It took me about 100 pages to get into this book - and that would have been greatly helped by having a Yiddish dictionary at hand. (I understand that a selected Yiddish dictionary is included in the soft cover version.) I am glad I kept going. By page 110 it was hard to put down.
Michael Chabon is a wonderful storyteller, with a great sense of place. Who else could describe the "disappointed gray of a November afternoon" leaking into a room this way: "It's not light oozing through so much as a residue of light, a day haunted by the memory of the sun." Clearly the man has spent some time in Sitka (in spite of the dream of packing that many people into such a tiny spot- even with filling in the bay).
I find it very strange that the element of U.S. politicians who aim to help "The Rapture" along, is seldom discussed in reviews. It is integral to the book, and an element of current political lore.
In short, I ended up really liking this book, and am looking forward to exploring more of Chabon's work.
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(1 of 1 readers found this comment helpful)
Raw and haunting, Craig Lesley's "Burning Fence" is painfully personal. His descriptions of the sprawling , brawling dysfunctional Lesley family are touched with love, curiosity, anger and pain. The story opens with a funeral in the midst of a forest fire that 'nobody could handle' - just as no one could handle his father. The fire burned the places his father had loved, the fences he had built both in on the range and in life, and perhaps burned away some of the anger that had fueled Craig's life for far too long. The book is fully colored by Western American life, had times and hope.
I really enjoyed this book. I laughed out loud during 'eat,' I understood some aspects of yoga and meditation that had been elusive in 'pray'. And 'love? Well, there were times it seemed a little over the top and she seemed a little gullible, but I still very much enjoyed it. Her writing reminds me of Anne Lamott in its intimacy, humor and seriousness about the serendipity of life.
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(10 of 18 readers found this comment helpful)
Fans of Janet Evanovich will love this book! Aptly named, it is not a general writing 'how to' book, but a book in which Evanovich answers readers' questions about her writing process. Want to know who inspired the character Grandma Mazur? Why Stephanie always blows up a car in every book and ends up in Big Blue the indestructible Buick? What a Bad-boy Hero is? How and why Evanovich transititioned from Romance to Mystery? Then this is the book for you. It also has writing tips throughout and lists of writing resources in the back of the book.
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(4 of 7 readers found this comment helpful)
Fans of Janet Evanovich will love this book! Aptly named, it is not a general writing 'how to' book, but a book in which Evanovich answers readers' questions about her writing process. Want to know who inspired the character Grandma Mazur? Why Stephanie always blows up a car in every book and ends up in Big Blue the indestructible Buick? What a Bad-boy Hero is? How and why Evanovich transititioned from Romance to Mystery? This is the book for you. It also has writing tips and lists of resources in the back of the book.
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(4 of 7 readers found this comment helpful)
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salliforth has commented on (9) products.
The Yiddish Policemen's Union: A Novel by Michael Chabon
salliforth, July 1, 2008
It took me about 100 pages to get into this book - and that would have been greatly helped by having a Yiddish dictionary at hand. (I understand that a selected Yiddish dictionary is included in the soft cover version.) I am glad I kept going. By page 110 it was hard to put down.Michael Chabon is a wonderful storyteller, with a great sense of place. Who else could describe the "disappointed gray of a November afternoon" leaking into a room this way: "It's not light oozing through so much as a residue of light, a day haunted by the memory of the sun." Clearly the man has spent some time in Sitka (in spite of the dream of packing that many people into such a tiny spot- even with filling in the bay).
I find it very strange that the element of U.S. politicians who aim to help "The Rapture" along, is seldom discussed in reviews. It is integral to the book, and an element of current political lore.
In short, I ended up really liking this book, and am looking forward to exploring more of Chabon's work.
(1 of 1 readers found this comment helpful)
Burning Fence: A Western Memoir of Fatherhood by Craig Lesley
salliforth, March 11, 2008
Raw and haunting, Craig Lesley's "Burning Fence" is painfully personal. His descriptions of the sprawling , brawling dysfunctional Lesley family are touched with love, curiosity, anger and pain. The story opens with a funeral in the midst of a forest fire that 'nobody could handle' - just as no one could handle his father. The fire burned the places his father had loved, the fences he had built both in on the range and in life, and perhaps burned away some of the anger that had fueled Craig's life for far too long. The book is fully colored by Western American life, had times and hope.Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything across Italy, India and Indonesia by Elizabeth Gilbert
salliforth, September 15, 2007
I really enjoyed this book. I laughed out loud during 'eat,' I understood some aspects of yoga and meditation that had been elusive in 'pray'. And 'love? Well, there were times it seemed a little over the top and she seemed a little gullible, but I still very much enjoyed it. Her writing reminds me of Anne Lamott in its intimacy, humor and seriousness about the serendipity of life.(10 of 18 readers found this comment helpful)
How I Write: Secrets of a Bestselling Author by Janet Evanovich
salliforth, September 15, 2007
Fans of Janet Evanovich will love this book! Aptly named, it is not a general writing 'how to' book, but a book in which Evanovich answers readers' questions about her writing process. Want to know who inspired the character Grandma Mazur? Why Stephanie always blows up a car in every book and ends up in Big Blue the indestructible Buick? What a Bad-boy Hero is? How and why Evanovich transititioned from Romance to Mystery? Then this is the book for you. It also has writing tips throughout and lists of writing resources in the back of the book.(4 of 7 readers found this comment helpful)
How I Write: Secrets of a Bestselling Author by Janet Evanovich
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1-5 of 9 nextsalliforth, September 15, 2007
Fans of Janet Evanovich will love this book! Aptly named, it is not a general writing 'how to' book, but a book in which Evanovich answers readers' questions about her writing process. Want to know who inspired the character Grandma Mazur? Why Stephanie always blows up a car in every book and ends up in Big Blue the indestructible Buick? What a Bad-boy Hero is? How and why Evanovich transititioned from Romance to Mystery? This is the book for you. It also has writing tips and lists of resources in the back of the book.(4 of 7 readers found this comment helpful)