Book Description
A Roaring Twenties adventure unfolds in Jennifer Chiaverini's latest bestselling Elm Creek Quilts novel, another in "a series that neatly stitches together social drama and the art of quilting" (Library Journal).
Newly wed in a festive yet poignant ceremony at Elm Creek Manor, bride Elizabeth Nelson takes leave of her ancestral Pennsylvania home. Setting off with her husband, Henry, on the adventure of a lifetime, Elizabeth packs the couple's trunk with more than the wedding quilts she envisions them dreaming beneath every night of their married lives. They are landowners who hold the deed to Triumph Ranch, 120 acres of prime California soil located in the Arboles Valley, north of Los Angeles.
"Triumph Ranch," says Mae, a traveling companion whom Elizabeth has let in on the promise of the Nelsons' bright future. "That sounds like a sure thing." But in a cruel reversal of fortune, the Nelsons arrive to the news that they've been had, and they are left suddenly, irrevocably penniless.
They are hired as hands at the farm they thought they owned, and Henry struggles mightily with his pride. Yet clever, feisty Elizabeth -- drawing on her share of the Bergstrom women's inherent economy and resilience -- vows to defy fate through sheer force of will. As her life intertwines with Rosa Diaz Barclay, native to the Arboles Valley and a fellow quilter, their blossoming friendship sheds light on many secrets that have kept each of them and their families from their rightful homes.
In the cabin where Henry and Elizabeth are living on Triumph Ranch, Elizabeth discovers quilts belonging to Rosa's mother, and in their exquisite patterns recognizes a misplaced legacy of love, land, and family. But her newfound understanding of the burden of loss that Rosa shares with the mysterious Lars Jorgensen places her in mortal danger. Only by stitching the rift between the past and the future can the inhabitants of Triumph Ranch hope to live in peace alongside history.
Customer Reviews:
The Quilter's Homecoming.......2007-10-20
This was a good story, however, I was a little disappointed in how it
ended. I hoped they would get back to Pennsylvania and tell the truth
about what happened to them.
She did it again!.......2007-09-13
Ms Chiaverini did it again!! This newest book is just as wonderful as the past books in this series have been! When I started reading it, I was a bit disappointed that it was only set in the past, but once I got into to reading that went away quickly! This is a 'don't want to put it down' book, highly recommended.
The Quilter's Homecoming: An Elm Creek Quilts Novel.......2007-08-28
Jennifer has done it again: another novel of one of my favorite quilt series and had me burning the midnight lamp to finish this well written story about some great characters. Can't wait for the next episode!
The Quilters Homecoming.......2007-08-17
I read all ten of her books in the Elm Creek Quilters series and they were all wonderful. She follows "quilting" families back and forth as the country developed, the hardships they encountered, up to the present day. Occasionally the books jumped around a little from generation to generation, but I was able to catch up. Being a quilter myself, I was interested in her vast knowledge and explanations of quilting. This would be a wonderful series to give to a quilter as a gift.
The Quilter's Homecoming.......2007-08-14
After reading all the other books in the "Elm Creek Quilters" series, and hearing so much about Elizabeth,it was great to read a book that told about her and Henry's adventurous beginnings in California. Jennifer Chiaverini's gift for spinning a tale peaked in this novel as she unfolded the events of Henry and Elizabeth's cross-country trip and the dreams they shared, along with the trials and disappointments. Things did not go as they had hoped and planned, but all things worked together for good.
Book Description
“Here is what you will not find in the news–the personal cost of war written as clear and beautiful as literature worthy of the name is. These stories are the real thing, passionate, imaginative, searing.”
–Richard Bausch, author of Wives & Lovers
The first book of its kind, Operation Homecoming is the result of a major initiative launched by the National Endowment for the Arts to bring distinguished writers to military bases and inspire U.S. Marines, soldiers, sailors, and airmen and their families to record their wartime experiences. Encouraged by such authors as Tom Clancy, Mark Bowden, Bobbie Ann Mason, Tobias Wolff, Jeff Shaara, and Marilyn Nelson, American military personnel and their loved ones wrote candidly about what they saw, heard, and felt while in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as on the home front. Taken together, these almost one hundred never-before-published eyewitness accounts, private journals, short stories, letters, and other personal writings become a dramatic narrative that shows the human side of warfare.
• the fear and exhilaration of heading into battle;
• the interactions between U.S. forces and Afghans and Iraqis, both as enemies and friends;
• the boredom, gripes, and humorous incidents of day-to-day life on the front lines;
• the anxiety and heartache of worried spouses, parents, and other loved ones on the home front;
• the sheer brutality of warfare and the physical and emotional toll it takes on those who fight;
• the tearful homecomings for those who returned to the States alive– and the somber ceremonies for those who made the ultimate sacrifice for their nation.
From riveting combat accounts to profound reflections on warfare and the pride these troops feel for one another, Operation Homecoming offers an unflinching and intensely revealing look into the lives of extraordinary men and women. What they have written is without question some of the greatest wartime literature ever published.
“Andrew Carroll has given America a priceless treasure.”
–Tom Brokaw, on War Letters
Proceeds from this book will be used to provide arts and cultural programming to U.S. military communities. For more information, please go to www.OperationHomecoming.gov.
Customer Reviews:
*Tissue alert*.......2007-07-26
This book was very moving. I laughed and I cried. There were sad stories and poignant stories and many positive stories. I recommend this book to anyone wanting a real look at how the military and their families feel about going through these deployments. I also recomment it for families going through the deployments now. I have learned a lot about what my son may be going through and may not be willing to share with us right now.
Crying, laughing, both at the same time.......2007-03-06
I am a military wife. My young daughter and I survived 12 months while my husband served in Iraq. This book was absolutely amazing. I cannot come up with the words to describe how much this book meant to me. I don't know about other spouses, but no matter how much my husband and I talk, it is not easy for him to communicate his thoughts or feelings on his service in Iraq. It was even difficult for him to describe his life over there when asked directly. I think a lot of it is him trying to protect me, but also, his brain does not work that way. He was there, he did what he had to do as a soldier, end of story. This book brought me insight into my husband. It made me laugh. It made me cry. It made me sick. It made me angry. It made me happy. It made me joyful. It made me all of these things at the same time. I am so thankful to the organization(whose name escapes me right now) that made this book possible. It is a book that touched my heart and soul. I will never be the same, and I am greatful for that. It is in know way a "light" read. I read it quickly, as I do everything, but because I was hungry to read more, to know more, to feel more. Do not read it without a box of tissues next to you.
Nothing has been closer to home for me .......2007-03-03
I am a NCO in the army and have been to Iraq 4 times and this book sent chills through my bodie many times with the pure honest look at war. Most of the stories are reflections of events that any service member will identifie with. Then there are some events told in this book only a select few will truely grasp. This is a must read if you would like a insight into the mind of a Military member who has been deployed. I cant recomend this book more then just get it read it and prepair to get choked up. I know i did
AN IMPORTANT BOOK.......2007-02-12
This book really gives you a taste for how it is in Iraq...I think everyone should read it...especially Pres. Bush.
Excellent Audio Version.......2007-01-20
I listened to the audio version of this book. It was one of the most moving panoramic portrait of emotions of this war. Hearing these letters read aloud bring them to life in a way not possible in a reading. My congratulations to the publishers and producers of this work of art. Very very moving. Makes this war more of a reality for me here at home; it doesn't take sides, but expresses the good and the sad about this conflict. I laughed and misted up. A truly beautiful and broad compilation of real life stories.
Average customer rating:
- It really IS the book of Mormon . . .
- Same ol' arguments, but they finally get to Earth
- Plagarism of the Book of Mormon
- Wonderfully imaginative. The recolonization of Earth.
- The Character of the Patriarchs
|
Earthfall (Homecoming Saga)
Orson Scott Card
Manufacturer: Tor Books
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ASIN: 0812532961 |
Amazon.com
High above the planet Harmony, the Oversoul watches, programmed forty million years ago to guard the human settlement from all threats, especially themselves. In the latest in the Hugo- and Nebula award-winning author's
Homecoming series, the great artificial intelligence has lost control of the population, forbidden technology has been rediscovered, war has broken out, and the only repair lies light years distant on a lost and ruined Earth.
"There seems little doubt that the whole series will prove as readable--and as morally committed--as we've come to expect from Card." --Locus
Book Description
The Oversoul of the colony planet Harmony selected the family of Wetchik to carry it back to long-lost Earth. Now grown to a tribe in the years of their journey to Harmony's hidden starport, they are ready at last to take a ship to the stars. But from the beginning there has been bitter dispute between Nafai and Elemak, Wetchick's youngest son and his oldest.On board the starship Bailica, the children of the tribe will become pawns in the struggle. Two factions are each making secret plans to awaken the children, and themselves, early from the cold-sleep capsules in which they will pass the long decades of the journey. Each side hopes to gain years of influence on the minds of the children, winning their loyalty in the struggle for control of reclaimed Earth.But the Oversoul is truly in control of this journey. It has downloaded a complete copy of itself to the Ship's computers. And only Nafai, who wears the Cloak of the Starmaster by the Oversoul's command, really understand what this will mean to all their plans for the future.
Customer Reviews:
It really IS the book of Mormon . . ........2007-03-25
Hmm. I remember reading this series about 10 years ago, and for high school, it was a good read, but nothing outstanding. Now I find that there is absolutely no follow through after the third book, these books are just a thinly disguised re-write of parts of the book of Mormon. For those of us that wanted good SF not a religious treatise, it's downright disappointing. Now I know why Card never resolved the issues concerning the characters. It's because they were just the 'hook' to get us all interested in the Mormon theology. The first three books are just good enough, that when you get to the fourth and the fifth book, you find yourself very annoyed that the characters become flat and lifeless, just caricatures, really. Not to mention, incest starts happening. For example, one of Nafai's brothers and one of his nieces get married and have children . . . Does this happen in Mormonism? because for most of us, getting it on with our uncle is really foul.
Nafai and Elemak never really resolve their differences, or even have a 'final' showdown. The last book carries the reader far into the future and all references to those other characters, like Luet, Hushidh and Issib to name a few, are dropped, never to reappear again.
The series really started going downhill once the Rats and the Bats were introduced. I mean, how lame is this? After 40 million years, the only species to evolve are rats and bats. Not dolphins or the cockroach or - birds even? This is an insult to the reader's intelligence. This becomes the star of the show, with the characters stories taking a back seat and finally disappearing altogether. I read the last few pages of the fourth book hoping to find out what happened after Elemak woke up to find the Nafari gone and his wife with them. After all his cruelties, he never really gets what's coming to him. Nafai turns into exactly what Elemak hates, rather than becoming a full fledged personality of his own. The Prophet Nafai, hm. Ugh.
You find yourself scanning the few moments featuring Shedemei in the fifth novel, to see if she ever even mentions any of them. She doesn't. You have no idea how they died, what happened to the next generation, nothing. Why spend so much time building these characters if they were nothing more than a cheap ploy to get us to read a watered down version of the book of Mormon? I guess Card did this series as opposed to walking around door to door sweating his 'hooy' off trying to sell his religion. This was done in air conditioned comfort I assume, and he fulfills whatever obligation. I just know I will not be picking up any of this author's works without serious thought beforehand. I feel cheated and disgusted.
Same ol' arguments, but they finally get to Earth.......2006-10-19
Earthfall is the continuing story of Nafai and his companions as they travel to Earth aboard Basilica and their trials as they settle. They find that there are two sentient species on Earth - the Angels are bat-like creatures that are almost always born as twins and the Diggers are large, mouse-like rodents that live underground. They have been living in a savage harmony for 40 million years, until humans come back.
The story begins as the group makes ready to leave Harmony on the starship Basilica, a ship that has been preserved for the 40 million years since humans first arrived on Harmony. The group argues over many things, most importantly the sleep schedule of the children, as the deep, cryosleep will cause the body's functions and growth to slow while children that are awake will grow to be near-adults and be able to choose sides, to follow Nafai or follow Elemak.
Once they reach Earth and settle, they discover the Angels and Diggers, which were foretold in dreams in the earlier books in the series. The humans quickly dominate the indigenous species and discover that they've upset the balance and that they must fix the situation.
Meanwhile, the patriarch of the group, Volemak, the former Wetchik, is dying. Because of an oath taken by all in the group that Volemak would be the leader until his death, the settlement, now made up of four generations, must take sides.
New characters are developed in Earthfall, those being the children and grandchildren of the 8 original travelers. Some take after their parents and some do not. Then there is question of genetics - who must marry and who must not? A new Earth is also set here...one that is not the same as when humans were last there.
One thing that has become stagnant in this series is the continuing rivalry of the Nafai camp and the followers of Elemak. It's the same arguments of power all over again for the nth time. There are characters killed off in Earthfall, but it does not change the same rivalry that seems to never be quelled, only fueled.
Earthfall is volume four in the Earthbound series by Orson Scott Card.
Plagarism of the Book of Mormon.......2004-10-04
Orson Scott Card is Mormon, and if we didn't know it before, now we do--he based the entire plot of the Homecoming series on the Book of Mormon. It's so pathetic that I am speechless.
Wonderfully imaginative. The recolonization of Earth........2004-02-28
This book, just like all the others in this series, is great for many reasons, but what I especially liked about this particular one was the greater role played by the angels and the diggers. In getting to know the digger/angel people (particualarly Pto and Poto) on a personal level, a whole new demension is added to the story. All of the original characters continue to act just like you'd expect them to, so something new was needed and Card provided it with the introduction of the angels and diggers and their societies. I really liked how all of the events in this book unfolded and the next book promises to hold lots of excitment. Shedemei as somekind of "Mother Earth" and Nafai and Elemak as the angel's and the digger's kings, with war on the way. I only hope that the last few pages of this book are not literal because that would mean that the next book would contain none of the old characters at all, but instead would take place sometime in the distant future when only legends and stories survive from all that has happened so far.
The Character of the Patriarchs.......2003-12-06
As the journey continues Card matures the characters. Yet we see no one flat- everyone, the most evil, has good points; the most good have their own private evils. The Patriarchal disagreements continue- Card uses the vast history of the Genesis stories of Jacob & Esau, Joseph, Abram, and Moses in one cast of characters to give us an idea of how the issues those men dealt with might be recapitulated 40 million years from now on another planet. And so just as in the time of the Judges and the Kings in the Old Testament, here people try to stop the journey from happening, and try to keep the people of God (God now being referred to as The Keeper of Earth) from reaching the homeland when they are almost there. Many of the followers attempt to gain their own power and ignore the desires of the oversoul and the Keeper, just as occurred in the time of the Kings. And yet in the midst of this, as in II Isaiah, one rises up to be a Suffering Servant to bear the burdens of his people.
But when they reach the promised land, not everything is perfect, for there also, the Philistines and Canaanites are already there. How shall they deal with them? In warfare, or bringing them into their new nation? Both options were chosen by the Israelites at different times, in different places in Palestine.
As I reflect on this book, I continually see new Biblical parallels, and gain new insights- into the book, my understanding of Biblical exegesis, and into my own relationship with God. Card lays out how the Keeper's awesome plan will go forward, and how He wants to bring everyone She can into it. I contemplate how the same is true of God.
The Interlinear Bible: Hebrew-Greek-English
Book Description
Five bestselling authors Five real-life heroines
They're your neighbors, your aunts, your sisters and your best friends. They're women across North America committed to reaching out and changing lives, one good deed at a time. Five of these exceptional women have been selected as this year's recipients of Harlequin's More Than Words Award. And once again five award-winning bestselling authors have kindly offered their creativity to write original short stories inspired by these real-life heroines.
Because of this year's recipients' dedication, thousands of tiny babies born into poverty are going home from the hospital wearing warm, hand-knit clothing. Inmates are raising pups to keep people safe and be loyal guide dogs. Special-needs kids finally have a sports league to call their own. Cancer survivors enjoy a week of relaxation and rejuvenation nestled in Canada's stunning cottage country. And high-quality, low-cost children's books in Braille are finding their way to the thousands of children who need them.
We hope More Than Words will touch your heart and inspire the heroine living inside you.
Thank you. Proceeds from the sale of this book will be reinvested in the Harlequin More Than Words program to support causes that are of concern to women.
Customer Reviews:
great inspirational collection.......2006-10-09
"Homecoming Season" by Susan Wiggs. Miranda survived breast cancer partially due to the help of her family; now she needs to repay them by living life to the fullest.
"Find the Way" by Karen Harper. The mugger left Miranda blind and feeling helpless. To regain some of the freedom she once had, she decides to obtain a seeing eye dog, who becomes more than an aide.
"Here Comes The Heroes" by Kasey Michaels. Librarian Anna sees Forest carrying an upset blind little boy to her. The child teaches Anna how to open her eyes to the world.
"Touched By Love" by Catherine Mann. Laura is so proud of her young teenage son who not only survived a liver transplant, but he tries out for a baseball team. However, when the coach out of fear for the kid's safety cuts him, Laura decides to pitch a new concept so he can swing the bat.
"A Stitch in Time" by Tori Carrington. "But Mom" works long hours and loves her children, but feels empty until the handsome doctor teaches her there is more to life than a job.
This anthology is as always one of the best inspiration collections on the market as the tales are well written heartwarming life stories while the intro to each is based on a real support organization. This year's worthy groups are Cottage Dreams (www.cottagedreams.org), Puppies Behind Bars (www.puppiesbehindbars.com), Team Activities for Special Kids - TASK (www.tasksports.org), Seedling Braille Books for Children (www.seedlings.org), and Stitches from the Heart (www.stitchesfromtheheart.org).
Harriet Klausner
Average customer rating:
|
Homecoming: The Story of African-American Farmers
Charlene Gilbert , and
Quinn Eli
Manufacturer: Beacon Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0807009636 |
Book Description
A photographic essay which offers a striking and moving tribute to African-American farmers. This is the companion book to Gilbert's PBS documentary, HOMECOMING. Homecoming traces the history of black farmers from Reconstruction to the present, as they struggle to survive today. Homecoming pays tribute not only to the devastating losses they have suffered throughout the century, but also to the legacy of hope that endures in the story of African-Americans working the land. "Revisiting the unbearable hardships encountered by my great-grandparents, grandparents, and parents as they sought to survive the inhuman sharecropping system of the post-Civil War South-a system in many ways more brutal than slavery-my heart breaks again. But reading Homecoming's account of our ancestors' determined humility, obdurate courage, and fierce pride in and love of the land, my heart is healed. I see why there is such a thing as ancestor worship. I could not love my sharecropping ancestors more if I had created them myself. That black Southerners still love nature and revere the earth is the legacy of a people whose innate elegance and dignity was always expressed in essentials." -Alice Walker "An extraordinary gift. . . . A moving, lyrical, and important history: a tale of land, labor, love, and loss." -Farah Jasmine Griffin "Moving, highly informative, and valuable." -Barbara Neely, author of Blanche Cleans Up
Book Description
Southern Homecoming Traditions is a cookbook and a celebration of the five historic black colleges and one university that comprise the Atlanta University Center: Morehouse, Spelman, and Morris Brown Colleges, Morehouse School of Medicine, Interdenominational Theological Center, and Clark-Atlanta University. Author Carolyn Quick Tillery uses the evocative power of food to take us back to the institutions where so many great African-American leaders were educated, and the region where so many great dishes were created. With over 200 mouthwatering recipes, along with powerful history, moving remembrances and stunning archival photographs, this book is a homecoming table laden with memories, pride and pleasure. So take a seat and dig in!
A Sampling of the Recipes:
APPETIZERS
* Sweet Auburn Street Wings
* Rum-Glazed Tiger Prawns
* Corn and Field Pea Dip
* Blue Cheese and Toasted Pecan Spread
MAIN DISHES
* Spicy Fried Chicken with Spicy Tomato Salad
* Sunday Collard Greens with Rice and Ham
* Blazing Jalapeno and Turkey Greens
* Black-Eyed Peas with Smoked Ham
BREADS AND DESSERTS
* Ginger Cookies
* Mother's Cake
* Georgia Peach and Praline Pie
* Peanut Butter Cake with Chocolate Amaretto Frosting
* Sweet Potato Cake with Pineapple Filling and Cream Cheese Frosting
A melting pot of speeches, songs, stories, and photographs,
Southern Homecoming Traditions illuminates the whole of the African-American experience. Enhanced by inspiring African proverbs ("Teach a woman and you teach a nation") and touching remembrances, this is both a sumptuous cookbook and a joyous living history of black America's ever-continuing influence on American cuisine and culture.
Customer Reviews:
Southern Homecoming Traditions.......2007-03-16
I love this book, as well as the others by Carolyn Quick Tillery. Love the combination of food & recipes with history.
Customer Reviews:
The penultimate chapter of the greatest book series ever........2002-02-13
I wish I could rate this book more, because I'd like to consider THIS book the last of the series, and forget that AWAKENING ever existed. The story now focuses on India Blackstone, Edward Blackstone's daughter, as she tries to become an artist. The setting, Taos, is exotic, and Henry Blake's travails in the Phillipines also give this book an exotic feel. Unfortunately, Henry's story is rather brief and India is too new a character for us to really care about, if you are a regular of the series.
Still, this book is not bad. If you want a feel for the Old West from the Indian prospective, buy it.
Average customer rating:
- "It's that hate which sustains the war"
- A Fine Beginning
- Azzarello's Loveless is a dark and twisted journey through the Old West
|
Loveless, Vol. 1: A Kin of Homecoming
Brian Azzarello
Manufacturer: Vertigo
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ASIN: 1401210619 |
Book Description
Eisner award-winning writer Brian Azzarello (100 BULLETS, SUPERMAN: FOR TOMORROW) creates a Western for the new millennium. Reuniting with his HELLBLAZER collaborator, artist Marcelo Frusin, Azzarello fashions a tough-as-nails saga that combines all the bloody action and atmosphere of a Sergio Leone film with the provocative storytelling of HBO's Deadwood. Wes Cutter is a wanted man running from a violent past - the horrors of the Civil War, a brutal stint in a Union prison camp, and the savage fallout of Reconstruction. Now he's on a quest for the one thing in short supply: peace. Joining Wes is his beautiful wife Ruth, a woman who has been to hell and back herself - and hides dark secrets of her own. The road they travel will be a bloody one, leaving a trail of bodies stretching from Missouri to the Pacific Ocean.
Customer Reviews:
"It's that hate which sustains the war".......2007-04-12
Loveless is a comic about Confederate women and men before, during, and after the Civil War. The last western comic book I bought was . . . wait, I've never bought a western comic before. But the cover artwork on this series is awesome (particularly #7) and I was compelled to buy and read the series. Sometimes I don't care if a comic has a good story, I buy comics sometimes just out of respect and admiration of the incredible cover artistry. With this series, the inside artistry is exceptional also.
The series is about hate - the serie's title is "Loveless." It is about how violence, war, silence, imprisonment, and prejudices bring about deep hatreds and re-occuring violence. The series emphasizes how evil is not exclusive to the male gender; rather, the women who support the violent parts of their men are complicit. And sometimes the women are as violent as the men. I work hard to avoid hate. But I must confess, if there is one thing I hate, it is the violence, war, silence, and animosity that are neverendingly borne out of the stupidity of hateful reasoning.
The title of this review is a quote by one of the gun runners, trying to comfort a woman who is worried about her imprisoned husband. He is trying to assure her that her fears, about the capacity of harm that hate can bring, are unfounded. But women are empathetic and socially intelligent, and her fears are well founded.
I recommend this book on many levels. The art has a perfect tone for the story. The visual storytelling and scripting are brisk and fluent. This is an "adult" story and not for readers who are unsophisticated, or unwilling to question the protaganists' moral decisions.
A critique of the story so far is that it is too fictional, almost completely excluding any characters with any high level of human decency, compassion or understanding - which may keep it within the bounds of the 'Vertigo' horror genre category, but which keeps the series from being more realistic, historical, or universal. I don't fault the story for not having regular moral endings; I fault it for erring almost exclusively with horror genre endings. There are no Macbeths here taking much time questioning the morality of their violent choices. This series is no Sandman, where at least occasionally there is a hope in hell. I still give the series 4 stars for it's cleverness, artistic beauty, & exceptionally professional execution and uncommonly individual and good artisitc styles (there are two primary artists rotating duties on the book and covers).
This series is rarely about hope or finding answers. In this fictional world, there are no easy, moral 'good guys.' The characters too often stupidly do not rise above focusing on more than themselves and their immediate loved ones - almost always choosing violence as their response to violence.
The series is about how hate creates hate. In the fictional world of "Loveless" there is very little education, limited community understanding, almost a complete absence of the benefits of diversity, and a marked absence of mercy. But I still highly recommend the series to adults because it one of the finest comic books being currently produced.
A Fine Beginning.......2006-12-12
Writing: A
I liked Brian Azzarello's writing in 100 Bullets at first, but after a story that's gone on many years without resolution, had my doubts about this new book. 100 bullets is like the X-files - the individual self-contained stories are satisfying, but there's a bigger story at hand that develops at a snail's pace and really gets annoying because it's never resolved and eventually becomes so overly complicated that you can't understand it anymore.
Fortunately, Loveless works well as a self-contained graphic novel. Azzarello has also stated that it will only run 50 issues or so (or 10 trade paperbacks), so hopefully this title won't run into the same problem that 100 bullets has. The story is intriguing, but the book still works in an episodic manner, and I love forward to the next trade paperback when it comes out.
Art: A+
Marcelo Frusin is the best thing about Loveless. I loved his work in Hellblazer, and have missed him sorely. He is probably one of most cinematic comic book artists of all time. His linework is simple yet elegant, and incredibly expressive. His layout is clear and smooth. I agree with other reviewers that the flashbacks could have been more obvious (sometimes a flashback is obvious from the beginning, sometimes you have to read it twice), but I did appreciate it's innovativeness.
Patricia Mulvihill, the colorist, deserves special mention. Although Frusin's pencils and inks are beautiful, the final work wouldn't be as breathtaking as it is without her gorgeous coloring work. She has a cinematography's eye when it comes to choosing the colors to complement the story and art, and creates a great mood for the story.
Overall, a great beginning, and given that it's relatively inexpensive trade paperback, it is definitely worth picking up.
Azzarello's Loveless is a dark and twisted journey through the Old West.......2006-07-03
Brian Azzarello has added a new on-going series to his already excellent 100 Bullets. Already well-known for his work in Hellblazer, Brian Azzarello's Loveless is a dark and twisted take on the Old West (specifically post-Civil War Old West) is like a hearty stew combining the epic expanse of classic Sergio Leone spaghetti western, Eastwood's Outlaw Josey Wales and the rapid-fire dialogue of HBO's Deadwood. I thought he could never top his work in 100 Bullets, but Azzarello continues to impress as he's taken his gift for dark storytelling and transposed it to the Old West to create a new mythical tale of vengeance, dark secrets, death and sex.
Loveless: A Kin of Homecoming collects the first five issues of Azzarello's Loveless series. The trade paperback introduces the two main characters whose lives will be the focal point of the stories. Wes and Ruth Cutter are the husband and wife whose lives have been torn apart by the brutality of the Civil War in the Missouri territories. The story makes special mention of Bloody Bill Anderson and Quantrill's Raiders --- pro-Confederate bushwhackers whose extreme hatred for Union soldiers and pro-Union civilians brought bloodshed and banditry to a new level in the Missouri territories. It is the aftermath of this guerilla-type war during the Civil War that has forced both Wes and Ruth Carter on a journey of vengeance on all those who have wronged them.
Azzarello deftly interspersed flashback scenes of Wes and Ruth Carter's lives before the events of the Civil War reaches Missouri. They're a happy and deeply in love couple whose only aspirations were to live a modest and peaceful life. This was not meant to be as Wes soon volunteers to fight for the Confederate side and leaving his wife in the care of his brother Jonny. What happens within the story collected in this trade sets up some of the back story as to why Wes and Ruth Carter are now both harder and meaner than they were before the war came to them. Already, there's hints of familial double-cross and betrayal. Secrets kept by both main characters from each other. Loveless is a a dark tale of post-Civil Reconstruction that has never been told in the history books, but Azzarello sure makes it vivid with his storytelling and the excellent artwork by his collaborator Marcelo Frusin.
Frusin's artwork gives Loveless a cinematic look to it. One could almost wonder if he wasn't making storyboards for a new Western film production instead of just a comic book series. From scenes of sudden violence and sex to flashbacks of the same, Frusin's artwork seemlessly matches the words Azzarello has put down on page. The images could easily tell the story in itself if the words were suddenly removed. There's a simplicity and ease to the images in conveying the tale being told.
Azzarello's already mentioned that the series will end around 50 or so issues and will be collected in ten trades. Each trade will contain five-issues. These five-issues will tell a new story-arc in both Wes and Ruth Carter's journey through Azzarello's western tale. The first story-arc is now over and collected and I await for the next trade to tell me the continuation of the Carter's journey through Loveless. A series from Vertigo that fans of 100 Bullets and Hellblazer should not miss.
Customer Reviews:
Homecoming.......2002-11-12
This book addresses topics like war and the generational gap facing women through the context of housekeeping. It tackles the opposition of moments, not through anger or frustration but through the comedy of life. Alvarez hints to the excess of love in this world being focused on material possessions because of the before mentioned generational gap and the cynical views held by the previous generation. She expresses her belief in the allegiance to duty as being honorable. This book is a celebration of the "single minded labors/of the single women artist." And finally this collection of poems calls into question the hierarchy of values and the idea that as human beings, men or women, "What comes first?" Overall, these poems are a direct link to the struggles and happiness women face in society today that are not just brought on by the patriarchal, but the mothers and grandmothers that preceded them.
Books:
- The Rommel Papers (Da Capo Paperback)
- The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference
- The Vision of His Glory - Workbook
- The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl
- This Moment on Earth: Today's New Environmentalists and Their Vision for the Future
- Thomas Jefferson : Writings : Autobiography / Notes on the State of Virginia / Public and Private Papers / Addresses / Letters (Library of America)
- Towns of the Sandia Mountains (NM) (Images of America)
- U.S. Army Ranger Handbook SH 21-76 (April 2000)
- U.S. Marine Corps Scout/Sniper Training Manual
- Under His Very Windows: The Vatican and the Holocaust in Italy
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