Customer Reviews:
crime in venice.......2007-01-21
Commissario Brunetti gets a visit by a young civil servant to talk to him about his apartment. A couple of days later Brunetti gets an urgent phone call from the same man, who is very nervous and wants to talk to the commissario. Brunetti doesn't get the chance, because a couple of hours later, the young man is found ... dead. Then, a young man and a girl are murdered at the same location as the civil servant. Brunetti starts his investigation.
This silver dagger award winner is another exciting crime story from Donna Leon. As always, the characters come from all regions of the Venetian society. Some of the themes, like drug abuse and bribery, and the interesting writing style make this book into another page turner.
Commissario Brunetti takes on the Foundations of Venice........2006-06-10
In Italy, Buildings or Apartments should always be listed - officially, and should always have two sets of records for buildings with any reconstruction plans that have happened or happening - officially. When purchasing a property, the new owner retains one copy from the pervious owner - officially. The other would be retained by the Ufficio Catasto - officially. These plans are stored and used by the Ufficio Catasto to show that building permit's were issued and planning permission was given to improve upon such historical buildings and that the building does actually exist. This would be the official process, unofficially certain plans or records become misplaced.
Franco Rossi from the Ufficio Catasto pays a visit to Guido Brunetti's top floor apartment, to inform him that although his building plans exist, his apartment is not listed on the plans therefore he also believes that his apartment should not exist, not only does this amaze Brunetti as they are quite clearly sitting in his apartment, but the awkward situation would be Brunetti cannot produced any plans either. Franco Rossi informs Brunetti that his apartment is under investigation. Brunetti decides to start his own investigation using his friends to get this matter sorted out, unfortunately before this can happen the real investigation starts a few months later when Franco Rossi is found dead at another building site after falling from scaffolding, accident or foul play? Commissario Brunetti unofficially investigates.
This Story weaves itself into different directions giving Brunetti lots to deal with in the heart of his city, drug dealers, petty thugs, money lenders and day to day corruption ranging from the crook on the street to people in power, where does it all end.
Once again Leon gives to us life in Venice very vividly written; you can almost see it and smell it. The fictional comical characterisations come thorough again in this book as it does in pervious ones. My two favourites the wonderful Sicilian Vice-Questore Giuseppe Patta (Brunetti Boss), who's always up to his old tricks of power playing and Signorina Elettra (Brunetti hidden source), sharp as a razor mind, who's day to day outfits couldn't get any saucier their about to send Brunetti into a midlife crisis. This book also makes reference to, Through A Glass, Darkly which became the name of Donna Leon's 15th book in the whole Brunetti series.
Brunetti could do know wrong in the flow of corruption. This book shows Power Playing at all levels.
Like being in Venice.........2002-02-15
Having read all of Helen MacInness and Sherlock Holmes (after midnight) as a grad student I couldn't stand reading anything less and so gave up mysteries for over 35 years. Looking for something to read on the train, I bought my first Donna Leon book (A Noble Radiance) in the station in Stuttgart and have read nine of her novels so far. Commisario Brunetti and his sharp-tongued wife (who, like Leon, accidentally teaches English in Venice) are never boring. So far, I've not guessed the plot before it developed, and the description of Venice and Italian life is fantastic. A wonder that she's not been run out of town tarred and feathered, if not be the city fathers or the patrici, then by The Church. Enjoy, when you need something entertaining and intelligently written, with attention to geographic and cultural detail.
Leon's book is 'stellar' indeed!.......2001-11-17
Without a doubt, "Friends in High Places" is Donna Leon's best book in her mesmerizing Commissario Brunetti series. "Friends" is the ninth in this outstanding series and Leon has not failed her fans with this latest edition, which, for some unfathomable reason, is not yet published in the States!
The author is able to capture what very few writers in the mystery genre do-- she creates such memorable characters that the reader actually feels he really knows--and even possibly understands--her creations. Certainly, Leon does to Venice what few other writers do to their settings. It is unbelievable that she is able to understand fully the mechanizations of the modern Venetian. She has weaved her plots so intricately--and plausibly--in her series, which seems short of a miracle for some "outsider"--she's an American!--to be able to grasp the bureaucracies of that system, be it religious, political, social, even the illicit "trade" bureaucracies.
With her unforgettable Brunetti and his family, Leon's themes run throughout her novels: among them the "moral path" which is at odds with what Venetians have come to expect and to accept, it seems. If one has a problem, the solution is to utilize his "friends in high places"--a favor for a favor--to solve it. The corruption seems to permeate all aspects of their lives.
But, of course, first, this is a murder mystery, and here, again, Leon is in top form. How exquisitely she leads the reader through this valley of temptation and evil! Yet, despite the impossible task of ever "cleaning up Venice," Brunetti plods on. He alone, it seems at times, knows right from wrong. He takes refuge and solace from his wife Paola; he loves his two children, and his greatest fear is that something evil might harm them.
He senses something is very wrong when a local bureaucrat is found dead; it is labeled an accident, but Brunetti has his suspicions, especially after this bureaucrat had previously contacted him to tell him that he had vital information that he must reveal to him, and to him alone. Before this revelation can occur, he is found dead. Brunetti doesn't believe in coincidences, especially when an attorney who is involved in a corruption investigation is found murdered by a sniper--an attorney whose telephone number Brunetti had found in the bureaucrat's wallet.
From this point on, Leon and Brunetti move cautiously--and sensibly--through this tangled, deceitful web.
The author is quite astute in her observations and realist she is, the endings of her books are not always the "happy ever after" type. Frequently, Brunetti has to con- cede to powers greater than his; he alone cannot stem the flow of corruption--and the Brunetti world, as seen through the series, seems to have no boundaries on corruption, be it from illegal dumping of toxic wastes to the illegal sex trade with local travel companies to the smuggling of drugs from Eastern Europe. Leon leaves no holds barred and the reader is often left to wonder if there really are truly decent folk anymore. Leon does not imply that the corruption is only in Venice, that Pearl of the Adriatic, but leads us to assume that such corruption--especially with today's big bucks, can be anywhere. The average reader knows this all too well, anyway.
For Leon fans, reading this book is not just an inclination, it is a must, naturally;
for new readers, it's also a great read, after reading this one, they will want to go back to the eight previous ones. Indeed, it's a "aventura felice della lettura"! (...)
Venice again.......2001-10-01
Another entry in the long line about nefarious things going on in this wonderful city. If you liked Leon's other books, you will not want to miss this one. She writes with her usual craftsmanship and knowledge of the city.
Customer Reviews:
SECRETS AND FRIENDS: THE BECHTEL ADVANTAGES!!.......2005-12-17
Laton McCartney has torn the cover off of the Bechtel Group and given us insight into one of the most successful, most influential, and most controversial mega-businesses in the history of the planet earth. A giant octopus with tentacles everywhere imaginable, plunking down projects, and sucking up billions of private and public funds, all over the world. We hear lots about Halliburton and it's foibles, but when was the last time you heard a peep from the Bechtel Group? Bechtel is a "private" corporation with no stockholders and no messy SEC investigations to endure. These guys, as the book tells us, know how to operate out of sight. Even their internal power struggles and disappointments are out of public sight. The book describes Stephen Bechtel, Jr as operating his personal life in a way that would make an experienced undercover spy proud. And then there is "The Grove", the real "friends in high places". There are things in this book you should know, but don't believe everything. A dollop of good sense will guide you through what is on the edge of truth and what isn't. Just be careful not to believe everything.
This is one of the most interesting reads of non-fiction that one will ever make, because it informs us of what has been going on behind our backs, out of reach of the "evening news" or "headline news", Time, or Newsweek, or the New York Times, for that matter. You can thank publishers Simon and Schuster for bringing this to the light of day.
The definitive Halliburton book has not been written yet because so much 'flotsam and jetsam' has yet to be retrieved and examined in the wake of the Iraqi War(s) and disasters like Hurricane Katrina. To be sure, Bechtel was and is involved in both wars AND Katrina, on a parallel track with Halliburton. So knowing Bechtel, gives general strategic insight into Halliburton and vice versa. In addition, when one finishes this book, you must immediately 'google' the word 'Bechtel' to see what they are currently 'up to'. Clues are everywhere on the web, but they are still secretive and still very active, making money 'hand over fist', but not without making their own strategic mistakes. Guess who is responsible for rebuilding the Baghdad electrical grid and water/sewage systems? Well, well! The fact that they have made it through the rough patches attests to their internal strengths as detailed in the book. And yes, there is Reagan, Bush I, George Pratt Schultz, (and probably Bush II involvement, since Riley Bechtel is a presidential advisor on middle eastern trade). Well, well, indeed! The book folds nicely into current events. While Halliburton is getting nothing but grief over Iraq, Bechtel is all but invisible and bullet-proof, just as our author suggests in earlier times.
Some of this is appalling, almost immoral, but it always seems to be quite legal. Like giving a Saudi a 10 percent share in Arabian Bechtel in order to secure the initiation of a project. Sounds like a bribe to me, but it was ruled otherwise and everything proceeded on. Whew! So don't look for Bechtel to be in any courtrooms in the near future. If you 'google' "Bechtel Lawsuit", there is precious little there, since 20 years ago, except for Bechtel suing Bolivia, South America's poorest nation, for $25 Million. Read the book, take some of it with a huge grain of salt, and keep the rest in your storehouse of knowledge. At about 240 pages in a Hardcover, with 30 pages of 'notes' & 'index', it's a brisk, but penetrating read into this corporation, how it operates, and how it affects us all. Ante up! Five PENETRATING Stars!!
Corruption = Bechtel.......2004-04-24
This book shows the public the real Bechtel.
A shadowy Corporation, with slimey leadership from the beginning.
Money is all that matters regardless of international affairs or U.S. patriotism or U.S. policies.
Bechtel has helped out so many of America's enemies.
Bechtel would have built a sarin factory for Saddam if Bechtel thought they could make money and get away with it!
Yellow Journalism at its Worst.......2001-01-19
This book would make even William Randolf Hearst blush. McCartney uses innuendo, falsehood, and fabrication to create a highly skewed view of the well-known engineering construction company. While seemingly a "well-documented" work, he in fact uses "off the record" quotes and otherwise unattributed sources to paint a extremely unflattering picture of the company and its founders, owners and officers. Despite the apparent effort spent in researching his subject, he demonstrates a consistent ignorance of the industry he writes about including its practices and terminology. He casts a wide net of aspersions on the individuals who built the company by quoting unnamed sources and reiterating disproved allegations. He has a positive gift for making any legitimate business activity seem highly suspect, and alludes to "rumored" charges of impropriety without providing any documentation of such. The reader should view this work in the same manner as the depiction of an industry dinner in Washington D.C. recounted in the book's closing pages. The event described did in fact take place, but Mr. McCartney's insertion of Steven Bechtel Jr. into it is a complete fabrication.
Engineered the World : And Made a Lot of Money At It Too........2000-01-18
An excellent book that provides an interesting insider's view into one of the largest engineering and construction firms of modern times. From the Hoover Dam to the Middle East to the United States Government, this book shows how the Bechtel Corporation did what it wanted to, when it wanted to, and used whom it wanted to as long as it made the few controlling members of it's management very rich. And all this was training for the government deals to come. This book offers a historical detailing of this company's ethical and social violations as well as the building of an empire. Read it.
Book Description
Kick Keswick, once a jewel thief living an exciting double life, has now retired in simple luxury to the south of France. But when an old enemy resurfaces, threatening to expose the countless fake jewels Kick had carefully substituted during her years of secret theft, she is ready to act.
Back in London, Kick finds herself with more employment than she bargained for at a company whose status is much more precarious than she’d thought. Her enemy, in disguise, circles ever closer. And a young nun comes to Kick with a mysterious jewel-encrusted figurine, and a story of greed and murder.
To balance on this high wire, Kick must sneak into an upper-crust wedding in the Italian Alps, break into an ancient castle owned by a very modern murderer, and do it all with her customary panache, style, and grace. Can she keep one step ahead of the most seductively ruthless foe she’s ever encountered?
Customer Reviews:
Best of the series.......2007-07-31
Now keep in mind that I'm a huge Lily Bennett series fan and live in the hope that the author will write another book in that series soon, I have to say that this is my favorite of the Kick books. It was a wonderful read. The secondary characters are the best developed of the series and the references to food, jewels and clothes are just right. If another Kick book comes along before the author writes the long overdue Lily Bennett book- please have more interaction between Kick and her wonderful husband.
My whole family loved this book!.......2007-05-15
My whole family read this book, waiting impatiently for their turns because we all so enjoyed the prior books. Everyone loved it. I read it twice, beginning again as soon as I finished it the first time. It is a delightful, funny, well-plotted mystery that transports you into the lifestyles of the rich and famous. The jewels! The clothes! The gourmet food! The super-luxury hotels and fabulous homes! I would love a book of recipes from the Kick Keswick books. I would love to live her life. This is a such a fun romp! The only problem is having to wait for the next book in the series.
Another good story..........2007-05-14
I thoroughly enjoyed this latest in the Kick Keswick series. These stories are always entertaining - great fun to see the methods Kick uses to be in the right place at the right time for her own purposes. I very much hope this series will continue!
mystery, decadent chocolate, champagne and fabulous jewelry!.......2007-04-02
Kick Keswick has retired from her vocation at Ballentine's (and from her avocation as the Shamrock Burglar) although she finds she is a bit bored with living the quiet life that she planned for herself. Overhearing at a party that her former employer is in trouble (and hoping that trouble does not lead back to her) Kick decides to return to Ballentines to find out the truth. When her husband Thomas gets called back to Scotland Yard to help with a case, Kick travels back to London, and soon finds things as complicated as she had suspected, with her old nemesis behind the potential collapse of the auction house. Through a twist of fate, Kick finds herself running the organization and is approached by a young nun with an intriguing jeweled statue to sell, and an even more incredible story of the history of the statue and the others that are missing. Kick hatches a meticulous plan to not only restore the jeweled statues to their rightful owner, but to replace an intricate piece of jewelry that she herself had stolen years before (because, after all, self-preservation has been Kick's goal since she was a child).
This is the fourth book in this series, but Ms. Kellogg does such a wonderful job in drawing out and explaining the intracacies of each character that it is not necessary to have read the others to understand the background (although all of the rest are also fabulous fun). This one is my favorite, because we finally understand the details in Kick's past that led to her life of larceny. She also develops friends for the first time in her life; one who may turn out to be her daughter. Kick is so likeable that you tend to overlook the fact that she lies, steals, and changes identities so well that she can fool just about everyone (except the lovable Thomas, of course). But she has such a wonderful heart, and justifies her behavior by only stealing from the people who deserve it! Kick takes the art of revenge to a whole new level!
Friends in High Places is an entertaining read, and it is obvious that Ms. Kellogg enjoys writing about Kick. Let's hope there will be many more books in the future about Kick's mis-adventures!
charming superb suspense thriller.......2007-03-24
Former jewel thief Kick Keswick retired to Provence with her husband former Inspector Thomas Curtis. However when Thomas is called back by Scotland Yard to work a high profile case and Kick learns her former place of employment is in financial trouble, they both return to work. At Ballantine & Company Auctioneers, an appraiser made a mistake that led to a loss of millions and a firing. Also a person returning jewels substituted false stones causing the current fiscal crisis.
Kick knows that her former fiancé owner Owen Brace is the on who returned the phony gems, but she has no proof. Sister Immaculata wants to sell a jeweled Madonna so that the proceeds can be used to restore her order to health. She knows where the purloined jeweled Madonnas are but cannot get to
them because the possessor of them is extremely powerful. When Constance Flynn comes in to sell all her jewels including one of which a fake which resides in Kick's safety deposit box, she is forced to attend the wedding of the woman's son in order to substitute the fake jewels for the real ones. Constance's beau turns out to be Owen while another woman who Kick likes is married to the killer who possesses the jeweled Madonna's. Kick wants to steal them and get them to Sister Immaculata whom she thinks might be her daughter.
Marne Davis Kellogg has a hit series because of her heroine, a jewel thief with a heart of gold streaked with larceny. There is plenty of action as the support cast turns the storyline into a special cozy as they play major roles along side the kick butt heroine in the jeweled purloining "Olympics". Friends in High Places is a charming superb suspense thriller.
Harriet Klausner
Book Description
For more than forty years, Clark Clifford was Washington's consummate Democratic power broker - attorney and adviser to the nation's most influential leaders. His 1991 memoir, Counsel to the President, looked back on a remarkable career of public service. But the very year his autobiography was published, the Clifford legend began to crumble. Caught up in the scandal that destroyed the Bank of Credit and Commerce International, the eighty-five-year-old Clifford was arrested on charges relating to his law firm's involvement with the outlaw bank. Though his case never went to trial, and his protege, Robert Altman, was found not guilty, Clifford's reputation was in ruins. How could such a man come to such an end? What happened? And why? In Friends in High Places, a noted investigative reporter and a chief investigator in the Senate inquiry on BCCI provide the answers. Drawing on original documents, more than a hundred interviews with Clifford's friends and adversaries, and fifty hours of interviews with Clifford himself, the authors reveal the drive and shrewdness that led Clifford to the pinnacle of power - and demonstrate convincingly that his involvement with BCCI was no aberration, but the bitter fruit of seeds planted at the beginning.
Customer Reviews:
Pretty good book about the life and times of a presidential advisor and America's first super-lobbyist/lawyer.......2007-07-22
"Friends in High Places" is an interesting book about long-time presidential advisor and Secretary of Defense Clark that starts strong but gets tedious near the end and probably runs a little too long. Clifford was counsel to Harry Truman, an advisor to Presidents Kennedy, Johnson, and Carter, Secretary of Defense in 1968, and arguably America's first super-lobbyist/lawyer. The book chronicles his work during some of America's most interesting political times in the second half of the twentieth century, and closes with his fall from grace when he was implicated and ultimately indicted as part of the notorious BCCI banking scandal. I really enjoyed a lot of the tidbits in the book but felt that the book dragged along in its second half, and I lost considerable interest as the authors seemed to cover the same similar ground several times over. In the end, the book wasn't so much about a key presidential advisor as it was about the first giant lawyer/lobbyist in America.
After reading this book, it is difficult to not appreciate that Clark Clifford had a full life. Clifford was fortunate enough not just to be witness to some of the biggest events in recent history, but he also played a key role in helping shape several of those events. For example, Clifford was arguably the strongest supporter of recognizing Israel in the Truman White House, and fought hard against George Marshall and the State Department to convince Truman of the political (the 1948 election against Dewey was approaching) and humanitarian reasons to recognize the fledgling nation in 1948.
Yet the authors show that while Clifford played a role in many key presidential decisions, he also spent much of his career embellishing his role in other areas. Much attention is paid to Truman's historic 1948 victory, one which Clifford spent his entire career taking credit for plotting. In fact, Clifford was not the architect of the campaign, FDR advisor James Rowe was. Similarly, Clifford spent much time getting credit for being the one that convinced LBJ to finally begin the pullout of Vietnam, much to the anger of LBJ himself, as well as many of his other advisors. The authors argue that while these many embellishments hurt Clifford's legacy, they were not sinister by any means.
My biggest problem with the book is probably that it seemed to go on for too long. Throughout the text, the authors foreshadow Clifford's eventual downfall in the BCCI scandal. This became quite tedious, at least to me. Also, they seemed to examine hundreds of specific examples where Clifford was able to use his considerable reputation and influence to help the legal clients of his small, but highly successful law/lobbying firm. After a while many of these cases seemed the same, and I think the authors could have done without going over every single one of Clifford's political and legal triumphs.
Coming away from "Friends in High Places," I was struck that Clifford's biggest legacy was not so much as a presidential advisor or strategist, but rather as the nation's first super-lobbyist. The authors - whether intentionally or not - craft Clifford's work on behalf of Presidents around his work as a lawyer/lobbyist. The bulk of the text is centered on the dozens and dozens of big cases Clifford took while he was in the private sector, cases he was able to win because of his reputation from his time in the public sector. In other words, the book is about Clifford at the center of the Washington establishment, and the reputation he eventually lost a little bit at the very end of his life in the wake of the banking scandal. Clifford was able to navigate with the ease the waters of Washington, D.C. for decades, but he was unable to change his perhaps ethically-questionable-methods in the wake of Watergate, when influence peddling became much more heavily scrutinized. Good book for people interesting in learning about key Washington events from 1945 to the Reagan administration as well as the practice of super-lobbying, but beware of the many tedious details that accompany the other fascinating tales of Clark Clifford's fascinating life.
Average customer rating:
- Oh,The Webb We Weave
- Friends in High Places
- Truth that is Better than Fiction
- Ask Me No Questions And I Will Tell You No Lies!
- One cannot blame others when they plead guilty!
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Friends in High Places: Our Journey from Little Rock to Washington, D.C.
Webster Hubbell
Manufacturer: William Morrow & Co
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Her Way: The Hopes and Ambitions of Hillary Rodham Clinton
ASIN: 0688157491 |
Amazon.com
It seems that being a Friend of Bill is all too often just the first step on that slippery slope to disgrace and the hoosegow. Take, for example, Jim McDougal, Susan McDougal, and Webster Hubbell--all former First Friends now facing stiff prison sentences. Susan McDougal has refused to talk about her case at all, while her ex-husband Jim is saving his material for a grand jury; Webb Hubbell, however, has decided to bare both his soul and his legal difficulties in Friends in High Places, an account of his rise in Little Rock and fall in Washington, DC. In a nutshell, Hubbell--a former law partner of Hillary Clinton's--confessed to stealing almost half a million dollars from the law firm and its clients. His book purports to reveal the full inside story. Readers looking for dirt on the Clintons will be disappointed--Hubbell takes full responsibility for his crimes, absolving the White House of any knowledge about his shady financial dealings.
Customer Reviews:
Oh,The Webb We Weave.......2005-09-25
What's most important here is what's not included in this work.
Questions regarding Lippo Group,Revlon,Vernon Jordan,his wife's
rocky tenure at Bill Clinton's Interior Department while Hubbell
was in prison,and many others,remain unanswered.
If she decides in a year or two to seek "higher office",one can only
wonder if the junior Senator from New York will regret having demanded
so much loyalty from Hubbell that he felt compelled to "roll over one more time" for her,as he stated while in prison.
This book will certainly come under intense scrutiny if that day arrives.
Friends in High Places.......2005-08-28
Those seeking insight into the Clintons are best advised to stay away from this book. It is, however, an interesting account of the personal story of Webster Hubbell. He was a lawyer at one of the most prominent law firms in Little Rock, the city's mayor as well as (briefly) the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Arkansas. His journey from these lofty positions to federal prison is tragic, and like most good tragedies, fascinating.
Unfortunately, Hubbell - as the title suggests - seems stuck on his friendship with the Clintons. The word "friend" is so overused in connection with the Clintons (particularly Hillary), that it forces the reader to question whether the friendship ever existed.
Hubbell is frank about his personal weaknesses and the errors of his ways. His life story, which is well told, contains useful lessons for others.
One wishes that Hubbell - who is also candid about his insecurities - will title his next book "The Life of Webster Hubbell" and tell us more about the next chapter of his life (after prison) and less about his (perhaps now former) friends.
Truth that is Better than Fiction.......2000-01-15
This is an excellent look into the world that revolved around Webb Hubbell in Little Rock and Washington DC. Mr. Hubbell is an adept storyteller who cuts through all of the partisan politics and simply tells the truth about his relationship with The President and First Lady. Mr. Hubbell also does something few men are willing to do nowadays. He accepts responsibilty for his mistakes without casting blame and doesn't try to glorify his standing with the Clintons or blame Kenn Starr for his failures. A good read that provides one of the only truly first hand accounts of the Clinton's days in Little Rock.
Ask Me No Questions And I Will Tell You No Lies!.......1999-09-09
Webb Hubbell's begins his long climb back to manhood. The book outlines the short glory and long tragedy of a fellow colleague Webb Hubbell. Some call him a cover up artist, others brand him a liar, but whatever description one might try to apply to Mr. Hubbell one can never say he is snitch. Webb was given two choices, either inform on your President or we are going to burn you. What the hell does that mean, "Inform On Your Friends To Save Your Hide?" There was a time Webb Hubbell could see the difference between right and wrong. Like all who aspire to learn and practice the Law one cannot wait to be put in positions to help many. Webb got to the mountain of power and after his fall he could have gave up. Webb didn't sale out, he refused to buy his future by selling out his friends. Some would describe this as twisted integrity, others misplaced loyalty and a few such as I as uncommon character accompanied by the courage to accept his fate, punishment and seek out atonement. I won't judge what Webb did as right or wrong. I will leave that to others with far more thoughts of their ability to do so regardless of rank or position. He no longer deserves to be hounded by reporters, destroyed by opponents, laughed at by peers or condemned by the public. If there is one thing this life teaches us it is we all fall sometime, we all get muddy and many have a cold and friendless tide find us leaving us with an amputated spirit. Well, Webb Hubbell did his time, protected his family and has repented and now needs acceptance so he can atone. If another colleague Ken Starr saw no reason to call for his incarceration upon a third conviction plea, then I see no reason to condemn Webb any longer. He now needs to be embraced, protected and given new opportunities to accomplish new endeavors. I am satisfied with less so long as Webb continues on his path towards righteousness and now there is no reason why he will not and deserves another chance.
One cannot blame others when they plead guilty!.......1999-09-08
Webb Hubbell is a tragedy in life and Public Service. He cheated, lied and stole and then blamed others like Ken Starr, the media and his family. The book is an excuse of misjudgments not an admission of guilt, repentance or atonement. The same justification of deeds he should be ashamed of but instead makes claims of shame as a badge of honor. What is more tragic is that when it is all over. And the Clinton'' have left the scene and pities of power he will be forgotten as much as he forgot about them under cross examination. He will be like his wife, avoiding laundry by sending it out, because she was to lazy to change. In the end, he is will rue the day he undermined the Rule of Law, ran from the truth and remained silent in the face of justice calling out for vindication. No one believed him then, and after this book no one believes in him now. Webb needs to know that penitence and forgiveness does not mean avoidance of punishment. He has done neither, and thus, cannot really go on in this life proud of anything he has accomplished. He will and is a failure just like this book was trying to tell us he is innocent. When one tells half lies they often forget where they placed the truth ever again! This will be Webb Hubbell's legacy. The book will be forgotten sooner than when you close it. if you open it at all? I suggest you won't!
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Friends in High Places
John Weitz
Manufacturer: Ace Books
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Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0441253121 |
Average customer rating:
- Spellbound
- Couldn't Put This Down
- youth motivator
- SPELLBOUND is a must-read!
- funny and interesting...one girl goes against the odds!
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Spellbound
Janet McDonald
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ASIN: 014250193X |
Book Description
Raven never expected to be a mother at sixteen. Is she going to be just another high school dropout, a project girl with few prospects? Could be, except Raven has ambition. Still, when is she going to find the time to finish school? Then her older sister tells her about a spelling bee that promises the winner a scholarship for college. Spelling? There isn't a subject she's worse at. But once Raven's got her mind set, nothing gets in her way...
Customer Reviews:
Spellbound.......2006-08-29
For all ages, all ranges...all readers. A must read. The struggles...the generational cycles...the struggle for change...the entrapment of past mistakes. Ebonics at its best, but not in any form demeaning. The author (Janet McDonald) has a way of relaying the effort compelled for change, if not for all teenaged mothers. She has a humorous way of telling a vivid story of two friends Aisha and Raven and the trials they face from day to day. Young black teen mothers...one with aspirations (Raven)...the other with complacency (Aisha). Raven has the tools/support needed to make/grab a better life whereas Aisha is stuck in a never-ending cycle (not completely by choice). Spellbound is a book worth its price and then some and I highly recommend it to all.
Update* Great Author and Friend--so sad that she is no longer with us (Janet McDonald R.I.P April 11th 2007)
Couldn't Put This Down.......2006-05-11
I'm telling all my friends to get this book. It was funny and the characters were real. I don't read much but this story made me want to stay up all night to find out if Raven makes it. It is different from other stories because it talks about real life and what it is like trying to make it when the world thinks you can't.
youth motivator.......2005-04-26
in the book Spellbound Raven is a teenage mom who would like to overcome her past and maintain her dreams while still being a good mom. this proves to be a challenge however since the world she lives in constantly tells her that she must remain a victim of her circumstance. from the receptionist at her sisters job to her sons grandparent she is deterred from thriving. however when the chance for her to pull herself out of this unfortunate situation (teen parenting), she begins to remeber those dreams and works very hard to achieve them. this book is a must read especially for young teen mom programs because so many of todays youth feels like they have to give up on thierselves and their dreams just because of the mistakes they have made and this book reiterates that just because you hit a detour in the road to success eventually you can find the right way again.
SPELLBOUND is a must-read!.......2004-07-29
Sixteen-year-old Raven was always "the smart girl," her nose in a book and a promising future, despite the fact that she was raised in poverty by her uneducated single mother. But when Raven goes to a party one night and meets a boy she can't say "no" to, she gives in to his charismatic ways and she's left with a baby. Suddenly high school is no longer bearable and her college plans have vanished into the night. Raven becomes just another girl from the projects sitting alone in the apartment, watching daytime television.
Raven's best friend Aisha seems to fit into her life better than Raven does; Ai was never really good at school, so as long as she has her friends and doesn't have to set foot in another school, she's happy. Raven wants more than hanging out all day --- she wants to make a secure, good life for her son Smokey --- but she can't find where to begin. She tries to find a job, but her lack of a high school diploma means she can only find work in a fast food shop. Raven can't see a way forward until her ambitious sister Dell arrives with a flyer about a new program called Spell Success.
Spell Success offers college prep and scholarships to lower-income students. Potential participants are selected through a spelling bee. This sounds impossible for Raven, whose spelling has never been great. Dell supports her, though, and helps her practice and study, even as Ai does nothing but give Raven grief.
I really loved Janet McDonald's story of someone who seems to have very little in her favor but who is willing to work hard for success. The writing is at times funny, poignant and always effecting. McDonald knows the world about which she writes; she grew up in a housing project then went to three highly selective universities after she finished high school. By using her own journey to inform her novel, McDonald can tell Raven's story without ever becoming preachy or flinching from the harsher realities of life in a low income community. I hope she continues to write. SPELLBOUND is a must-read!
--- Reviewed by Cassia Van Arsdale
funny and interesting...one girl goes against the odds!.......2004-03-18
Raven Jefferson is not your typical fictional book character. She isn't perfect. She is a teen mother without a high school diploma struggling to get somewhere in life. With very little help from her mother and her sons father, she puts in lots of time and effort to try to win a spelling bee which offers first place a scholarship. Raven learns about following her heart and not listening to other peoples opinions. Spellbound was one of the most interesting books I have ever read because the unique language captured my interest and left me on the edge of my seat throughout the whole thing.
Average customer rating:
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Friends in High Places
Thomas Shepherd
Manufacturer: Unity Books (Unity School of Christianity)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
| Religion & Spirituality
| Subjects
| Books
Comparative Religion
| Religious Studies
| Religion & Spirituality
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Spirituality
| Religion & Spirituality
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0871590409 |
Download Description
In Friends in High Places, historical theologian Tom Shepherd takes you journeying through time to meet your long-lost relatives of the Western religious heritage. Mystics like Pseudo-Dionysius, John Scotus Erigena, Meister Eckhart and the first Quaker, George Fox. Deep thinkers like Philo Judaeus, Origen of Alexandria and pagan martyr Hypatia. Sunny optimists like Pelagius, who lost his argument with St. Augustine over the goodness of humanity only after the fall of Rome rattled the ancient world and made positive thinking seem positively naïve. Shepherd introduces an impressive entourage of mystics and metaphysical thinkers
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