Book Description
In Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight, Alexandra Fuller remembers her African childhood with candor and sensitivity. Though it is a diary of an unruly life in an often inhospitable place, it is suffused with Fuller’s endearing ability to find laughter, even when there is little to celebrate. Fuller’s debut is unsentimental and unflinching but always captivating. In wry and sometimes hilarious prose, she stares down disaster and looks back with rage and love at the life of an extraordinary family in an extraordinary time.
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In Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight, Alexandra Fuller remembers her African childhood with visceral authenticity. Though it is a diary of an unruly life in an often inhospitable place, it is suffused with Fuller's endearing ability to find laughter, even when there is little to celebrate. Fuller's debut is unsentimental and unflinching but always captivating. In wry and sometimes hilarious prose, she stares down disaster and looks back with rage and love at the life of an extraordinary family in an extraordinary time.
From 1972 to 1990, Alexandra Fuller -- known to friends and family as Bobo -- grew up on several farms in southern and central Africa. Her father joined up on the side of the white government in the Rhodesian civil war, and was often away fighting against the powerful black guerilla factions. Her mother, in turn, flung herself at their African life and its rugged farm work with the same passion and maniacal energy she brought to everything else. Though she loved her children, she was no hand-holder and had little tolerance for neediness. She nurtured her daughters in other ways: She taught them, by example, to be resilient and self-sufficient, to have strong wills and strong opinions, and to embrace life wholeheartedly, despite and because of difficult circumstances. And she instilled in Bobo, particularly, a love of reading and of storytelling that proved to be her salvation.
A worthy heir to Isak Dinesen and Beryl Markham, Alexandra Fuller writes poignantly about a girl becoming a woman and a writer against a backdrop of unrest, not just in her country but in her home. But Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight is more than a survivor's story. It is the story of one woman's unbreakable bond with a continent and the people who inhabit it, a portrait lovingly realized and deeply felt.
"This searing memoir of a white family clinging to lives in Africa as Rhodesia became Zimbabwe lays out, without moralizing or sentimentality, the way in which turmoil and injustice in society distort the lives of families and individuals."
MARY CATHERINE BATESON, AUTHOR OF COMPOSING A LIFE AND FULL CIRCLES, OVERLAPPING LIVES
"Nobody has ever written a book about growing up white in rural Africa the way Alexandra Fuller has. Her voice is mordant, her ear uncanny. Her unsentimentality is a pleasant shock. Her sense of humor is extremely sly. Without a trace of pretension, she quietly performs what is really a major literary feat-nailing both the poetry and the myopia of a child's experience in a brawling, bad-luck family on the losing side of an anti-colonial war."
WILLIAM FINNEGAN, AUTHOR OF CROSSING THE LINE: A YEAR IN THE LAND OF APARTHEID AND COLD NEW WORLD: GROWING UP IN HARDER COUNTRY
Customer Reviews:
A Traumatic Childhood?.......2007-10-02
I read this book before Ms Fuller's "Scribbling the Cat". I am the same age as Ms Fuller, and also grew up in small Rhodesian towns. I found the racism and generalisation that all white Rhodesian are racist very offensive. Some of my best friends when I was growing up were black children, and if I or my siblings had behaved towards black people the way Ms Fuller and her family did we would have been severely disciplined. This book made me ashamed to be a white African, and I actually have no reason to feel that way.
Horrible, Horrible........2007-09-29
This is one of only two books I've ever bought that was so boring and weird that I could not finish it...and I've been stuck in a hotel room in Mexico for 2 weeks with nothing else to do! It is fully of details of bodily functions; it's crude; and it's just plain dull. This is one of the worst books I've ever bought.
Fascinating setting, frustrating storytelling.......2007-09-10
This memoir really brings its setting to life. It pulses with the sights, smells and sounds of Africa, and does a great job describing civil war, droughts, dysentery, fleas, floods, poachers, scorpions, terrorists and very bad roads. I actually cringed when I read how the putzi flies lay eggs on clothes, which then burrow under the skin, "becoming maggots, bursting into living, squirming boils, emerging as full-blown, winged flies."
Unfortunately, the narrative is weak. The author has a staccato writing style that really gets in the way. In fact, that, and the book's casual racism, made it hard for me to keep reading. It didn't help that so many of the characters are impossible to respect. The alcoholic parents seem to revel in putting their children in harm's way. The mom in particular is hard to take. I kept wanting to slap her, and tell her to stop crying in her beer.
-- By Julie Neal, author of The Complete Guide to Walt Disney World.
Remembering Zambia.......2007-08-23
We can recommentd this book to anyone who has lived in Zambia during and post UDI. We have sent copies to our friends in UK who were with us during our stay there. We all know people who we can relate to with the characters in this book. The story took us all back to places like the "Elephant's Head" in Kabwe - a stop on our treks to Lusaka from Ndola.
A favorite.......2007-07-28
I'm and avid reader, and i must say this book is one of my favorite reads, if not my favorite. I lived with a family in Malawi Afrifca for awhile, so the book, for sure, draws my sentiments. But Alexandra Fuller spills guts and soul into the sharing of her African childhood experience. As a child, she writes with a child's voice, a child's soul, and as she matures, so does her expression. What a gifted writer! Her writing rings true, and I am hungry for more!
Average customer rating:
- mesmerising
- Lovely
- Thought-provoking premise, skillful writing, but author fails to engage deeper meaning, premise is faulted. Moderately recommend
- Dystopia Now
- A Sad Yet Hopeful World
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Never Let Me Go
Kazuo Ishiguro
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 Contemporary
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Ishiguro, Kazuo
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The Remains of the Day
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ASIN: 1400078776
Release Date: 2006-03-14 |
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.
Amazon.com
Like the carefully engineered dies which created his company's first products--steel pitons and carabiners which climbing enthusiasts would recognize as primitive forerunners of today's sleeker gear--Yvon Chouinard is if nothing else an original. How many other shy French-Canadian boys become surf-and-climbing bums, then blacksmiths forging their own play tools, and eventually founders of world-renowned sports equipment and apparel companies like Patagonia? How many other heads of multi-million dollar enterprises open their memoirs by stating bluntly, "The Lee Iacoccas, Donald Trumps, and Jack Welches of the business world are heroes to no one except other businessmen with similar values. I wanted to be a fur trapper when I grew up." The proverbial mold from which Chouinard was cast got broken.
In Let My People Go Surfing: The Education of a Reluctant Businessman, readers get a fascinating look inside the history and philosophy of both Patagonia and its irascible, opinionated founder. From its beginning, the book shares a sense of Chouinard's strong-willed personality and his love of the outdoors. He recounts a mostly happy childhood spent in a still-unspoiled southern California, climbing, diving, fishing, and surfing. The narrative soon moves into Chouinard's early entrepreneurial efforts, which were less focused on market-share domination than on earning a basic living to finance his own sporting habits. As his company's first catalog noted, delivery could be slow in the summer months, when Chouinard typically left the "office"--a dilapidated shack converted into an ironworks--for climbing adventures across the American West.
Eventually, though, the story settles into a pattern familiar to business audiences: Patagonia grows rapidly, takes on more employees and product lines to sustain hungry demand from customers, but overreaches with over-ambitious expansion plans and suffers a hiccup in its adolescence. This make-or-break juncture of a business's development often contains the most interesting material, and here Chouinard and his beloved company are no exception. He describes a series of wrenching decisions through which he and Patagonia management team navigated in 1991, as sales growth stalled while capital and operational expenses sprinted ahead. From this crisis emerged Patagonia's first-ever layoffs, affecting a hefty 20% of the workforce, and a serious re-examination of the business's core principles and methods.
The historical part of Chouinard's book largely ends at this point, and gives way to an exposition of philosophies which emerged at Patagonia during its dark moments in the early 1990s. The rest of the book serves as a kind of primer to business, the Patagonia way: one chapter each on product design philosophy, production philosophy, distribution philosophy, image philosophy, financial philosophy, human resource philosophy, and so on. Fans of Patagonia can revel in the company's working details, as can those who support or want to build businesses with self-consciously cultivated soulfulness. Readers who enjoyed Gary Erickson's story about Clif Bar, for example, should definitely find this a welcome addition to their bookshelves. --Peter Han
Book Description
In his long-awaited memoir, Yvon Chouinard—legendary climber, businessman, environmentalist, and founder of Patagonia, Inc.—shares the persistence and courage that have gone into being head of one of the most respected and environmentally responsible companies on earth. From his youth as the son of a French Canadian blacksmith to the thrilling, ambitious climbing expeditions that inspired his innovative designs for the sport's equipment, Let My People Go Surfing is the story of a man who brought doing good and having grand adventures into the heart of his business life—a book that will deeply affect entrepreneurs and outdoor enthusiasts alike.
Customer Reviews:
A Model For Humane Business.......2007-10-15
Conscious review of all aspects of business is the theme here.
Yvon is definitely strong in his beliefs about what needs to happen. He doesn't pussy-foot around the issues. As he states "Patagonia's image is a human voice. It expresses the joy of people who love the world, who are passionate about their beliefs, and who want to influence the future. It is not processed; it won't compromise its humanity. This means that it will offend, and it will inspire."
The book will have the effect you choose to let if have upon you. For me, it was completely inspirational as a model to operate in. Truth be told, even if everyone operated the way advocated, we probably will not get out of the mess we are headed for. However, in the words of Ghandi, "Everything you do is insignificant, but it is very important that you do it."
I read the book as an emerging consciousness - first self concern, then concern for the interests of other people, then concern for other beings, finally concern for the balance of the ecosystem. It is an ethical progression that we all should make, even though it is not a cultural norm.
Well worth reading. Well argued from the environmental or business perspective.
Who knew that Patagonia had a mean side?.......2007-10-04
Yvon Chouinard built an iconic business which exemplifies commerce with a conscience. I have long been enamored of their products, the photography, and the essays of their catalogs. As a surfer and career environmentalist I was anxious to read this book.
Yvon shared some interesting philosophical perspectives. He takes the position that people who believe the earth to have been created and not the result of evolution are hiding in their faith from the facts. Furthermore, because creationists don't believe in evolution they don't aspire to improve. (Clearly, Yvon never heard of the doctrine of sanctification.) He argues that abortion is a means by which we can keep too many children from being born and then over-running the carrying capacity of the ecosystem. And Republicans? Don't get him started! He might be the only mean spirited Zen Buddhist of whom I have had the displeasure to read.
There is so much to commend here with regard to encouraging businesses and individuals to be environmentally and socially engaged. Too bad the message is soured with arrogance, condescension, and obvious ignorance of those he apparently considers to be enemies of the environment.
let my people go surfing.......2007-09-01
this book is an inspirational page turner until it gets to the philosophy section which is good and interesting, but the first half is really, really good. i would highly recommend it for all 20-40 year olds that are thinking about changing up their careers to something more fulfilling.
An Opus on Business, Management, and Environmental Action.......2007-08-16
Yvon writes clearly and succinctly about his triumphs and mistakes. He's fanatical about product quality but insists on his MBA style of management (management by absence). He shows how doing the right thing is frequently profitable and Patagonia has been a field leader ever since Chouinard decided early on that his petons were destroying the rocks that he climbed on. Making a daring move away from his top selling product to a new product, the hexentric nuts; that would not wreck the rock, proved to be a genius move. Since then, Patagonia has lead the field with material science in using PCR soda bottles in their fleece jackets, making the switch to Organic Cotton, and building the Reno, Nevada Service Center out of all sorts of recycled materials and green technologies
Yvon also discusses how childcare and healthy cafeteria food contribute to a more productive work environment. He rewards employees for purchasing hybrid or alternative fuel vehicles.
Patagonia publishes catalogs that are artful for their photography while at the same time they are calls to action on various environmental issues. There is no push to higher priced products or mega sale enticement. Patagonia has become the best in the outdoor industry by challenging the status quo and daring to be different. It's Yvon's disdain for the mentality of behaving like a sheep and blindly following the current trends whether in business or life that make him extraordinary. It is my hope that he will produce more books of this quality in the future. I finished the book in three days- I couldn't put it down.Patagonia: Notes from the Field
You've got to read this one.......2007-07-02
Whether you're looking for a case study on: a successful business with happy employees, how to create a business from your passion, or what businesses need to do to help the environment.
From management tips, to HR lessons learned, Yvon brings in all his Patagonia experience (good and bad).
As one of the first environmentally-conscious companies in the world, Yvon has a lot to say about the world and what needs to happen:
"The Zen master would say if you want to change government, you have to aim at changing corporations, and if you want to change corporations, you first have to change the consumers." -Yvon Chouinard
This is a book you can't ignore. Especially since Yvon pioneered the `green business' movement back in the 80's.
Book Description
Packed with travel information, including more listings, deals, and insider tips:
CANDID LISTINGS of hundreds of places to eat, sleep, drink, and feel like a local
RELIABLE MAPS and directions for cities, towns, and the outdoors
FOOD FESTIVALS, from Cortona's Steak Fest to Perugia's Eurochocolate Festival
TIPS on everything from finding the best Parmesan cheese to deciding where to party
LOCAL NIGHTLIFE, from the bars of Naples to the dance floors of SicilyThe best
BARGAIN SHOPPING that won't break your non-Gucci wallet
Customer Reviews:
Let's Go Series is the Best!.......2007-05-13
The Let's Go series is the best travel books on the market. If you are a younger person say 30 and under, this is the book for you. Woven throughout the book are helpful tips. Color Maps of various cities in the front of the book. I have been able to make sound decisions on where to stay, how to get around, and where to buy tickets/passes.
Not as helpful as I wanted........2007-05-07
I used this with my Rough Guide italy, they certainly had different takes on various towns, sometimes this was more in line with my thinking. I was hoping to use this to find cheap hotels, since Rough Guide is weak on that. But the hotels were not as cheap as published, by the end of the trip I was using the tourist information booths with better results.
Wonderful!.......2007-01-10
There is so much interesting detail about Italy in this book that can be found no where else. The information about lodgings, travel, food, etc is invaluable. The hotels are reasonable(I don't want to make a down payment, I just want to rent a clean room for a little sleep). It makes me want to take a trip there, and I plan to. I'm quite old but it makes me feel comfortable about going by myself.
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
Contemporary
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| Literature & Fiction
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Literary
| General
| Literature & Fiction
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Ishiguro, Kazuo
| ( I )
| Authors, A-Z
| Literature & Fiction
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Look Inside Fiction Books
| Trip
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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.
Download Description
"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.
Book Description
Packed with travel information, including listings, deals, and insider tips:
CANDID LISTINGS of hundreds of places to eat, sleep, drink, and feel like a local
RELIABLE MAPS to help you get around cities, towns, and the countrysideTips on how to
SAVE EUROS without missing out on the full European experienceA wealth of study and work
OPPORTUNITIES within each European country
INSIDER TIPS on the best nightlife from Dublin to DubrovnikA useful
PHRASEBOOK to help you say "I'm lost" in fifteen different languages
Customer Reviews:
Gross lack up updates for a "2007" version.......2007-07-08
Recently tried to use this book for a European vacation to 5 countries and 7 cities. Became so frustrated with this book that ended up getting books from other travel publishers.
Many many times, found the restaurants mentioned in the book to be closed. Also found that the transportation information cited is woefully out of date. Certain transit systems where more than 2x what was quoted in the book. Very sloppy publishing - Lets go seemed to have updated the title only for several years.
Great Overall European Guidebook........2007-06-16
I've back packed across Europe a number of times. Multiple 3 month trips, and many shorter ones through 15 countries (some extensively). The Let's Go book is by far the most up to date one that I have seen. Much more up to date over all than it's competitors (Lonely Planet, etc).
That being said, there is a truly massive amount of information in this book, and of course some of it is going to change over time. The nice thing is Let's Go's structure (check out their web site) keeps this book more up to date than others.
On 1 3 month trip, I had both Let's Go, and Lonely Planet Europe. The Let's Go book only had 1 out of date phone number, while the competitor was riddled with them. I can't tell you how many times Lonely Planet users asked to borrow my books to get the correct phone numbers, etc. But it was often.
As an overall hosteling/backpacking guide through Europe, this book is fantastic. However if you would like more information on a -particular- region, or country, then I would recommend Rick Steve's or Lonely Planet's region/country specific books. Their use of local experts really makes a difference.
Being an over all guidebook, it's not going to have everything in it, so I agree with he other posters that the Eastern Europe sections are a little weak. I'd look at some of the other books above. However, the phone numbers, prices, train fares, train routs, events, etc are accurate enough to help you successfully manage your trip!
I'd highly recommend this book over any of the other European guides if you're planning on backpacking, and hosteling around Europe! If you're looking for a more pension/hotel style book, then try Rick Steves.
Dated but useful.......2007-06-08
Some completely false info, like the requirements for an International Driver's license for rental cars. Museum info is good, eat info is fair, lodging out of date. Other than that, great handbook.
GREAT GUIDE!!!.......2007-05-30
The best guide for budget travel. Has got useful info that I never thought about.
Life-saver!.......2007-03-26
The 2005 version of this book was the best purchase I made before studying abroad. My friend and I called it "the Bible" and were able to successfully navigate around 11 European cities in 5 weeks by using it. It's big (so hard to carry in a backpack) but 100% worth it if you are traveling to a lot of places all at once. The writers know their stuff and focus on the right things.
The only complaint was that there were a few things that slipped by the editors - listed restaurants that had actually closed a few years before, prices changes for attractions, etc. However, it was easy to be flexible during mishaps because the book offers so many other great suggestions for places to go and see.
Great present for a student going abroad!
Book Description
Is it impossible to let go — despite the pain?
• Do you yearn for someone who is not physically or emotionally available to you?
• Do you believe that if you love him enough he will have to love you?
• When you feel insecure, does it drive you only to want her more?
• Do you find yourself phoning repeatedly or waiting long hours for the phone to ring?
Do you wish someone would let go of you?
• Does an ex-lover or ex-spouse refuse to believe that it’s over?
• Do you receive unwanted phone calls, letters, presents, or visits?
• Is this pursuit of you creating so much anxiety that it affects your physical or emotional well-being?
In this invaluable self-help guide, Dr. Susan Forward presents vivid case histories as well as the real-life voices of men and women caught in the grip of obsessive passion.
Whether you’re an obsessive lover or the target of such an obsession, here is a proven, step-by-step program that shows you how to recognize the “connection compulsion,” what causes it, and how to break its hold on your life so that you can go on to build healthy, lasting, and pain-free relationships.
Customer Reviews:
obssesive relationships.......2007-08-17
This is the best book that truly spoke to obsessive lovers. I had a hard time putting the book down becuase I related to so many of the people inside. Finally, someone has written a book for both women and men about obsessive, addictive relationships. I feel like I have new insight into problem and can start making positive changes in my life. Excellent book for anyone caught up in another person.
Get over that "one magic person".......2007-07-14
I hate those reviewers who write, "this book changed my life," but this book saved my life. I was able to quit a very toxic relationship after 3 years while reading this book. The exercises really help because it's so eye opening to finally see on paper our unhealthy patterns and behaviors. Her section that explains the difference between feelings and thoughts is very enlightening since most of us seem to confuse the two in our communications (saying, "I felt like the movie was kind of slow," when we really mean, "I think this movie is slow, and I feel bored, restless.") This book can really help you get your life back in balance when you think you just can't live without that one magic person.
An encouragement, but not a one-size-fits-all cure.......2007-01-29
I have struggled three times with "obsessive love," and am now struggling a fourth time. When I first saw this book, I was encouraged to know that I'm not alone, and that I have a documented psychological condition with documented remedies. Unfortunately, however, I was expecting too much, and was disappointed. There is no easy one-size-fits-all solution, and I was left with more questions than answers at the end of the book.
Based on the cover, you would imagine that most of this book would be devoted to practical advice for obsessive lovers. Not so. The first section (pages 1-106) is just a symptomatic description of the problem, illustrated with numerous stories from Dr Forward's clients. She starts with an outline of the emotional process in an obsessive lover's mind - the constant fear of rejection, and ultimate denial of rejection, leading to a totally unrealistic view of the relationship. The chapter is padded with more examples than it needs, but it gets the point across: if you're an obsessive lover, you will now be in no doubt about it. In the following chapters, she goes on to talk about progressive levels of obsessive behavior: frequent phone calls, unwanted gifts, stalking, anger, revenge and ultimately murder (!). I lost the thread right at the beginning of this list. Obsessive behavior for me means pacing around my apartment, sleeping all day, bad eating habits, distraction from work, but never any obvious personal harrassment.
I plowed on, skipping through some of the bizarre and irrelevant stories, mildly encouraged that things could be a lot worse. The second section (pages 107-168) deals with obsessive love from the target's point of view: how to free yourself from an obsessive lover. That's probably useful information if you're in that situation, but not if you're the obsessor, as is probably the case for most readers.
Next we have a chapter about the possible root causes of obsessive love, namely bad experiences during childhood (pages 169-193). Dr Forward suggests that most obsessive lovers have suffered rejection by parents, peers or early lovers, and that our adult lovers are an emotional substitute. Interesting theory, but does it help? Not really.
Finally, in pages 194-278, we reach the meat of the book. A practical guide to overcoming obsessive love. Dr Forward leads you through a step-by-step process of identifying destructive triggers and behaviors in our lives, and systematically making more constructive choices. Part of the therapy involves a two-week "emotional vacation" away from your lover, with absolutely no contact permitted. The system sounds sensible, if you have the discipline to go through with it - though some aspects are embarrassingly silly (sticking little STOP signs all over your house!). I think it would be difficult to apply without human accountablility.
My biggest complaint, speaking personally, is that this book makes too many assumptions about your situation. In most of the cases where I've become obsessed, I have not been outright rejected. My "targets" wanted to remain as close platonic friends after the casual romance ended, since we had already been friends before dating. They didn't understand, or even realize, that I was going through agony with the friendship. In two cases, the situation was left open-ended, i.e. "I can't handle a serious relationship right now; let's just be friends, and see where we end up when our lives are less chaotic," etc. All of Dr Forward's examples deal with more explosive break-ups or cheating partners, and not with nice friends who just don't want a serious relationship. How do you separate yourself from a friend who doesn't even know you're obsessed, when THEY are the ones initiating all the contact? I have other friends who have suffered in similar ways, but Dr Forward has nothing to say on this scenario. She also doesn't deal adequately with "passive obsessors" - people who act out their obsession by withdrawing themselves from the world, instead of phoning, stalking, etc. Forcing yourself NOT to do something is a tangible objective - but when your obsession drains away all your energy, and all you can do is sleep or stare at the wall, this surely requires a different sort of therapy. Some of her ideas may help in this case (eradicating sensual triggers, increasing physical exercise, etc), but depression itself will still be a hard thing to overcome without professional help.
Why good relationships end........2006-05-04
After I had 3 long term relationships end. I decided to look for help. A counselor recommended I read Susan's book. Wow what an eye opening experience. Many of the situations she outlines in the book parallel my relationships. It helped me take a fresh look at the way I think about love and relationships. It doesn't take too long to read and has totally changed my life. If you think your obsessing you should read this book. And start enjoying fun and healthy relationships instead of poisoning your life.
This book is for everybody. Get it........2006-04-15
This book is for everybody. Everybody has had the experience of not wanting to let go, or letting go and finding it extremely painful. Hardly anybody does the strange things Forward describes her clients doing, but the insights she offers on how to deal with one's feelings speak to the universal human experience. I decided to write off "relationships" years ago, but reading this book was just the thing to find closure and put an end to that part of my life permanently. Whether you are writing off one "relationship" or writing off all "relationships" the way I did, Forward can help you and how.
The book could benefit from a good editor. I was not at all interested in reading about her weird clients, which took up at least half the book, and some of them are really major league weird. But after a few pages you learn to "zap" that part the same way you "zap" commercials on your VCR. Her comments on why people find "relationships" so painful and ultimately not worth bothering with and where those feelings originate and how to get rid of them are pure gold and well worth reading. I cannot recommend a better resource.
Also, readers who have heard Forward on the radio should know that the book is not at all obnoxious, despite the way she comes across in her show. Whoever wrote this book (Forward or an uncredited ghost) strikes you as someone you would feel very comfortable turning to for advice.
Get it. You will be glad you did.
Book Description
Follow that garbage truck!
...to the landfill to see how trash keeps piling up...to the incinerator to see how trash can be turned into energy ... to the recycling center to see how a soda bottle can be turned into a flowerpot. Filled with graphs, charts, and diagrams, Where Does the Garbage Go? explains how we deal with the problem of too much trash and provides ideas for easy ways to be a part of the solution.
Customer Reviews:
Where Does That Garbage Go? .......2007-10-16
This is a great book about how we deal with our garbage. It is easy to read and understand. My students are middle school who are learning English. This book allows my students access to information while learning to read English. I highly recommend this series and this book.
Great Resouce.......2007-10-15
I used this book with 1st and 2nd graders. There is a lot of information provided about recycling garbage (how plastics, paper, newspapers and metal) are processed at their respective recycling plant. The book encouraged a lot of relative conversation.
Thankfully, this one is a keeper!.......2007-10-02
This book satisfies a child's natural curiosity about the everyday world around us. That garbage that we carry out in big plastic bags after raking the lawn, cleaning out the cellar, or tidying up the kitchen -- you just have to wonder where all this garbage ends up!
Diagrams, charts, graphs and cute illustrations will put kids in the know about dumps, landfills, recycling and preventing unnecessary waste to help the environment.
Well done volume on a timely subject.
Every day Jobs that interest kids!.......2007-09-03
My son, like many curious 5 year olds, enjoys watching the Garbage Truck. And he loves to ask questions such as posed by the book's title, Where Does the Garbage Go?
As with most books I have seen in the Let's Read and Find Out Science series, it begins with a story to engage the child in the books primary theme. This one begins in a "traditional" classroom setting where the children learn all about garbage from their classroom teacher. It's a great conversation starter with a young child or group of children to ask them where they think the garbage goes.
In this book children will learn:
1. what garbage is (various types of garbage - yard waste, consumer waste, recycling etc.)
2. simple diagrams explain how an incinerator works, how glass, aluminum, paper and plastic is recycled
3. the process that transpires at a landfill, which includes bulldozers, compactors and dump trucks (a thrill for my son for sure)
4. practical ways to reduce our own garbage
Recycle this one.......2007-01-10
My 4 year old grandson and I have lots of discussion on the things we learned in this book. Wonderfully done!
Book Description
Packed with travel information, including more listings, deals, and insider tips:
CANDID LISTINGS of hundreds of places to eat, sleep, drink, and feel like a local
RELIABLE MAPS to help you get around cities, towns, and the countryside
INSIDER TIPS on the best nightlife, traveling cheap, and finding vegetarian foodHow to
SAVE EUROS without missing out on the full European experienceA useful
PHRASEBOOK to help you say "I'm lost" in fifteen different languagesHow to catch the
TRADITIONAL SIGHTS without paying the traditional fees
Customer Reviews:
Good, but not complete.......2007-04-24
I took Let's Go 2007 Western Europe along with Party Europe guidebooks during my trip last month and my time overseas was unbelievable. With this combination I found cheap hostels and hotels, raging party spots and knew exactly what I would be spending. You can't have one without the other.
Let's Go is the most thorough budget travel guide.......2007-03-26
I recently purchased Let's Go Wester Europe for my month-long Europe trip. It has been more helpful than I thought possible. I've used its receommendations for 80% of my hotel bookings. I've found the maps and travel information very helpful. The book is well laid out and easy to navigate. Best of all, the book is about half the price of other budget travel books, getting the budget traveler started off right.
Let's Go Western Europe.......2007-03-12
I've used the Let's Go guides for previous trips and find them user-freindly with great budget tips. This one even comes with a really good price! One suggestion is to buy this book, but go to the library/book store and take some notes out of other guide books once you know specifically where you're going, since you may need more detail on smaller cities in Europe. Happy traveling!
GREAT!!!!.......2007-03-09
This book has all the spots you need to know about especially the cheap ones and they're good quality. It tells you what to see, how to get there, costs, and maps. It give a lot of details...The book is huge but it is not heavy. Since I was only going to 2 countries, I ripped off the pages and left the book at home. Cafe Med in Paris is excellent-3 course meal for 10 euros and in a very expensive area (in the island, two blocks away from Notre Dame).
Book Description
Packed with travel information, including more listings, deals, and insider tips:
CANDID LISTINGS of hundreds of places to eat, sleep, drink, and dance
RELIABLE MAPS to the hot nightlife of Ibiza and the classic cathedrals of León
TIPS on singing fado like a Lisboan and dancing flamenco like an Andalusian
HIDDEN TREASURES, from off-the-wall art installations to wild small-town festivals
GREAT ADVENTURES, from surfing in Lagos to scaling mountains in Roncesvalles
A SPANISH PHRASEBOOK and a handy guide to tapas
Customer Reviews:
Backpacking Son.......2007-01-28
Our son last summer toured Europe. He took 3 tour books along on his backpacking vacation. He discarded 2 of the other tour books and only kept-- Let's Go tour books. This summer he will be going to England and Spain and the only book he wanted was this tour book. By the way he is 32 years old and an engineer and wishes to try other countries but again only with Let's Go. REMEMBER Make sure the book is the year that you go.
Enjoy!
GOOD CHOICE.......2007-01-18
This is the second Let's go buy, it's perfect to use in trips around the world...many traditionals and alternative tips, don't forget yours....
Books:
- Dragon of the Red Dawn (A Stepping Stone Book(TM))
- Edge Chronicles 8: The Winter Knights (Edge Chronicles, The)
- Elementary and Middle School Mathematics: Teaching Developmentally, Fifth Edition
- Falls the Shadow
- Find It, Fix It, Flip It!: Make Millions in Real Estate--One House at a Time
- Finders Keepers
- Finding Our Way: Leadership for an Uncertain Time
- Finn: A Novel
- First Aid for the USMLE Step 1: 2007 (FIRST AID FOR THE USMLE- STEP 1 ONLY)
- Fitzpatrick's Color Atlas & Synopsis of Clinical Dermatology
Books Index
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