Book Description
At long last, almost ten years since his previous book, Mark Helprin returns with The Pacific and Other Stories, a collection of sixteen stories that display the remarkable scope, incomparable wit, and deft prose that have come to be his signature. A British paratrooper jumps into occupied territory; the 1958 New York Yankees gain an unexpected teammate in a puny, teenaged Hasidic Jew; a September 11th widow receives an astonishing gift from the contractor working on her new apartment—these and other stories exhibit the constantly changing variety of the ocean itself, the peaks and troughs of life. Lighthearted, glittering fables are met with starker tales that sound the depths of sacrifice and duty. The Pacific and Other Stories is a resplendent, powerful collection of lasting substance and emotional import.
Customer Reviews:
A mixed collection of short stories.......2007-05-04
This is a mixed collection of short stories reflecting many different moods. The stories range from the lighthearted to the dark. Many are set during wars, some are about survivors after wars. Il Colore Ritrovato is about a bookkeeper who becomes an impresario when he discovers a gifted singer; Reconstruction is about a man whose mind escapes into his past; Monday about a contractor doing a good deed after 9/11; A Brilliant Idea of His Own is a man surviving during a special wartime mission during World War II; Vandevere's House is about a man obsessed with his possessions; Prelude is a somewhat funny story about the ultimate bureaucrat set to an assignment and then forgotten as he sets his own schedule (but he draws a paycheck).
The next story, Perfection, is a long, somewhat surreal story about a boy who saves the New York Yankees. The stories after that seemed to drift into a somewhat dark tone. Sidney Balbion is a washed up jewish entertainer in 1939, heading to his home country of Poland. Mar Nueva is a tragedy. Rain is about a deputy inspector of customs, getting old, and carrying on after the death of his son. Passchendaele is about a man's obsession with his neighbor's wife. Jabob Bayer and the Telephone I really do not know how to classify - it is set in a Russian Jewish community prior to World War I where people are breaking away from old traditions. Sail Shining in White is about a man confronting death. Charlotte of the Utrechtseweg is about a British officer dying at Arnhem. Last Tea at the Armorers is about a Jewish woman, survivor of a death camp when she was child, who is finding a new life in Israel.
The last story, The Pacific, is about the woman left behind when her husband goes off as a young U.S. Marine Corps officer in World War II to fight the battles in the Pacific. She works in a defense plant with 500 other women, and telegrams periodically arrive with bad news for women - a telegram was always bad news.
The stories are worth reading, but not everyone will like every story. I did not give the collection five stars because of the major mood swings, plus the fact that I could really not get into a couple of the stories
Enchanting,.......2007-01-24
intelligent fables for adults. Great clarity of character developement. No word seems out of place. Imagery and mood are palpable. A splendid read.
Moving and Superb Fiction.......2006-07-03
Superb fiction with the single most moving "9-11" story I have ever read.
I expected much more from Mr. Helprin.......2006-01-17
Ever having since discovered Mark Helprin through Winter's Tale two decades ago, I have not missed a word. I so looked forward to this collection, but when I was finished, I felt empty. I cannot recall a single story or character. Nothing captured me like Helprin's earlier works. We long to feast on the words of certain authors. Helprin is on my list, but this wasn't even a snack.
A writer Like No Other.......2005-12-10
If I were to meet Mr. Helprin and could ask him one question, it would be, "What writers have influenced your work?" For his writing, his style, his tone, is like no other writer's. His style is aesthetically exquisite. The author's voice pours through his work and delivers to the reader something fresh, a sense of morality, of honor, of respect and light. I love his work because it is unusual, different from any other fiction I have ever experienced.
Book Description
In the fall of 1897, eight whaling ships became trapped in the ice on Alaska's northern coast. Without relief, two hundred whalers would starve to death by winter's end. Mercifully, an extraordinary missionary, Tom Lopp, and seven Eskimo herders embarked on a harrowing journey to save the whalers, driving four hundred reindeer more than seven hundred untracked miles.
At the heart of the rescue expedition lies another, in some ways more compelling, journey. In a Far Country is the personal odyssey of Tom and his wife Ellen Lopp-their commitment to the natives and the rugged but happy life they built for themselves amid a treeless tundra at the top of the world. The Lopps pulled through on grit and wits, on humility and humor, on trust and love, and by the grace of God. Their accomplishment would surely have received broader acclaim had it not been eclipsed by two simultaneous events: the Spanish- American War and the Alaska gold rush. The United States and its territories were transformed abruptly and irrevocably by these fits of expansionist fever, and despite the thoughtful, determined guidance of the Lopps, the natives of the North were soon overwhelmed by a force mightier than the fiercest Arctic winter: the twentieth century.
Customer Reviews:
Life in Alaska in the late nineteenth century was frought with constant danger and unimaginable challenges........2007-06-17
They certainly were a hardy lot. Those who chose to come Alaska in the latter part of the nineteenth century faced obstacles and hardships that most of us simply cannot comprehend. So why did they come? Despite the fact that the industry was in decline, fleets of whaling ships from such distant ports as New Bedford, Mass. and San Francisco, CA still made the trek to the Bering Sea each year in an effort to eke out a living. Those in the business of saving souls viewed Alaska as fertile territory to spread the Good News. And as the nineteeth century drew to a close there was yet another important reason why thousands would risk life and limb to come to the Alaskan wilderness. The Great Alaskan Gold Rush was on! "In A Far Country" is author John Taliaferro's remarkable account of the events that were unfolding in Alaska during these years.
Tom and Ellen Lopp were missionaries who came to Alaska in the early 1890's. Tom was a Presbyterian from Indiana while Ellen was a Congregationalist who hailed from Minnesota. Both were assigned to a mission at Cape Prince of Wales on the western tip of the Seward Peninsula. Only a month after meeting in July 1892 Tom and Ellen were married. As things turned out Tom and Ellen would start a family and spend the next dozen years ministering to the Eskimos at Cape Prince of Wales. The work was dirty, difficult and exhausting but proved to be extremely rewarding nonetheless. During their years at Cape Prince of Wales the Lopps opened a mission school and assisted in the effort to establish a herd of reindeer in the area. The man who had attracted both Tom and Ellen to Alaska through an advertisment in "American Missionary" magazine was one Sheldon Jackson. Jackson, who was at the time the general agent for education for the new U.S. Territory of Alaska was absolutely convinced that bringing reindeer to Alaska was the key to the regions economic future. Reindeer were indigenous to neighboring Siberia and had been used there for centuries as both a source of food and for transportation. Jackson envisioned teams of reindeer driven sleds moving people, commodities and even the mail throughout the Alaskan territory. At the same time Sheldon Jackson argued that the reindeer could replace the dwindling numbers of caribou as the primary source of food for the native Eskimo population. "In A Far Country" details how large herds of reindeer would eventually be established in several areas of the Alaskan wilderness. Finally, John Taliaferro spends a great deal of time chronicling what became known as the Overland Relief Expedition. At the end of the summer of 1898 a total of 8 whaling ships who were operating in the Chukchi Sea off the northwest coast of Alaska became trapped in the ice and were unable to leave the area. It was feared that unless help arrived in time more than 200 sailors would eventually starve to death. The Overland Relief Expedition was organized and Tom Lopp was tapped to lead the final leg of this Herculian rescue effort. What an incredible adventure!
I found "In A Far Country" to be quite compelling reading indeed. The publishers quite wisely furnished a detailed map of the region at the beginning of the book and I found myself referring to it again and again. I find that inclusion of maps like this often greatly enhances my understanding of the events being discussed in the text. All in all this is a nicely written book about important history that has been largely forgotten. Recommended!
Excellent adventure .......2007-03-24
This is a little known adventure story of missionary people, personalities, government polititians, native Americans, & foreigners. It has graphic illustrations of problems and errors made when dealing with different cultures in unknown and adverse climates. I enjoyed reading it and would recommend it.
Life on the Edge of Civilization.......2007-03-09
It must have taken individuals of rare inner strength to even have the desire to go establish a Christian mission at Cape Prince of Whales, 55 miles across the Bering Strait to Russia and only 70 miles south of the Arctic Circle. Even more surprising to me was the number of women, single or married to missionaries, who went as well. Tom and Ellen Lopp were both single, that is until six weeks after they met.
This is a story of the mission at Cape Prince of Wales, the Lopp's and of a dramatic rescue where Tom and seven Eskimo herders drove a heard of reindeer some 700 miles to rescue stranded sailors whose ships had become frozen in the ice. This was a trip to rival the other famous trip in the cold, but up until now has been little known.
All in all, a most interesting book about life on the very edge of civilization.
epic adventure.......2007-02-06
This book rightly takes its place among the other tales of heroic arctic travel. It is well researched, the writing is sprightly, and the characterizations both compassionate and vivid.
Unsung Heroes.......2007-02-06
This was a fascinating book. It takes an honest look at subjects as diverse as; culture clashes, mission work, family struggles, man verses nature, government inner workings, and humanity's dual nature (good and evil). A whole cast of unsung heroes finally get their day. Unfortunately, it comes about 100 years too late. Although the author resides in our current day of political correctness, his characters do not. Frankly, I find them refreshing.
The Alaskan frontier is shown as the mishmash that it must have been. Competing groups vied for their own goals and dreams. They inevitably mixed and influenced each other resulting in the lines that formerly demarcated distinct people groups being erased and blurred. The outcomes of this amalgamation ranged from laudable triumphs to scandalous tragedies.
For some reason (maybe growing up in the hot South), I have always enjoyed books about Polar Regions. The first book I ever read was Jack London's Call of the Wild. I read In a Far Country in less than a week because the story kept my interest. It is one of the few books that I really hated to complete. I did not want to leave the characters.
Book Description
On November 20, 1820, the whaleship Essex was rammed and sunk by an angry whale. Within minutes, the twenty-one-man crew, including the fourteen-year-old cabin boy Thomas Nickerson, found themselves stranded in three leaky boats in the middle of the Pacific Ocean with barely any supplies and little hope. Three months later, two of the boats were rescued 4,500 miles away, off the coast of South America. Of the twenty-one castaways, only eight survived, including young Thomas. Based on his New York Times best-seller In the Heart of the Sea, Nathaniel Philbrick recreates the amazing events of the ill-fated Essex through the sailors' own first-hand accounts, photos, maps, and artwork, and tells the tale of one of the great true-life adventure stories.
Customer Reviews:
Revenge of the Whale.......2007-05-09
Revenge of the Whale is about a whaleship journey, with the ship Essex. Captain George Pollard faces many mysterious, and fatal incidents with two different kinds of whales, and many different kinds of weather. This whaleship sailed out of Nantuckett, MA to find only one resource...oil. But they've come across more than just oil, but tragedy along with it.
My personal favorite part of the book is when the crew first sees land in months. I liked this part of the book becuase, it gave me a great essence of releif. I also liked this part of the book becuase, it showed that God gave the crew mercy, something they've always needed. The last reason I liked this book is becuase, I was thinking about what the job description to be a whaler if they told the applicant everything, " You may find yourself eating your best friend, starving to death, dieing of thirst, and drinking the blood of turtles.
I reccommend this book to only a mature audience becuase, little kids would certainly not appreciate this incredible historical story. There is also some confusing and misleading parts of this book that young people wouldnt care for or understand. This story may also bring fear to a small child of the ocean or whales. Once again, mature audiences only!
Revenge of the whales.......2006-12-20
In Revenge of the whales the whales ship Essex leaves port from Nantucket. The ship is hunting sperm whale for its oil. The whale ship does not spot a whale for some time when it does finally kill one the oil is collected. They continue around Cape Horn into the pacific where they a lot more sperm whales. One day while out at sea a whale is spotted near the side of the sperm whale rams the side and breaks the hull. The Essex turns over and is capsized. The men are now in the small whale boats which are row boats they adapted to be able to sail. The hang near the capsized salvaging parts. One day the oil starts to leak and come on board there ships the oil is very smelly and silk. So they set out for South America. They stay as a group. When they start to run out of food and the men start dieing the black men are eaten first. Then the off lenders are eaten and finally they must eat each other. The men reach a deserted island where the find fresh water and find tropical birds. They drink the blood to make the thirst go away. After stocking up three men stay because they can not stand to sail. The three ships become separated Chase's the first mate; Pollard the captain and, the off landlers in a storm. Chase is left with two men in his boat. Pollard must execute his own Cousin for food. This book was very good I would recommend to any one.
The Revenge of The Whale .......2006-11-28
I recommend this book because I learned something from it. Like never messing with a wild animal because it can turn on you. Like the sperm whale in the book, it sunk the whale ship Essex. Also there is a big surprise in the book. The crewman of the Essex survived for 94 days! I think my grandfather would enjoy this book because he is into true tales like the whale ship Essex.
Revenge of the Whale.......2006-04-25
Revenge of the Whale is a survival suspense novel. Anyone who enjoys classic survival fiction like My Side of the Mountain and suspense novels like the Harry Potter books will enjoy Revenge of the Whale. It is hard to put down because the person who wrote it did such a good job ending chapters with cliffhangers. One such example is the last sentence of Chapter 3: "Nickerson's judgment: `This should not have been.'"
This book is about 14-year-old Thomas Nickerson, the cabinboy of the whaleship Essex. He and the 20 other men aboard the Essex deal with bad luck, broken and battered whaleboats, and one very angry sperm whale. The story starts with the sailors going aboard the Essex and sailing from Nantucket. They suffer a knockdown early in their voyage, a sign of the many trials they will soon face. Who will survive? Will young Thomas Nickerson live to tell the tale? Find out when you read Revenge of the Whale!
Great Book for middle school students.......2006-04-22
I had to read this book for a children's literature course, and I absolutely loved it! It is a wonderful book to teach children about real life struggles. I also think it is a great story to teach about conservation. The book is based on a true story and does contain cannabilism, but I think older students can handle the content. I was completly intrigued with the story, a young boy was only one a handful to live through the books ordeal. I think older students would like to learn about a boy their age going on this adventure. It goes great with Gone A-Whaling, a book on whaling and conservation. The whaling industry almost made whales extinct, something that is going on today with many animals. This book is great springboard to discuss real world issues.
Book Description
John Hersey (1914–93) was a correspondent for Time and Life magazines when in 1942 he was sent to cover Guadalcanal, the largest of the Solomon Islands in the Western Pacific. While there, Hersey observed a small battle upon which Into the Valley is based. While the battle itself was not of great significance, Hersey gives insightful details concerning the jungle environment, recounts conversations among the men before, during, and after battle, and describes how the wounded were evacuated as well as other works of daily heroism.
Customer Reviews:
War is Hell.......2007-09-25
That's the bottom-line message of this short, artfully written book by a distinguished writer who served as a war correspondent in the Pacific early in his career.
America had no choice but to fight World War II, and the Marines profiled in this book had to be where they were. But Hersey shows you the war from close up, not from the lofty vantage point of the generals, with their maps, strategic theories and neatly prepared statistical tables.
These are real people being blown to bits. Human lives and humanity itself are expendable in the quest for a few yards of territory.
You will come away from this book hating war, however necessary it may be under certain circumstances.
The same author capped off his message some years later with his classic account of the Hiroshima bombing and its aftermath. If you haven't read that one, your education isn't complete.
Great for what it is.......2007-04-06
I was pretty surprised by how short this book was -- not counting illustrations, there are maybe 45-50 pages of content here. That said, it gives a really good perspective on being in battle and how the every-day must have been. It feels a little "cleaned up" and therefore slightly propagandistic (e.g., no one swears, no one is lazy, everyone is helpful to the writer, etc.), but for me at least, that's also helpful in understanding the time and place. The other issue is that you never for a moment forget that this is being written by a journalist (and not by an infantryman) -- the book never pretends to be anything else, though, and the reporter's POV is still useful and in some ways perhaps better for its "objective" third-partyness.
All-in-all, worthwhile for anyone interested in the subject matter.
bkd
Told As It Was.......2003-09-01
Please do not be put off by fours stars: this is a superb book about early WWII written by someone who 'was there'. The lack of a fifth star merely reflects my desire to have seen a longer, even more in-depth, book. I was born in 1950, so my knowledge of those days is gained mostly by people like John Hersey. Also, my uncle (and namesake) was a member of Edson's Raiders--and he was there, too. I have had the great good fortune to have met many of the Raiders and others on Guadalcanal and I find "Into the Valley" to be most accurate of the descriptions told to me by these veterans. All human, the Marines had to draw on their training and leadership to get themselves through the bitter fighting and to prevail against unsettling odds on Guadalcanal. Hersey allows us to see the Marines as human--young boys and men, for the most part. He paints success and he paints failure with an honest brush. This is a "must read" for anyone interested in WWII and the South Pacific.
Average customer rating:
- Better than a guidebook,
- Disappointing
- Beautiful book ... a must have for Chandler fans.
- Hardboiled, and hard to put down!
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Raymond Chandler's Los Angeles
Manufacturer: Overlook TP
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L.A. Noir: The City as Character
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Philip Marlowe's Guide to Life
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The Raymond Chandler Papers: Selected Letters and Nonfiction 1909-1959
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San Francisco Noir
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Its A Bitter Little World: The Smartest Toughest Nastiest Quotes From Film Noir
ASIN: 0879513519 |
Amazon.com
Elizabeth Ward and Alain Silver know their way around the City of Angels, its buildings and boulevards, its alleyways and environs, as well as Philip Marlowe. So get in your Oldsmobile and put the top down for this literary tour of a Lala Land that partly no longer exists and sometimes never was--for Raymond Chandler's locales, as the authors note, are "a pastiche of the real and the imagined." Mostly what we have here is the visual equivalent. Silver Lake became the less glamorous Gray Lake in the novelist's cynical prose; the fabled Bradbury Building (seen in the 1969 film Marlowe) became the Belfont. City hall is for real, of course, but nothing is quite what it seems.
Customer Reviews:
Better than a guidebook,.......2005-10-25
although it would be hard to classify this book exactly. The crisp, stark and sometimes impressionistic images are well suited to the tone of Chandler's prose. At first glance, it seems to be just a photo book of office buildings and tract homes from the Chandler era. But shots like the eucalyptus leaves melting over a street lamp or the pouty young woman in the swimming pool are striking visual parallels to Chandler writing about "crawling lava" or the "ashes of love." Plus the authors write perceptively about Chandler's relationship to the City of Angels.
Disappointing.......2004-07-21
I was very disappointed with this book. From the description, I expected photographs from the 1930s and 40s, providing a historic view of Los Angeles from the period of many of Chandler?s novels. Instead, the photographs, which are usually dark and sometimes fuzzy, were taken during the 70s and early 80s. In some cases, the table of contents doesn?t even reference the correct page numbers. I wouldn?t recommend this one. You'd be better off renting "The Big Sleep" DVD.
Beautiful book ... a must have for Chandler fans........2002-08-09
I bought this book a few years ago after happening across it on the internet. What a beautiful book. The selections are well-chosen and the photos are unreal. Buy it. You won't regret it.
Hardboiled, and hard to put down!.......2000-11-28
A goldmine for any fan of Chandler's Marlowe novels and short stories, I couldn't put this book down. It finally gave context to the vistas I had only been able to imagine previously, and I'll never be able to pick up any hard boiled detective story set in Los Angeles without flashing on the images painstakingly chosen to be included in this volume by Ward and Silver. An invaluable asset to any Chandler and noir fan.
Average customer rating:
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Whole Oceans Away: Melville and the Pacific
Manufacturer: Kent State University Press
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ASIN: 0873388933 |
Average customer rating:
- The Story of The Exploding Whale...And A Lot More
- Timeless
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The Exploding Whale: And Other Remarkable Stories from the Evening News
Paul Linnman
Manufacturer: Graphic Arts Center Publishing Company
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ASIN: 1558687432 |
Book Description
The scene made cult-classic status right from the start: here's rookie broadcast newsman Paul Linnman in the foreground, reporting on a sticky situation along the Oregon coast. Officials have been working to remove the body of a beached whale, long dead and now rotting. The solution: explosives. As Linnman ducks, the skies issue forth chunks of whale meat, and Linnman's live-action reporting takes its place in broadcast history. The title piece is merely one career highlight among many for Linnman, who writes from the inside about his work in this glamorous field. Now the lead anchor for Portland's KATU news program, Linnman reflects on the inspiring people and incredible events, as well as the just plain oddities that he's witnessed over the years. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll carry an umbrella at all times.
Customer Reviews:
The Story of The Exploding Whale...And A Lot More.......2003-12-08
To Oregon television viewers, Paul Linnman is a familiar, friendly voice and face they've welcomed into their homes as a reporter, anchorman and talk show host for most of the last 35 years. To the rest of the world, he's "the guy who blew up the whale." Which is kind of a shame, in a way. First, it's not quite accurate...it was the state Highway Division that blew up the whale; Paul and his cameraman, Doug Brazil, were just there to record it. Second, it may be the oddest, but by no means is it the finest story Paul has told during those decades.
First, the facts, briefly. In November, 1970, a dead sperm whale washed up near the town of Florence on the Oregon Coast. No one quite knew how to dispose of it. After due consideration, the decision was made to use dynamite. The hope was to blast the carcass into small enough chunks for the gulls and other scavengers to take care of. It didn't quite work out that way. All the spectators got sprayed with whale goo, and had to dodge hunks of falling blubber. Thankfully, no one was hurt, but one large fragment landed on a new Oldsmobile a quarter of a mile away and flattened it.
Much to Linnman's surprise, the story has taken on a life of its own, thanks to the Internet, humorist Dave Barry and others. In this memoir, Paul seems a bit bemused by all the attention, but is good natured and gracious about it as well. He just wishes people would also ask about some of the truly inspiring stories of human courage, character and achievement he's devoted most of his career to chronicling. In this book, he interweaves many of these great "people" stories with all you could ever want to know about the infamous whale. Linnman also adds a few enlightening and entertaining anecdotes about life behind the scenes in television news to round out this fine volume.--William C. Hall
Timeless.......2003-11-12
Paul is a naturally funny guy, and now we know he can lay it out on paper, as well.
In this book he weaves memories from his career around, between, and through a serial narrative of his most famous story---the exploding whale of Florence, Oregon. Never heard of it? This event, along with the dynamite, the stench, the rain of blubber, and the resulting 'cover-up', established a comic standard for bureaucratic ineptitude. In his book, Paul answers all the questions and puts to rest the rumors, finally.
More important, this is an honest, insightful look inside television news as used to be, and as many us wish it had remained.
Paul shares as many laughs as nuggets of wisdom.
Average customer rating:
- OK for mixed Stevenson Island Literature
- Stevenson's retelling of Pacific island legends & stories
- Some enjoyable South Pacific yarns
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South Sea Tales (Oxford World's Classics)
Robert Louis Stevenson
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
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In the South Seas (Penguin Classics)
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Typee: A Peep at Polynesian Life (Penguin Classics)
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The Cruise of the Snark
ASIN: 0192837001 |
Book Description
The literary world was shocked when in 1889, at the height of his career, Robert Louis Stevenson announced his intention to settle permanently on the Pacific island of Samoa. His readers were equally shocked when he began to use the subject material offered by his new environment, not to promote a romance of empire, but to produce some of the most ironic and critical treatments of imperialism in nineteenth-century fiction. In these stories, as in his work generally, Stevenson shows himself to be a virtuoso of narrative styles: his Pacific fiction includes the domestic realism of `The Beach at Falese, the folktale plots of `The Bottle Imp' and `The Isle of Voices', and the modernist blending of naturalism and symbolism in The Ebb-Tide. But beyond their generic diversity the stories are linked by their concern with representing the multiracial society of which their author had become a member. In this collection - the first to bring together all his shorter Pacific fiction in one volume - Stevenson emerges as a witness both to the cross- cultural encounters of nineteenth-century imperialism and to the creation of the global culture which characterizes the post-colonial world.
Customer Reviews:
OK for mixed Stevenson Island Literature.......2007-10-05
I agree with Mr. Coppedge. RLS's "island literature" is uneven, as a read of this book will reveal. For a real treat, read his "In the South Seas". Now that is a treasure.
Stevenson's retelling of Pacific island legends & stories.......2007-05-21
Towards the end of Robert Louis Stevenson's life in the late 1880's, he had to move to the Pacific islands for his health. He managed to visit many of the most famous locales while there, including Hawaii, Tahiti, Samoa, the Gilberts, the Marshalls, and many besides these. He listened to and recorded both native legends and sailors' stories, besides creating a few original stories of his own.
The book contains the following stories: The Beach of Falesa, The Bottle Imp, The Isle of Voices, The Ebb-Tide: A Trio and Quartette, and two very short stories. The book also contains a very lengthy literary overview and critique of Stevenson's work, which I would recommend skipping until after you've read the book. Thankfully, it also contains a map, which you will repeatedly refer to.
The Beach of Falesa is about a European trader (Wiltshire) who takes up residence in the fictitious island of Falesa, whereupon he is hoodwinked by a fellow European (Case) into buying a worthless business and marrying an untouchable girl. Wiltshire then determines to unseat Case from his position of dominance among the natives, so he (Wiltshire) can make good on his business and restore his wife Uma to respectibility. This story like the others that follow are true character studies of both human weakness and resolve.
The Bottle Imp is the story of a native Hawaiian who gets his genie in a bottle to grant him his wishes. But though his wishes are made true and he wins the heart of the girl of his dreams, he becomes both arrogant and cursed with leprosy. He is believed to be a devil by his neighbors. Forced into exile with a wife who believes that he doesn't love her, he desperately seeks out the genie once more to cure his illness. Then he can be with her again, but at the price of external damnation. Or is there still a way out?
The Isle of Voices is also a story about greed and lust. One young Hawaiian man (Keola) yearns for a native girl, but lacks the material wealth for a comfortable marriage. So his girlfriend's father magically takes him to the mysterious and frightful Isle of Voices where treasure lies at his feet simply waiting to be picked up. Not sated with slight and trivial wealth, Keola determines to treacherously seize a vast fortune despite being ominously forbidden by the father. However, Keola's plan is overturned, and he is doomed to learn the secret of the Isle of Voices.
The Ebb-Tide is about three washed up derelict sailors of varying criminal aptitudes who take up the job of delivering an abandoned cargo ship to Australia. However, the ship's European company have all died of smallpox, and everyone believes the ship to be cursed. So, Herrick, Davis, and Huish let sail - but to sell the cargo themselves and then take up as pirates. As the trio complete their dangerous moral and legal fall into piracy and murder, they come upon a queer island loaded with wealth. But will they survive what lies ahead?
Overall, I enjoyed the book, but I wasn't engrossed in it. Skip the introduction, or you won't continue reading the book. Go straight to the stories. All the stories are good, but the Ebb-Tide is probably the best.
Some enjoyable South Pacific yarns.......2006-01-03
I don't know why no one has reviewed this volume before. It is a good readable edition of several of Stevenson's South Sea stories, including the rarely encountered novel The Ebb Tide. The introduction is interesting enough, and the footnotes are very helpful for expressions in the Beach-la-Mar pidgin dialect and nautical terms. This is Stevenson's most mature fiction and is a far cry from Kidnapped and the Child's Garden of Verses.
Average customer rating:
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INVASION 1982: The Falkland Islanders Story
Graham Bound
Manufacturer: Pen and Sword
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
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Strategy
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20th Century
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General
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ASIN: 1844155188 |
Book Description
Falkland Islanders were the first British people to come under enemy occupation since the Channel Islanders during the Second World War. This book tells how islanders' warnings were ignored in London, how their slim defenses gave way to a massive invasion, and how they survived occupation.
While some established a cautiously pragmatic modus vivendi with the occupiers, some Islanders opted for active resistance. Others joined advancing British troops, transporting ammunition and leading men to the battlefields. Islanders' leaders and 'trouble makers' faced internal exile, and whole settlements were imprisoned, becoming virtual hostages.
A new chapter about Falklands history since 1982 reveals that while the Falklands have benefited greatly from Britain's ongoing commitment to them, a cold war continues in the south Atlantic. To the annoyance of the Argentines, the islands have prospered, and may now be poised on the brink of an oil bonanza.
Customer Reviews:
It was like learning my father's war experience first hand.......2007-07-27
My father served in the Southwest Pacific also. He very rarely spoke about what he experienced there. All I knew was he was in New Guinea and the Philippines. After going through his separation papers and old photos after he died, I learned he was in the 41st Division in the same places and at the same time as the author of this book. It was well written and described what the men of my father's and the author's generation had to go through. A true soldier's story from the "Greatest Generation".
Very good combat memoir of the Southwest Pacific.......2005-01-12
This book is a brief, but solid memoir of a soldier who fought in New Guinea and the Phillipines written nearly fifty years after the end of the war. The battle descriptions are first rate and his prose is very readable. The author is honest in admitting when his memory of events is imperfect but the years have not dimmed much. The author comes across as a likeable guy who is rightfully proud of his contribution to the "Good War".
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