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by Dick Francis
ISBN: 0515123471
Binding/Media: Paperback - 320 pages
Condition: Used: Very Good
Comments: Sold with pride. No writing, no highlighting. Copy in very good condition. Normal reading wear from previous reading.
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Customer Reviews
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Charming father-son saga
Rating  (5)
Date: 2010-02-11
Dick Francis is good at writing about fathers and sons. In this case the father, George Juliard, was too young at the death of his wife to raise his son Benedict. And so Ben grew up not knowing his father, a situation about to change as Ben approaches his eighteenth birthday.
George, who has made piles of money in the City, is going to stand for Parliament. Never having remarried, he needs Ben's smiling presence during his campaign to lend him the respectable aura of a family man. To achieve this, George has to lure Ben away from the dream of being a jockey. The fact is, Ben has limited ability and will never be one of the greats.
Dick Francis himself won over 350 races and served as jockey to HM Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, for four years. He did achieve greatness in the racing world - and went on to become a world-class mystery writer as well. So it's interesting to observe Francis' empathetic portrayal of a young person who must accept his limitations and discover his true strengths.
The plot revolves around Ben's adventures helping with the campaign and outsmarting his father's enemies. Ben combines a methodical cleverness with a brash willingness to throw himself into danger in defense of others. Both father and son are morally upright, which could be boring, but in fact they somehow make niceness seem multi-faceted and attractive.
So yes, I enjoyed the book very much and recommend it. I will soon have read every book available by Dick Francis, and I'll move on to the ones written in collaboration with his son Felix. There's another interesting father-son story!
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Psychology
Rating  (4)
Date: 2009-12-20
Benedict Juliard, aspiring jockey, is dismissed by his employer Sir Vivian Durridge for suspected drug use. Benedict is seventeen. Benedict's father wants him to go to Exeter University. Until the term begins, Ben is to help get his father elected to Parliament. Ben's father is not married and needs a presentable family member to show the voters.
Although a neophyte, George Juliard is an excellent campaigner. He is a wonderful speaker and a quick study. One of the political helpers tells Ben that good politician remember names. Also, he is advised not to buy stamps since all electoral expenses must be disclosed after the election.
The first mysterious incident is a gun shot. At such an early stage, it isn't clear that Ben's father is the intended victim. Benedict finds out the identity of disappointed office seekers, Ben's father having been selected by central party officials to run in the by-election, in order to ascertain whether anyone has a motive to injure the candidate. It seems that George Juliard is seen as a usurper by some of the voters. Benedict has a logical mind. He is also useful to his fatheris cause because he has psychological acumen.
A book by Dick Francis is like a cunning device. All the parts fit and tone is carried out smoothly from beginning to end.
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excellent
Rating (5)
Date: 2009-11-29
the book was inexpensive, arrived in a very short amount of time and in excellent condition. First rate service and product.
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No Penalty Here. Reviewer: Renee S. NY.C.
Rating (5)
Date: 2009-07-19
1 out of 1 customers found this reveiw helpful
I skipped this book because of the reviews, but it bothered me that there was a Francis book that I hadn't read. IMHO the reviews were overly harsh. The story was good, the characters were likeable and the depictions of British politics were fascinating. While I always enjoyed Francis' racing stories, the glimpses into various other occupations that have appeared in many of his later books have always taught me something I didn't know before - never to the detriment of the story. In fact my two favorite Francis books are only peripherally about horses and racing, "Straight," about a gem dealer and "Longshot," about a survivalist travel writer. I like the horses but it is Dick Francis' writing that brings me back every time. This book was no exception. Highly recommended.
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Election Results
Rating (4)
Date: 2008-01-13
1 out of 1 customers found this reveiw helpful
"You're fired for sniffing glue," were not the words Benedict Juliard wanted to hear as his dreams of becoming a steeplechase jockey crumbled at his feet. He was innocent, but his father had other plans for him and had arranged the disreputable incident.
Benedict is whisked into the world of political intrigue and dirty fighting as he prepares to smile his way at his father's side. This rapidly gets dangerous as a fire breaks out in the campaign headquarters and the mayhem escalates. Someone is out to make sure George Juliard does not get a seat in Parliament.
Usher Rudd, the tabloid reporter, is one of the most unforgettable characters Mr. Francis has ever created, both for humor and devilment. Reviewers don't give him the high marks of his other mysteries, but they have to admit the cleverness of 10LB. PENALTY grows on you like a fine wine.
Nash Black, author of SINS OF THE FATHERS and QUALIFYING LAPS.
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by James Patterson
ISBN: 0446610038
Binding/Media: Mass Market Paperback - 488 pages
Condition: Used: Very Good
Comments: Sold with pride. No writing, no highlighting. Copy in very good condition with minimal reading wear.
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Customer Reviews
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#1 In Customer Service!
Rating (5)
Date: 2010-08-29
BooksKitty continues to bring Customer Service to new levels of excellence. Simply Superb! The personal attention paid to each and every order goes "Above and Beyond" any previous internet provider I've experienced. Extraordinary care is taken with packaging details. A carton of eggs would be assuredly safe, shipped by this supplier. Thank you BooksKitty!
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Patterson should read up on dogs...
Rating  (2)
Date: 2010-08-27
I agree with what a lot of the 1 and 2 start reviewers have said and have one thing to add: the author has obviously not done any research on dogs. Or, possibly, border collies in America are very different from the breed we have here in Scotland. Border collies are fairly large dogs and I would really like to see one perch on somebody's lap looking out to the bay... makes for a very, very funny picture! Next, does Mr Patterson know that border collies are working dogs and keeping one in a flat is absolutely ridiculous and amounts to animal cruelty? And if the heroine of the books indeed keeps her collie in a flat, then it is highly likely that when she returns from work, the collie will have taken the flat apart from sheer boredom.
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YOU'RE KIDDING--RIGHT??
Rating  (1)
Date: 2010-08-24
I DDD III DDD FINISH THIS BOOK-------BUT-------
THE FIRST 100 PAGES---THIS IS PRETTY STUPID.
THE NEXT 100 PAGES---THIS IS REAL STUPID.
SHE GETS SICK---STARTS SCREWING LIKE A RABBIT----THIS IS VARY STOOPYD.
ANOTHER 100 PAGES---SHE'S CURED AND THE STUPIDITY ENDS--THANK GOD!!!
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Quick and brainless. I mean, painless.
Rating  (3)
Date: 2010-08-13
1 out of 1 customers found this reveiw helpful
A nice little mystery. Kept me guessing, which is unusual. Not a fan of who happens to be the "first to die" as I really don't think stuff like that should happen, but overall, a good read. (And quick, considering how many pages it contains)
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Another Great One
Rating (4)
Date: 2010-08-12
I just got done reading this...and realize I have 8 more to go for the series! I didn't think I would like it since Alex Cross was not in it, but this is definitely a great beginning to from what I hear, a great run of Women's Club books.
I can't wait to read the others. Awesome book- defintely suggest it!
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by P.D. James
ISBN: 0345430573
Binding/Media: Mass Market Paperback - 448 pages
Condition: Used: Very Good
Comments: Sold with pride. No writing, no highlighting. Copy in very good condition. Normal reading wear from previous reading.
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Customer Reviews
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KIndle edition
Rating (5)
Date: 2010-08-16
I'm not sure why Amazon has this listed as a Kindle book with no pricing available. Does that make sense to anyone?
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Interesting, very complex, very British novel
Rating (4)
Date: 2010-06-24
I'm perfectly aware that Baroness James is very highly thought of in both this country and the UK for the literary quality of her mystery novels featuring Commander Adam Dalgliesh, educated copper and published poet, but somehow I've just never been able to resonate with her style. I keep trying, though, hoping to find the facet of her books that will allow me entrée into her writing. This one is widely regarded by the reviewers as one of her best, and since the professional world of the law interests me, I gave it a try. The set-up is both straightforward and very complex. Victoria Aldredge, Q.C., is a very fine lawyer indeed; everyone will tell you so. As a person, however, she's often a pain in the ass. She doesn't much like men, she doesn't much care for her eighteen-year-old daughter, she's long since parted from her husband for whom she feels contempt, she often doesn't like the accused whom she defends so skillfully -- and in chambers, she tends to assume her own superiority in practically everything and doesn't really give a damn which of her colleagues' feathers she ruffles in the process. But she doesn't deserve to be murdered, especially with such lack of dignity. And there are lots and lots of suspects. The thing is, James leads us slowly and very thoroughly through the present lives and previous experiences of Miss Aldridge, her father, her mentor in the law as an adolescent, her fellow barristers and solicitors, the Head Clerk of chambers, the cleaners, her daughter, and her daughter's new fiancé -- who was her mother's most recent client and probably guilty of the murder he was charged with -- building up everyone's character in great detail, and all this takes up nearly the first third of the book before we ever meet Dalgliesh and his elite homicide team. This is not a method of recounting a murder mystery I've encountered before, and I don't really know if it's the author's usual method, but while it requires patience, it generally works. James certainly has an ear for dialogue and an eye for description, both indoors and out. There's a subsidiary killing later in the book which leads to a violent climax, though, and which seems a bit out of place compared to tone of the rest of the story. And that is immediately followed by a much quieter and more intellectual climax regarding the original murder. It's an interesting narrative stratagem. I'll be reading more of P. D. James.
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Great characters, but weak ending
Rating (4)
Date: 2009-12-10
The key to P.D. James is her profound psyhological insight into her characters. In this novel, you have the lawyer who puts her skills above all concern for the guilt or innocence of her clients and accumulates her personal enemies. The certain justice of the title probably refers principally to the romance that develops between her daughter and a probable murderer she defends successfully. But it refers to the animosity of several who have been affected by her skill in protecting the guilty as well as the innocent, resulting in a number of suspects when she's murdered.This is, as per usual, a great outing for the author and a treat for those who enjoy her style of mystery.`
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P.D. James always satisfies
Rating (4)
Date: 2009-09-23
As always, P.D.James and Adam Dalgliesh make for absorbing reading. I don't know how I missed this one, but I'm glad to catch up with it now.
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Very Good
Rating (5)
Date: 2009-01-18
0 out of 1 customers found this reveiw helpful
Read one PD James novel and you will see right away what separates the truly gifted writer from the merely entertaining. For me, mysteries are a good diversion from the cares of the day, so I tend to read a lot of them. Most are entertaining and written in workman-like prose. Some even have above-average plots that stick with me for a bit longer than it takes to read the book itself.
PD James, on the other hand, manages to entertain while also offering readers attention-getting prose that makes one really think about how the characters feel and how events in the plot might actually affect the lives of real people, with pasts and futures, families and friends, fears and longings. Take this passage, for example:
"I no longer believed in God...I just woke up one morning to the
same grief, the same dull, daily tasks, and knew with certainty
that God was dead. It was as if all my life I had been hearing
the beating of an unseen heart, which was now forever stilled."
You just don't get writing like that from the usual paperback thriller. And James also delivers on the plotting details and elements of time and place that mystery lovers expect from a good page-turner. Overall, this is an exceptional mystery, with James' signature detective, Adam Dalgliesh, in true and rare form. I highly recommend it.
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by Charles Dickens
ISBN: 0866119256
Binding/Media: Hardcover - 239 pages
Condition: Used: Like New
Comments: Sold with pride. No publisher marks. Light shelf wear.
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Customer Reviews
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Great Book
Rating (5)
Date: 2010-07-06
We had tons of fun reading this together at Christmas. It is short enough for even my 4 year old to sit through. But still gets the meaning through.
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by Sebastian Junger
ISBN: 0393059804
Binding/Media: Hardcover - 320 pages
Condition: Used: Like New
Comments: Sold with pride. Gently read copy in like new condition.
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Customer Reviews
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Personal book, but flawed research
Rating (3)
Date: 2010-05-04
1 out of 1 customers found this reveiw helpful
I find the book interesting, but frustrating.
Junger questions about whether it is possible that DeSalvo falsely confessed to being the Boston Strangler, yet never once refers in the text or in his short afterword, to any of the body of reseach on false confessions.
He tries to analyze Roy Smith's statement to police, referring to Inbau and Reid's Criminal Interrogation and Confessions as "a classic law enforcement manual" (which it is), but again without apparently reading any of the numerous critiques of the method's assumptions and conclusions. Indeed, Junger refers without attribution to "controlled studies" claiming that police can tell liars from truth-tellers with 72 to 86% accuracy. (p. 239) Other studies, such as those by Kassin show that trained investigators are largely inaccurate. See Kassin, On the psychology of confession: Does innocence put innocents at risk?, 60 AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGIST 215 (2005); Kassin & Fong, "I'm Innocent!: Effects of training on judgments of truth and deception in the interrogation room, 23 LAW & HUMAN BEHAVIOR 499 (1999); Kassin, Goldstein, & Savitsky, Behavioral confirmation in the interrogation room: On
the dangers of presuming guilt, 27 LAW & HUMAN BEHAVIOR 187 (2003).
At another point, Junger questions whether Bottomly intentionally or inadvertently cued DeSalvo in adminstering a photographic lineup of victims. (p. 227) Junger seems to dismiss this theory out of hand, again, without any reference to research into non-blind identifications and concerns raised about inadvertent cues given to witnesses acting in good-faith by investigators who know which images are distractions and which are suspects (or in this case victims).
These issues, unfortuantely, raise questions about Junger's research and conclusions in other areas. His connection to the case, and his belief in Smith's innocence and DeSalvo's guilt, is interesting, but not as strong as it might have been with better research.
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one of the best
Rating (5)
Date: 2010-04-26
Unbelievable
Boston Strangler
Work programs for poor people
Southern guy in the North
Convicted on Nov. 22, 1963 in Boston of murder
Dukakis 's work release program and the convict
Work done on author's house
Picture at your own house of the Boston Strangler
And they are all casually mixed in this brew
Stephen King could not make this up.
I listened to the audio tape
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Ultimately failing to accomplish much of anything
Rating (2)
Date: 2010-04-03
2 out of 2 customers found this reveiw helpful
According to this book, Sebastian Junger's mother was a very fortunate woman. Left alone with Albert Desalvo, a handy man doing some work at her house, she walked away unscathed. Not everyone left alone with the alleged Boston Strangler was thought to be so lucky. Junger uses this episode and some slim conjecture to create this oddly constructed book. Using such disparate odds and ends as the trial of a man named Roy Smith who was convicted of a"Boston Strangler" style crime to what ends up being a book trying to be a commentary on law enforcement, the justice sytstem the media, and race relations in the 1960's. Smith's trial has evidence that moves from airtight to what Junger perceives is a less than convincing circumstances and Junger uses this to relate the Smith's trial and conviction, without enough evidence to support his position, to Albert Desalvo's. It is a meandering sort of book, bouncing between Smith's trial and life story to a look at the various murders attributed to Desalvo. An examination of Desalvo's life; while also investigating the nature of serial killers and the aftermath of Desalvo's arrest and Smith's conviction are also all part of the mix. With this lack of focus, the book has an undefined feel; as if Junger just decided to write about what intrigued him at that time and then attempted to tie it all together by the end. An effort I found he was unsuccessful at. The book has its compelling sections, but as a whole it is a failed effort.
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A fascinating, in-depth look at the Boston Strangler murders
Rating (4)
Date: 2010-03-15
1 out of 2 customers found this reveiw helpful
On March 11, 1963, a woman by the name of Bessie Goldberg was murdered in the surburban town of Belmont, outside Boston, Mass. "A Death in Belmont" examines her death, along with flashbacks and asides about the U.S. justice system, U.S. law, and related crimes. Sebastian Junger, the author, has a personal interest in the subject matter of this non-fiction book. He lived in the same neighborhood of Belmont as Bessie Goldberg when she was murdered and possibly even met the real Boston Strangler in his own house.
Junger not only gives the reader an account of the Boston Strangler's grisly murders from police and newspaper reports, but he also draws from his personal life and times, having grown up during that time and area. He then mixes in U.S. and world history events such as the assassinations of President Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Vietnam War, giving us a sense of the pulse of the nation while the murders were occuring. He uses all of this information to weave together a story of sorts that jumps around piecing together "the big picture" for the reader.
I enjoyed that the book wasn't just all about the Boston Strangler murders. Junger used the cases of the Boston Strangler as an outline, but then gave us a history of the city of Boston (and Belmont), included an education about legal terms and trial proceedings to help us understand what was going on with the investigations and trials, and let us peek into his childhood memories.
Before reading "A Death in Belmont," I had heard of the Boston Strangler, but didn't really have much knowledge of the crimes and resulting trials because all of the murders occurred before I was born. Junger's book was an eye-opener, and the ongoing mystery of the crimes parallels those of Jack the Ripper.
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Falls short of high standards
Rating (3)
Date: 2010-02-14
1 out of 1 customers found this reveiw helpful
A good procedural is something of a guilty pleasure for me, and it always adds something when the author has a personal interest (see Robert Drewe's The Shark Net for example). And Junger does set the scene well - he describes the fear generated in Boston by the Strangler in the early 60s very well. He describes the arrest and trial of Roy Smith in relation to the Belmont murder well, and tries to be as neutral as possible given the evidence rules in place at the time and the fact that most of the protagonists are now dead.
But then - it sort of peters out. The fact is, noone is really sure what happened that day in Belmont. Junger doesn't really add any new evidence. What indeed can he add? He has his opinion as to what happened, and its one that I probably share, but really its just his opinion. I was left somewhat frustrated by the lack of anything significantly new being added to the evidence and even more frustrated by the pop psychologist attempt to "explain" the motivations and psyche of the putative Boston Strangler, De Salvo. A character has complex of De Salvo needs a more serous treatment of his warped motivations than this.
In short, a book that falls short of the admittedly high standards it aspires to
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by Sebastian Junger
ISBN: 0393059804
Binding/Media: Hardcover - 320 pages
Condition: Used: Like New
Comments: Sold with pride. Gently read copy in like new condition.
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Customer Reviews
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Personal book, but flawed research
Rating (3)
Date: 2010-05-04
1 out of 1 customers found this reveiw helpful
I find the book interesting, but frustrating.
Junger questions about whether it is possible that DeSalvo falsely confessed to being the Boston Strangler, yet never once refers in the text or in his short afterword, to any of the body of reseach on false confessions.
He tries to analyze Roy Smith's statement to police, referring to Inbau and Reid's Criminal Interrogation and Confessions as "a classic law enforcement manual" (which it is), but again without apparently reading any of the numerous critiques of the method's assumptions and conclusions. Indeed, Junger refers without attribution to "controlled studies" claiming that police can tell liars from truth-tellers with 72 to 86% accuracy. (p. 239) Other studies, such as those by Kassin show that trained investigators are largely inaccurate. See Kassin, On the psychology of confession: Does innocence put innocents at risk?, 60 AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGIST 215 (2005); Kassin & Fong, "I'm Innocent!: Effects of training on judgments of truth and deception in the interrogation room, 23 LAW & HUMAN BEHAVIOR 499 (1999); Kassin, Goldstein, & Savitsky, Behavioral confirmation in the interrogation room: On
the dangers of presuming guilt, 27 LAW & HUMAN BEHAVIOR 187 (2003).
At another point, Junger questions whether Bottomly intentionally or inadvertently cued DeSalvo in adminstering a photographic lineup of victims. (p. 227) Junger seems to dismiss this theory out of hand, again, without any reference to research into non-blind identifications and concerns raised about inadvertent cues given to witnesses acting in good-faith by investigators who know which images are distractions and which are suspects (or in this case victims).
These issues, unfortuantely, raise questions about Junger's research and conclusions in other areas. His connection to the case, and his belief in Smith's innocence and DeSalvo's guilt, is interesting, but not as strong as it might have been with better research.
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one of the best
Rating (5)
Date: 2010-04-26
Unbelievable
Boston Strangler
Work programs for poor people
Southern guy in the North
Convicted on Nov. 22, 1963 in Boston of murder
Dukakis 's work release program and the convict
Work done on author's house
Picture at your own house of the Boston Strangler
And they are all casually mixed in this brew
Stephen King could not make this up.
I listened to the audio tape
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Ultimately failing to accomplish much of anything
Rating (2)
Date: 2010-04-03
2 out of 2 customers found this reveiw helpful
According to this book, Sebastian Junger's mother was a very fortunate woman. Left alone with Albert Desalvo, a handy man doing some work at her house, she walked away unscathed. Not everyone left alone with the alleged Boston Strangler was thought to be so lucky. Junger uses this episode and some slim conjecture to create this oddly constructed book. Using such disparate odds and ends as the trial of a man named Roy Smith who was convicted of a"Boston Strangler" style crime to what ends up being a book trying to be a commentary on law enforcement, the justice sytstem the media, and race relations in the 1960's. Smith's trial has evidence that moves from airtight to what Junger perceives is a less than convincing circumstances and Junger uses this to relate the Smith's trial and conviction, without enough evidence to support his position, to Albert Desalvo's. It is a meandering sort of book, bouncing between Smith's trial and life story to a look at the various murders attributed to Desalvo. An examination of Desalvo's life; while also investigating the nature of serial killers and the aftermath of Desalvo's arrest and Smith's conviction are also all part of the mix. With this lack of focus, the book has an undefined feel; as if Junger just decided to write about what intrigued him at that time and then attempted to tie it all together by the end. An effort I found he was unsuccessful at. The book has its compelling sections, but as a whole it is a failed effort.
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A fascinating, in-depth look at the Boston Strangler murders
Rating (4)
Date: 2010-03-15
1 out of 2 customers found this reveiw helpful
On March 11, 1963, a woman by the name of Bessie Goldberg was murdered in the surburban town of Belmont, outside Boston, Mass. "A Death in Belmont" examines her death, along with flashbacks and asides about the U.S. justice system, U.S. law, and related crimes. Sebastian Junger, the author, has a personal interest in the subject matter of this non-fiction book. He lived in the same neighborhood of Belmont as Bessie Goldberg when she was murdered and possibly even met the real Boston Strangler in his own house.
Junger not only gives the reader an account of the Boston Strangler's grisly murders from police and newspaper reports, but he also draws from his personal life and times, having grown up during that time and area. He then mixes in U.S. and world history events such as the assassinations of President Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Vietnam War, giving us a sense of the pulse of the nation while the murders were occuring. He uses all of this information to weave together a story of sorts that jumps around piecing together "the big picture" for the reader.
I enjoyed that the book wasn't just all about the Boston Strangler murders. Junger used the cases of the Boston Strangler as an outline, but then gave us a history of the city of Boston (and Belmont), included an education about legal terms and trial proceedings to help us understand what was going on with the investigations and trials, and let us peek into his childhood memories.
Before reading "A Death in Belmont," I had heard of the Boston Strangler, but didn't really have much knowledge of the crimes and resulting trials because all of the murders occurred before I was born. Junger's book was an eye-opener, and the ongoing mystery of the crimes parallels those of Jack the Ripper.
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Falls short of high standards
Rating (3)
Date: 2010-02-14
1 out of 1 customers found this reveiw helpful
A good procedural is something of a guilty pleasure for me, and it always adds something when the author has a personal interest (see Robert Drewe's The Shark Net for example). And Junger does set the scene well - he describes the fear generated in Boston by the Strangler in the early 60s very well. He describes the arrest and trial of Roy Smith in relation to the Belmont murder well, and tries to be as neutral as possible given the evidence rules in place at the time and the fact that most of the protagonists are now dead.
But then - it sort of peters out. The fact is, noone is really sure what happened that day in Belmont. Junger doesn't really add any new evidence. What indeed can he add? He has his opinion as to what happened, and its one that I probably share, but really its just his opinion. I was left somewhat frustrated by the lack of anything significantly new being added to the evidence and even more frustrated by the pop psychologist attempt to "explain" the motivations and psyche of the putative Boston Strangler, De Salvo. A character has complex of De Salvo needs a more serous treatment of his warped motivations than this.
In short, a book that falls short of the admittedly high standards it aspires to
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by Anita Brookner
ISBN: 0006545246
Binding/Media: Paperback - 176 pages
Condition: Used: Very Good
Comments: Sold with pride and shipped with confirmation for US addresses. No writing, no highlighting. This is a used copy in a very good condition with moderate reading wear.
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Customer Reviews
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Mostly pleased with the item
Rating (5)
Date: 2009-04-27
0 out of 1 customers found this reveiw helpful
I received the book a couple of days ago, which was within the amount of time the company promised. The product is in pristine condition. I have no complaint, except that I wish that I could have received it earlier than I did.
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The subtle perception of feelings and relationships
Rating (4)
Date: 2008-06-08
2 out of 3 customers found this reveiw helpful
Anita Brookner is a master in detailing the perception of feelings and material realities, and above all on the intricate subtleties of human relationships. Usually the drama in her work relates to one or two close relationships .Here the narrator of the story thirty- two year old Rachel is closely connected with the Livingstone family, the loving couple at its heart and their single twenty- seven year old daughter, Heather. The story unfolds as Heather first marries unsuccessfully and then dramatically makes a second alliance which moves her far from her parents. The cloistered and controlled life of Rachel is contrasted with the liberating action of Heather.
As with so many of Brookner's works one feels a great intelligence, delicacy and skill operating on a smallness of souls.
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A novel full of melancholy
Rating (4)
Date: 2007-07-02
6 out of 7 customers found this reveiw helpful
Rachel Kennedy is a solitary and self-sufficient woman who likes to lead a well-ordered life free of commitments and emotional turmoil. She owns a small bookshop in London and one day befriends Heather Livingstone and her parents Oscar and Dorrie - a mutual fondness which is a puzzle given Rachel's character. It soon becomes clear to Heather that Oscar and Dorrie think her a suitable companion for Heather, a kind of elder sister or guardian angel. Their good daughter, who comes home to them every weekend and telephones every day, is the world to them and they wish her still theirs and somebody else's as well, somebody whose supervision could replace their own. To them, Rachel could be Heather's passport to the world. So Oscar and Dorrie regard Rachel as a chaperone for Heather. And to Rachel her odd relationship with the Livingstones is of great value too. For her they are fixed points of reference in a slipping universe, abiding by rules which everybody else has broken.
It is when Heather decides to become engaged to Michael Sandberg, an awkward and untrustworthy man, that Rachel realises that her power over her friend is limited. The fate of this ill-assorted couple is bound to be doomed...
Well drawn characters, plausible situations and sound psychological motives are the strengths of "A Friend From England". A quiet, atmospheric novel as only Mrs Brookner can write them.
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by John Treadwell Nichols
ISBN: 039330471X
Binding/Media: Paperback - 1 pages
Condition: Used: Good
Comments: Sold with pride and shipped with confirmation for US addresses. No creases in spine, no shelf wear, no publisher marks, no writing, no highlighting. This book is in a like new condition and has never been read but has a small tear in the top back cover which was caused when the book fell out of my hand while shelving.
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Customer Reviews
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It's finally available!!
Rating (5)
Date: 2000-12-09
5 out of 6 customers found this reveiw helpful
I found this book 20 years ago in the Kemmerer, Wyoming Public Library. I loved it. It's about a movie stuntman, written through the voice of his son. What a great character! This book led me to read many of Nichols' books. Highly recommended as a quick, fun read.
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by John Grisham
ISBN: 044023722X
Binding/Media: Mass Market Paperback - 480 pages
Condition: Used: Like New
Comments: Sold with pride. Gently read copy in like new condition.
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Customer Reviews
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A Painted House
Rating (4)
Date: 2010-07-21
This book has been reviewed and summarized so many times that it's pointless for me to try and add anything in that regard. So I'll just throw in my 2-cents and say that I applaud Mr. Grisham for having the courage to step away from his signature genre and write a story that clearly came from his heart. I enjoyed "A Painted House" very much and hope he writes another in this fashion.
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Rare Miss for Grisham
Rating (3)
Date: 2010-06-16
1 out of 1 customers found this reveiw helpful
Ok, I can appreciate that Grisham was trying to go a different way from his other books with this one, and I'm not the biggest Grisham fan out there. I liked Bleachers and have enjoyed all of the movie adaptations of his other books, but this book... just falls flat. I think it would've been a great short story. There seem to be about 10 pages of really great background and plot here, yet Grisham decided to stretch that into a full novel.
I'm the kind of reader that can usually tell within about 50 pages whether a book is going to be a winner, and this book had me baffled. Grisham has an excellent writing style, and his ability to build suspense is superb. I kept turning the page waiting for that next big twist... and it never happened. This book does one thing really well: build suspense. The problem is that there is no grand moment that the suspense takes you to!
In the end, I finished the book feeling let down. There was no grand conclusion, no thought-provoking finale. The book simply ended right where it started. So to sum up, the characters were great, the setting was great, and the writing was excellent. The plot, however, was non-existent. If this is Grisham's idea of the next great American novel, please go back to writing courtroom thrillers!
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A Painted House
Rating (5)
Date: 2010-04-04
Not your typical John Grisham book, but I enjoyed reading it very much.
Seven year old Luke narrates this story. He tells about rural life and growing up on a cotton farm, life values, wants and needs, cotton pickers, telling the truth and witnessing a murder, and gives an understanding about the meaning of a painted house.
The characters are colorful and the story involving. I loved the way the story is written from the boys perspective - a nice twist. It takes you right into the heart of things, makes you smile, worry, and wonder about the characters.
Life on a cotton farm is simple and the work is hard. Things are right or wrong, not very many gray areas-or are there.
It is all about treating people well, respect, truth, making the right decisions, and the value of friendship and family.
Although the story is much slower paced than any of the other John Grisham novels, it held my interest as I learned about life on a cotton farm.
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Excellent read
Rating (4)
Date: 2010-03-28
This is definitely not a typical John Grisham book. There are no court rooms, attorneys, or juries. It's the story of a 6-year old boy living on a cotton farm with his parents and paternal grandparents. Grisham does an excellent job of telling the story through the eyes of the little boy. It's an interesting read. Had me gripped. My only gripe is that it's too short. Leaves you wondering "Well, what else!? I want more!" But I guess that's part of writing a good book, keep the reader interested and wanting to come back for more.
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Not John Grisham Style
Rating (2)
Date: 2010-03-14
1 out of 1 customers found this reveiw helpful
If this is the first John Grisham book you have ever read, please do not judge him off of this. He is brillant in all of his books pertaining to law. This book is written well....don't get me wrong, but the story is just too boring. I couldn't finish it.
I do recommend John's other books.......this one must have been an experiment for him.
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(Larger Image)
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by John Grisham
ISBN: 044023722X
Binding/Media: Mass Market Paperback - 480 pages
Condition: Used: Very Good
Comments: Sold with pride. No writing, no highlighting. Copy in very good condition with minimal reading wear.
More Product Infomation
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Customer Reviews
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A Painted House
Rating (4)
Date: 2010-07-21
This book has been reviewed and summarized so many times that it's pointless for me to try and add anything in that regard. So I'll just throw in my 2-cents and say that I applaud Mr. Grisham for having the courage to step away from his signature genre and write a story that clearly came from his heart. I enjoyed "A Painted House" very much and hope he writes another in this fashion.
|
|
Rare Miss for Grisham
Rating (3)
Date: 2010-06-16
1 out of 1 customers found this reveiw helpful
Ok, I can appreciate that Grisham was trying to go a different way from his other books with this one, and I'm not the biggest Grisham fan out there. I liked Bleachers and have enjoyed all of the movie adaptations of his other books, but this book... just falls flat. I think it would've been a great short story. There seem to be about 10 pages of really great background and plot here, yet Grisham decided to stretch that into a full novel.
I'm the kind of reader that can usually tell within about 50 pages whether a book is going to be a winner, and this book had me baffled. Grisham has an excellent writing style, and his ability to build suspense is superb. I kept turning the page waiting for that next big twist... and it never happened. This book does one thing really well: build suspense. The problem is that there is no grand moment that the suspense takes you to!
In the end, I finished the book feeling let down. There was no grand conclusion, no thought-provoking finale. The book simply ended right where it started. So to sum up, the characters were great, the setting was great, and the writing was excellent. The plot, however, was non-existent. If this is Grisham's idea of the next great American novel, please go back to writing courtroom thrillers!
|
|
A Painted House
Rating (5)
Date: 2010-04-04
Not your typical John Grisham book, but I enjoyed reading it very much.
Seven year old Luke narrates this story. He tells about rural life and growing up on a cotton farm, life values, wants and needs, cotton pickers, telling the truth and witnessing a murder, and gives an understanding about the meaning of a painted house.
The characters are colorful and the story involving. I loved the way the story is written from the boys perspective - a nice twist. It takes you right into the heart of things, makes you smile, worry, and wonder about the characters.
Life on a cotton farm is simple and the work is hard. Things are right or wrong, not very many gray areas-or are there.
It is all about treating people well, respect, truth, making the right decisions, and the value of friendship and family.
Although the story is much slower paced than any of the other John Grisham novels, it held my interest as I learned about life on a cotton farm.
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Excellent read
Rating (4)
Date: 2010-03-28
This is definitely not a typical John Grisham book. There are no court rooms, attorneys, or juries. It's the story of a 6-year old boy living on a cotton farm with his parents and paternal grandparents. Grisham does an excellent job of telling the story through the eyes of the little boy. It's an interesting read. Had me gripped. My only gripe is that it's too short. Leaves you wondering "Well, what else!? I want more!" But I guess that's part of writing a good book, keep the reader interested and wanting to come back for more.
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Not John Grisham Style
Rating (2)
Date: 2010-03-14
1 out of 1 customers found this reveiw helpful
If this is the first John Grisham book you have ever read, please do not judge him off of this. He is brillant in all of his books pertaining to law. This book is written well....don't get me wrong, but the story is just too boring. I couldn't finish it.
I do recommend John's other books.......this one must have been an experiment for him.
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