Black Rose: In the Garden Trilogy (In the Garden)

Book Description

Roz is a woman of independent means who thinks love is all in the past-but she's about to be taken by surprise.

Number-one bestselling author Nora Roberts presents the second novel of her In the Garden trilogy, as three women discover the secrets from the past contained within their historic home.

Customer Reviews:

Very Good.......2007-08-06

Another of Nora's books that grabs you within the first 10 pages, but this book is a little slower than the Blue Dahlia.

Trilogy.......2007-07-19

This was a very good trilogy. It will keep you interested to the last page!

fantastic.......2007-04-12

All three books in the trilogy will go on my keeper shelf forever. I love books that are connected through women who become close friends.

Saving Graces is another favorite of mine, although there all three heroines get their stories within one book.The Saving Graces: A Novel

And I just started a new 4 book mini series that feature 4 women who are thrown together in adversity and end up friends as they fight for their lives. Secret Contract (Harlequin Intrigue Series)

The best of Nora Roberts.......2007-02-15

This is my favorite Nora Roberts book. I am an avid gardener, so the setting of the garden center, and details of the business was an added bonus. The characters in all her books seem real, but never more than in the In The Garden series. I love the balance of personalities, and their wonderful interaction. I felt as if I knew these people! When I started reading Black Rose it was like visiting old friends. Black Rose is my favorite, I think, because it is centered on Roz. She is such a strong woman, but does not let her strength take away from her warmth and femininity. I usually pass on my paperbacks to the library, but will not give away the In The Garden series. I have read them several times and enjoyed them each time!

Great read.......2007-02-09

Nora Roberts has done it again. The way she brings characters to life is enchanting. I loved reading this part of the trilogy and following the lives of the women involved. I especially loved the plot line of the Harper Bride. Needless to say, the gardens were an intricate part of this book and their descriptions were just lovely.

Average customer rating:

A beautifully crafted novel
A sedate samurai
Beautiful
Read this book when feeling calm
Gorgeous Prose

The Samurai's Garden: A Novel
Gail Tsukiyama
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Griffin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0312144075

Book Description

The daughter of a Chinese mother and a Japanese father, Tsukiyama uses the Japanese invasion of China during the late 1930s as a somber backdrop for her unusual story about a 20-year-old Chinese painter named Stephen who is sent to his family's summer home in a Japanese coastal village to recover from a bout with tuberculosis. Here he is cared for by Matsu, a reticent housekeeper and a master gardener. Over the course of a remarkable year, Stephen learns Matsu's secret and gains not only physical strength, but also profound spiritual insight. Matsu is a samurai of the soul, a man devoted to doing good and finding beauty in a cruel and arbitrary world, and Stephen is a noble student, learning to appreciate Matsu's generous and nurturing way of life and to love Matsu's soulmate, gentle Sachi, a woman afflicted with leprosy.

Customer Reviews:

A beautifully crafted novel.......2007-08-26

This story was simplistic and wonderful. I read it in two days and was mesmerized by the rich culture. The best book I've read in a long time

A sedate samurai.......2007-08-20

The plot of this book makes a terrific outline: A young Chinese man recuperating in Japan from tuberculosis while Japanese troops are slaughtering his Chinese contemporaries in the pre-World War Two invasion; a quiet but strong and wise caretaker who lives to rescue victims of leprosy, including a woman spurned by his best friend; a marriage crisis for the Chinese man's parents; a Romeo/Juliet type love story between the Chinese man and a young Japanese woman. Should be socko.

Instead, it's sedating. Whether it's the passive nature of Stephen, the young Chinese man, or the very pedestrian writing style of the author, I found this book consistently tepid. She shows off her new knowledge about Japanese culture, giving detailed descriptions of every meal and every kimono.

She tells the story through Stephen when the caretaker, Matsu, is the central character. Because Matsu is strong and silent, we don't get inside his character development.

Nevertheless, it's an interesting look at Japan before WWII: religion, relationship and customs.

Beautiful.......2007-08-15

A delightful story of a chinese teen, sent to japan on the eve of WW2 to recuperate after getting tuberculosis. He meets his father's servant who he gets to know and the locals, finding them friendly and welcoming even with the war. He finds the simple way of life, instead of being boring, fills his days and he is bereft when the war forces him to leave.

A wonderful piece of prose, this haunting story of the simple people and their tragic lives is a page turner.

Read this book when feeling calm.......2007-05-21

Reviews of the Samurai's Garden seem to fall into two camps. The "Oh my God, I loved it-best book evers" and the "Are you kidding me? This book stunk category!"

My problem with those in the latter category is that (with a few exceptions) readers who did not like this book tend to mount some moral literary high horse. They relish insulting other reviewers, as in "Anyone with any discerning taste and one scintilla of brain cells would NEVER like this book, ergo if you do you, I hate to break this to you, but you are a stupid, simple, idiot." Listen to yourselves! I wonder what it must feel like to these people to know everything?

Anyway. I did not particularly love this book, but I really can see how many did. The case can definitely be made that there were many layers of beautiful, intertwining lessons in this seemingly simple, yet really more-complex-than-it-looks book. In that sense, it kind of reminds me of the polarizing effect of the Ladies' Detective Agency series by Alexander McCall Smith.

My biggest problem with this book was that I don't think I was in the mood for it. I read it at a time when I had a lot going on, and couldn't sufficiently savor it. This is a book to be savored in peace. For most of my read of it, I wasn't in a peaceful frame of mind as a reader. My personal restlessness wanted more action, less bean cake eating. A few times, however, despite myself, I was caught flat-footed with awe by something in the story. The one thing I took away was to never forget that everyone has a story that helps define them. You just have to be still and listen.

Gorgeous Prose.......2007-02-12

Languish for a while in the Tsukiyama's Japanese garden and you may never want to leave. The serenity created in Matsu's little haven is contradicted by the military domination of the Japanese over the Chinese and the reclusive leper colony struggling for a peaceful existence in a realm beyond that of war. It is to this environment that a young Chinese boy enters into in search of healthier air and soothing salt of the sea . As his body begins healing, his emotions are delicately fractured by all that he learns of war, leprosy, first love, his family secrets, and the servant Matsu - who is truly a master of wisdom, honor, and faith. I wanted to walk through this garden again and again.

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (Modern Library)

Average customer rating:

oustanding read
Hello Savannah!
Nothing special
Non Fiction
Plenty of Evil, but "Good?"

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (Modern Library)
John Berendt
Manufacturer: Modern Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0679643419
Release Date: 2005-09-27

Amazon.com

Voodoo. Decadent socialites packing Lugars. Cotillions. With towns like Savannah, Georgia, who needs Fellini? Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil takes two narrative strands--each worthy of its own book--and weaves them together to make a single fascinating tale. The first is author John Berendt's loving depiction of the characters and rascals that prowled Savannah in the eight years it was his home-away-from-home. "Eccentrics thrive in Savannah," he writes, and proves the point by introducing Luther Diggers, a thwarted inventor who just might be plotting to poison the town's water supply; Joe Odom, a jovial jackleg lawyer and squatter nonpareil; and, most memorably, the Lady Chablis, whom you really should meet for yourself. Then, on May 2, 1981, the book's second story line commences, when Jim Williams, a wealthy antique dealer and Savannah's host with the most, kills his "friend" Danny Hansford. (If those quotes make you suspect something, you should.) Was it self-defense, as Williams claimed--or murder? The book sketches four separate trials, during which the dark side of this genteel party town is well and truly plumbed.

Book Description

Read John Berendt's Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil in Large Print.

* All Random House Large Print editions are published in a 16-point typeface

Shots rang out in Savannah's grandest mansion in the misty,early morning hours of May 2, 1981.  Was it murder or self-defense?  For nearly a decade, the shooting and its aftermath reverberated throughout this hauntingly beautiful city of moss-hung oaks and shaded squares.  John Berendt's sharply observed, suspenseful, and witty narrative reads like a thoroughly engrossing novel, and yet it is a work of nonfiction.  Berendt skillfully interweaves a hugely entertaining first-person account of life in this isolated remnant of the Old South with the unpredictable twists and turns of a landmark murder case.

It is a spellbinding story peopled by a gallery of remarkable characters: the well-bred society ladies of the Married Woman's Card Club; the turbulent young redneck gigolo; the hapless recluse who owns a bottle of poison so powerful it could kill every man, woman, and child in Savannah; the aging and profane Southern belle who is the "soul of pampered self-absorption"; the uproariously funny black drag queen; the acerbic and arrogant antiques dealer; the sweet-talking, piano-playing con artist; young blacks dancing the minuet at the black debutante ball; and Minerva, the voodoo priestess who works her magic in the graveyard at midnight.  These and other Savannahians act as a Greek chorus, with Berendt revealing the alliances, hostilities, and intrigues that thrive in a town where everyone knows everyone else.

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil: A Savannah Story is a sublime and seductive reading experience.  Brilliantly conceived and masterfully written, this enormously engaging portrait of a most beguiling Southern city is certain to become a modern classic.

From the Trade Paperback edition.

Customer Reviews:

oustanding read.......2007-09-21

This was a very well written and funny historical book. Inspired my recent trip to Savannah Georiga, to actualy visit some of the places described in the book.

Hello Savannah!.......2007-09-18

One of my favorite books. I am one of the few that actually liked the movie as well as the book. The book goes into great detail much more then the movie. The characters are so crazy I actually considered moving to Savannah...seriouly! An excellent read, highly recommended!

Nothing special.......2007-09-03

First, the characters are somewhat interesting in the way that many alcoholic, affluent types are, but the storyline never weaves them together in a way that makes the book itself intersting. Second, the author is trying to strike a balance between 1. historic integrity and theme, 2. his first account experiences, and 3. what might make for an interesting read. I think he relies heavily on his first account experinces at the expense of history and an interesting story. My real motivation for finishing the book was to see if I knew any of the characters - I grew up not far from Savannah.

Non Fiction.......2007-09-03

Truth is stranger than fiction.

The bizarre cast of characters in Savannah, Geporgia, or thereabouts has to be seen to be believed. This is probably why it makes a decent book, as any novelist would have been happy to come up with stuff as whacky as guys walking invisible dogs, and other oddities, as well as having an interesting murder mystery in the middle of it.

Plenty of Evil, but "Good?".......2007-09-03

So, having survived my 10 and 11 year old daughters' recent Girl Scvout trip to Savannah for the pilgrimage to visit the Juliette Low birthplace, the troop leader(one of my best friends)and I decided to revisit the book we read a few years ago for our book group. I didn't really like it much the first time. I enjoy nonfiction, but I've come to since learn this book isn't all "non fiction" anyway. Lots of artistic license taken here!

Savannah is a beautiful old city, very historic and charming. I usually first think of Ellen O'Hara when I think of Savannah, being a big GWTW fan. BUt while on my first trip to Savannah, the Mercer name and Jim Williams' name as well is mentioned over and over on various tours of the city and local cemetaries. You can't help but be reminded of the book, especially if you've read it before your visit. It had been a few years though, so not all the locations/squares of the various famous homes mentioned in the book were very fresh in my mind.

The book itself is a montage of "Life in Savannah." Jim Williams, the "Lady" Chablis, Danny Hansford, Lee Adler, Minerva, Jim Odom and Mandy, Luther Driggers and Serrena Dawes, The Married Ladies' Club and Sonny Seiler are interesting enough characters. My problem with the whole story was really that I didn't like or feel any sympathy with any of these characters. Except maybe Uga. I'm partial to English Bulldogs. But really, there was no plot, except for the killing of Hansford and the subsequent trials of Jim Williams. I found little to laugh at concerning Chablis; in fact I was not a little repulsed by her behavior. I can handle a drag queen, but so ill mannered and ill behaved! I wouldn't want to be aquainted with anyone like that! I didn't really like John Berendt's "character" either. I guess the voyeuristic tone was supposed to be engaging, but I really had a difficult time getting through this book for a second time without falling asleep.

Every city has its characters and intrigues, even small historical ones, like Savannah. If you go, visit Bonaventure Cemetary--it truly is a beautiful and haunting place. Forget about Williams and Hansford and the "Lady" Chablis, though. Don't let their spirits ruin your visit to a lovely historical city. The intrigues that went on in the founding and growth of the city (i.e. the ban on liquor, lawyers and Catholics, the pirates, the Gordon and Low families, literary greats Flannery O'Conner and Conrad Aiken, [who did get cursory mention in the book] the Civil War history as the gift the city became to save itself, etc.) are much more interesting than the Peyton Place soap opera presented in this rather sullying book. Not bad writing, but a little dull, if you ask me. I just wasn't all that interested in these folks and their problems. They seemed to be dedicated to creating them.

A Childs Garden: Enchanting Outdoor Spaces for Children and Parents

Average customer rating:

don't choose norway maple
What a Wonderful and Enchanting book!!
Enchantingly possible!
A wonderful book for parents and gardeners
A delightful way for parents to connect with their children

A Childs Garden: Enchanting Outdoor Spaces for Children and Parents
Molly Dannenmaier
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0684837250

Amazon.com

A Child's Garden is an excellent guide for parents wishing to create natural spaces in the garden where their children can openly play and explore. Stepping beyond the traditional ideas of building a treehouse or planting a vegetable garden, the authors include 60 unique ways to tailor a landscape to nurture a child's sense of enchantment and wonder. For instance, many children like to hide, and the book includes ideas for building natural caves out of woven willow branches, climbing vines, or weeping shrubs. For parents wanting to plant a good tree for climbing, this guide knowledgeably recommends the fast-growing and sturdy Norway maple as one of the best. It's filled with such information throughout its nine sections on water, creatures, refuges, dirt, heights, movement, make-believe, nurturing, and learning. Messages on safety are wisely included, along with an excellent list of resources covering everything from buying butterfly houses to visiting selected children's gardens. Through its many color photographs and warm, wise text, A Child's Garden will draw parents into their children's timeless, carefree world and perhaps back to a time when they themselves explored streams, played in the sand, studied bugs, and roamed without agenda. --Karen Karleski

Customer Reviews:

don't choose norway maple.......2007-01-12

I have not read this book, but was disturbed to read, in the description of the book, the suggestion to plant norway maple as a climbing tree for your child. Norway maple is an invasive species in northern forest zones, and is threatening habitat for sugar maple, an important tree for wildlife, tourism, maple sugaring, history, and the regional economics that accompany those. Norway maple became very popular in urban areas for its pollution tolerance. It should not be planted anywhere near natural habitat for sugar maples. American beech is an excellent choice for a hardwood tree with good climbing branches, and delicious nuts. All hardwoods grow much more slowly than softwoods. There's nothing wrong with climbing a white pine tree. And try swinging on birches.

What a Wonderful and Enchanting book!!.......2001-04-30

Our whole family has enjoyed reading this book to get ideas for our Sunflower/Fairy Garden!! Every section offers wonderful ideas that we would never have thought of to add...What Fun our Magical Garden will be thanks to, A Child's Garden : Enchanting Outdoor Spaces for Children and Parents! One section offers the idea of planting different berries around the yard so the children can snack as they play! I have given this book to our landscaper to see what ideas he has for adding water to the garden...Already he has suggested using a water pump to circulate water in order to make a small trickling brook for our boys to sail their boats on! I also got the idea to make a willow archway that will be child size for the children to cimb through! We are so very excited to spend this summer creating and adding to our Enchanted Fairy Garden!

Enchantingly possible!.......2001-02-27

Every page of this book has full color photos from some of the most incredible gardens for children I have ever seen, from the large elaborate planned spaces of botanical gardens, to small modest spaces that will fit any space or budget. While this is not a heavy-duty "how to" book, it is a book of ideas--and we all know that ideas lead to other ideas! The cover of this book alone is inspiring!

The author asks, "How important are the old childhood pleasures of collecting seed pods, fishing in ditches, making bowers, picking flowers, and climbing trees?...long hours of unstructured outdoor exploration are a fast-vanishing aspect of contemporary childhood." She continues, "...the environment [on her uncle's farm] was so complex--full of smells, varied land forms, and mesmerizing creatures. I remember a scooped out pond surrounded by mud in which pigs, geese and ducks joyously wallowed. The strange pungency of the air, the frighteningly gigantic hogs, the mysterious, billowy grasses...still fill my senses." The author talks at great length about the psychology of nature, and of German educational reforms of the early 20th century (but only the good ones ). Each page has a line fron a Robert Louis Stevenson poem, for "...you may see, if you will look Through the windows of this book, Another child far away, And in another garden play."

The book includes suggestions for water gardens, sensory gardens, vegetable gardens, themed gardens, natural sand boxes, mazes, and attracting wildlife, plus many resources for strange seeds, odd plants, and landscape designers in varied areas of the US and the UK, all geared towards making a child's space a natural one.

BTW, when I bought the book, my kids grabbed it from me immediately. They love to look at the gardens and plan ours. Oh, and there are two black and whilte photos in the book: One is of children during WWI, tending a large city garden; the other is a 1940's style playground, with the steel and concrete structures that many of us recall from childhood. My 4yo playground-lover looked at both, and declared that he'd rather explore the garden.

A wonderful book for parents and gardeners.......1998-12-15

This book is exactly what I was searching for. I love to garden, but I also need to accommodate my two rambunctious children and a variety of pets. This book has page after page of creative ideas, safety considerations, examples, and plenty of photos. The author is clear, interesting, and very informative about both gardening and childhood development.

A delightful way for parents to connect with their children.......1998-09-27

This beautifully illustrated book looks at gardens with the delight of a child from the perspective of a mother who loves her children and her community. Ms. Dannenmaier shows us how to get more out of the natural world, no matter our age or environment. She shows parents how to connect with their children in the garden, particularly urban spaces. This is a great gift book.

Classic Bulbs: Hidden Treasures for the Modern Garden

Average customer rating:

Classic Bulbs: Hidden Treasures for the Modern Garden
Katherine Whiteside
Manufacturer: Villard
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0394587278
Release Date: 1991-12-08

Average customer rating:

I bought two. Can I give 6 stars?
It can change the way you see

The Modern Japanese Garden
Michiko Rico Nose
Manufacturer: Tuttle Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0804834377

Book Description

Japanese garden design, know to the West primarily in its traditional form, has undergone striking developments over the last decade. The Modern Japanese Garden is the first book to survey these contemporary Japanese gardens, presenting the designs in a way that is relevant to readers and their homes, whether it is in the East or West. Most of the locations have never been seen before in the West. In addition to important public gardens (such as that of the Tokyu Hotel Cerulean Tower, Shibuya) there are examples of some of the best modern domestic gardens. Among the more experimental gardens featured are a water garden with glass rocks; a mountain garden with flashing kinetic rods; a house with a vegetable roof garden; a rock plaza that pumps out mist; and a rock garden built inside a large inclined tube.
With chapters exploring such themes as the influence on contemporary design of traditional Japanese cultural ideas, the miniaturization of landscape, sculpture, and texture, and the use by some garden designers of far more planting than was previously found in Japanese garden design, this inspirational book is required reading for all garden enthusiasts, especially those living in urban areas, as well as garden and landscape designers, and architects.

Customer Reviews:

I bought two. Can I give 6 stars?.......2006-07-11

I'm a garden designer and a big fan of exceptionally executed work. It is sometimes surprisingly hard to find good design work in design books, I often see one or two new ideas but almost never a whole book of inspiration like I found here.

This book is both a pleasure to look through and also to read. I find new inspiration every time I open it, it is the most diverse book on Japanese garden design I've seen. Many other books illustrate basic Japanese garden design principles, but their gardens usually look very similar. This book escapes that trap stunningly. Use it for information, inspiration, imagination.

You cannot go wrong here if design well done, exectued, maintained, and photographed is what you're looking for.

It can change the way you see.......2005-06-02

IMHO, this is the best book on home or garden design I've ever seen.

It contains one brilliant idea after another for adapting the ancient principles of the Japanese garden to the contemporary world. One of them I'm adapting for my a tiny space in NYC. My wife, who is a plant fanatic, cannot believe what a beautiful and haunting space can be created without any living plants at all.

The book forces you to see and to think and to move beyond the traditional Japanese garden as cliche and to think about what is timeless about thoughtful design.

Dialectic of Enlightenment (Cultural Memory in the Present)

Average customer rating:

Nothing short of revolutionary
Adorno presents a challenging look at the modern condition
Gather the Fragments...
A masterpiece of critical theory
The Black Book of Western Philosophy

Dialectic of Enlightenment (Cultural Memory in the Present)
Max Horkheimer , and Theodor W. Adorno
Manufacturer: Stanford University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0804736332
Release Date: 2002-03-28

Book Description

Dialectic of Enlightenment is undoubtedly the most influential publication of the Frankfurt School of Critical Theory. Written during the Second World War and circulated privately, it appeared in a printed edition in Amsterdam in 1947. "What we had set out to do," the authors write in the Preface, "was nothing less than to explain why humanity, instead of entering a truly human state, is sinking into a new kind of barbarism."

Yet the work goes far beyond a mere critique of contemporary events. Historically remote developments, indeed, the birth of Western history and of subjectivity itself out of the struggle against natural forces, as represented in myths, are connected in a wide arch to the most threatening experiences of the present.

The book consists in five chapters, at first glance unconnected, together with a number of shorter notes. The various analyses concern such phenomena as the detachment of science from practical life, formalized morality, the manipulative nature of entertainment culture, and a paranoid behavioral structure, expressed in aggressive anti-Semitism, that marks the limits of enlightenment. The authors perceive a common element in these phenomena, the tendency toward self-destruction of the guiding criteria inherent in enlightenment thought from the beginning. Using historical analyses to elucidate the present, they show, against the background of a prehistory of subjectivity, why the National Socialist terror was not an aberration of modern history but was rooted deeply in the fundamental characteristics of Western civilization.

Adorno and Horkheimer see the self-destruction of Western reason as grounded in a historical and fateful dialectic between the domination of external nature and society. They trace enlightenment, which split these spheres apart, back to its mythical roots. Enlightenment and myth, therefore, are not irreconcilable opposites, but dialectically mediated qualities of both real and intellectual life. "Myth is already enlightenment, and enlightenment reverts to mythology." This paradox is the fundamental thesis of the book.

This new translation, based on the text in the complete edition of the works of Max Horkheimer, contains textual variants, commentary upon them, and an editorial discussion of the position of this work in the development of Critical Theory.

Customer Reviews:

Nothing short of revolutionary.......2007-09-03

Marxist politics aside, Adorno and Horkheimer's staggering critique of post-enlightenment thought takes everything we "civilized" people take for granted and burns it---in front of your kids.

The examination of the oft-overlooked philosophy of the Marquis de Sade is especially significant, as it critiques the rogue philosopher while paying him his long-overdue respect as a true man of philosophy.

Adorno presents a challenging look at the modern condition.......2007-05-07

Adorno and Horkheimer are associated with the Frankfurt school of thought in post-WWII Germany. In this book, Dialectic of Enlightenment, the two thinkers disect the post-war condition looking at all aspects of cultural identity as based on ancient enlightenment-esque ideals. This book illuminates the devestating results of progressivist models of history in late capitalism. Probably the most famous essay deals with the culture industry and how, in post-war capitalism, movies, books, television all become tools of subjegation through which a falsified sense of individuality is produced and commodified to the ends of keeping the consumers of this industry distracted enough to ignore the insideousness of that which we allow to control us.
A very dense read, poetic in areas, but challenging throughout. Adorno is often criticized for being a cynic, but I think that under his often scathing view of modern culture is a message that through exacting self-reflection change of the "total system" can occur.
These themes are expanded on in Adorno's other works: Minima Moralia, and Negative Dialectic.

Gather the Fragments..........2006-11-14

"Myth is already enlightenment, and enlightenment reverts back to mythology" (xviii). This statement is likely one of the most explosive philosphical theses penned in the 20th century, for not only did it give expression to much of the suspicion and pessimism that people experienced in the early 20th century, particularly under the Nazi regime, but this statement set into motion much of the later suspicion concerning the Enlightenment project and its relation to not just freedom, but domination under freedom's guise.

Dialectic of Enlightenment: Philosophical Fragments is the most important work ever written by any of the members of the Frankfurt School; it stands as a type of manifesto really for the possibility of Critical Theory as a post-positivistic discipline. It is easy to miss, but this is not just a work of philosophy - it is not a work written by old men with elbow patches on their jackets pondering various ideas in a scientific and socio-historical philosophical vacuum. Quite the opposite: this is a book that drew upon then-current sociology and anthropology (particularly pertaining to religion), in addition to the history of philosophy and philosophical currents such as Marxism (Western Marxism, to be specific). This is a book that draws - obviously - on history; it is a book that has much to say about media and the effects of what Adorno called "The Culture Industry".

Several authors, such as Jurgen Habermas and Leszek Kolakowski, have noted the the structure of the book - what we might call its "poetics" - is quite abnormal for a work of philosophy. The subtitle of the book comes well into play here as a means of understanding the book; "Philosophical Fragments" very much describes what it is like reading this work. The genuinely fragmentary nature of the book - it begins with an essay titled "The Concept of Enlightenment" before two excurses (one on Odysseus and the other on Marquis de Sade), the chapter "The Culture Industry", a series of theses titled "Elements of Angi-Semitism: Limits of Enlightenment", and the closing section "Notes and Sketches" (which is anything but smooth) - only adds to the sense of urgency.

The attempt to ascertain "why humanity, instead of entering a truly human state, is sinking into a new kind of barbarism" (xiv) animates the work. This regression ultimately has to do with the very nature of myth, which is "obscure and luminous at once" (xvii). It is with positivism that science believes it can banish all mystery from the world such that humans become masters of it (1); art itself has fallen prey to this myth (14). Perhaps surprisingly, this does not begin in the 18th century European Enlightenment, but with one of our most ancient of founding myths: Odysseus. The deceptive nature of the sacrifice in Odysseus is the beginning of our journey towards enlightenment, for it places us on a similar footing with the gods. The attempt of persons such as Sade to advocate a world without superstition not only turns us into beasts with "the innocence of wild animals" (77), but means that we still must hold onto one myth: that we can actually live in a world where all is entirely as it seems. Transgression of the previous morality (Catholicism) is the necessary mythical supplement to this view; it brings no pleasure but only violence. Both the Culture Industry and Anti-Semitism ultimately have the same totalitarian goal: to make everyone the same, as economic cogs in the machine, devoid of their individuality. Thus Enlightenment is necessarily violent against the Other, who doesn't fit in. The book ends with Notes and Sketches in a kind of anti-climax; Dialectic of Enlightenment is left open.

In many ways, this edition by Stanford University Press, in their uber-fine series "Cultural Memory in the Present", is like a critical edition in English. Dialectic of Enlightenment was printed various times and in various editions from 1944 thru 1969; this edition collects each of the prefaces for the various editions, and notes every single textual variant for each edition, some of which are seen as rather unimportant, but others of which show that the text was very much a continual work in progress for Horkheimer and Adorno. In addition to an Editor's Afterword, there is an essay appended at the end of the book titled "The Disappearance of Class History in "Dialectic of Enlightenment": A Commentary on the Textual Variants (1944 and 1947)", which many will likely to find insightful reading. This is an important addition to the library of many different fields - political thought, intellectual history, philosophy, theology, religious studies, and social theory, among others - regardless of how it has been produced. Stanford University Press should really be commended for producing it in such a way that it is a fine addition to one's library as well.

One does well to remember that this work should not be simply taken at face value. In their 1969 Preface, Horkheimer and Adorno mention that they ascribe a "temporal core to truth" (xi), which means that as an older text, what remains applicable in it should be used today, and what no longer applies should be left alone as having been applicable at one time in the past. Neither author ever endorsed the irresponsible usage of their work in the 1960s by protesting students who had become little more than mobs; that they have been linked to irresponsible New Left anti-politics (via their friend Herbert Marcuse) is not their fault. Rather, what Horkheimer and Adorno endorsed then (and would continue to endorse, were they still alive) is not a brutal application of a particular theory, but a sustained, thoughtful and well informed engagement of theory with the whole of the modern world. "As a critique of philosophy, it does not seek to abandon philosophy itself" (xii). In short, they believed in wisdom: and this is what philosophy is ultimately all about.

A masterpiece of critical theory.......2006-11-11

Max Horkheimer and Theodor Adorno, both prominents of the Frankfurter Schule of critical theory, wrote this work during WWII. In their own words, the purpose of the book was to explain why humanity, instead of entering a truly human state, is sinking into a new kind of barbarism. Obviously their experiences as Jewish intellectuals fleeing for the national-socialist regime to the United States was a strong impulse for this view, but the book is not limited to a critique of nazism or even totalitarianism altogether.

The main subject of the book, though that itself is already difficult to disentangle, is Enlightenment's betrayal of its own liberating capacity. Adorno & Horkheimer analyze this by means of various cultural metaphors, which in highly abstract, contradictory and aesthetic language (especially the parts by Adorno) trace the development of Enlightenment and its subsequent 'dark side' throughout an equally metaphorical history of culture and ideas. In a certain sense this may most remind readers not familiar with both authors of Foucault and his use of concepts like the Panopticon to express a view of power relations. The method of Adorno and Horkheimer is however not so much genealogical, as Foucault's is, as dialectical in its idealist form.

The book consists of an introduction, two "excursions" and two chapters on the Enlightenment itself, as well as a series of aphorisms provided at the end as "notes and sketches". Each part of the book consists of a very abstract, very metaphysical and almost entrancing analysis of, in turn, the development of Enlightenment as myth out of earlier myth, the form of modern Enlightenment as instrumental reason and mass deception, and the limits of Enlightenment to its own rationality, in the form of anti-semitism. The language of the book is extremely difficult, even in English, and in the best (and worst) traditions of continental philosophy it contains a very great amount of layers and meanings, not all of which are free of internal contradiction. Readers familiar to Situationist works are perhaps best prepared for the effect, which is somewhat similar in method, if not in style, to Guy Debord.

The introduction, "The Concept of Enlightenment", posits Enlightenment as thought liberating man from his natural shackles, and creating man as master of the earth. This process of liberation entails at the same time the possibility of man to protect himself from, and understand the workings of, nature, and also mankind's loss of being one with nature. In this process, the self is created as a subjectivity divorced from direct experience of the outside world. Man's memory of this is very vague and distant, but is present in everyone as a certain inchoate feeling of loss.

This is also the main subject of the first Exkurs, "Odysseus, or Myth and Enlightenment". The story of the Odysseia is here used in many ways to provide metaphorical expressions for the role of myth in and against Enlightenment. Myths are primitive descriptions of the world, and in being so are already classifications used as a form of instrumental reason, which is the seed of Enlightenment. The role of sacrifice to the Gods, for example, is presented as manipulation of those Gods, and in so doing already expression of an Enlightened mind avant la lettre. Odysseus' adventure with the Sirens is metaphor for man's loss as described above: Odysseus, the Enlightened ruler, knows his loss but is constrained by his knowledge from acting on it; and the shipmates, the great mass of modernity, is only vaguely aware of the loss, and are not affected. But Circe, the Cyclops, and many other themes are used besides.

The second Exkurs is "Juliette, or Enlightenment and Morality". The works of De Sade, in particular Juliette, here provide an expression of Enlightenments freeing and therefore contradictory character. Kant is contrasted with Juliette; where Kant is the restrained form of reason, reason as classifying and ordening power, Juliette is reason's destructive power of old orders. Because Enlightenment destroys the validity of any appeal to tradition, religion, etc., it falls pray to itself, in that Enlightenment's appeal to its own absolute values is undermined, in the same way that Juliette uses and is used by Catholicism in undermining it.

The third chapter is "Enlightenment as Mass Deception", covering the subject of the culture industry. Here Adorno rants against all the vapid and degraded culture forms he perceives in the United States, although he never states it as valid only for the US, of course. There are many interesting insights and observations about modern culture and still valid ones too in this chapter, but Adorno's general tone is that of the "hochbürgerliche" bourgeois annoyed about the offenses against good taste he sees. Yet to dismiss it based on that would be superficial, even if we cannot agree with Adorno's hatred for radio and jazz. His observations on American movies are very poignant, and in between his cultural criticism he hits on certain relations between the capitalist mode of production, its Enlightenment ideology, and the cultural superstructure that are very worthwhile for a patient radical.

The fourth chapter is called "Limits of Enlightenment", and addresses directly the subject of anti-semitism and fascism more generally. Fascism is posited as Enlightenment turned against itself (it must be noted Adorno & Horkheimer were among the first to state this, even if it is somewhat of a cliche now). Enlightenment's general instrumental reason knows only power as a measure of behavior. Therefore, it cannot tolerate the existence of groups that thrive, yet never have power, such as Jews and women. Whenever Enlightened society fails to satisfy the needs of its members, their anger is turned against such groups.

The last chapter, "Notes and Sketches", is as said a series of aphorisms, familiar to people who have read situationist works, or for example Walter Benjamin's notebooks.

Overall, this book is an extremely complex, but very worthwhile philosophical critique of modern culture, and a very pessimistic and negative analysis of Enlightenment and its possibilities. It is hard work to get to the bottom of it, but nevertheless rewarding for any student of philosophy.

The Black Book of Western Philosophy.......2005-05-03

The dialectic of Enlightenment is a history of appearances and false totalities that end up in totalitarianism. It is history presented as instrument of dominion. The false totalities of myth and rationality hides the primordial lie in which the law of identity appears in the world. By this logic, everything must be the same. Appearance is mythical in the sense that promise something that can never be fulfilled. The central argument of this wonderful book is that myth is already enlightenment because it tries to explain the world and gain utility from it; and enlightenment is already myth for it tries to exorcise everything different from it. As Adorno & Horkheimer puts it: "Enlightenment has a mythical horror to myth." The impulse for which Enlightenment tries to free itself from myth goes against itself in the form of saturating technical, formal rationality that will end up in the horror of ethnic genocide. This is the black book of Western philosophy.

I Never Promised You a Rose Garden (Signet)

Average customer rating:

Regardless of her actual diagnosis, a great read
Vivid Unreality
eye-roller
A look into the life of a girl suffering from schizoprenia..
Not Your Typical Beach Read

I Never Promised You a Rose Garden (Signet)
Joanne Greenberg
Manufacturer: Signet
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0451160312

Book Description

I Never Promised You a Rose Garden is the story of a sixteen-year-old who retreats from reality into the bondage of a lushly imagined but threatening kingdom, and her slow and painful journey back to sanity.

Customer Reviews:

Regardless of her actual diagnosis, a great read.......2007-08-01

INPYARG is a well-written book from the perspective of a highly intelligent adolescent girl. Recent mental health professionals that have analyzed the work do not see her symptomology as schizophrenic/psychotic, but as severe depression, loneliness, and possibly autism, a combination of which led to her "creative" inner detached world.
Regardless of what her diagnosis may be today, Green does a wonderful job of capturing the mindset of someone with severe mental illness who is crying for help and simultaneously fears the change that is associated with mental health. A must read for anyone in the field, and highly recommended to anyone else looking for a good read.

Vivid Unreality.......2007-06-14

Deborah is sixteen years old and for years has known that something is not right with her. She always feels isolated from others, unable to make friends and to make good connections with the world. Her parents like to pretend that everything is fine, though, and nothing is wrong with her at all. They have a status to keep up, and having something wrong with their daughter would reflect badly on them. But finally Deborah is so sure something is wrong, she has to do something about it. She makes a feeble attempt to kil herself by giving herself small cuts on her wrist. The result of this cry for help is a stay in a mental hospital, where she is finally able to meet with a doctor who will help her to figure out what is wrong and how she can go about fixing it.

This story follows Deborah's thoughts as well as the thoughts of her doctor, an older woman who has never seen a patient as young as Deborah but who thinks she will be able to help. Through their therapy sessions, the doctor learns that Deborah has been living her entire existence in a fantasy world that exists in her own mind, with its own language, gods, rules, and logic. The doctor's challenge then becomes to teach Deborah about the real world around her, so she will be able to decide whether she wants to continue to live in this fantasy of her own creation or to live in the real world with other people.

It was fascinating to read about a fantasy world that was so vivid, it could overshadow reality. I felt like I gained a better understanding of how terrifying and disorienting a disease like schizophrenia would be. Although I don't know how realistic the treatment aspect of this book was, I liked the mental illness descriptions.

eye-roller.......2006-12-13

I've been trying to finish this book for about 2 years now and everytime I pick it up I roll my eyes at each instance of her slipping into her fantasy world.

The book's language is way too advanced to describe a young teen and seems more like it was written by the psychiatrist instead of 3rd person narration. Every time the fantasy world is described I keep imagining the author sitting at her typewriter trying to invent nonsense words.

Everytime I try to keep reading I want to throw it into traffic.

A look into the life of a girl suffering from schizoprenia.........2006-12-06

I thought this was a good book. For me personally, it wasn't the type of book I would always choose, and I couldn't really get into it. It took me awhile to finally get intreseted in the book, so it was easy for me to forget about it and set it asid.I Never Promised You a Rose Garden was an extremely well written book. It goes into great detail about a teenager suffering from schizophrenia. In my opinion though, it was a bit slow moving, and it could be confusing at times. When I first began reading the book I was confused because it didn't state that she had schizophrenia right away. Therefore, when it went from the real world to Deborah's world I got confused at times, until I finally found out exactly what the problem was with her, 18 pages into the book.

I Never Promised You a Rose Garden tells the story about a 16-year old girl, Deborah Blau suffering from schizophrenia. She is brought to a mental hospital, without her consent, in an attempt to make her situation better. Her mother and father keep her condition quiet, and they don't even tell their youngest daughter, Suzy, the real reason why her sister was taken away, and why she will be gone for such a long period of time. This books tells you about Deborah's journey from a world of her own, back to the real world, hopefully to her own light at the end of the tunnel.

I recommend this book to teenagers, around the ages of 14 and up. I would also say that you should be able to comprehend things easily because towards the beginning of the book the lack of detail of what was going on, and exactly what was wrong with Deborah made it hard to understand.

Not Your Typical Beach Read.......2006-08-25

Living in two separate worlds is an idea that seems to only be portrayed in science fiction or fantasy novels. However, for Deborah Blau, this concept is part of her reality. I Never Promised You a Rose Garden reveals the story of Deborah, an adolescent diagnosed with schizophrenia who comes from a background of mixed feelings within her immediate family, an overpowering grandfather that holds expectations for her that seem almost out of reach, and anti-Semitic discrimination from her peers. Instead of a lengthy exposition, the plot begins with Deborah's parents finally making the decision to remove her from high school and send her to a mental institution for intense psychological treatment.
The reader learns about Deborah's dark history and the deep processes of her mind through her thoughts and consultations with her therapist, Dr. Fried. Since setting is primarily in the different wards of the mental facility, leaving little room for any major plot development outside of Deborah's successes and failures while receiving treatment, the character development is paramount in this novel. The author, Joanne Greenberg, does a superb job of depicting dysfunctional characters that not only serve the purpose of comic relief because of their erratic behavior, but also reveal deeper, more melancholic aspects of the life of a mentally ill individual.
Greenberg juxtaposes the horror of mental illness with the relative safety it provides for the affected from facing the challenges of the real world. This is the core of Deborah's conflict within her mind. She must decide between her imaginary place, Yr, that offers safety yet keeps her locked away from the world, or she must face her fears and experience life with both its challenges and opportunities. The friendships that she makes in the institution highlight the novel's stress on the importance of building relationships for personal growth and allow her to accept the fact that most people have problems and possess the ability to work through them.
Dr. Fried is the epitome of a knowledgeable, patient, and committed therapist that is dedicated to helping Deborah release herself from the depths of Yr and to bringing her back to a relatively normal life. Though the novel is focused on Deborah's life in the mental facility, there are several parts that allow the reader to experience, through heartfelt descriptions, the effect that her institutionalization has on her family. Her parents learn to accept and ward off judgments from others that stem from Deborah's "label" of being mentally unstable. Despite their problems, the Blau family members are readily supportive of Deborah and hope for a successful recovery.
I Never Promised You a Rose Garden is an absolutely fascinating book because it provides clear insight into the complicated lives of the mentally ill and stresses that people should neither fear nor revere these individuals due to their altered state of consciousness. Rather, society should endeavor to view them and their issues in an unbiased manner, for there is not a person living without some type of challenge that he or she must face.

The Gardens of Covington: A Novel (Covington)

Average customer rating:

Another great book-great down to earth ladies!
The Gardens of Covington: A Novel
Excellent
Even better than the first book of the series
Garden of Salvation

The Gardens of Covington: A Novel (Covington)
Joan A. Medlicott
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0312980124

Book Description

THE GARDENS OF COVINGTON joyously celebrates women and friendship, families and love, laughing through the tears, thinking with the head and the heart. The ladies, so real and inspiring, will make you wish you lived in their small Southern town and that they were your neighbors.Hannah, cool-headed and calm, battles to save their beloved hills from the rapacious development that has already ruined Loring Valley, only five minutes from Cove Road. Amelia, giddy with a newfound love, abandons the ladies and her photography to please her dashing new beau. And Grace is driven to prove she has an eye for business when she and her steady companion, Bob Richardson, open the Cottage Tearoom. New friends and neighbors are introduced. Eccentric Lurina Masterson, an eighty-one-year-old bride, brings tears of joy to all when, wearing her childhood dream of white satin, she marries "Old Man," who is ninety-one. And George Maxwell, the ladies' closest neighbor, provides an inspired solution to preserving Coddington's lush hills and valleys.AUTHORBIO: JOAN MEDLICOTT lives in Barnardsville, North Carolina. She is a grandmother and now at work on her fourth Ladies of Covington novel. Her third novel, FROM THE HEART OF CODDINGTON, is available from St. Martin's Press.

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"Just as the ladies have settled into Covington, developers threaten their valley, Hannah leads the fight to protect the neighborhood, but her neighbors, rather than be grateful for her devotion to the cause, are suspicious of her intentions as a newcomer. Amelia becomes involved with a dashing older man who sets her heart aflutter in spite of her friends' concerns that he may not be the charming suitor he seems. Grace and Bob open a teahouse together, and discover that there is nothing easy about tea. And with a bit of a nudge, the ladies will help their nonagenarian neighbor become a blushing bride. Joan Medlicott warmed the hearts of booksellers and readers with her first novel, and she returns with another wonderful experience."

Customer Reviews:

Another great book-great down to earth ladies!.......2007-09-10

In this sequel to the first Ladies of Covington Send Their Love, the 3 ladies Hannah, Grace and Amelia's lives continue in their new home in Covington.

A landowner of Covington poses a threat to buy out the property there, and the ladies, who are very upset by this take action, especially Hannah who goes all the way to the city coalition, environmental agencies, and gathers the support of the whole neighborhood to hang on to the beautiful Covington area. The whole town turns against Hannah for this, and she almost gets herself into trouble with some of the people. It is the wealthy Maxwell's that will step in here in the end, and Hannah will get more then she ever thought possible.

Grace is still in a courtship with her Rich, and the two decide to open a tea shop, which turns out to be a very bad choice since it takes all of Grace's time away from everything else, and she has no time for rest. They have this little shop up and running well, but decide later it is best to sell it out.

Amelia, the most fragile lady of the bunch, and always headed for trouble gets herself into a car wreck going up to visit her gay male friend Mike. The man that comes to rescue her is Lance, who seems to fall in love with Amelia at first sight. He soon takes over her whole life so that she has no time for anyone else or any of her photography. Amelia falls under his spell and is headed for a heap of trouble. Hannah and Grace try to warn her, but she goes on ahead with this courtship until she gets badly hurt.

Tyler, Rich's grandson and Grace's "adopted" grandson is having a problem when his dad is in love with a new lady, Emily. Tyler and his dad Russell have a very bad time for awhile until they get things straightened out between all of them. Tyler has had a very bad time losing his mother to a bad car accident and can't understand why his dad loves someone else now.

And Grace also has made great friends with 81-year old Lurina who is a lonely old maid 81 years of age. When 'old man,' Joseph Elisha comes along though, the two have a romance and get married. Lurina is a very isolated type of soul and doesn't like to wander out of the house at all. So the ladies try to help her plan a wedding. When the newspaper gets hold of this story though, and reporters persist on barging in. Lurina feels threatened and wants no part of a big wedding after the ladies went to all the trouble of planning a fancy one. So Lurina and Joe get married in her home, but still find the reporters there anyway after someone spills the beans about the private ceremony.

The Gardens of Covington: A Novel .......2007-09-03

The Gardens of Covington is a part of an interesting and fun series, While you could pick up the story without reading the first book(s) I think it more enjoyable to read such books in sequence.
Joan A. Medlicott writes well, and combines the story of three, "Senior" ladies with recipes, gardening information, AWA intertwining into the books, their families/friends. The series is in the category of "Light" reading, and by now, I have read about 6 books in the series and am hooked.
Now I am worrying that she will stop writing more books in this series - then what will I do?

Excellent.......2007-09-01

I absolutely love all of her books. I am aLSO ONE OF THOSE SENIOR CITIZENS AND i CHUCKLE AT SO MANY OF HER SITUATIONS IN HER BOOKS. sO TRUE TO LIFE!!!!

Even better than the first book of the series.......2007-08-06

This book marks the return to the beautiful community of Covington in the mountains of North Carolina. The three friends, Grace, Hannah, and Amelia, are well-settled in their renovated house and are enjoying life and their new friendships. Grace and her friend Bob decide to go into business together and they start a tearoom. Amelia pursues photography with her friend and mentor, Mike, but the friendship is disturbed when Amelia becomes attracted to a man named Lance. Hannah indulges her passion for flowers and gardening and works to keep developers out of their neighborhood. Difficult situations arise and the ladies learn to deal with them and with each other. Romances bloom, sometimes in unexpected ways. All in all, this is a very satisfying read and I look forward to the next book in the series.

Garden of Salvation.......2007-06-05

This is the second book in the Covington series.The Ladies of Covington Send Their Love: A Novel (Covington) This is a great series about three ladies who choose to live together and leave their retirement boardinghouse. The big problem in this story is encroaching development. Hannah becomes an environmental activist. I am amazed about the depth of the characters in this series. I can't wait to read the next book!

The Centaur in the Garden (THE AMERICAS)

Average customer rating:

Wonderful and Satisfying Fable Ever Told
Great book
A magical masterpiece of Brazilian literature
We, brazilians, have indeed great writers
Simply put: amazing!

The Centaur in the Garden (THE AMERICAS)
Moacyr Scliar
Manufacturer: University of Wisconsin Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0299187845

Book Description

A masterpiece of magical realism by one of Brazil’s most celebrated novelists.

The Wisconsin edition is for sale only in the United States

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful and Satisfying Fable Ever Told.......2004-02-14

This book written by Moacyr Scliar can be hard to find. I happened to come across it by accident when browsing books at the bookstore. The moderately popular book, "Max and the Cats", attracted me but it appeared too short for me. I wanted something more substantial to read. So, I searched for other books and this one was the other novel available. All other novels by Scliar are out-of-print. You can however get his other books probably through another library if your library does not own it.

It would be unfair to go beyond the description of the novel. So, I will start with the main character, Guedali Tartakowsky, who is a centaur born into a normal Jewish family. Amazingly, his family tries everything so that he fits into their small community. There are clashes with other people as Guedali wants to escape the safety of his family to meet others. It may seem a little mystical and ridiculous. But, Guedali is not so unlike everyone else who must find himself by living on his own. Many of the qualities in Guedali shows how much more human than us. He may have hooves but his emotions and longing to be accepted and thoughts about growing up normal.

Our reaction to deformities resonates strongly in today's society. If we could change things like remove a large mold, then would it significantly change our life for the better? In most cases, the answer is yes and who knows if the mold was malignant. But, what if it is not so bad and everyone around doesn't mind it. Would you risk changing it for other people who feel uncomfortable? That may be a complete simplification of Guedali's problem but you see where I am going...

So many issues are addressed about knowing yourself. What makes you happy? How do you deal with matters of your identity as a Jew? Who are really your friends or enemies? How does society deal with such deformities? Do other people with this deformity handle daily situations? Scliar deals with all of these issues with a good balance between humor and seriousness. This version is a good translation and no real problems in reading this English print.

Great book.......2003-09-09

I read Scliar's columns in the newspapers regularly, but this was the first of his novels that I read. Scliar has recently been accepted to the ABL (Brazilian Academy of Literature) and while reading about him I came across several people's opinions on this book saying it was one of his best work. I can't really compare it to any other book he wrote, however I can say that this story kept me interested from beginning to end. The interesting thing is how the character tries so hard to fit into society, in spite of his "handicap" which cannot be easily hidden. I kept thinking about how I would react if I were in his situation, with the same "problem". When you think that nothing else will happen, there's a nice twist in the end. This is a great book. I recommend it.

A magical masterpiece of Brazilian literature.......2001-05-01

"The Centaur in the Garden" is a superb novel by Brazilian writer Moacyr Scliar. The text has been translated from Portuguese into English by Margaret A. Neves. This brilliant fantasy describes the life of Guedali Tartakovsky, who is born to a Russian Jewish family that has emigrated to Brazil. The family is shocked when, at the baby's birth, they discover that he is a centaur: a being who is human from the waist up, but who possesses a horse's four-legged body below.

The novel's hero thus enters the world marked as an outsider. As his life unfolds, we see his quest to educate himself, to embrace his Jewish identity, to experience sex, to find love, and ultimately to determine his place in the world. Along the way are many stunning surprises--for both Guedali and the reader.

"Centaur" seems to me to exemplify the concept of "magical realism." The book deftly blends elements of fantasy, science fiction, and social satire. Scliar explores many types of relationship: between European and Native American, Jew and Gentile, man and woman, parent and child. This is a deeply moving, truly brilliant novel by one of the most extraordinary voices in Latin American literature.

We, brazilians, have indeed great writers.......2000-07-20

The story is about a person who is born as a centaur. It may seem foolish and nonsense, but it isn't. The book deals with the problems any "human being" half hoarse would sufer. Telling you more of the story would take the enjoyment out.

It is great: the reader will imidiatively see that he is a centaur himself. How? The society demands us to be padronized, identical with each other, but we just can't and shouldn't! We are different, no matter how we try being as our neighbor, in other words, each of us are centaurs in same way. We must have our diferencies (unfortunetlty, some people want to be the same as the "majority", the so called "normal people"). That's the meaning of the book.

(You americans should try reading books from authors of my country. Then you'll find out how rich and great our literature is.)

Simply put: amazing!.......1999-12-12

What a book. That's one of those books that keep you turning the pages rapidly, until you get to the end. But then you just have to take another look at the first pages, and before you know it you are in the middle of a second round. The main character tells his story retrospectively, starting from the night a winged horse flew over his parents house at the time of his birth - a Jewish Centaur somewhere in Brazil. His parents are terrified at first, but afterwards he is grown as a regular... well, centaur. It's no use even trying to tell anything of this strange, fascinating book. Two things, however, are certain: this is a book that you will be thinking about for a long, long time, and this is NOT a children's book. Read it. If I can't convince you... well, imagine yourself living your life without knowing that "One hundred years of solitude" existed. What a loss.

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