and even a luxurious bathrobe. Some knitters are discouraged by the thought of baggy hemp sweaters and droopy cotton socks when they consider vegetable fibers, but this authoritative, fun, and light-hearted guide promises that, while wool has no equal when it comes to elasticity and warmth, the right tricks and techniques produce non-wool fashions that fit well, wear well, and hang beautifully. Knitters are taught to knit swatches to study the behavior of a yarn, to choose an appropriate pattern, and to master techniques for reinforcing stitches and inserting knit-ins of springier yarn to keep cotton, silk, and other fibers from sagging. Key information about durability, weight, pilling, and special handling is provided for acrylic, bamboo, cotton, hemp, Ingeo, linen, lycra, nylon, polyester, rayon, silk, soy, Tencel, and viscose yarns, and a chapter of helpful tips advises on needles to use (and avoid), how to start new balls and weave in ends, how to work intarsia and Fair Isle patterns, smart ways to control the cost of materials, and the right methods for washing, drying, and blocking the finished pieces.
Customer Reviews:
Wonderful Resource for non-wool fibers.......2007-09-23
I love this book. I didn't think I would, but in the first chapter there is a detailed explanation of many fibers and how they are transformed into knittable goodness.
Amy Singer also talks about possible allergies - that sometimes it is the chemicals that are used to treat fibers that cause allergies. I learned a lot. I love Merino - don't get me wrong - but I am more likely to itch from it, and from any kind of wool. Before this book, I felt like I was a knitter-persona-non-grata. Not that I want to be -- just that I am of the 'wool and some acrylics can be itchy' camp.
The patterns are fun and different, and introduce a whole new way of thinking about knitting! Hooray!!
Informative & inspiring.......2007-07-30
I picked up this book thinking, I don't need another knitting book -- but this is not just another book of patterns. I am not allergic, but I don't always love wearing wool (esp. in warmer weather). Her patterns are unique and interesting, and she has inspired me to just pick up things that might be interesting just to swatch. Ms. Singer has filled a gap in my knitting library.
Interesting Ideas.......2007-07-08
I purchased this book mainly out of curiosity & to explore using other fibers than your normal wools, cottons, blends & synthetics. I haven't had a chance to actually read the book (we're a very busy family), but I found the patterns & the idea of using different natural & plant fibers to be very enticing. I consider myself to be an intermediate knitter, but because of time allowance, I prefer to stick to the simpler patterns that won't take as long to finish. I have become very good at adapting patterns to suit my own preferences. The yarns suggested in the book can be very pricey. I would suggest searching the fair trade market from such places as the Rain Forest Rescue Site, where recycled silk yarns & banana fiber yarns are available at a very reasonable price. Since I'm personally not in the position to spend a fortune on the expensive yarns, I prefer to substitute yarns with similar qualities or textures & I also try to stay as close to the gauge of yarn & needle size as possible. I'm no expert, but I always suggest to people - don't be afraid to experiment, have fun & if it doesn't turn out the way you wanted it to? Just learn from it! Start small, get a feel for it & go from there! Beautiful pictures & patterns! The book is worth adding to your personal library!
Not enough patterns for bamboo yarn........2007-05-23
I purchased this book because I had recently purchased some silk and bamboo yarn. I found the technical information at the beginning very interesting. Amy Singer goes through the structure of each type of yarn in great detail including care of each yarn. What I did find disappointing was that of all the knitting patterns (and there are many in silk, hemp, linen etc) there was no garment made from bamboo (apart from small scarf). This was the only area I thought was lacking.
Excellent reference for non-sheepy knitting.......2007-05-13
For those who can't/don't knit with wool or other animal-based yarns, or simply those who prefer cooler fare for summer knitting, No Sheep for You is an invaluable reference. Amy Singer gives a lot more than patterns (though the patterns are lovely). Her notes on the various types of fibers, their properties and how the construction of the yarn alters them, makes substituting these yarns in your own patterns much more doable. One star loss for a) not enough charting in the patterns (which echoes Knitty, Singer's on-line magazine), and b) rather hideously expensive yarns given in the patterns. I priced out the yarn as given in one of the sweater patterns at over $600, which is a good deal more than I'll be spending on yarn for one pattern in the foreseeable future. The information on yarn substitution is good enough to give me hope of finding more affordable alternatives, though, even if I have to spin them myself.
Book Description
This thoroughly updated classic text covers the full range of pediatric diseases, with special emphasis on management and which methods work best. The expert author team have maintained the steadfast tradition of Sid Hurwitz's ground-breaking work. The text delivers over 700 pages and more than 1,000 illustrations for today's most effective guidance in this specialized field.
Customer Reviews:
Muy bueno.......2007-01-24
Es un tratado de dermatologia pediatrica excelente, lastima que lo recibi ayer 23 de enero cuando lo pedi el 21 de diciembre
Book Description
We buy more flowers a year than we do Big Macs, spending $6.2 billion annually. We use them to mark our most important events, to express sentiments that might otherwise go unsaid. And we demand perfection. So it’s no surprise that there is a $40 billion global industry devoted to making flowers flawless.
Amy Stewart takes us inside the flower trade—from the hybridizers, who create new varieties in the laboratory, to the growers, who produce flowers by the millions (often in a factory-like setting), to the Dutch auctioneers, who set the bar (and the price), and ultimately to the neighborhood florists orchestrating the mind-boggling demands of Valentine’s and Mother’s Day. There’s the breeder intent on developing the first blue rose; an eccentric horticultural legend who created the world’s most popular lily; a grower of gerberas of every color imaginable; and the equivalent of a Tiffany diamond: the “ Forever Young” rose.
Stewart explores the relevance of flowers in our lives and in our history, and in the process she reveals all that has been gained—and lost—by tinkering with nature.
Customer Reviews:
Wierd title, great book.......2007-10-07
When I saw Amy Stewart's name on a new book I had to have it. I enjoyed her book about earthworms so much that I didn't think she could match it, but I was wrong. This is a wonderful expose of the flower trade around the world. From Holland to South America she tracked down the progress of cut flowers from their hybridizing to the final sale. It all has the ring of truth - that sense that the research was thorough, that nothing was skimped, and aspects of the flower business were presented whole cloth as well as facts being recorded and shared.
Last year I saw roses grown in Ecuador for markets continents away. I read about Dole closing down huge flower-growing greenhouses in poor towns where that was the only source of income. In our hacienda were bouquets of roses enormous beyond belief. Amy Stewart's book places this into perspective for me within the whole world of the flower industry.
In slaking her own curiosity about the natural world, this writer helps us understand our world better. This book is not just about flowers, or even the natural world - it is also about international trade, politics, business affairs and economic and social issues.
An excellent package. I can't wait for her next book.
The dirt DIVA endorses Amy Stewart's book, baby!.......2007-08-28
As an opinionated garden columnist, who preaches organic gardening to anyone who will listen . . . I was thrilled to read a book that finally tells the true story behind the floral industry. The system is ridiculous and needs drastic change. This will only happen when flower consumers are educated enough to see what their purchases are doing to the soil and to the farmers and their families, who work amongst toxic pesticides just so we can have a nice, long-lasting, unscented, superficial flower on our table.
Plus, the book is beautifully written.
AMEN AMY!
Amazing Introduction to Exciting World of Flowers.......2007-08-24
When you go to the supermarket and see groceries, most of us have at least a basic understanding of from where and how the food came to be there, such as the fields where crops grew, ranches where livestock were raised, slaughterhouses, processing facilities, etc. But how many times have most of us thought about flowers? Especially considering just how short a period of time there is between when a flower is picked, when it is displayed in our homes, and when it finally wilts, there are an amazing number of processes and work involved in flowers. Travelling around the world, from the "design" stage (yes, you'll read about how flowers are "engineered") to planting, to selling, to transportation, to marketing, all the way to the florist's shop or the supermarket, Stewart covers it all. You'll even learn a lot about some of the "allied" professions in the flower trade, like logistics, retailing, biotechnology, and more. And best of all, the book is written in a very easy to read style. If you have any interest in flowers and/or you just like learning about how things work, then I wholeheartedly recommend this book to you.
Flower-ific!.......2007-07-04
I brought this book with me on a vacation to Hawaii last week, outwardly hopeful that it would be as great as it sounded, but inwardly nervous that it was not beach-appropriate. But I am delighted (and relieved) to report that it was fantastic, and I could barely put it down. (I went for a wedding, and I would even break it out when I had a spare five minutes.)
I was really impressed with Stewart's ability to take a complicated, international industry and reduce it to enjoyable anecdotes, from a 3rd generation violet grower in California to the early morning Dutch flower auction. Even better, I feel smarter now. (If I hadn't borrowed it from the library, I probably would have broken out my highlighter.) There's just so much information packed in there -- she clearly put a tremendous amount of hours and research into this work.
Having said that, I think you have to like flowers, at least a little bit, to really enjoy Flower Confidential. If you don't, I could see how you'd want to chuck it out the window -- for me, it would be like reading a towering stack of Car & Driver with no end in sight.
[...]
the flip side of all that loveliness.......2007-06-01
As a flower junkie and floral designer, I was vaguely aware of the flower industry's workings, but this book spelled it all out pretty clearly for me. The Big Idea I have taken away from this is that we the flower-buying public need to demand quality, cleanliness and sustainability from the flower industry in the same way we are coming to demand it from those who supply our food. "Fair trade" is a phrase most Americans associate with coffee-- we should expect similar standards with respect to the flowers we purchase as well. All that loveliness should not come at the expense of the health of those producing it or of the integrity of the environment.
Amazon.com
Amy Tan, who has an unerring eye for relationships between mothers and daughters, especially Chinese-American, has departed from her well-known genre in Saving Fish From Drowning. She would be well advised to revisit that theme which she writes about so well.
The title of the book is derived from the practice of Myanmar fishermen who "scoop up the fish and bring them to shore. They say they are saving the fish from drowning. Unfortunately... the fish do not recover," This kind of magical thinking or hypocrisy or mystical attitude or sheer stupidity is a fair metaphor for the entire book. It may be read as a satire, a political statement, a picaresque tale with several "picaros" or simply a story about a tour gone wrong.
Bibi Chen, San Francisco socialite and art vendor to the stars, plans to lead a trip for 12 friends: "My friends, those lovers of art, most of them rich, intelligent, and spoiled, would spend a week in China and arrive in Burma on Christmas Day." Unfortunately, Bibi dies, in very strange circumstances, before the tour begins. After wrangling about it, the group decides to go after all. The leader they choose is indecisive and epileptic, a dangerous combo. Bibi goes along as the disembodied voice-over.
Once in Myanmar, finally, they are noticed by a group of Karen tribesmen who decide that Rupert, the 15-year-old son of a bamboo grower is, in fact, Younger White Brother, or The Lord of the Nats. He can do card tricks and is carrying a Stephen King paperback. These are adjudged to be signs of his deity and ability to save them from marauding soldiers. The group is "kidnapped," although they think they are setting out for a Christmas Day surprise, and taken deep into the jungle where they languish, develop malaria, learn to eat slimy things and wait to be rescued. Nats are "believed to be the spirits of nature--the lake, the trees, the mountains, the snakes and birds. They were numberless ... They were everywhere, as were bad luck and the need to find reasons for it." Philosophy or cynicism? This elusive point of view is found throughout the novel--a bald statement is made and then Tan pulls her punches as if she is unwilling to make a statement that might set a more serious tone.
There are some goofy parts about Harry, the member of the group who is left behind, and his encounter with two newswomen from Global News Network, some slapstick sex scenes and a great deal of dog-loving dialogue. These all contribute to a novel that is silly but not really funny, could have an occasionally serious theme which suddenly disappears, and is about a group of stereotypical characters that it's hard to care about. It was time for Amy Tan to write another book; too bad this was it. --Valerie Ryan
Book Description
“A rollicking, adventure-filled story . . . packed [with] the human capacity for love.”
–USA Today
“A superbly executed, good-hearted farce that is part romance and part mystery . . . With Tan’s many talents on display, it’s her idiosyncratic wit and sly observations . . . that make this book pure pleasure.”
–San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco art patron Bibi Chen has planned a journey of the senses along the famed Burma Road for eleven lucky friends. But after her mysterious death, Bibi watches aghast from her ghostly perch as the travelers veer off her itinerary and embark on a trail paved with cultural gaffes and tribal curses, Buddhist illusions and romantic desires. On Christmas morning, the tourists cruise across a misty lake and disappear.
With picaresque characters and mesmerizing imagery, Saving Fish from Drowning gives us a voice as idiosyncratic, sharp, and affectionate as the mothers of The Joy Luck Club. Bibi is the observant eye of human nature–the witness of good intentions and bad outcomes, of desperate souls and those who wish to save them. In the end, Tan takes her readers to that place in their own heart where hope is found.
“Amy Tan is among our great storytellers.”
–The New York Times Book Review
“Amy Tan has created an almost magical adventure that, page by page, becomes a metaphor for human relationships.”
–Isabel Allende
“With humor, ruthlessness, and wild imagination, Tan has reaped [a] fantastic tale of human longings and (of course) their consequences.”
–Elle
“A book that’s easy to read and hard to forget.”
–Newsweek
Customer Reviews:
Beautifully Written..........2007-10-15
Don't miss this book because of negative opinions shared on reviews--this book is definitely worth reading! I have read all of Amy Tan's books and she is (in my eyes) a brilliant story-teller. I never go into her books expecting the exact same style--she is an evolving writer, always trying new techniques to help her grow.
Saving Fish from Drowning does have a lot of characters, but I had no problem distinguishing between them all. I found I was able to form some sort of connection (positive or not) with all of the characters and found it hard to put the book down. It is certainly a different route for Tan, but as we all know, different does not always equate to bad. If you are at all interested, give it a shot. It is a wonderful read and deserves more credit than it is being given. Good job Ms. Tan!
An engaging read.......2007-10-07
I can see that some Tan fans might not like this book: there are so many characters that the only one we can really onnect with is the narrator, but I found it to be a beautiful (if dispiriting) story. The pacing is strong, and I found it hard to put the book down. The suspense Tan creates is riviting, and I love that the narrator is a ghost. The only weakness was in the ending of the novel; we lose track of the characters we've been "living" with all along, and certainly the good guys don't win. I also thought the death of the narrator was explained in a kind of...em..silly way. However, I do like the way that Tan skewers the characters with their egos and "good intentions." Though some might think she's making fun of Americans (which she certainly does), Tan doesn't let others escape her observations: from TV personalities to Brits to Burmese. I think this is Tan's most political novel yet, so if you're searching for major character delevopment, be warned that the book is mostly plot-driven *unlike Joy Luck, Hundred Secret Senses and the like). Though it's a different direction, I think Tan does it well.
Amy Tan and Geoffrey Chaucer: Soulmates.......2007-10-03
Amy Tan bows to Geoffrey Chaucer by imitating Canterbury Tales both in structure and subject matter. Saving Fish from Drowning and Canterbury Tales probe the mystery of human life, the pain and joy, the humor and drama. Tan and Chaucer unravel complexity. Chaucer structures his work around a group of pilgrims traveling to Canterbury. He writes descriptive portraits of each pilgrim and lets them interact. Harry Balley, the tavern owner, challenges the pilgrims to a competition: who can tell the best story? The competitive tales are told with humor, drama, pain and vulgarity, a reflection of the human situation. Underneath the stories Chaucer examines major questions, the questions we still struggle with. What do men want? What do women want? How does gender affect life? How do humans deal with evil? What is the cause of evil in the world? How much control do humans have? Are we programmed by the gods, by biology, by the mysteries of our own inconsistencies? Canterbury Tales is relevant today, not because Chaucer answers these questions, but because he asks them. In 2007 Tan asks the same questions.
She puts her characters in a contemporary setting, but borrows Chaucer's structure and subject-matter. Tan leaves no doubt that she parallels Chaucer's structure when she creates a group of travelers on a trip to Asia. Just like Chaucer she writes a portrait of each traveler and sets them up to interact. If that is not enough to tip the reader Tan names one of her leading characters Harry Bailey. She changes the spelling, but still gives a big hint. She is a good student of English literature.
Like Chaucer Tan also explores ultimate human questions. She explains her title choice with a story and an epigram. The story describes Myanmar fishermen scooping up fish, bringing them to shore while saying they are saving fish from drowning. Sadly the fish die on shore, and all the fisherman can do is to sell them for profit. Tan copies an epigram from Albert Camus. "The evil that is in the world almost always comes of ignorance, and good intentions may do as much harm as malevolence if they lack understanding." By giving the reader two thought provoking selections at the beginning of the novel she establishes a thesis. To Tan each human being has a limited perspective, and acts with multiple blind spots. Human limitation can make good intentions as destructive as pure evil. Beware of do-gooders.
Tan's edgy opinionated narrator Bibi Chen, who unfortunately died after arranging the trip with a group of her friends from San Francisco, comments on her friends from a broad Olympian view. This narrative technique works well for Tan because while stating her thesis--humans have limited perspective and often create chaos because of that--Tan allows Bibi to see the whole chaotic mess and serve it up to the reader. Bibi, like the rest of us, is powerless to effect change.
Saving Fish from Drowning and Canterbury Tales make Tan and Chaucer literary soul mates. They go after the same truths, are both fascinated by flawed human nature, and are able to see humor and pain without moralizing. They celebrate life; they leave the mystery in tact.
Excellent story teller.......2007-09-26
Amy Tan is an amazing storyteller. This book is so rich with detail for the setting and for her characters. Take a leap, read it!
Floundering.......2007-09-20
So many folks told our Book Club how much they enjoyed Amy Tan's other works such as The Joy Luck Club and The Kitchen God's Wife, that choosing Saving Fish from Drowning as our September 2007 read was an easy decision. We were ready for a good read. Certainly, the title was intriguing. What could it mean? How will it apply to the story? Tell us more. Writing from the perspective of a dead woman, Bibi Chen, Tan expertly began to reel us in with a quirky story set in odd places filled with unusual characters. It was exactly what you'd expect from a writer of her renown. For about a hundred pages we were hooked.
About halfway through the book, we began to have some doubts. For some, it started with her use of foreshadowing. Forget subtlety. Think Yogi Berra meets Burma Shave: When you come to a fork in the road, take it. For others, the problem was plot, or more accurately too many sub-plots and no main one. In the end, most of our readers didn't care a fig for any of the characters or the various stories. Mercifully, the book does have an ending. Even better, there is an Epilog. So if you really want to know if the tribe ever finds their lost God or if they end up massacred by the Myanmar military, or more important, if Harry gets Sally, Tan is there to wrap it all up for you. In Burma Shave lingo, we think her sermon says: Western do-gooders are like so many fishermen who spend their days saving fish from drowning.
Book Description
Country Western singer Kinky Friedman often performs a song entitled "They Ain't Making Jews Like Jesus Anymore," and New Testament professor Amy–Jill Levine would agree. In fact, her career is dedicated to helping Christians and Jews understand the Jewishness of Jesus, thereby deepening the understanding of him, and facilitating greater interfaith dialogue. In this book, she shows how liberal Christians misunderstand Judaism, misunderstand the New Testament, and thus yank Jesus out of his Jewish context and wind up promoting hatred of Jews. Only with the deeper understanding this top Jewish, Southern–born New Testament scholar provides can we hope to respect each other's beliefs, as well as enrich our own.
Through a extremely busy teaching and speaking schedule, Levine has honed her message at synagogues, Catholic conferences, Jewish Community Centers, denominational meetings, in the classroom and in her highly successful Teaching Company audios and videos. Levine is brilliant, charming, funny and forceful, and uses these traits to give a completely fresh perspective on Jesus and the New Testament. In addition to offering new insights with great skill, she has the remarkable ability to be tough, pointing out how even liberal Christians can be unwittingly anti–Semitic in their understanding of what Jesus stood for.Her truth–telling here will provoke honest dialogue on how Christians and Jews should understand Jesus and our New Testament heritage.
Customer Reviews:
Well written and Informative.......2007-09-04
Only a few years ago it was heretical to say that Jesus was a Jew, yet in a few short decades Jesus' Jewishness has come to be a given. Or has it? That's the great benefit of Amy Jill Levine's book - it covers a topic you think you know, but explores it from so many different perspectives that you realize you didn't know it at all.
Some of the topics that Levine explores include the bases of the interpretations of anti-semiticism in the New Testament and our false stereotypes of life for the Jews in first century Israel.
If there is anything lacking in Levine's approach it is her acceptance of the gospels as they are, with little exploration of the ways in which they were sculpted by the gospel writers.
This is a well written and well researched treatise on first century Judiasm that will appeal to beginning students and scholars as well.
Jesus without the Schmaltz.......2007-08-10
If this review reads as though it has been written by a smitten fan, it is; because this reviewer is delighted at last to find, read and enjoy with undisguised pleasure, a book written by a Jew, who places Jesus firmly within his Jewish environments. And to do it succinctly, with wit and a deep appreciation for both Judaism and Christianity.
Amy-Jill Levine is a "woman of valour" in the world of Christian New Testament scholarship, and her book is a mitzvah for Jews and Christians. She is a modern Orthodox Jew, observant and informed as much about her own faith tradition as she is about the beginnings of the Christian movement. Levine brings to the table a wealth of knowledge about the late Second Temple period, the Jewish mileau surrounding the life of Yeshua/Jesus, and the complex beginnings of the Christian movement. Her razor sharp erudition is applied to the person of Jesus the observant and faithful Torah Jew using mishnaic and later rabbinic texts to give the reader a very comprehensive picture of the world/s in which Jesus lived and moved. Reading the Gospels from a Jewish perspective and with a critical eye to "weeding" out inaccurate (usually Christian) interpolations gives this foundation period in Christian history a wonderfully refreshing and academically satisfying perspective. I found her exegesis of John 4 a typical example of Levine's scholarship; theology - both Jewish and Christian, biblical and post-biblical, early Christian and Rabbinic literary analysis and criticism, historical contexts and implications for dialogue and teaching.
The second part of the book deals with common misunderstandings and misuses of the Gospels by both well-meaning and less well-meaning people, when it comes to Christians attempting to understand the one they call Saviour/Christ/Messiah. Only through honest study that challenges Christians to look critically at their sacred texts, can a more complete picture of Jesus emerge. And that is often done with some cost, as Levine details over a number of chapters. She does not shy away from wrestling with current issues of Antisemitism, the zealous, but naive, support of some Christians for Palestine at the cost of demonising Israel, and the perennial temptation of painting Jesus as the great liberator from Jewish oppression. With deft and skilled agility, Levine dismantles the myths and replaces them with fact and biblically based exegesis, commentary and plain, old fashioned common sense.
At the end of this slender volume I felt I had been given a valuable tool for working with students, providing both Jews and Christians with a text that could be used in joint study of the most famous Jew to have ever lived. People of faith will not be threatened by Levine's work. On the contrary I found her book only served to enrich my understanding of Jesus placing him firmly within his own people and religious culture. It has certainly made me keen to read more. My only regret is that the book was not longer.
The truth is here.......2007-07-16
This books is filled with historical truths that prove that the biggest religion in the world is based in faith and not any truth about history. I hope every Christian would read this so they know where they came from. If everyone read it there would be less anti-semitisim in the world.
Insightful.......2007-07-08
This was an excellent book for insights into the thinking of an Orthodox Jewish believer as she reveals her understanding of Judaism and Christianity.
There is no question but that we have "Gentilized" the Church, but careful reading of this book will reveal that the author has imposed the teachings of Judaism on first century Jews. Judaism became the primary teaching after the acceptance of the Talmud e.g., she equates disciples with Gentiles using standards of Judaism.
There were 20 cults in Israel at the time of Jesus according to Judaic Encyclopedia. Judaism won out and was formulated in the Talmud much later, around 500 CE.
Well worth reading as long as one is aware of the differences between Judaism and the ancient Jewish beliefs.
Really boring. There are far more readable books on the subject........2007-06-28
I find the history of the early onset of Christianity really intriguing. I have read many fascinating books on the subject. This is not one of them. The author uses an academic style focusing on arcane technicalities that only a scholar focused on this exact theme would find interesting. In other words, I don't think this is a book written for the layperson.
The main theme of the book is that Jesus was Jewish. What he taught, how he lived and behaved reflected the Judaic principles of the time. It is Paul, Luke, and Matthew that made great efforts in their writing to contrast Christianity from Judaism by in good part nearly demonizing the Jews.
The best part of the book is the last chapter titled `Quo Vadis?' But, the chapter still leaves a lot to be desired. First, the title is cryptic and disconnected from the content of the chapter. This Latin phrase means `where are you going?' But, the chapter does not go anywhere and does not answer this question. Instead, within this chapter the author makes 26 clarifications to enhance the relationship, tolerance, and understanding between Judaism and Christianity. The majority of those are pretty good. Within one of them, she stresses that the Gospels are narratives that often deviate from historical facts to advance the agenda of the Christian writers. The author deserves credit to advance such a fact. But, some of them reflect a Judaic bias. Her explanation that the sole reason Jesus died was because a man being proclaimed "king" in Roman-occupied Jerusalem was a political liability seems evasive and incomplete. Her explanation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict appears defensive. Some others reflect the author's erudition and her bent on the Byzantine. She recommends people learn both ancient Greek and Hebrew to study the scriptures in their original version. Again that may be commendable for scholars working on doctoral dissertations on the subject. Otherwise, it is a rather irrelevant recommendation for the rest of us.
If you are interested in studying the onset of early Christianity, I have read several fascinating books that include: Michael Baigent's `The Dead Sea Scrolls Deception' and `The Jesus Papers', Elaine Pagels' `The Gnostic Gospels' is also excellent.
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