Book Description
Agatha Raisin is lonely. Busy as she is with her detective agency and the meetings of the Carsely Ladies' Society, she still misses her ex-husband, James Lacey, so she welcomes his return to the cottage next door with her usual triumph of optimism over experience---especially when he invites her on holiday at a surprise location that was once very dear to him. With visions of a romantic hideaway in Italy or the Pacific dancing in her head, Agatha goes off happily with James to...Snoth-on-Sea, in Sussex.While James may have fond memories of boyhood holidays there, Snoth-on-Sea has seen better days, as has the once-grand Palace Hotel, now run-down and tacky and freezing cold. Nor do the other guests have much to recommend them, especially the brassy honeymoon couple, Mr. and Mrs. Jankers, who pick a fight with Agatha in the dining room. But trouble has a way of following Agatha even if romance does not: Just as she and James are preparing to flee to warmer climes, Geraldine Jankers is found dead on the beach---strangled with Agatha's scarf. So much for Agatha's holiday fantasies: Not only is it time to put her detective skills to work, but the police are not even sure that she'll be allowed to leave town.
Customer Reviews:
Agatha Tries Again with James Lacey and Falls in with Villains.......2007-10-06
As with The Deadly Dance and The Perfect Paragon, this book can be read as a standalone if you haven't read the earlier books in the series. I do think, however, that your enjoyment will be increased if you read at least The Deadly Dance and The Perfect Paragon first . . . and seriously consider reading the excellent beginning of the series, Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death.
If you are a long-time fan of the series, you may be ambivalent about the reappearance of James Lacey in Agatha's life. But in Love, Lies and Liquor (the 17th book in the Agatha Raisin series) there's a shift in the relationship that makes his character somewhat less tiresome than before.
James is living next door to Agatha again and invites her to take a holiday with him to a "surprise" locale. She packs for the Mediterranean and he takes her to the rundown seaside resort of Snoth-on-Sea where the weather is lousy. While James has fond memories of boyhood trips there, today's Snoth-on-Sea has nothing to recommend it. The hotel is rundown, and the guests seem like louts. In fact, there's a shouting match in the hotel dining room that leads to James punching out one of the other guests.
When a woman that Agatha threatened, Geraldine Jankers, is found strangled with Agatha's scarf, the "lucky" pair from Carsely are stranded as they seek to clear Agatha. Clearing Agatha isn't too difficult, but James wants to flee and Agatha feels that she must investigate to find the murderer. Agatha draws on her Mircester detective agency's resources to scout out the suspects.
Before long, Agatha draws the ire of some dangerous characters and finds her very life at stake.
Several things make this book different from others in the Agatha Raisin series that improved its appeal for me: Agatha and her colleagues make some amazing mistakes that would be hilarious if they didn't have serious consequences; the danger level is high throughout much of the book; there are more mysteries to be solved that are related to the murder than one might expect; the to and fro with James Lacey has unexpected twists; and Agatha's signature vulnerability for handsome men she just meets isn't central to the story for a change. Her detectives are proving to be more able than in the past which provides for some better procedural aspects to the story. The change of scene is also good for the series by providing lots of new characters as well as the opportunity to reprise old characters in new ways.
The pacing of the story is very good. Major shoes drop at regular intervals without much warning that take the mystery and its implications in new directions. My interest was sustained at a high level for almost the entire story. The humor is well developed in the story as many characters take the equivalent of pratfalls . . . but in each case there are serious consequences which gives the mood of the book an interesting feel than a more unrestrained comic mystery would provide.
I look forward to the next entry in the series. I hope it will continue to the trend towards better stories and more rewarding mysteries with more subtlety among the characters.
entertaining!.......2007-08-01
My first encounter with Agatha Raisin was well worth it. Ok so it's not Tolkien but still a very worthy diversion when the mind needs a mental holiday for several hours. It might have been just a tad over long, but it certainly kept me interested and entertained all the way to the end. Just like meeting a new friend.
Love, Lies and Liquor.......2007-06-15
Let's see. Did I like this? My husband gave it to me for Xmas. I've bought every single paperback since the beginning and just re-read Love, Lies and Liquor.
I love this series!
The series is becoming tiresome........2007-05-23
Things haven't changed much in this latest installment. In spite of her wealth and success, Agatha is still insecure and somewhat immature. In spite of his recent healing from cancer and his spiritual retreat, James Lacy is still cold and selfish, and is really quite stupid. At 53 or so, Agatha still views herself as having a girlish figure and dresses in twentyish-something apparel. She is often quite coarse and rude, and she still says, "Rats!" Even more disappointing is none of the lovable characters from earlier books make a significant appearance in this one.
I have always looked forward to the next "Agatha" book but the series is getting a bit tiresome. The plot "formula" hasn't changed from previous books and the reader is subjected to a lot of dialogue of Agatha giving her staff instructions (or in this case, phoning them to tell them what to do). I put this book aside after reading about halfway through and may not finish it for a while. Agatha isn't as much fun as she once was.
Comma-tose.......2007-04-17
I do love Agatha Raisin, but this book fell short of Beaton's usual brilliance. The first chapter was great. After that the author brings in a dizzying array of characters going in and out. The plot was hard to believe.
Customer Reviews:
Private Lies.......2007-10-05
I have not finished it yet but so far I found it insightful since it is written by a male and it gives you a glimpse into the the way men think so differently about things including Unfaithfullness. My husbands affair was an accidental one with a co-worker who was needy since she was going through a tough divorce and he as a nice guy that he has always been tried to help her sort things out and listened to her woes. That was the first big mistake. That is how it all started his feeling sorry for her and trying to comfort her by taking her out to drinks after work and talking. The affair lasted a little over a year and I discovered it by shear accident on July 1st of this year while checking his e-mail account because I had doubts about his friendship with her. The devastations that this caused me and him was overwhelming and reading this and other books on the subject have helped us to come out of the dispair and start working on recovering from this nightmare. We are on the road to recovery and are forming a stronger and more communicative marriage. Filled with understanding, knowledge and above all love and caring for each other.
I highly recommend this book to all that have been unfaithful or have sufferd the betrayal of infidelity. It has truly put a new light on how men act and why they do things this stupid.
Rather dated and biased..........2007-09-23
This author is rather biased and seems to think that infidelity is never the cause of a divorce and that divorce is to be avoided at almost all costs barring physical abuse! His references are also rather dated, is very gender biased and he meanderes way too much.
A much more useful reference on Infidelity is "Sexual Detours" by Dr. Hooly Hien
Simplistic.......2007-05-23
Pittman, like some other psychiatrists, likes to be able to put people and their actions into easy categories. Yes, people who have affairs, like people who fall in love, fall out of love, etc., behave in remarkably similar ways. That doesn't mean that those behaviors are necessarily wrong. I had an affair with a man who was/is verbally and emotionally abused by his wife. Her abuse was "infidelity" and a "betrayal of trust" long before he "betrayed" her by seeking love, acceptance and intimacy with me. And does Pittman think that the "betrayer," my lover, wasn't agonizing over his own failures and responsibilities? Pittman's advice reiterates to me that there are psychiatrists out there who like to simplify all relationships so they don't have to do the hard work of helping their clients through serious emotional work and complicated psychological motivations.
True Understanding.......2007-03-08
I love this guy. Dr. Frank Pittman is a psychiatrist with a sense of humor, and brilliant insight into the Passion, Drama, Lust and Love of affairs.
If I had a dollar for every client who explained their involvement in an extramarital affair as being swept up into Passion, I'd be a very wealthy woman. But affairs are rarely about Passion. They're about Lust, or about Drama. They don't often start out as Love. And very few of them end up there, either. It's estimated that fifty percent of marriages are affected by infidelity. Seventy-five percent of affair partners get dumped. Of the 25% who marry, ninety percent will divorce. Sounds like a ton of Drama, dontcha think?
Dr. Pittman writes engagingly about all of this and the mindset of people in affairs (Philanderers, Romantics, Accidental Infidels, and others). Here are three interesting excerpts:
"The instinctual nature of the human animal may be such that we bond, as other monogamous species do, to our sexual partner, our mate. Humans have the capacity to survive our mate -- if he or she should die, we, unlike some monogamous birds, can recover and find another mate. However, if we mate with others while our partner is still around, we may break the bond that holds the pairing together. We may, by having affairs, loosen the attachment and 'fall out of love' with our partner. It is therefore not that we fall out of love and thus have affairs, but that we have affairs and thus fall out of love by breaking an instinctual bond.
"The impact of an accidental infidelity on a romantic is explosive. It unleashes all that frustrated romanticism. Romantics with their pants off go wild -- not necessarily sexually, but emotionally. These people imprint whomever they sexualize, and they clamp on like snapping turtles, and you can't make them let go. Romantics will throw themselves desperately and suicidally at strangers, offering plans for the two of them to disappear and die together. The stranger may have trouble remembering the romantic's name. This sort of thing could even make a philanderer go straight, and will cure the accident-prone forever. This is the plot of the film Fatal Attraction, in which it was demonstrated that the romantic passion of a passing stranger is the most horrifying of nightmares.
"People [in affairs] risk everything on the hope that they can achieve joy by changing everything in their lives except themselves. They would like to press a button and have the old life go away and the new life appear. The human animal has an unfortunate tendency to identify the source of any unhappiness as coming from outside itself. The fault, as Cassius informed Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves. Our unhappiness is not in our marriages, but within us. Changing everything about our lives leaves everything important still the same, because we are the important factor in our lives, and we are the one thing left unchanged."
Best work on infidelity...........2006-04-10
I discovered this book while I was doing a research paper on infidelity. I kept noticing that most of the other books I used as references kept quoting this one! After reading it, I can see why this was so. This is just an incredibly insightful and sensitively written book on every aspect of this phenomenon.
I also like that this book does not side step ethical considerations and even calls some therapists to task for some of the advice they give in this area in the interest of their patient's who have strayed. I don't think Pittman's approach is moralistic, just responsible and common sense.
In this book, the author emphasizes betrayal of trust as the underlying betrayal that undermines intimacy. I agree that in matters of infidelity, this is indeed what does the most harm. In this book, infidelity is defined in terms of this betrayal, not just overtly sexual behavior outside of marriage or a primary relationship.
Average customer rating:
- When we practice to deceive....
- There is nothing private about Treat's love for Jaunie!!
- Hot!!
- A definite Keeper!! Money well spent and then some.
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Private Lies (Arabesque)
Robyn Amos
Manufacturer: Kimani Press
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ASIN: 037383005X |
Book Description
Strikingly exotic Jaunie Sterling was the perfect decoy for suspicious wives out to test their husbands' fidelity. That's what Intimate Investigations paid her to do, and her success was impressive. No man had ever failed to fall into her seductive trap--before Trent Douglas, that is. Not that he didn't want her. On the contrary, her smooth cinnamon skin and deep tawny eyes rattled every inch of him. But he was a faithfully engaged man and declined Jaunie's enticing advances.
Years later, Jaunie still thought about Trent Douglas. Although she'd only been doing her job, she'd never forgotten the icy stare he gave her when he realized he'd been set up. Now Jaunie is part owner in her own P.I. firm, and their paths are about to cross again--this time in a case that involves Trent. Suddenly, there's no dodging each other, or the irrepressible desire they've been trying to deny. But when someone begins stalking Jaunie--someone with a deadly message--to hold on to love, she must first hold on to her life.…
Customer Reviews:
When we practice to deceive...........2005-04-20
Jaunie Sterling, going by her alias Dominique, was every man's dream. A woman that would make even the purest of the saints, fall to his knees. Due to her undeniable beauty, mistrustful women paid her to go undercover to test the faithfulness of their husbands and fiancés. Jaunie's advances always worked, that is until the day the devastatingly handsome Trenton Douglas turned her down. Once Trent found out his encounter with her was planned, nothing in Jaunie's life could compare to the tongue lashing she received from him. After what could be described as the ultimate humiliation, Jaunie decides to seek another form of employment. However, thoughts of Trent never strayed far from her mind.
After the horrifying ordeal, Trent packed his bags and left town. Now five years later, he returns to start a new life as partner in a contracting firm with his best friend. When his partner suggests he introduce himself to the occupants of the office across the hall, Trent is at a loss for words when he comes face to face with Dominique. Jaunie has a hard time convincing Trent that she has a reputable job and is no longer posing as Dominique. But what Trent has failed to divulge is his attraction to her since their first encounter, as the reason for his disbelief. When Jaunie's life is threatened, will Trent finally throw caution to the wind and learn to forgive and forget?
PRIVATE LIES is an awe-inspiring tale of two people destined to find happiness. Once again Robyn Amos has entertained readers with another excellent tale of romance and suspense. This novel was such a fast-paced enjoyable read that I did not want to see it end.
Reviewed by Pamela Bolden
of The RAWSISTAZ™ Reviewers
There is nothing private about Treat's love for Jaunie!!.......2000-11-05
Trent has a problem! That problem can not be solved when the cause and cure is a lady by the name of Jaunie. Trent tries but could not come up with a drug to prevent him form falling in love with Jaunie. How can he when Jaunie is the only cure for what ale's him!! This was a great story. Once again Amos gives a story that her fans and readers can just fall in love with. I could not put this one down. Much love Amos!!
Hot!!.......1998-06-08
This novel was all of that and then some. I really enjoyed the novel. The plot and story line were very creative and interesting. I was elated when Jaunie and Trent finally got together. Finally, Robert found someone that he could have for keeps. Four failed marriages!! That's not really good. Keep up the good work Robyn!! Looking forward to your next novel.
A definite Keeper!! Money well spent and then some........1998-04-04
This story is very real and well written. The chemistry between Jaunie and Trenton is hot. And we also have several little mysteries along the way to keep one aptly entertained. She also tackles some serious topics like child runaways but in away that fits with the plot of the story. A definite must read.
Book Description
Ever wondered what a private counselor tells an Upper East Side family for $10,000? The secrets are in
College Admissions Trade Secrets.
College Admissions Trade Secrets is a straight forward guide to:
- Top 7 Lies Colleges Tell
- The Real Scoop Behind Acceptance Rates
- Things That Really Matter When Comparing Colleges
- How to Write a Great Essay and Prep for a Great Interview
- Common Mistakes that Result in Rejection
- Last Minute Tips for Seniors
- A Scandalous Examination of HarvardÂ's Course Catalogue, PennÂ's View Book, and NYUÂ's Faculty
- How Anyone Can Avoid Being in the Pool of Applicants with the Lowest Acceptance Rate
Customer Reviews:
Great Book for all High School Students.......2005-09-11
This is a great, informative book that is definately a must for hish school students. Im a senior now and I was so confused about the college admission process and what I need to do to make my application stand out. This is an EXCELLENT book. It's so well written and not voring at all. It has so many facts that you would've never knew about. I am so much more informed about applying to colleges now and I feel like I can get accepted anywhere. To al high schoolers who are starting on their applications and are confuse- GET THIS BOOK!
very useful.......2005-03-11
A very helpful and exhaustive book. Allen has a lot that you need to hear, and you probably have not heard it before.
The book, unlike most college guide books, is not carefully divided based on colleges or regions. Instead, it has more of a narrative structure, although the chapters are divided by aspects of the admissions process.
However, it's very absorbing and witty writing. So interesting that I read it from cover to cover, even though I'm even not in the market for going to college! It was a real eye-opener.
I do have some complaints, though. Don't get the wrong idea from them, however. Allen's work is, overall, is a brisk, useful, and amusing read. And the gripes are:
1. The book is written almost exclusively for traditional college applicants (i.e., 17 years old, currently in high school, etc.) Non-traditional or transfer applicants will therefore find the book's strategies largely (but not entirely) useless.
2. The thing was evidently hastily written: there are countless typos, misspellings, printer's errors, etc. Likely this won't bother you too much given your probable reasons for picking it up in the first place, but it does make me wonder about the reliability of the numbers Allen is reporting. Here, for example, is a disturbing contradiction: [p. 186]
". . . Yale filled 43% of available seats for the Class of 2007 with Early Decision applicants, and those applicants were admitted at a 22% rate . . ."
and then, later, in the same paragraph (!):
"A small number of top colleges . . . most notably Yale, do not fill a significant portion of the freshman class with early decision candidates."
3. The author has what appears to be a very low opinion of UC Berkeley, in contrast to the majority of students, teachers, and college counselors I have worked with. Though this is never stated explicitly, his dissenting view is unmistakable:
"Of the roughly thirty top colleges in America, only six -- the Air Force Academy, Cal Tech, Stanford, Rice, U. Chicago and Northwestern -- aren't on the east coast. [p. 241]"
4. The thing is seriously disorganized. The author, aware of this, warns you about this upfront, but still, it's disorganized all the same. As just one example, suppose you only need help with your essay. So you read his essay section. Unknown to you, there is a lot of potentially useful information on college essays in the "strategies" section which you wouldn't have discovered if you had merely dipped into the "essay" section.
The only solution is to read the entire thing through from cover to cover. I don't think you'll regret this, though.
This book helped our family separate fact from fiction!.......2005-02-11
I read four other books in addition to this book to prepare as a parent for our son's college process. I found this book to be the most realistic. The author does not present the topic of college admissions in a pollyanna manner the way others books did. He tells it like it is or pretty much the way we discovered the process to be. I highly recommend that parents read this book and cite the gist of the book to your prospectice college student over time- Too much reality can demotivate/demoralize your child. Other books that were recommended by counselors,school, etc., placed the colleges on a pedestal as if they are altrusitic without a profit motive in mind. We found the opposite as we went through the college process. Andrew Allen's book prepared us in a way that produced a positive college search process for our family.
SIMPLY THE BEST.......2003-12-21
Simply put, there is no book that offers as much information, advice and opinions as Trade Secrets. Most admissions books offer 1/10th what this book offers -- you would be INSANE to apply to college without first reading this book. I suspect that the majority of the bad reviews are from high school counselors or admissions offices--Allen takes both to task. Beware: if you can't take strong advice (that's wickedly helpful), then don't buy this book. If you want some great insider help, then get a copy.
Cynical, poorly-written and inaccurate.......2003-11-03
Interestingly, Andrew Allen never tells you where he himself went to college. Given how poorly written and repetitive this book is, and how unappreciative of the true value of a great education, it's just as well for the reputation of his alma mater. Allen fits Oscar Wilde's definition of the cynic -- he knows the price of everything, the value of nothing. He makes ridiculous claims about schools' reputations such as that Dartmouth has a reputation for being antagonistic towards men whereas schools such as Davidson and Washington & Lee are known to be "very male-friendly" -- a term he leaves completely undefined. Allen also says that "if you can get into Stanford, then you can get into Yale, Chicago, or Georgetown, all of which offer a better education." Says who?
This book is all about a not-very-talented man who has fallen in love with the position of power he has assumed as a self-anointed guru of college admissions. If you are a bright, hardworking person who wants to go to a great college to be in the company of other bright, hardworking people, you will want to avoid the company of Andrew Allen before you get there. There are a slew of better college admissions book to turn to, including "How to Get Into the Top Colleges" by Richard Montauk.
Book Description
Agatha Christies Miss Marple. Sue Graftons Kinsey Millhone. Alexander McCall Smiths Precious Ramotswe. Every once in a while, a detective bursts on the scene who captures readers heartsand imaginationsand doesnt let go. And so it was with Jacqueline Winspears Maisie Dobbs, who made her debut just two years ago in the eponymously titled first book of the series, and is already on her way to becoming a household name. A deathbed plea from his wife leads Sir Cecil Lawton to seek the aid of Maisie Dobbs, psychologist and investigator. As Maisie soon learns, Agnes Lawton never accepted that her aviator son was killed in the Great War, a torment that led her not only to the edge of madness but to the doors of those who practice the dark arts and commune with the spirit world. In accepting the assignment, Maisie finds her spiritual strength tested, as well as her regard for her mentor, Maurice Blanche. The mission also brings her together once again with her college friend Priscilla Evernden, who served in France and who lost three brothers to the warone of whom, it turns out, had an intriguing connection to the missing Ralph Lawton.
Customer Reviews:
Pardonable Lies.......2007-09-05
When things happen, they happen in threes. So Maisie Dobbs finds out when she takes on a case to help a child accused of murder, a sort of double case dealing with soldiers killed in the war, and trying to find out who was trying to kill her. The child accused of murder is a girl barely thirteen forced into street walking, of the two soldiers, one was the brother of Maisie's best friend and the other the son of an MP who had promised to settle the question of whether the boy still lived or not. Lastly, the killer had surfaced as she began her investigations Was is someone connected to a case? Talented Jacqueline Winspear has written a story that will keep you reading, beginning to end. You will thoroughly enjoy meeting Maisie and the other characters while stepping back in time. A series of subplots woven into the fabric of the whole make for a satisfying and pleasant read. A touch of the paranormal added to the mix of mystery and romance give it a flavor to set it apart from the rodinary mystery. Any reader will find this deserves the title, cozy, even though it doesn't follow all the rules. You'll be looking for other books by this very able author. I know I will.
Powerful Anti war Message.......2007-06-08
All of the Maisie Dobbs books are wonderfully written historical novels as well as mysteries. They take place between the wars, and speak of the horrors of the War to End All Wars. What the brave Brits don't know is that there is much worse to come.
I re-read the series often, and purchase it for gifts.
Much to like--but in slo-mo.......2007-05-17
There is much to like in the mystery novels featuring Maisie Dobbs, private investigator in London, ex-nurse from World War I. First, there is Ms. Dobbs herself, an interesting mixture of liberated feminism and vulnerability. Memories of the war's blood and horrors are never far in the back of her memory. Everything she does is affected by this.
Then there is the time, a dozen years after the war, in the midst of the so-called Great Depression that hit Europe well before the United States, with an even bigger war looming in the guise of nazism and fascism. The reader recognizes this, but of course Maisie has no way to know what Mein Kampf will lead to in less than a decade.
Unfortunately the plot is just too slow, stopped cold from time to time as the author insists, for example, upon telling us the color and texture of every garment that a character is wearing, even though the raiment has absolutely nothing to do with anything. Moreover, the happenings are just a wee bit vague at times--too many times. This curious mixture of vagueness and too much information should have been edited out during the first read at the publishers.
Still, Maisie and her times merit at least three stars.
Reviewed by Sarra Borne.......2007-02-10
The third in the Maisie Dobbs series, Pardonable Lies, maintains the high quality of writing evident in her first two mysteries. Author Jacqueline Winspear transports us back to the 1930's, when the Great War (WW1) was still fresh in the mind. Maisie Dobbs served as a nurse in France during that engagement, after the war, with help from mentor Maurice Blance, she attended college and became a psychologist and detective.
In this book, Maisie is asked to lend her expert assistance on three cases. The first, to prove an impoverished young girl innocent of a crime that might send her to the gallows. The second, to discover the fate of the brother of her closest friend and confidante, reported dead by the military. Her third case is to discover whether a young aviator shot down over France is dead or alive. His father, Sir Cecil Lawton, doesn't really care one way or the other but feels he must fulfill the deathbed promise made to his wife.
As she investigates, she learns that there are a few intertwining threads among these three seemingly unrelated stories. Probing deeper, she discovers shadowy figures following her and an attempt is made on her life. But which case is the one that inspires such passion?
In order to get to the heart of the matter, Maisie forces herself to return to France where she is still haunted by her memories of nursing wounded soldiers. She must confront her demons and put her past behind her - or suffer the consequences.
Jacqueline Winspear has written a highly complex and masterful story. Readers will gain a real feel for the time between the two World Wars from all the exquisite detail Winspear has painstakingly included. Maisie herself is an appealing, imperfect heroine, who is more than ready to admit her faults, showing a character that is all that much more authentic.
Maisie Dobbs.......2007-02-06
Jacqueline Winspear provides us with a fresh breath in mystery writing. The author's vivid descriptions take one back to the time period of World War I. The main character, Maiser Dobbs, is a cross between Nancy Drew and Alexandra Cooper of the Linda Fairstein novels. It is difficult to put the book down, because you want to find out what happens next. In the end, you have not only been thoroughly entertained by Ms. Winspear's writing, but you are left with a feeling of peacefullness.
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Eyes, Lies And Illusions: The Art Of Deception
Laurent Mannoni ,
werner Nekes , and
Marina Warner
Manufacturer: Lund Humphries Publishers
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Documenta Kassell 16/06 - 23/09, 2007 (Documenta 12 Catalogue)
ASIN: 0853319138 |
Book Description
Preference falsification, according to the economist Timur Kuran, is the act of misrepresenting one's wants under perceived social pressures. It happens frequently in everyday life, such as when we tell the host of a dinner party that we are enjoying the food when we actually find it bland. In Private Truths, Public Lies Kuran argues convincingly that the phenomenon not only is ubiquitous but has huge social and political consequences. Drawing on diverse intellectual traditions, including those rooted in economics, psychology, sociology, and political science, Kuran provides a unified theory of how preference falsification shapes collective decisions, orients structural change, sustains social stability, distorts human knowledge, and conceals political possibilities.
A common effect of preference falsification is the preservation of widely disliked structures. Another is the conferment of an aura of stability on structures vulnerable to sudden collapse. When the support of a policy, tradition, or regime is largely contrived, a minor event may activate a bandwagon that generates massive yet unanticipated change.
In distorting public opinion, preference falsification also corrupts public discourse and, hence, human knowledge. So structures held in place by preference falsification may, if the condition lasts long enough, achieve increasingly genuine acceptance. The book demonstrates how human knowledge and social structures co-evolve in complex and imperfectly predictable ways, without any guarantee of social efficiency.
Private Truths, Public Lies uses its theoretical argument to illuminate an array of puzzling social phenomena. They include the unexpected fall of communism, the paucity, until recently, of open opposition to affirmative action in the United States, and the durability of the beliefs that have sustained India's caste system.
Customer Reviews:
Clear thinking about issues that many avoid thinking about.......2004-09-24
This book does a good job of analyzing the causes and effects of the differences between public and private beliefs, although it is a bit slow and long-winded.
Much of what the book says seems like it ought to be obvious, but for the most part I hadn't thought very clearly about these issues, and at very least the book persuaded me to clarify my thoughts. He makes a strong argument that some aspects of revolutions are inherently unpredictable, but I'm still trying to decide whether he succeeds in refuting alternative theories that imply factors such as sudden declines in wealth can help predict revolutions.
Fascinating Book.......2003-09-29
This is a fascinating, thought-provoking book that discusses with great skill issues like preference falsification, pluralistic ignore, social psychology, and related topics. It's a great study of why people too often don't do what they believe. The book is very easy to read and strikes a good balance between being based in research and telling a good story.
Why people lie in groups. Strikingly original theory........1997-01-29
Economists, sociologists and psychologists each base their models on underlying conceptions of man: Homo economicus is the bloodless and instantaneous calculator of costs and benefits; homo sociologicus is a product of social stimuli; and homo psychologicus is ruled by conscience.
Kuran has done something quite novel in this non-fiction book- he has melded all three theories into one, and uses it to explain why people often times mask their true opinions in groups.
This is remarkable feat given the relative lack of cross-pollination across these three disciplines. The theory is intuitively easy to grab, yet one yearns for examples which directly connect to his theory. I spent a long time trying to understand what was meant by "intrinsic utility" since it was defined in different ways in different parts of the book.
The chapters are meant to buttress his theory by tackling such issues as revolution, affirmative action, and slavery, but they are not especially well integrated into the first part of the book. In fact, they read more like stand alone articles.
The book is original and thought provoking. There is no other book like it. Those who are not trained in economics will find plenty to talk and mull over in the later chapters. But Kuran could do a better job of explaining the early section with more illustrations.
Hopefully, he will address these concerns in a later edition.
Average customer rating:
- A lot of helpful Ideas
- Well Worth The Time
- Underwhelmed
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Confessions of A Love Dick- How Private Eyes Catch Those Who Cheat & Lie
Beth Whaley
Manufacturer: MateChecks.com
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Love & Romance
| Relationships
| Health, Mind & Body
| Subjects
| Books
Divorce & Separation
| Family & Health Law
| Law
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Divorce
| Family Relationships
| Parenting & Families
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General
| Parenting & Families
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Divorce & Separation
| Family & Health Law
| Law
| Professional & Technical
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ASIN: 0977825108 |
Book Description
"Confessions of A Love Dick- How Private Eyes Catch Those Who Cheat & Lie" was written by a female who specialized in infidelity investigations for five years. Morgan reveals what "life behind the lense" was like when hired by her male and female clients to help determine whom their mate was seeing, where their mate was going, and whom their mate was calling. Readers will learn the tricks of trade and the warning signs to look for if they believe they are being lied to or cheated on by their mate. This unique book offers tips on conducting "romantic espionage" when one is ready to know what is really going on when they are not around.
Customer Reviews:
A lot of helpful Ideas.......2007-01-12
I am surprised at how candid the author was. Private investigators are so expensive, so the price I paid for this book on Amazon was well worth it. It took five days to use her suggestions and i got my answer. He was cheating on me.
Well Worth The Time.......2007-01-10
It only took me an hour and a half to read this book but I now understand that there are ways for me to conduct my own personal investigation of my mate without using a P.I. for now. Thank you , Beth or whoever you are.
Underwhelmed.......2006-11-27
As a professional investigator, I expected to read at least some interesting anecdotes and probably some interesting insights into the domestic type of inquiry that we do not engage in. In other words, I am always will to learn and also looked forward to entertainment. Instead, the five by eight inch paperback arrived with 98 pages of text - which was double spaced and oversized print. With no real format or structure, the short - not to say anemic - anedotes were weak and the lessons and hints were literally non-existent. Any beginner who had not been in a seminary since birth would know this much. The author used a pseudonym and not their real name. If I had written such a book, I would have too. Save your money.
Average customer rating:
- Hope this isn't the last
- Loved It!
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The Last of Her Lies: A Maggie Garrett Mystery
Jean Taylor
Manufacturer: Seal Press (CA)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
United States
| World Literature
| Literature & Fiction
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| 18th Century
| 19th Century
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Action & Adventure
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Lesbian
| Fiction
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Lesbian
| Mystery & Thrillers
| Gay & Lesbian
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| Mystery
| Mystery & Thrillers
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Women Sleuths
| Mystery
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Lesbian Studies
| Special Groups
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ASIN: 1878067753 |
Customer Reviews:
Hope this isn't the last.......2001-05-08
Maggie Garrett is a struggling PI in San Francisco. Her best friend keeps trying to set her up with every single woman she knows and her best friend's partner has recommended her to psychologist's attorney. The psychologist is being accused of sleeping with one of her patients. First the attorney hires her, then her father wants to pay to get the information first, then the step-mother wants to pay to get the information first. She agrees to all of them and then the dance begins. Taylor reveals each piece of evidence to the reader as her character finds them. Nothing is what it seems to be. Garrett goes undercover looking for the perpetrator only to find other crimes being committed. Things become even more complicated when murder is committed. Now Garrett is searching for a murderer! Garrett is an interesting and finely drawn character. Her friends are just like yours and mine. If you like mysteries cozy and with a lesbian PI, this is the series for you.
Loved It!.......1998-04-03
Completely enjoyed The Last of Her Lies. It's a great read and I look forward to reading more of Jean Taylor.
Book Description
This collection brings us two short novels featuring Brian A. Hopkins' most memorable character, Martin Zolotow. Martin has a weakness for damsels in distress, a nose for sniffing out trouble, and the scars to prove that he can dish it out as well as take it. Suffering from a condition that hampers his short-term memory, he is a lone crusader in a cold, brutal world. Featuring trademark wry humor interspersed with white-knuckled action and adventure, Lipstick, Lies, and Lady Luck is sure to garner more fans of Brian Hopkins' evocative writing.
Brian A. Hopkins lives in Oklahoma City.
Customer Reviews:
unique private investigator who part Boy Scout and part Noir.......2004-07-28
"The Licking Valley Coon Hunters Club". At Los Angeles Airport, a sick looking thug carrying a syringe with bad blood inside it abducts former cop Martin Zolotow using the hypodermic as a weapon. The thug escorts Martin by air to Oklahoma City where two more punks greet him. They take Zolo to Tobias Washington; he blackmails Zolo by threatening to kill a friend if the sleuth fails to rescue his daughter from rival Jimmy McDevitt and the pig farmer's so-called vampires. Zolo works the case, but is triple crossed at every step as the two gang lords compete over illegal drug trafficking.
"The Bikini Bottoms Optional Oyster Bar". Zolo barely survives a dunking in the Gulf of Mexico though he cannot remember why someone would toss him into the sea. Widow Jacob Mathias helps Zolo recover at his place in Apalachicola, Florida. Zolo starts to remember his client Henry McGill wanted him to learn what happened to internet stripper Lena, who the he believes was murdered. Now Zolo struggles to learn how he got embroiled with mobsters wanting him dead starting with the strip joint The Bikini Bottoms Optional Oyster Bar.
These two novellas star an intriguing knight in shining armor sleuth who has memory problems that will remind readers of Memento's Leonard Shelby. Both tales are well written as the hero struggles to keep track of what he knows, which he quickly forgets unless he writes it down (should try a Polaroid). Brian A. Hopkins furbishes a unique private investigator who is one part Boy Scout and one part Noir.
Harriet Klausner
Books:
- Love: What Life Is All About
- Marketing Channels (7th Edition) (Prentice Hall International Series in Marketing)
- Marley & Me: Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog
- Maximum Ride #3: Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports (Maximum Ride)
- Metaphysical Wit
- On Common Ground: The Power of Professional Learning Communities
- On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society
- One Tough Mother: Success in Life, Business and Apple Pies
- Party Receipts from the Charleston Junior League: Hors D'Oeuvres, Savories, Sweets
- Reasons for Knocking at an Empty House: Writings 1973-1994
Books Index
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