The Last Heiress (Friarsgate Inheritance, Book 4)

Book Description

New York Times bestselling author Bertrice Small presents the conclusion of her highly acclaimed saga of Rosamund Bolton and her daughters with this dazzling tale of passion, intrigue, and seduction. Set against the glorious backdrop of King Henry's sixteenth-century court, The Last Heiress stars Elizabeth Meredith, the youngest Bolton daughter, who will risk everything to protect her beloved Friarsgate.

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Customer Reviews:

Better Than Philippa.......2007-08-21

This first few chapters of this book was a bit boring but it got better when Baen and Elizabeth became close. I loved reading about them. Elizabeth was a lot more likable than Philippa.

I felt a little sad near the end of this book, because, I knew it was the last one in the series. The Friarsgate series is not as good as the Skye O'Malley series but I did like the first two books in this series very much. Rosamund and Logan made the first two books enjoyable. If they had been featured a lot more in this book and in 'Philippa', I think the Friarsgate series would have been almost as good as the Skye O'Malley series.

I wanted to read more about Rosamund and Logan but I still enjoyed this book.

Boring.......2007-02-15

This is the final installment in the Friarsgate series. It tells the story of Elizabeth Meredith, Rosamund's youngest daughter, who was made heiress to the estate, after her eldest sister, Philippa, renounced it.

The novel begins with Elizabeth and Rosamund arguing on the subject of a husband for Elizabeth. Elizabeth agrees to go to court, if her Uncle Tom, who had also taken her older sisters, agrees to accompany her. At court, she befriends the exotic new-comer Anne Boleyn.

This book is definitely not up to par with Small's earlier works. It is quite repetitive. They dwell on how Elizabeth ended up in charge of Friarsgate, how she doesn't want to go to court and belongs on her estates, "don't call me Bessie," and so on. It also just drags. It takes forever to her to get to court, and when she does, she leaves right away because she "doesn't belong there." Then it is back to Friarsgate for more of the same "I need someone who loves Friarsgate as I do." There are not very many sex scenes, as Elizabeth and her hero don't consummate their relationship until about 3/4 of the way though the book. The entire book is predictable and there are no plot twists at all.

I did like the description of Anne Boleyn's coronation, as well as any interaction with the "real" people from history, as I do with many of Small's novels. I enjoy reading on how she perceives these people and what types of personalities she gives them. Unfortunately, since Elizabeth's time at court was limited, there wasn't much incorporation of them in the entire novel.

I still read Small's works, mostly out of habit now, I think. But if you want a really good romance with more interesting plot lines and characters, check out her earlier works, like the Skye O'Malley series, or the Leslie novels (The Kadin, Love Wild and Fair, etc).

fourth and final book in the Friarsgate Inheritance series .......2007-01-27

Entrusted with the running of Friarsgate at the tender age of fourteen, Elizabeth Meredith has grown up a country lass with no interests beyond her precious Friarsgate and the sheep and wool her estate is well known for. Now twenty-one years old, Elizabeth must marry in order to provide the estate with an heir, and Elizabeth has no intention of marrying just so some male can take over her precious Friarsgate.

Baen MacColl started life out on the wrong side of the blankets. While he knows who his father is now and is even accepted and loved by his father and his family, he's still illegitimate and as such owes everything he has to his father and has nothing to offer a wife.

Rosamund, Elizabeth's mother insists that Elizabeth must go to court to find herself a husband. Friarsgate requires an heir and in order to do that duty she first needs a husband. Since Elizabeth's elder sister, Philippa is a creature of the court, Rosamund is determined for Elizabeth to go to her. Phillipa and Elizabeth do not get along and so Elizabeth counters with the request that Uncle Tom accompany her and she'll go quietly. Otherwise, every eligible that Phillipa brings to her presence, Elizabeth swears she will "belch, fart, speak with a broad North Country accent, and make herself generally undesirable." Uncle Tom agrees to accompany her and arrives at Friarsgate to ready her for the pomp and circumstance that the court would expect of a young lady in their midst. Both Uncle Tom and Elizabeth are aware that this trip to court is a fools' errand, none of the men attending court will be suitable. Baen arrives with a missive from his father for the Lady of Friarsgate, only it's addressed to Rosamund and so Elizabeth offers her hospitality for the night and sends him to her mother's home, over the border in Scotland, only to have him return as the missive is in regards to buying sheep from Friarsgate. Elizabeth does agree to sell some, at the same time, also offering him one of the border collie pups to help with herding the sheep. Baen is attracted to the fair Elizabeth in all her course ways, however, he also knows that with his lack of lineage that he's not suitable. Still she must be made ready to attend court and he's more than willing to offer to help her in the fine art of kissing. On the day she's to leave for court, Baen finds her crying in one of the fields and holds her as she cries herself out. Will Baen and Elizabeth find a way to be together? Or will their senses of duties keep them apart?

THE LAST HEIRESS encompasses all the boldness, coarseness, honesty, and flat out bluntness of a young woman raised in the country, bundled up in all the finest frippery and have her attending the court of King Henry VIII. The results are charming and fun as Elizabeth continues to be true to herself despite the gossip and backstabbing that the court thrives on. Elizabeth is a strong, independent woman fully in control of her lands, and it's a pleasure to experience her in all her simple country girl glory. I love that even though this is the fourth and final book in the Friarsgate Inheritance series and thus, has followed along the same kind of theme. There is also mention of characters from previous Bertrice Small novels. Blaze Wyndham was mentioned from the book by the same name, as is the Earl of Glenkirk's daughter, Janet and Colin Hay who are both characters from THE KADIN. In this way two of the other books I loved are also included and their characters live on in the reader's mind. This book is full of amusing memorable characters.

Chrissy Dionne (courtesy of Romance Junkies)

Great Book.......2006-08-27

Wonderful book, great service and fast shipping. Will come back again. Amazon is great!!!

BORING.......2006-04-15

Having had the pleasure of reading ALL of Bertrice Small's books. I have been disappointed to say the least about The last Heiress... Sure the historical background is wonderful, Who can not love King Henry the 8th, his reign was legendary. Yet Poor Elizabeth's story is dull as dirt. Even at the luxurious King Henry's court, Elizabeth failed to be defrocked. Of course one did not expect her to get her groove on at boring Friargate, but none at court either??? Come on, where was the adventure, the passion, the erotic love scenes. If you are looking for that, keep looking, as it is not present in this story.

The Book of the Courtier (Penguin Classics)

Average customer rating:

great read
Observations about life
Enlightening look into Renaisance Society
Readable and fresh-- not dry at all.
The Book of The Courtier - amendments for earlier reviews

The Book of the Courtier (Penguin Classics)
Baldesar Castiglione
Manufacturer: Penguin Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0140441921

Book Description

The Book of the Courtier (1528) is a series of fictional conversations by courtiers of the Duke of Urbino that takes place in 1507, while Castiglione was himself attaché to the Duke. Today the Book remains the most reliable and illuminating account of Renaissance court life and of what it took to be the "Perfect Courtier" and "Court Lady." The Singleton translation—the most acclaimed and accurate available—is accompanied by annotations.

"Criticism" features ten essays on The Book of the Courtier, which represent the best interpretations from the United States, Italy, and England including the backgrounds-rich essays by Amedeo Quondam and James Hankins. A Selected Bibliography, a Chronology, and an Index are included.

About the series: No other series of classic texts equals the caliber of the Norton Critical Editions. Each volume combines the most authoritative text available with the comprehensive pedagogical apparatus necessary to appreciate the work fully. Careful editing, first-rate translation, and thorough explanatory annotations allow each text to meet the highest literary standards while remaining accessible to students. Each edition is printed on acid-free paper and every text in the series remains in print. Norton Critical Editions are the choice for excellence in scholarship for students at more than 2,000 universities worldwide.

Customer Reviews:

great read.......2005-11-30

This book is a wonderful treatise on the correct way for a courtier to behave in Renaissance Italy, and indeed in court life in general throughout Western Europe. Many of Castiglione's rules of behavior were applicable for the English or French courtier as well, so by no means should we look at this work as applying merely to Italian court life.

Also, from what I understand, Castiglione wrote the Book of the Courtier in 1528. That puts it in the fifteen hundreds, otherwise known as the sixteenth century.

Observations about life.......2005-03-07

Observations of life from an old world Italian gentleman.
Interesting aspects of life's nuances and the corrective measures people need tot ake according to the author.

Enlightening look into Renaisance Society.......2005-02-07

Castiglione's "Courtier" is one of many books outlining protocol and proper behavior of the sophisticated elite. It might suffice to say that he was in some way the Emily Post of his era however, it seems that this work was more far reaching than this. The Courtier is a fascinating book that is actually more useful in studying the renaissance than Machiavelli's "The Prince" (which I do recommend as well) since its detail on why people should act as proscribed is directly taken from real events and people and it is less a work of philosophy and more a work centered about real action in living. I recommend this work highly to everyone wishing to learn more about this age. This version is far better than the one I first read and it offers decent commentary to help elucidate the reader.

Castiglione was extraordinarily fond of Federigo the duke of Urbino with whom he fictitiously converses in this work. I am inclined to believe, though possibly naively, that the fictitious conversations outlined in this work, though not actual, may have been a summation of actual conversations that Castiglione and Federigo actually had. We should remember that Federigo was a model duke and Urbino was the model court of renaissance Italy. Federigo was a lover of learning and the arts and an able ruler willing to give audience to any of his subjects. He also was a more than able military commander who was just in to his men and equally just to those whom he fought against. In short he was the finest example of a renaissance prince. Urbino, though far smaller than Florence, Venice, Genoa or Rome was a very well organized and lovely court that was a favorite place, not only for Castiglione, but also for many artists including Leonardo Da Vinci. Putting all of this in context it is understandable why it made sense for Castiglione to use Federigo as his model in writing this book and it also explains one reason why it was such an immediate success among all of the Italian nobility. Naturally they read it for different reasons than you will but this book had lasting appeal and should be regarded as a classic work.

One reason this book is so interesting is that it is the outline of protocol for courtiers of the Italian Renaissance. Pondering this one might ask the question "why did Castiglione feel he had to write this work?" I can assure you his aims were quite different from those of the handbag maven Kate Spade who has recently issued a series of books along the same vein as The Courtier for today's yuppie elite and their "wannabee" counterparts. I surmise simply that this book needed to be written because their was an essential break in culture of the nobles of the Renaissance and those of the Middle Ages. However this break was by no means sudden and the crudeness and bad manners of the Middle ages did not die quickly especially among the rural nobility. Even so Castiglione saw a benefit from everyone "working off of the same page" and thus he wrote that page.

If you are studying the Renaissance it is probable that you will read some short excerpt of this book. While enlightening as that small cut may be it pales in comparison to the entire work. Sociologists, historians, scholars, and interested people will all get something out of reading this book. It is not imposing and dry as it may appear. Though the language may be dense at times Castiglione is kind to his readers by making the work enjoyable and easy to read. Modeling the work after conversations naturally lightens the work and it really is not that long of a work anyway. I rate this version as the best I have seen and think that you will do a great service to yourself in reading this.

-- Ted Murena

Readable and fresh-- not dry at all........2004-02-26

The Book of the Courtier is one of those books that you hear frequently cited, but rarely actually read. It seems a shame to me if it remains unread. I expected it to take me a while to wade through it. I expected it to be dense and difficult to penetrate. Instead, it read very quickly and easy. The prose was modern, lucid, and nearly compulsively readable.

The book is structured as a conversational game carried out the court of the Duke of Urbino in the rooms of his wife Elisabetta Gonzaga. In four books, different members of the court sketch out the ideal Courtier and the ideal Lady. The books treat various subjects, including the nature of grace, love, humor, gender equality, and necessary skills. The unfamiliar details of the time are mixed with the quite familiar and recognizable human foibles that are still relevant today.

Castiglione is perceptive and witty and quite loving in the way he draws the people in the book. Both the "real" people having the conversation, and the imaginary ideal people being described are well developed.

I enjoyed it, and I recommend it. You don't need to be a scholar to enjoy it as well.

The Book of The Courtier - amendments for earlier reviews.......2003-10-14

my dear nessie monster,

i think people would take your review more seriously if you managed to keep it in the right century! 15th!!!

Book Description

For years the Empress of Namorn has pressed her young cousin, Lady Sandrilene fa Toren, to visit her vast lands within the Empire's borders. Sandry has avoided the invitation for as long as it was possible. Now Sandry has agreed to pay that overdue visit. Sandry's uncle promises guards to accompany her. But they're hardly a group of warriors! They're her old friends from Winding Circle: Daja, Tris, and Briar. Sandry hardly knows them now. They've grown up and grown apart. Sandry isn't sure they'll ever find their old connection again - or if she even wants them to.

Customer Reviews:

!!!WOW!!!.......2007-05-29

This book is not only fanominal, but keeps you wanting more. Tamora if you read this please I, we, need more!

Disappointing..........2007-05-20

I have been a fan of Ms. Pierce since the beginning, but this book was a disappointment for me. Several of my favorite characters are annoying and whiny, and their **constant** arguments were boring and predictable. There are so many side plots going on that the story lacks direction and reading it feels like wading through sand. I agree with the earlier reviewer who said that this book lacks suspense and excitement - Everything that happens is so drawn out and over explained that it made me want to skip pages. I would have ignored all of this (simply out of love of her previous work) but by the end I felt like I was at a lecture on the author's pet political causes and I just gave up. I admit that I returned the book to the library without bothering to read the last 100 or so pages. I have decided that this book is just the result of an off year for Pierce and I look forward to a return to her previous excellence

A great book by Pierce!.......2007-04-04

I was utterly amazed and very disapointed to see that some people rated this a one, two or three stars when the best was five. Someone said that there was inappropriate content in this book but I have to disagree. People have also been complaining about how one of the characters is a lesbian. Infact 354 people tagged this 'lesbian'! That is not even what the book is mainly about. Infact it's not a big part in the story! There is absulutely no problem with being lesbian! And besides your opinion is different than others! It also has nothing to do with how Pierce writes and shouldn't affect how amazingly great this novel is. So you'll be doing yourself a favor if you try out this book.

Sandrrilene fa Toren is Duke Vedris's daughter and happens to be the Empress of Namorn's cousin. The Empress has been wanted to have Sandry come for years and finally she agrees. Sandry brings her old friends that she hasn't seen now for years; Briar, the plant mage; Tris, the very powerful weather mage and Daja, the blacksmith mage. Sandry also has magic, weaving. Her and the other three are the youngest mages around and have all already had students. The four are fighting now but Sandrilene still agrees to take them with.

When Sandry gets to Namorn she knows that the Empress has planned something big for Sandry...and it isn't a good thing. And as they all say,

"The will of the Empress is always done."

Watch out Sandry! I think you'll need your friends help on this one!

Too Adult for a Young Audience.......2007-03-11

This is a well written book. On the other hand, this book is not suitable for my young adult(13-16) age group. The biggest reason is that the author turned one of the characters into a lesbian. The sexuality content is far too prolific for a young audience. As are some of the issues dealt with throughout the story. I do not recommend this book for someone under the age of 17.

Eh. Not the best, but not bad........2007-03-08

While this isn't the best book in the series by any means, Pierce has aged the characters well. I think my problem with it is that it seemed too much like it was 1) trying too hard to be mysterious, and 2) simply tying up the loose ends. Plus, I missed the focus on crafting.

Madame de Pompadour (New York Review Books Classics)

Average customer rating:

A more valid view of Madame de Pompardour
Gossip for 18th Century France!
fascinating period and woman
a delightful romp in the Mitford tradition
EMPRESS OF FRANCE

Madame de Pompadour (New York Review Books Classics)
Nancy Mitford
Manufacturer: NYRB Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 094032265X
Release Date: 2001-03-31

Book Description

When Madame de Pompadour became the mistress of Louis XV, no one expected her to retain his affections for long. A member of the bourgeoisie rather than an aristocrat, she was physically too cold for the carnal Bourbon king, and had so many enemies that she could not travel publicly without risking a pelting of mud and stones. History has loved her little better.Nancy Mitford's delightfully candid biography re-creates the spirit of eighteenth-century Versailles with its love of pleasure and treachery. We learn that the Queen was a "bore," the Dauphin a "prig," and see France increasingly overcome with class conflict. With a fiction writer's felicity, Mitford restores the royal mistress and celebrates her as a survivor, unsurpassed in "the art of living," who reigned as the most powerful woman in France for nearly twenty years.

Customer Reviews:

A more valid view of Madame de Pompardour .......2007-06-27

Not much of a scholar of French history, but a huge fan of Nancy Mitford, I ordered this book as a tribute to the author. Once reading it, I found out much more about the French court of Louis XV and the intricate rules it observed than I ever thought I'd learn. And am very glad I learned them. The interesting, well-written biography hold the reader's attention and bring compassion to the often reviled lead character.

Gossip for 18th Century France!.......2007-06-25

This biography was a refreshing and fun, written by a sympathetic aristocrat. The flavors, entertainment and relationships of the court come to life. It is hard not to develop a deep respect for Madame de Pompadour in the course of the book. Highly recommended.

fascinating period and woman.......2007-03-05

Mitford was a writer who specialized in describing the intricacies of court life at Versailles , from fashions and decorum to architecture and romance. She was not quite as adept at the political situation of the time; while she doesn't gloss over it, there is no pizzazz in discussing. Nevertheless, I enjoyed this book very much. It's colorful and conveys a sense of what Madame de Pompadour endured to become the most powerful woman in France and how she gained that power by being not only beautiful but very intelligent and alluring.

a delightful romp in the Mitford tradition.......2006-07-26

Anyone who has enjoyed Nancy Mitford's novels "The Pursuit of Love" and "Love in a Cold Climate" will appreciate what a deliciously witty writer she can be, especially when describing the lives of the privileged class. Reading her biography of Madame la Marquise de Pompadour (Mitford is strong on the use of proper aristocratic titles) one is not certain where Nancy's life ends and la Pompadour's life begins. Some of her comments are so ultra-sophisticated so as to be hilarious, such as calling the Parc aux Cerfs, where Louis XV kept his women, a "nice little brothel." This book may not be at the top of my list of serious scholarly tomes, but it is not without merit as a work of history, and one is given a colorful glimpse of another world.

EMPRESS OF FRANCE.......2006-04-26

Lord knows the Bourbons had a history of powerful courtiers, but Pompadour is in a league of her own, she had enormous influence over the king, Louis XV, and she wielded her power with great agility. She was feared and respected throughout the court, everyone knew she had the kings ear and heart. This is a fascinating book on this exceptional woman, she eclipsed the king and many more books have been written about her than the king and he outlived her and he reigned for fifty years over the most powerful country in Europe, but it was she that was memorable. I wonder what Louis would thought about all of this fuss over his mistress, we know what Pompadour would have thought....devine.

Average customer rating:

A Medieval Feast
Great art
Great Kids book
Beautiful portrayal of Medieval life
This is a great book for children!

A Medieval Feast

Manufacturer: HarperTrophy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0064460509

Book Description

The king is coming to visit! The lord and lady of Camdenton Manor must work quickly to prepare fo his arrival. It will take weeks to ready rooms, set up tents, and prepare the feast itself. Everyone is busy hunting and hawking, brewing and churning. This will be a feast to remember!

Customer Reviews:

A Medieval Feast.......2006-06-25

I was expecting more recipes than was in it.
I didn't realize it was a story about a Medieval Feast, which I pretty much already knew. Otherwise it was a good book.

Great art.......2006-03-17

Really enjoyed reading this with my 7 and 4 year old. The art work tells a story in itself and adds to the narrative. I wonderful little insight to medival life.

Great Kids book.......2004-08-09

I somehow managed to misunderstand that this book was a kids book instead of a Cookbook! don't ask me how... but it was worth keeping anyway, I donated it to the Coffers for a prize for the children of our realm, as I have no kids right now of my own...

Its a good picture book detailing the feast held in the king's honor.

Beautiful portrayal of Medieval life.......2003-11-26

The lord and and lady of Camdenton Manor are dismayed when they learn the King and his party are coming to stay with them, they know what a lot of work this will mean for everybody. Throughout the book you see everyone working like mad to get the manor ready in time. Delightful pictures show all the work involved in stocking up with food, hunting, fishing, harvesting, brewing, baking, men, women and children all joining in with the work. The pcitures are full of fascinating details of the lives of medieval people, nobles and commoners alike. Any child interested in history should enjoy this book, if you don't have a child, buy it for yourself. Warning: This is NOT a cookery book! (see first review)

This is a great book for children!.......2000-09-26

This is a wonderful book about mideval times for this age group!

The Warrior Prophet (The Prince of Nothing, Book 2)

Average customer rating:

Well-written; too many atrocities for me
Patience...
unconventional
Philosophical-conflict style matures with main characters all together.
Dissapointing Sequel to an excellent start

The Warrior Prophet (The Prince of Nothing, Book 2)
R. Scott Bakker
Manufacturer: Overlook Hardcover
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1585675601

Customer Reviews:

Well-written; too many atrocities for me.......2007-08-06

I read the first two books in the trilogy; will not read the third. After awhile it palls to read a never-ending series of rapes, murders, and wholesale slaughters, including children thrown onto swordpoints or gang-raped to death in front of their parents. To be fair to the writer, I suspect he is using real-life descriptions from the crusades -- but in the end it was simply too sickening for me. Also: Every major character but one or possibly two (Achamian, maybe Esmenet) is a monster of one sort or another. In particular, the Prince-of-Nothing title character is technically human, but he is as vicious, manipulative, and alien as the "Consult" portrayed as the hidden enemy of humanity.

Patience..........2007-05-19

what can i say, i couldnt wait even to finish the first book, i already had ordered the second and third off amazon and am not dissapointed only in the fact taht theres only three. the second book the WARRIOR PROPHET, im afraid to finish it cause thatll be that, u know.

unconventional.......2007-05-07

I can't say I really liked R. Scott Baker's stories, I have read two and may read more. But I will say this, his writing is flawless and his stories are daring and original. To be able to say this about any fantasy novel written in the last twenty years is difficult. He deserves credit. The story is compelling and interesting.

Philosophical-conflict style matures with main characters all together........2007-01-30

As _The Warrior-Prophet_ opens, the great multi-national crusade marches into the territories of its heathen enemy, and the events of the previous novel have finally brought all the main characters into the stream of camp followers.

In the interactions of these disparate characters marching together, Bakker's prose comes alive. All the characters are beset with dire internal conflicts, and they each attack their quandaries in the most philosophical of ways. Bakker's unique talent lies in making these ethereal intellectual concepts real through vivid imagery. His internal monologues consistently lock onto the perfect visual analogy to illustrate exactly how these ideas make the characters feel, and how they should make the reader feel.

The characters' overall motives still seem weakly underpinned. Kellhus wants to find his father, but no concrete reasons are given why. Cnaiur also wants to find Kellhus's father, which feels both unmotivated and incredibly fortuitous. Achamian's goals are the most clear--to investigate his sorcery school's ages-old enemy who may cause an apocalypse--but it's never clear why he must follow the Holy War to do that. Yet if the reader can accept these motivations, every one of Bakker's philosophical conflicts makes perfect sense.

The one flaw in this philosophical, internal monologue-dominated approach is that the characters perhaps spend too much time in their own heads and not enough interacting with the world around them. Even with Bakker's command for rendering the vague into vividness, he still faces a huge challenge when so many of his scenes contain almost all internal thoughts or memories and only a few actual events. The more narrative time spent inside characters' heads rather than in their world, the less grounded the reader becomes in the setting. It is a testament to Bakker's skill that he can sustain a novel so dominated by internal monologue. But even deft portrayal of the ethereal cannot fully sate the reader's need for the tangible, the real.

_The Warrior-Prophet_ hones Bakker's unique style of internal philosophical conflict, and it leaves the characters seemingly poised to tackle their lingering external conflicts in the next book. Although, given Bakker's proclivity for internal philosophical struggle, their paths to conquer their external conflicts may lie within their own minds.

Dissapointing Sequel to an excellent start.......2006-09-02

Let me preface this review by saying - 1) I loved the first book in the series, gave it five stars and thought it was not only well written but quite original, with new and complex characters and themes and 2) I will be reading the next book in the series. That said, the best I can say of this installment is that it was inconsistent. Unfortunately I found a great deal of it repetitive and boring. I guess my best analogy is that Bakker is like the lawyer who cleverly forces the witness into a damning admission and instead of saying "Your honor the prosecution rests," continues questioning to the point where the jury is unimpressed and the witness has been able to repair his credibility. Bakker seems intent on beating us about the face and neck with the characters' flaws, gives them little in the way of redeeming qualities and does all this while dragging us slogging through a depressing and squalid environment. His writing skill is such that I felt at the end that I had been dragged through the desert with the characters, but unfortunately I was also fed up with them. How many times, in how many ways, do I need to be reminded of the characteristics of a character before he thinks I get it? I also believe that because so much was made of their negative characteristics, characters who in the first book were real and complex became simple and one-dimensional. Maybe it was poorly edited, but in my view this second installment was too long and although it had its moments, in the end it flattened out what was a complex world and a set of complex characters.

La muerte y otras sorpresas (Leer en español, nivel 4)

Average customer rating:

Una Agradable Sorpresa
Sombrero, Se~nor Benedetti
The Absurd

La muerte y otras sorpresas (Leer en español, nivel 4)
Irene Echevarria Soriano , Mario Benedetti , and Silvia Courtier
Manufacturer: Santillana USA Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 8429434844

Book Description

It is amazing how in the ordinary lives of men and women, an unexpected event may be the starting point for an exploration of different worlds. In these places, memory and amnesia, understanding and incomprehension, the longing for death and the lust for life coexist. And life and death become wonderful surprises.

Blurb in Spanish:

Existen sorpresas que pueden cambiar nuestro destino. Existe la sorpresa mayor, para la cual nadie está preparado (aunque se la anuncien): la muerte. En los cuentos que integran este volumen, Mario Benedetti narra el descubrimiento de que vida y muerte son dos caras de un mismo acontecimiento: placer y dolor, inquietud y calma, tiempo de ida y tiempo de regreso, presencia permanente donde se desarrolla el secreto del drama humano.

Customer Reviews:

Una Agradable Sorpresa.......2001-08-02

La Muerte y otras Sorpresas. Mario Benedetti.

Hace años, solía sentarme a leer durante horas, me gustaba llegar temprano a la universidad, aprovechando que en esa época no había clases en la tarde, y así apoderarme, hacerme amo y señor de un aula en el ultimo piso, solo, con un libro y un vaso de café. Me encantaban sobremanera los días lluviosos y recuerdo que solía leer en voz alta y de pie. Así pasaron por mi vida, Mellvile y Faulkner, recitados en inglés a un publico invisible. En esos momentos era feliz y el universo a mí alrededor dejaba de existir hasta las 5:00 PM, hora en que comenzaban a llegar los alumnos a las aulas y tenia que refugiarme en la biblioteca hasta la hora de cierre. La misma felicidad me ha dado este pequeño libro de cuentos de Mario Benedetti La Muerte y otras Sorpresas. Las historias han puesto mi mente en fuga haciéndome olvidar que lo demás existe para penetrar en ese mundo extraño e inquietante. En estas historias, la muerte, la sorpresa de no saberse muerto, la locura, la perdida del ser amado, la rebelión de algunos personajes contra Dios hacen un mosaico increíble de matices humanos. A veces estos cuentos tienen su lado humorístico como en El fin de la Diseña y otras veces el sabor del encierro y la sorpresa como en Acaso Irreparable. Este es un libro que un buen lector no debería dejar pasar...

Quiero hacer una pregunta o más bien un desafió a mis amigos cyberlectores que ya hayan leído esta obra. En él ultimo cuento titulado Cinco Años de Vida (pagina 121, edición siglo xxi 1987, que es la que leí) el autor dice en la pagina 127 línea 17 "tuve tres veces sarampión". Hasta donde tengo entendido el sarampión no repite y no sé si el autor usa la frase para enfatizar que el personaje es enfermizo o acaso incurra en una equivocación, como han hecho otros grandes escritores. Les agradecería me escribieran a luismendez@orangemail.com.do y me aclararan las dudas. Gracias de antemano y recuerden que este juego..... continua.

Luis Méndez

Sombrero, Se~nor Benedetti.......2000-07-31

La Muerte y otras sorpresas es una obra ligada por la idea de la muerte, la soledad, todos esos sentimientos que nos hacen seres humanos. El trabajo de este escritor y poeta Uruguayo es un tesoro para todos cuales sepan disfrutar la buena literatura. En nuestros tiempos, la "literatura" suele ser limitada a los "best-sellers" que por lo regular, son bastante malos. En Benedetti, he encontrado una voz maravillosa que no se dejara silenciar.

The Absurd.......2000-04-12

This book has an esy flow to it. Existentialism and the absurd are at the core of all these short stories. The strong political criticism, which are characteristic of his writing after the 80's, is not strong yet. These stories where written before the terrible military coup in Argentina and Uruguay, which would change Latin America's history forever. Easy to read. Words and sensations flow.I definitely prefer his later work.

Medieval Clothing and Costumes: Displaying Wealth and Class in Medieval Times (The Library of the Middle Ages)

Average customer rating:

Disappointing

Medieval Clothing and Costumes: Displaying Wealth and Class in Medieval Times (The Library of the Middle Ages)
Margaret Scott
Manufacturer: Rosen Publishing Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Beauty & Fashion | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
Accessories:

philosophy hope in a jar daily moisturizer

ASIN: 082393991X

Customer Reviews:

Disappointing.......2003-12-11

For $30 I expected more. I expected a highly detailed very academic book with tons of pictures. Instead I got a tiny little thin book with huge type that seems to be geared toward an audience that is about 12 years old. This book would lend itself well to being read out-loud to a group of 6th graders.

Ms. Scott does include some interesting details and a great bibliography but this is not the finely tuned, dense academic work I'd been expecting.

Customer Reviews:

Ground breaking for its time.......2007-04-12

When this book was published the Cold War was still a fact of life - and yet this exhibition focused on the costumes and fashions of the Imperial era of Russia. This was not something that the Soviets liked to highlight - but despite that they pulled out a dazzling aray of costumes linked to the Imperial court for this book (and exhibition I believe).

If this book had been fully published in colour it would still be a real classic, but as it is there is only a few pages of colour images which is a real shame. However, there are still some rare images in Black and White to be found in this book if you enjoy Russian costume. Its not all aristocartic - there are some festival costumes from the country, but this is a good introduction to the glory of Russian dress from the 18th to the 20th centuries.

Around this time a rather big and lush colour book on costumes in Russia, with many of the same clothes was published called "Art of Costume in Russia: Eighteenth to Early Twentieth Century" that is worth seeking out if you enjoy Russian costume.

In the Russian Style.......2002-06-21

I bought the book based on the cover, so I was disappointed to see that there were just few color photographs, which are gorgeous nonetheless. Because the majority of the photographs & the illustrations are in black & white, the intricate details of the costume were not enhanced as well as the colored photos.

A Perennial Favorite--Gorgeous!.......2001-05-17

I love this book--I've worn out two copies of it already. A great mixture of text (the description of a Winter Palace ball is heaven) and glorious pictures. I wish there was a bit more about the royal family and some detail photos for the clothes (which are stunning--if you love vintage costume this book is a must have!) but those are quibbles. Great if you love old Russia, Royalty/Court Life.

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