Stardust

Amazon.com

Stardust is an utterly charming fairy tale in the tradition of The Princess Bride and The Neverending Story. Neil Gaiman, creator of the darkly elegant Sandman comics and author of The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish, tells the story of young Tristran Thorn and his adventures in the land of Faerie. One fateful night, Tristran promises his beloved that he will retrieve a fallen star for her from beyond the Wall that stands between their rural English town (called, appropriately, Wall) and the Faerie realm. No one ever ventures beyond the Wall except to attend an enchanted flea market that is held every nine years (and during which, unbeknownst to him, Tristran was conceived). But Tristran bravely sets out to fetch the fallen star and thus win the hand of his love. His adventures in the magical land will keep you turning pages as fast as you can--he and the star escape evil old witches, deadly clutching trees, goblin press-gangs, and the scheming sons of the dead Lord of Stormhold. The story is by turns thrillingly scary and very funny. You'll love goofy, earnest Tristran and the talking animals, gnomes, magic trees, and other irresistible denizens of Faerie that he encounters in his travels. Stardust is a perfect read-aloud book, a brand-new fairy tale you'll want to share with a kid, or maybe hoard for yourself. (If you read it to kids, watch out for a couple of spicy sex bits and one epithet.) --Therese Littleton

Book Description

In the sleepy English countryside of decades past, there is a town that has stood on a jut of granite for six hundred years. And immediately to the east stands a high stone wall, for which the village is named. Here in the town of Wall, Tristran Thorn has lost his heart to the hauntingly beautiful Victoria Forester. One crisp October night, as they watch, a star falls from the sky, and Victoria promises to marry Tristran if he'll retrieve that star and bring it back for her. It is this promise that sends Tristran through the only gap in the wall, across the meadow, and into the most unforgettable adventure of his life.In the sleepy English countryside of decades past, there is a town that has stood on a jut of granite for six hundred years. And immediately to the east stands a high stone wall, for which the village is named. Here in the town of Wall, Tristran Thorn has lost his heart to the hauntingly beautiful Victoria Forester. One crisp October night, as they watch, a star falls from the sky, and Victoria promises to marry Tristran if he'll retrieve that star and bring it back for her. It is this promise that sends Tristran through the only gap in the wall, across the meadow, and into the most unforgettable adventure of his life.

Download Description

"Special e-book feature: ""Writing and the Imagination,"" a speech by Neil Gaiman. In the sleepy English countryside at the dawn of the Victorian Era, life moves at a leisurely pace in the tiny town of Wall--a secluded hamlet so named for an imposing stone barrier that surrounds a fertile grassland. Armed sentries guard the sole gap in the bulwark to keep the inquisitive from wandering through, relaxing their vigil only once every nine years, when a market fair unlike any other in the world of men comes to the meadow. Here in Wall, young Tristran Thorn has lost his heart to beautiful Victoria Forester. But Victoria is cold and distant--as distant, in fact, as the star she and Tristran see fall from the sky on a crisp October evening. For the coveted prize of Victoria's hand, Tristran vows to retrieve the fallen star and deliver it to his beloved. It is an oath that sends the lovelorn swain over the ancient wall, and propels him into a world that is strange beyond imagining. But Tristran is not the only one seeking the heavenly jewel. There are those for whom it promises youth and beauty, the key to a kingdom, and the rejuvenation of dark, dormant magics. And a lad compelled by love will have to keep his wits about him to succeed and survive in this secret place where fallen stars come in many guises--and where quests have a way of branching off in unexpected directions, even turning back upon themselves in space and in time. Neil Gaiman works his unique literary magic in new and dazzling ways in Stardust, a novel that will shine in the heart and memory far beyond the turning of its final page. "

Customer Reviews:

greta book.......2007-10-10

I loved this book. It was a great read and written in a charming and entertaining way.

Not bad but not great either. 3 to 3.5........2007-10-10

Stardust"Stardust" by Neil Gaiman

A small town Named Wall located in England is bordered by a....well, wall. This wall is the borderland between our world and the magical land of Faerie. Faerie can only be accessed by a small 6 foot gap in the wall but only every 9 years when the inhabitants of Faerie gather near the entrance for a market. At all other times the opening is guarded and no one is allowed to pass. In the town of Wall lives a young man named Tristan Thorn. One night Tristan decides to profess his love to a girl named Victoria. Upon professing his love they witness a star fall over the land of Faerie and Tristan tells Victoria that he will retrieve the fallen star for her in return for whatever he desires from her. Victoria agrees and Tristan enters Faerie in search of the fallen star......

This book wasn't terrible but I can't call it great either. Something about the story just came across as very generic and very "Typical Faerie Tale" to me. The characters had a limited amount of development and just seemed a little bit like "Cut and paste" characters. Typical faerie tale characters which include the young naïve man going on a mission to prove his love, the evil old witch, and the damsel in distress amongst others. Like I said it wasn't terrible either it was just, well......a 3 to 3.5 out of 5.

The Good: This was a quick and easy read and wasn't boring at any point.The story was well written overall. The characters and plot were interesting if a little under developed

The Bad: Nothing terrible. The characters were a little under developed and the story seemed a little generic and just never quite grabbed me.

Overall: Not a terrible read. Quick and entertaining worth picking up but don't expect greatness.

In Search of a Fallen Star.......2007-10-10

I only recently discovered the writings of Neil Gaiman and am glad to add him to my list of favorite modern fantasy authors. I listened to the audio version of Stardust, which was narrated by Gaiman himself. While I'm a fan of audio books in general, I think a tale like this is especially appropriate to listen to, as it evokes the distant past of folk tales that predate the widespread use of written language. I have not seen the movie which recently came out, and, from what I've heard, am not anxious to see it. It sounds like a typical Hollywood approach. I read in a review of the movie that Robert Deniro plays the captain of a pirate ship who likes to dress in women's clothes. While the novel does have the pirate ship, this eccentricity on the captain's part is not in the book. This may not be very important, but the fact that they invented this for the film seems to imply that the novel is not sufficiently interesting on its own, which is far from the case.

Stardust is a fantasy that quite openly draws on many older tales, including traditional fairy tales, Celtic tales of faery, and even Shakespeare. In the audio version, there is a quite interesting interview with Gaiman, where he mentions the early, not very well known fantasy author Lord Dunsany. I actually recognized a passage in Stardust that was taken in tribute to this older author -referring to "the fields we know" (an often repeated expression in Dunsany's King of Elfland's Daughter), which denotes the everyday world as opposed to the lands of faery. This division between worlds is an important part of Stardust. The tale starts in the town of Wall, a rather ordinary town except for the fact that it is surrounded by an actual wall -on the other side are the magical lands. This idea of crossing into the Otherworld is a common theme is older tales, especially in the British Isles. What I like about Stardust is that Gaiman evokes many familiar themes from these traditions and still comes up with a very original story.

The hero of Stardust is a young man named Tristan who, it turns out, has faery blood himself. He ventures to the other side of the wall to fetch a falling star in order to win the love of a young woman named Victoria. The star turns out to be another young woman, named Yvaine, who does not appreciate Tristan's plan to capture her. Further complicating matters is the fact that others are also looking for Yvaine for their own purposes -a particularly unpleasant witch and a group of brothers who are seeking a charm the star possesses. Tristan must win Yvaine's love and also protect her from these others. Along the way, they meet various magical creatures, including a unicorn, and overcome a myriad of life-threatening dangers, as you might expect in such a tale.

Neil Gaiman has a diverse writing background; he has done comic books, short stories and what are usually categorized as urban fantasies (e.g. Neverwhere). Stardust is not quite a traditional fairy tale. It is not set in the distant past or in a completely mythical world, but in Victorian England. Early in the novel, Gaiman mentions that Wall still exists, which implies that the faery world does as well. Neil Gaiman makes an excellent guide to magical lands.

I know it's cliche, but the book is better than the movie!.......2007-10-10

A wonderful fairy tale for adults-- kids will like it too, but there are a couple of passages that may be too adult for kids.
In the tradition of The Princess Bride, but much better!
Like most fairy tales, there is a love story involved, and witches, and magic, and princesses, and lots of fantastic imagination!

A sweet fairy tale.......2007-09-30

Pretty good book. I like the depth that it goes into on some areas, but the ending is quite odd. There is a definite difference between the movie and the book, but both are worth your time. The pictures are beautiful and it is just a pleasure to have such an enchanting small world to escape into. I recommend this book to anyone who has a heart for a world that doesn't rely on reason.

Average customer rating:

Neurotic TV star adds bit of spice to Spenser's life
Well, at least he can write
Gold Dust Rising from Ashes of Coal Dust
Unfortunate
Mixed reaction

Stardust (Spenser)
Robert B. Parker
Manufacturer: Berkley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0425127230

Book Description

When a Hollywood-based TV series schedules filming in Boston, Spenser smells trouble. When he signs up to protect the show's star, Jill Joyce, he knows it's on its way.

First, there's Jill herself. She's spoiled, arrogant, drugged out -- made worse by fear. Someone is out to get her -- does she imagine it, or is it real?

Spenser monitors her neurosis, but finds evidence of harassment. It escalates to murder. Now begins the dangerous part -- while the act may have ended, the murderer lingers on.

"STARDUST is a four-star noir suspense that no Spenser fan will be able to resist." (Publisher's Source)

Customer Reviews:

Neurotic TV star adds bit of spice to Spenser's life.......2007-07-14

Spenser is hired by Zenith Meridian Television to protect their star television personality, Jill Joyce - who says she has been receiving harassing telephone calls and letters. When Spenser tries to find out more about these calls, Jill refuses to elaborate - insisting, however, that he protect her from "Him," as she calls her stalker, while all the while refusing to answer any questions relating to details about the problem, her past or pretty much anything at all and at the same time alternating between trying to get Spenser into bed and drinking herself into a torpor. Finally Spenser leaves her in Hawk's care and sets out to find out what he can on his own.

Jill is probably one of the least appealing people Spenser has ever set out to "save." He, however, sets out with great patience nonetheless, to do just that. He follows every lead, steps on toes from the East to the West coast in the process, has his life threatened several times and finally gets to the bottom of the situation. It ain't pretty.

Of course, you'll have to read the book to find out what happens.

I enjoyed this story, mostly because the character dynamics were so interesting. Jill Joyce was so terribly unpleasant, yet at the same time she engendered great sympathy and loyalty among so many people that it was really unbelievable. As one character remarked, she had a "quality" about her, something deep inside her that got buried under the booze and drugs. Parker did a good job with his writing skills of showing that vulnerability as well as the prickly and unpleasant exterior. Very good job. Strong recommend from me.

Well, at least he can write.......2007-06-04

Two stars because Parker is able to write, zero for plot (what plot?) characters(Puh-leeze). I tripped over this in the library needing an easy read. What amazes me is that this was apparently a popular series in the 80's. So much for the 80's. Spenser and Susan are so superior to the rest of the human race we should all be ashamed. They are witty, they are sensitive, they are honest, they are loving, they are perfect. As a natural offshoot of this they are tiresome, they are snide, they are racist, they are class-driven in their outlook and tastes. They are, frankly, very creepy. Anyway I guess something happens in the novel, I was too sick to stay around.

Gold Dust Rising from Ashes of Coal Dust.......2007-04-17

What might burn to what purification and perfection, within the ashes of impoverished beginnings ...

Again, a Spenser novel kept my focus away from the snow-packed, icy curves of a Rocky Mountain corridor over the Continental Divide on Colorado State highway 50, edging the high, steep cliffs over Monarch Pass. If any feat would recommend the ability of a novel to hold a reader captive, that should.

The fascination in this # 17 in the series seemed to pivot around a flickering disgust Vs appeal of the Star of the plot, Jill Joyce, as those dark/bright flashes played through Jill's evolving relationships with Spenser, Susan, and residual characters, who mostly viewed "Jillie" as a "high-octane pain in the ..." (quoting one the book's descriptive terms of her). Parker worked an amazing double-sided realism into the plot, contrasting Jill's spoiled, impatient, sour personality; to her youthful vulnerabilities, her having not one true friend, and her carrying the weight of the job title's specific and actual demands. With drunk, druggie, an nympho added to the liabilities in this Star's aura, the scales slipped south, and provided Spenser with a challenge he couldn't refuse. I may have left out a couple descriptive terms of the down side of Jill Joyce's personality, but guessing what they might be would be a snap.

STARDUST is a classic character study, and an excellent example of fine writing, especially given Parker's vivid, delightfully sardonic descriptions of various settings, descriptions based on weather conditions and wealth divergence, contrasting Boston and surrounding areas with the San Diego and LA extended environments.

During the writing of my previous review on PLAYMATES, # 16 in this series, I began noticing an edge of embarrassment about my ongoing compulsion to write reviews on each novel in the Spenser series. Therefore, I seem to be pushed at the moment by a nag from my Left Brain to explain personal and professional motivations in feeding the continued pursuit of this "study." Actually, that's precisely what my dedication to reviewing this series has become, a study. I feel blessed to be able to observe three decades (and counting) of cultural evolution through Parker's liberal notations of styles of dress, tastes in food, ways of thinking, repartee dance-steps, etc. Yet, I'm making note of much more than that.

I'm observing the steady, methodical, dedicated evolution of an author's voice, talent, perspective, and ethical philosophy ... over thirty years of annual production in a sequential offering repeating characters, locale, and genre.

I'm observing "current" events unfolding within Parker's plots. I'm noticing subtle publisher presence and reader preference as that backdrop appears to play into Parker's choices of subject, theme, and style variances in each novel in this chain adding links upon links of evolving ethical considerations.

My interest was maintained well in STARDUST as my curiosity grew about how Spenser could save this child, who was screeching in repulsively offensive ways, for someone to take care of her, someone, anyone to care about anything in her, qualities beyond beauty, which might lie more deeply and lastingly in Jill's soul... someone to care about more than her capacity to draw in dollars. As a prostitute to overwhelming demands on her presence and physical perfection, given nothing truly refueling of self in return; Jill reminded me of Spenser's April Kyle, clearly showing that money, fame, success, and adulation are able to starve the life out of a young heart needing TLC, compassion, and a savior.

As has become Parker's relished signature, several scenes of dialogue exchanges in STARDUST were highly satisfying. One of the cheer inducements I regularly enjoy in a Spenser novel is his ever-growing-repertoire of ways to burst odorous balloons of pompous buffoons who overrate their importance by metaphoric measures of mountains of compost heaps. (See Marty Riggs in this one, especially the scene in chapter 29 with Quirk, regarding Jill having been misplaced. And, for a story about mountains of coal dust and a young Mom starring in a bull-dog win, see Coal & Coca-cola)

And then, we had here the entrance of Victor del Rio and gang-of-two, Chollo and Bobby Horse. Yep, another fascinating bad, bad, bad dude ... with a couple honorable qualities, who related well with Spenser in scene after engrossing scene.

My favorite scene in STARDUST, though, was the one noted above, with Riggs, Quirk, a collection of big wigs at Zenith, and Spenser. Quirk gives Riggs a prime-spot-comeuppance to either kill or die for. Parts of that chapter I had to read aloud to my husband. After I had read a couple paragraphs, then asked a few minutes later if he wanted to hear more, his positive pose slid immediately into an ear-toward-my-direction.

The last line in this one could serve as the beginnings of purification of poverty, if not an outright activation of alchemy.

What is Hope,
Linda Shelnutt

Unfortunate.......2006-08-17

I stopped reading Parker a long time ago because I just couldn't stomach Spenser's self-indulgent preachiness and very creepy homophobia, Hawk is a comic-book hero. The stories drag, bogged down by Spenser's annoying POV.

I've always said, Parker is a good writer, but a terrible novelist.

Mixed reaction.......2006-07-15

I think this is Parker's take on the tv series Spenser For Hire. He doesn't seem to have a high opinion of Hollywood actors/actresses. The other book in this series that this one is most like is : Looking For Rachel Wallace.

While I am a huge Spenser fan I wouldn't say this novel is a must-have. It is more for those who are die-hard Spenser/Parker fans. It is still a good read, but many other novels in this series is better than this one.

Stardust of Yesterday (Haunting Hearts Series)

Average customer rating:

mixed feelings
This is what dreams are made of!!
Stardust of Yesterday by Lynn Kurland
A great love story
If you can get past that ridiculous cover

Stardust of Yesterday (Haunting Hearts Series)
Lynn Kurland
Manufacturer: Berkley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 042518238X

Amazon.com

I hope you haven't missed this classic debut novel from 1996. Lynn Kurland writes with the same charm and flair as Jude Deveraux, and this clever and original ghost story is akin to the fabulous, Knight in Shining Armor. The book has garnered award nominations from Romantic Times and Romance Writers of America, and will definitely be a fixture on my "keeper" shelf. When Genevieve inherits a castle, she isn't expecting the incredibly sexy 13th century knight that accompanies it. Unfortunately, he's a ghost, so fantasy is all Genevieve and Kendrick de Paiget are able to share until Kendrick actually becomes corporeal, and Genevieve has to overcome her fear of the flesh. Hardly your normal problem with a ghost!

Customer Reviews:

mixed feelings.......2007-06-28

The story was perfect, but a little more explicit then her other PG,PG-13 books. I read her books because I know I can count on a clean story without too much descriptive sex. This story was perfect except for one or two paragraphs that left me disappointed in Lynn.I understand this is her first book so she had to do things the publishers way........I just wish that after reading all her other books that I didn't have to find an unexpected surprise in the last one i read.

This is what dreams are made of!!.......2007-02-23

Reading through some of the previous reviews, I'm struck by some of the comments. One, Amazon's review calls it akin to Devereux's Knight in Shining Armor. Stardust of Yesterday is MUCH MUCH better. They are not in the same league at all. Two, this is not a realistic story; it is a work of fiction. It shows great imagination. You're not supposed to read so much into it. Just read and enjoy. Three, Genevieve can be annoying and is child-like in her innocence but that only adds to the story. So she may not be the most relatable heroine. So what! You are better able to see and appreciate Kendrick's character for falling in love with her, just as she is. Yes, she just happens to be the only woman around but who wouldn't wish that they could captivate someone enough that they wouldn't think or care about anyone else? Kendrick was known as a womanizing knave in his day. He could have had his pick for a bride. If he wasn't a ghost stuck at Seakirk or if he had met Gen in his time, he wouldn't have given her a second glance. Now, that he has no other prospects he is able to see with his heart and soul rather than focusing solely on a physical attraction.

This story is beautiful. It is full of life and imagination. Only in your wildest dreams could you believe that someone could fall in love with a ghost. Their romance is bittersweet. The sacrifice of falling in love and wanting to be with someone you could never touch, kiss, embrace is heart-wrenching.

Stardust of Yesterday was my first book by Ms. Kurland and now I have read it four times! It never gets old. It's like seeing old friends again, full of memories and shared smiles. All of Ms. Kurland's stories are like that. I don't usually re-read books but these I have and they are all wonderful, each and every time. She has a great talent for imaginative, fun, charming romances.

If you're looking for explicit love scenes and blatant sensuality, look elsewhere. Those details are better left up to your imagination; they only take away from the beauty of the story. Ms. Kurland's books are sweet romances not bodice-rippers. I can honestly say that I am never disappointed and impatiently wait for her next installment.

Stardust of Yesterday by Lynn Kurland.......2006-08-11

A page turner... you do not want to put the book down...humorous. If you have read the rest her series of the family tree, it is easier to understand the different character's.
Lynn Kurland always puts a smile on my face as I read her books.

A great love story.......2006-07-10

Kendrick de Piaget is a renowned knight in medieval England who is cursed by a witch to forever roam the Seakirk castle. The only way to undo the curse is if he truly becomes the owner of the castle. The estate was stolen from Kendrick when he was murdered. So in order to release himself and his comrades from the curse, Kendrick has been methodically eliminating the descendants of the Buchanans.

When Genevieve, the last of the Buchanans, moves in, Kendrick goes through his haunting routine to terrorize her enough to sign over the castle. Instead, she decides that he's harmless and then blatantly ignores him. They eventually fall in love but it their relationship becomes excruciatingly bittersweet because, well, he's a ghost. I won't spoil the rest of the story but, of course, there is a happy ending and also, there is far more to the curse and you find that out as the story progresses.

I just love the characters. Genevieve is feisty, naïve, fragile, but yet courageous. Kendrick is everything you'd dream a knight could be: chivalrous, egotistical, loving, gentle, and endearingly possessive.

There are parts in the story that are so funny and some that'll bring a tear to your eye. The writing is really good. It's just enough to make you fall in love with Kendrick and Genevieve. Of course, I think my favorite character is Nazir, one of Kendrick's knights. He's fierce, merciless, and as a good a fighter as Kendrick.

My only complaint is the cover. I mean...what were they thinking?

If you can get past that ridiculous cover.......2006-04-12

...this really is one of the best Kurland's and I believe her first. Her sense of humor and great method of showing the he said/she said side of relationships surpasses time, literally. If you are looking for a great work of literature of course this book isn't it, but if want escapism, to laugh out loud and enjoy a happy ending, this is for you. Be prepared, she doesn't always do what you think she'll do..I just wish this woman would quit making me fall in love with ghosts! This is far above your average romance, very well written for thinking readers.

A Walk Through Time: From Stardust to Us--The Evolution of Life on Earth

Average customer rating:

An exciting dance through time.
most interesting book i've read in years!
most interesting book i've read in years!
A global view which necessary means a lack of details
The interconnected web of existence

A Walk Through Time: From Stardust to Us--The Evolution of Life on Earth
Sidney Liebes , Elisabet Sahtouris , and Brian Swimme
Manufacturer: John Wiley & Sons
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0471317004

Amazon.com

Every step you take in A Walk Through Time moves you millions of years forward in Earth's history. Inspired by the idea of a one-mile stroll through the evolution of life, Sidney Liebes recruited some terrific writers and artists to create a traveling museum exhibit; A Walk Through Time summarizes the experience in book form, with the help of fascinating photos and intelligent, enjoyable text. The most profound realization along this temporal journey is just how small a part human history plays in the big time line. In the museum exhibit, where one foot equals one million years, human presence takes up all of one-thousandth of an inch; in the book's time line, we merit barely a speck. Our tiniest living fellows--the bacteria and blue-green algae, the amazing arthropods, the merging microbes--are the real stars of the show. Readers are treated to intriguing views of bizarre organisms like tardigrades, velvet worms, and lichens ("Taking everything we know about algae and fungi, we still never would have predicted the outcome of their synergy"), along with the microbes that once ruled the earth. Only at the very end of the line, long after the development of sexual reproduction, after the great Cretaceous extinction, after the development of flight and fur, will you find humans. Taking this walk is a great lesson in perspective, a cautionary tale about hubris and longevity that every human should read. --Therese Littleton

Book Description

Fifteen Billion Years in the Life . . A breathtaking, vibrantly illustrated history of the universe. "A valuable new way to conceive of the immensity of geological time and of organic evolution that has occurred within it. It has broad appeal to the public and will be a useful guide for science educators as well."--E. O. Wilson. "My Walk Through Time was an unforgettable experience, awe-inspiring, and humbling...rich in scientific fact and unexpectedly, exquisite humor."--Jane Goodall. A Walk Through Time is a landmark book, gorgeously illustrating the remarkable drama of the history of the universe, from the furious blast of the Big Bang to the first pulse of life on Earth, and on through the rich pageant of life's evolution from primordial microbes to the rise of Homo sapiens. Spanning 15 billion years, the story of life's greatest mysteries emerges here through 130 beautiful four-color illustrations and an absorbing narrative. Combining the knowledge of three expert authors, the text covers the most up-to-date findings, including new understandings about how the universe coalesced into galaxies and planets; how microscopic animals can survive in such superheated environments as deep-sea vents and inside the Earth's core, and the possibility that water came to our planet from space in the form of millions of tiny comets. A Walk Through Time gives readers a new perspective on awe-inspiring processes that produced us and our place in the universe. The companion to a traveling exhibition developed by Hewlett Packard and the Foundation for Global Community. * Lavishly produced by the team that created The Illustrated Brief History of Time. Brian Swimme, Ph.D. (San Francisco, CA), is a cosmologist and the director of the Center for the Story of the Universe at the California Institute of Integral Studies. He is the author of several books, including The Universe Story. Dr. Sid Liebes (Palo Alto, CA) is a senior scientist at Hewlett-Packard Laboratories. Elisabet Sahtouris, Ph.D. (San Francisco, CA) is an evolutionary biologist and consultant to the United Nations.

Customer Reviews:

An exciting dance through time........2001-01-16

I never had the opportunity to see the "Walk Through Time" exhibition, initiated by Sidney Liebes and supported by Hewlett-Packard, but it must have been a marvelous experience. What rivets my attention in this book, however, even more than the beautiful pictures of the exhibit, is the text written by Elisabet Sahtouris, who expresses her own "cosmovision" with an incomparable eloquence and vitality. While her words are grounded solidly in the most advanced theoretical and empirical evolutionary science, she takes the reader not on a walk but an exciting dance through time. If I were asked to recommend just one book that best told the story of how the universe conspired to bring us into being this would be it. It's a real "roots" story but the roots are not merely those of a particular individual or family or species but of all life, reaching back to the point where time itself loses meaning.

Keith Chandler, author of Beyond Civilization

most interesting book i've read in years!.......2000-09-25

this is the most interesting book i've read in years; prof. liebes presents the history of evolution from stardust to us, at the end of the book one relizes that all of us humans are actually single cells of a larger life form, the planet earth. In an informative and easy to read way, "a walk through time" presents a holistic theory of evolution that emphasises symbiotic co-evolution of geo-bio-matter admidst the theme that while life starts out in a state of competition, all life forms even on a cellular level learn to cooperate, develop symbiotic relationships that enable life to first develop and then evolve billions of years to present day. the glory of the sheer will of all life,(particularly at the cellular level) reminds me very much of shoupenhauer,nieztche,spinoza, henri bergson and hegal. i would recomend this book to all people,especially those who enjoy philosophy and those theologians seeking a more meaning cosmology.

most interesting book i've read in years!.......2000-09-25

A global view which necessary means a lack of details.......2000-01-26

I've just terminated to read this book and it was very interesting in many respects: - The text is well written and a pleasure to read; - Sometimes you have a fact per line, which shows the incredible work done by the author to synthesize a huge amount of knowledge on the subject; - Essential things are said and you'll have doors open for further readings; - The fact that timescale is respected as the text goes on gives a striking perspective of life's evolution over the millions and millions of years; - The first stage of evolution (unicelled creatures) is longly explained; - The incredible role of living creatures (especially bacteria) in shaping our planet is highlighted; - Emphasis is put on the unity of life in it's diversity.

But there are some shortages : - Pictures are of poor print quality; - There is a lack of details, especially after the microbial stage.

Globally speaking, if you want the life's story before animals and plants, it's a good book, but otherwise, the Book of Life by S. J. Gould is better. However, in my opinion, it's a good buy and one can learn many many things by reading this book.

The interconnected web of existence.......2000-01-19

A Walk Through Time - From Stardust to Us - The evolution of Life on Earth.

A Walk Through Time (AWTT) is an incredibly well done book, from all aspects. The artwork and printing make it suitable for display and the content challenges us to re-think our position in the world and the decisions we are making.

The explanation of evolution is both plausible and understandable to the lay person. Yet the mystery of life is not diminished or hidden, so there is more than enough room for those who understand our existence through their love of God.

Beginning more than 5,000 MYA (5,000 Million Years Ago, or 5 Billion Years Ago) we are told, the "universe did indeed begin in an explosion of energy powerful enough to send all matter flying apart for billions of years into the future." From that starting point, AWTT traces with considerable detail the evolution of our living earth of which we are a part. And everywhere the mystery of "the life force" is to be found.

One can read the prose or follow the exhibition text along the bottom of the pages, or take in both to re-enforce what is being explained. Sidney Liebes managed to convince HP of the merits of creating a 1mile "walk through time." That project is staffed by volunteers and has been presented in a dozen venues in three countries. The "exhibition text" mentioned above is from that project.

The final paragraph of the book summarizes the challenge for our existence in this totally interconnected web of life. "Is it possible that a sense of awe, wonder and humility, of origins, place, possibilities, and recovery of a belief in the sacredness of nature, can, and perhaps must, become operational imperatives in guiding humanity into the future? Rather than pondering the illusive purpose of life, can we not accept and appreciate the gift, live the life we are given, respect all life, and preserve options for the future. Though none of us has the power to control the future, each of us is free to determine how we will contribute to the circumstance out of which the future will evolve."

Perhaps the purpose of life is simply to ensure that life continues. Then there is much in this book to set us on the right path.

Average customer rating:

Do It For The Eggs

Truly pointless

Must have omnibus for Woody Allen fans and script writers.

Hilarious

Great read - Explores the human condition with insight.

Four Films: Annie Hall, Interiors, Manhattan, Stardust Memories
Woody Allen
Manufacturer: Random House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Woody Allen on Woody Allen

The Collected Works of Paddy Chayefsky: The Screenplays Volume 2 (Collected Works of Paddy Chayefsky)

Getting Even

Woody Allen: Interviews (Conversations With Filmmakers Series)

Three One-Act Plays: Riverside Drive Old Saybrook Central Park West

ASIN: 0394712293
Release Date: 1982-09-12

Amazon.com

Woody Allen's greatness as a director rests squarely on his stupendous talent as a writer. In the glory years from 1977 to 1980 he released his best--and best written--movies. Included in this volume are the scripts of Annie Hall, Allen's first mature film and the winner of the Best Picture Oscar; Interiors, his first serious work, a Bergmanesque treatment of a tortured family; Manhattan, his greatest and most characteristic movie, which concerns a writer's attempt to find true love in the comic wilderness of New York City; and Stardust Memories, his most satiric and personal piece, about the effects of fame on a film director who is standing at a crossroads in his life.

Book Description

This book contains the script to four of Woody Allen's movies: Annie Hall, Interiors, Manhattan and Stardust Memories.

Customer Reviews:

Do It For The Eggs.......2001-05-27

I bought this while studying screenwriting, assuming that owning ANNIE HALL and MANHATTAN would somehow deliver upon me some kind of ability, perhaps a bit of greatness via osmoseous (sp?).

I was wrong.

I also realized that MANHATTAN is based more on the visual than I had realized--the script, while great, isn't on the same level as ANNIE HALL; INTERIORS, which dissapointed me on the screen is a very good script; and--this just confirmed what I already knew--ANNIE HALL is a great great GREAT film.

Did I mention that ANNIE HALL is a great film?

Truly pointless.......2000-04-20

If you're a cineaste, it can be quite enlightening and entertaining to read the original shooting script that a favorite film was based on. In addition to the screenwriter's comments and directions, you usually get several scenes that were cut from the finished movie as well as occasional odd little changes in dialogue sprinkled throughout and an overall peek at some aspects of the creative process that a film goes through from inception to completion. Unfortunately, that's not the case with this book, since the four "screenplays" included are merely transcriptions from the finished films. VCRs were generally available when this book was first published in '82, so even back then this book was a pointless rip-off. Watch the films, skip the book.

Must have omnibus for Woody Allen fans and script writers........1999-05-23

This book contains "screenplays" of Woody Allen's most famous films including Manhattan and Annie Hall. It doesn't say screenplays on the cover, but that's what I figured it would be. Instead, what I got was a book that's not even script formatted. The publisher also adds his notes whenever he pleases to explain what's going on 'from the film' to the reader.

Hilarious.......1998-09-18

This great book includes the screenplays of two of Woody's best films, "Annie Hall" and "Manhattan." There's also "Stardust Memories" which is good, and "Interiors" which is, well...ok. Well worth the money.

Great read - Explores the human condition with insight........1998-04-24

This book cheered me along during a stay in hospital and so I will always remember it fondly.
To me, the scripts represent the best of Woody Allen as they are truthful and realistic. Humour is
sharp in the scripts (except for Interiors of course) as it exposes pretenses, hypocrisies & other human fallibilities. There is so much more
to this than clever lines. This should be a text for
aspiring scriptwriters. To any publishers reading
this, how about another compilation which has
"Husbands & Wives" and "Mighty Aphrodite" in it?!

From Sawdust to Stardust: The Biography of DeForest Kelley, Star Trek's Dr. McCoy (Star Trek)

Average customer rating:

A gentle man with a gentle heart.
The Honorable Jackson DeForest Kelley
The Accidental Healer
DeForest Kelley - A Star's Shining Star!
A True Gift For DeForest Kelleys Fans

From Sawdust to Stardust: The Biography of DeForest Kelley, Star Trek's Dr. McCoy (Star Trek)
Terry Lee Rioux
Manufacturer: Pocket
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0743457625

Book Description

In the forty-year history of Star Trek®, none of the television show's actors are more beloved than DeForest Kelley. His portrayal of Leonard "Bones" McCoy, the southern physician aboard the Starship Enterprise™, brought an unaffected humanity to the groundbreaking space frontier series.

Jackson DeForest Kelley came of age in Depression-era Georgia. He was raised on the sawdust trail, a preacher's kid steeped in his father's literal faith and judgment. But De's natural artistic gifts called him to a different way, and a visit to California at seventeen showed a bright new world.

Theater and radio defined his early career -- but it was a World War II training film he made while serving in the Army Air Corps that led to his first Paramount Studios contract.

After years of struggle, his lean, weathered look became well known in notable westerns and television programs such as You Are There and Bonanza. But his work on several pilots for writer-producer Gene Roddenberry changed his destiny and the course of cultural history.

This thoroughly researched actor's life is about hard work and luck, loyalty and love. It is a journey that takes us all...from sawdust to stardust.

Download Description

"In the forty-year history of Star Trek(R), none of the television show's actors are more beloved than DeForest Kelley. His portrayal of Leonard ""Bones"" McCoy, the southern physician aboard the Starship Enterprise(TM), brought an unaffected humanity to the groundbreaking space frontier series. Jackson DeForest Kelley came of age in Depression-era Georgia. He was raised on the sawdust trail, a preacher's kid steeped in his father's literal faith and judgment. But De's natural artistic gifts called him to a different way, and a visit to California at seventeen showed a bright new world. Theater and radio defined his early career -- but it was a World War II training film he made while serving in the Army Air Corps that led to his first Paramount Studios contract. After years of struggle, his lean, weathered look became well known in notable westerns and television programs such as You Are There and Bonanza. But his work on several pilots for writer-producer Gene Roddenberry changed his destiny and the course of cultural history. This thoroughly researched actor's life is about hard work and luck, loyalty and love. It is a journey that takes us all...from sawdust to stardust. "

Customer Reviews:

A gentle man with a gentle heart........2007-01-11

I loved this book. Maybe this wasn't an ultra-exciting book, but De Kelley was not that kind of star. De was someone who held deep convictions, valued his friends and fans, and loved his wife dearly 'til death do us part'. These are the wonderful traits of a true gentleman. Yes, he did drink and smoke. He was a human being, not a saint. I have been a fan of De Kelley's for many years. I only wish I had been one of the lucky ones to have known him in person, but this book brings me that much closer to knowing a very private man.

The Honorable Jackson DeForest Kelley.......2006-09-11

I have been a devoted Star Trek Fan from the first episode in the 60's. I always loved and admired Dr. Leonard McCoy and after reading "From Sawdust to Stardust: The Biography of DeForest Kelley" I have learned to love the actor who played him. It wasn't until I was an adult that I had the pleasure of seeing DeForest Kelley in many of the westerns that he was in. He was a remarkable actor and a remarkable man, a true southern gentleman and it is my loss that I never had the honor of meeting him in person. This book is a must read for any true Star Trek Fan. Thank you Terry Lee Rioux for letting us know the Honorable Mr. Kelley.

The Accidental Healer.......2006-07-01

He did not write his own biography, unlike everybody else on the Enterprise. But he left his papers and memorabilia organized so that somebody else could. Terry Lee Rioux has done a commendable job drawing together details from Kelley's papers and interviews with people who worked with him in TV and movies, or were his friends during his early years in Long Beach.

Our crusty Dr. McCoy isn't someone you can really imagine having a dewy-cheeked youth. He was the Star Trek character we knew the least about, and Kelley was the most private of all the cast. So this book does a great service in opening up his life to us, in a remarkably tender and sensitive way. In fact, Rioux does something daring for an actor's biography: she acknowledges that humans have spiritual lives, and that Kelley's upbringing as a poor preacher's son in Conyers, Georgia gave him a faith and a spirituality that both protected and haunted him.

The other remarkable accomplishment of the book is that, in following Kelley's development as a young Georgia boy coming of age in Long Beach, California (beaches, surfing, racial diversity, gambling, drink, tobacco, and girls), rapidly discovering himself as an actor with real talent, Rioux recreates the energy and atmosphere of a sunny Navy port town just before World War II breaks out - and how it all changes after Pearl Harbor. She works the same magic with the crumbling of the Hollywood studio system, the blossoming of television, and the rise and fall of TV westerns, all seen from the POV of a struggling actor who seems to keep missing the big break.

The book's verbal failings - such as rushed, cliché'd sketching of world events - can be attributed to editorial pressure to get the word count down. More glaring is the lack of photographs. There are no portraits of Kelley as a boy, nor of his family: the Reverend David Kelley, mother Clora, and older brother Casey, who became a successful businessman. Nor are there stills from Kelley's work: the early movie break, Fear In the Night, or TV episodes from Bonanza, You Are There, and Gene Roddenberry's lawyer series pilot starring Kelley, 333 Montgomery. Rioux gives such careful attention to the development of Kelley's craft and his struggle to get work, it's shocking to not have visual proof of that effort.

Rioux' theme of spiritual strength, often embodied in Kelley's 57-year love affair with his wife, Carolyn, can take on a tone that slides into worship. But as a theme, it pays off. After Star Trek ended, Kelley's encounter with a dying child whose one wish was to meet "Dr. McCoy" apparently changed the actor's attitude about his iconic role and his purpose in forever being "Bones."

There's another connection that Rioux doesn't make, but jumps out at any reader who has done time in therapy. She makes the arresting statement that when soldiers (Kelley among them) returned from World War II, they wanted to get back to living and "forget the war ever happened. " It's telling, then, that the Western had phenomenal popularity in the late 40s and all through the 50s. Westerns are morality tales about good and evil, right and wrong, choices with life-and death consequences, men with guns and the bonds that form between them in desperate situations. This kind of morality play became the foundation of "Star Trek," and Gene Roddenberry even described his idea as "Wagon Train to the stars" so TV executives would understand what he was talking about. Cheap, B-movie Westerns on screen and TV were Kelley's bread and butter in the 50s and early 60s, his face and voice were recognized as part of that imaginary world. In a way, these morality plays helped expose and heal the soul-wounds of war. One can say that Kelley's familiar humanity helped carry a world's wounded consciousness forward to a hopeful future, in Star Trek.

I closed this book feeling that DeForest Kelley, actor, was truly a healer. Not a doctor - but thank God he played one on TV.

DeForest Kelley - A Star's Shining Star!.......2005-10-30

From just glancing at some of the previous reviews an outsider might actually believe this book is shallow. Everyone's entitled to their own opinion but I would call "From Sawdust to Stardust" ANYTHING but shallow. Over the years I've read many biographies and autobiographies from various cast members of the "Classic" Star Trek and IMHO this is the best of the lot. I'm also going to sound a bit biased but not only am I a "Trekkie" at heart I'm also a huge fan of Westerns, especially the ones from the 40's to the early 60's, many of which co-starred Mr. Kelley. This book literally brings him to life while reading it.

Occasionally a book is written where you never want to put it down, and this is one of those books. His love and devotion to his wife was never more apparent than what was mentioned throughout. I don't want to spoil all the wonderful surprises I found while throughly enjoying this book.

Lessons can certainly be learned from his experiences. This is an excellent book! Beam out and get a copy!

A True Gift For DeForest Kelleys Fans.......2005-08-31

This book is beautifully written. After finishing the book you really have a good impression about what kind of man DeForest Kelley was. I felt like I really got to know him. The author has done an extraordinarily good job with the research. From his Childhood years to the years after Star Trek. Every page is filled with wonderful information about DeForest and his beloved ones. You not only learn about him but also about his wife, his friends and family. His work, his love for animals, hobbies.

This is the life about DeForest. This is the book he deserved. After reading this book I love him even more. Thank you so much Terry.

Dreams Of Stardust (Jove Historical Romance)

Average customer rating:

More of a story of determination than romance...
A fun and fast paced read
Off to another vivid and entertaining adventure!
Dreams of Stardust
A calmer romance

Dreams Of Stardust (Jove Historical Romance)
Lynn Kurland
Manufacturer: Jove
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0515139483

Book Description

At last, USA Today bestselling author Lynn Kurland delivers her newest time travel romance. In the 1200s, Amanda of Artane has one summer to choose from her suitors--and find love forever.

Customer Reviews:

More of a story of determination than romance..........2006-10-21

I won't re-tell the story, as so many other reviewers have already taken care of that. It's true that the romance between Jake and Amanda isn't as well developed as most of Lynn Kurland's stories. They don't spend all that much time together... they fall in love more with the character traits that they observe from a distance.

That said, it's still a wonderful, well-written book that tells the story of Jake's finding a family in the 13th century. He really becomes a part of the de Piaget family. This book is much better as part of the family series, than it is a stand-alone book. Read it... but read Another Chance To Dream and If I Had You first.

A fun and fast paced read.......2006-08-02

This is another witty time-travel love story by Lynn Kurland. Jake Kilchurn is a wealthy and very successful jewelry designer. He is almost estranged from his father, runs his own business, and seems happy with where his life is going, until a visit to Artane and a car accident lands him right in the middle of medieval England.

Amanda de Piaget has been on the marriage block for two years now and is losing hope that there is someone out there who will marry her for who she is and not her impressive dowry. Her famed beauty is renowned throughout England and is debated even over 800 years later by those fortunate enough to have seen her. Amanda is considering the option of becoming a nun when Jake literally pops up in her world.

When they first meet, there is an instant connection, a chill that is enough to let them know that they were fated for each other. The problem, however, is that Jake's profession and lack of title and lands, in medieval times, are considered far beneath Amanda's station, and so they cannot marry. Jake has to find a way to get back to 2005, convert all his wealth to medieval gold coins, and try to make it back to 1227 before Amanda is married to another suitor.

Dreams of Stardust is an entertaining read, not much action, but enough plots to keep you interested. The characters are, of course, vibrant and lively, with plenty of background material to add richness to the storyline. All in all, it isn't as compelling or earth-shattering as, say, This Is All I Ask, but still an enchanting tale.

Off to another vivid and entertaining adventure!.......2006-07-24

This tale was wonderfully funny,nail biting and full of old friends, rich characters who have become family, and it was lovely to be reunited with them!
Alas, I did not like the heroine very much. She was rather stupid. I dislike stupidity in my lead female characters. She took chances with her safety that just didn't make sense, unless one was seriously deficient in the brain box. But Lynn Kurland makes me happy and takes me away...important attributes in today's world. She must never stop writing!!!!

Dreams of Stardust.......2006-03-10

Dreams of Stardust failed to adequately develop the romance between the two main characters. Family relationships were developed and explored more than the romance. Not the best Kurland novel, but certainly not a terrible one, either. Just sort of lackluster.

A calmer romance.......2006-02-23

There isn't nearly as much danger or adventure in this one as many of her others, but she does go into the characters lives enough to still make it an engaging read (I was up 'til 3am). I loved being able to catch up with the lead couples from several of her other books, too. I've wondered how long it would take to get the De Piaget branches to meet, and the results are pretty amusing. This may not be the best introduction to Kurland's families, but it won't give anything crucial away to first-timers. All around, it's a fun, light read.

Stardust: Supernovae and Life --- The Cosmic Connection

Average customer rating:

Twinkle, twinkle, little star
brilliant mind
best book of all time
"We are all starstuff"
The magic of the stars

Stardust: Supernovae and Life --- The Cosmic Connection
John Gribbin , and Mary Gribbin
Manufacturer: Yale University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0300090978

Book Description

We are made of stardust--and so is all life as we know it. Every chemical element on earth except hydrogen and helium has been scattered across the universe in great stellar explosions and recycled into new stars, planets, and parts of us. In this engrossing book, John and Mary Gribbin explain how developments in astronomy from the 1920s to the present day have led to this startling realization and to a new understanding of the relationship between the Universe and the Earth. The new preface discusses recent scientific developments that confirm the idea that life must be a common occurrence across the universe.

Customer Reviews:

Twinkle, twinkle, little star.......2007-01-10

What is the nature of the relationship between the Universe and life? If this sort of a question piques your interest, then you should read John Gribbin's "Stardust."

The four chemical elements most important to life as we know it include: carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen. How did these elements - the prerequisites for complex, organic molecules - come into existence? The Big Bang produced mainly hydrogen and helium (in addition to a smattering of a few other light elements). But what about the heavy elements required for life? They are the products of stellar nucleosynthesis - a process that happens in the interiors of stars. The atoms lodged in your body now, the nitrogen that is part of your DNA double helix was once `cooked' inside stars and then scattered into cold clouds of interstellar dust. If that does not give you a sense of (cosmic!) wonder, then you have not paused to let the information sink in.

John Gribbin reviews the long, intellectual road that led to this startling discovery. Before one could say that we are made of stardust, scientists first had to answer many other questions, like what stars are made of. Besides being a good science book, "Stardust" is also a good book about the history of science, showing, for example, what a vital role the development of photography and spectroscopy played in 20th century astrophysics. One of the especially interesting historical lessons here concerns our understanding of what goes on in the Sun (and the other stars for that matter) to generate heat. Before arriving at the answer that stars generate energy by nuclear fusion, which converts hydrogen to helium, there were many failed hypotheses, such as the gravitational collapse hypothesis. This problem, of how the Sun generates the energy that it does, was for some time a point of contention between the geologists and evolutionary biologists on the one hand and the physicists on the other. The former camp required the Sun to have been in operation for a very long time, in order for evolution to have the sorts of immense temporal scales required for the emergence of complex life, while the physicists estimated that the Sun had to be much younger, in order for it not to have exhausted its energy reservoir. Remarkably, it was the application of quantum physics (the physics of extremely small particles) which eventually provided the science needed to explain how stars shine.
The book is filled with many other stories, showing how our scientific knowledge of the Universe progressed in starts and stops. The B2FH paper (named after the scientists involved: Burbidge, Burbidge, Fowler and Hoyle), entitled `Synthesis of the Elements in Stars' was a watershed event in explaining the exact process by which the heavy elements are generated inside stars.

These heavy elements (from carbon to iron) are ultimately expelled in several different ways: (a) through the gradual stripping of Red Giant star's layers, or if the stars are massive, (b) through novae and supernovae explosions. Supernovae explosions also provide the energy needed to synthesize elements heavier than iron. The scattering of fine dusty particles (stardust) provides the site where chemical interactions can occur as well as the seeds for a complex interstellar chemistry. Spectroscopic studies have more recently revealed the existence of organic, polyatomic molecules as part of the interstellar chemistry -- our Galaxy is seeded with the ingredients for life.

The appendix offers a short review of theoretical physicist Lee Smolin's principle of cosmological natural selection (an alternative to versions of the Anthropic principle). Many of the ideas presented here (at the cutting edge of cosmology) are extremely abstract and speculative and present many difficulties in terms of being subjected to experimental testing. However, they make for highly fascinating reading.

One of the themes in John Gribbin's book concerns the co-dependency between science and technology and the intimate connections between the two. Improvements in one ultimately lead to improvements in the other, and so on, in a circle. Technology continues to make gains. Some of the latest developments in cosmology are mind-bogglingly strange and there are indications that more big findings will emerge in the not-so-distant future. We may be in for another radical paradigm shift relatively soon, that will once again change our view of the relationship between the Universe and us, and our place in it.

brilliant mind.......2003-07-16

highly enlightening/illuminating ideas straight from the mind of the stars!

awesome.

best book of all time.......2003-03-21

this book will tell you your place in the universe. every human being on the planet should be required to read this book. i have read every word in this book and i highlighted alot of text. i will re-read this book throughout my life.

also, read 'river out of eden' by richard dawkins for information on human evolution.

"We are all starstuff".......2002-02-01

Carl Sagan was fond of the observation that "we are all starstuff"-that the atoms and molecules in our bodies were forged in the big bang and in the heart of exploding supernovae.

Gribbin fills in the background on that observation, describing how the simpler elements are formed during the big bang and how more complex elements are formed inside stars, particularly when they explode. It is a two-fold history, both of how astronomers and astrophysicists (a remarkably recent discipline) discovered how these were formed and of the universe itself and how it developed.

The only complaint I can come up with is that Gribbin gives Sagan too little credit, never quoting him with the statement above, even though it's truer and more characteristic than the "billions and billions" phrase the impressionists like to use. It's ironic that part of Gribbin's subtitle is the title of one of Sagan's most notable books.

Other than that, this is a gripping and easy-to-read relating of some of the fundamental concepts in modern astronomy. Highly recommended.

The magic of the stars.......2001-09-14

Stardust is a magic bok about the cosmic connec tions between the atoms in our bodies and the stars themselves. I rate this John Gribbin's best ever book, and much clearer than Marcus Chown's Magic Furnace. If you only read one science book this year, it has to be this one!

Roots and Wings: The Human Journey from a Speck of Stardust to a Spark of God

Average customer rating:

From Earth to Stardust

Roots and Wings: The Human Journey from a Speck of Stardust to a Spark of God
Margaret Silf
Manufacturer: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0802824625

Book Description

Every person has a personal story -- a story as big and beautiful as the universe itself. And each of our personal stories is an essential chapter in the Big Story.

We are told that life's story begins from elements released into space at the death of a star. But what about our destiny? Does that speck of stardust also hold within it a "spark of God"? Is life evolving toward levels of consciousness that we cannot yet even imagine?

Roots and Wings is a book full of questions to inspire deeper thinking. It invites you to participate in an ageold conversation about our origins and our destiny. It encourages you to think about what it might mean to become fully and truly human -- and to discover your own response to that perpetual question.

In Roots and Wings Margaret Silf deftly brings together science and spirituality, allowing a bold new synthesis to emerge between them. The book ends with a bibliography titled "Some interesting books . . ." -- an enticing entree to a variety of pertinent related writings.

Customer Reviews:

From Earth to Stardust.......2007-09-14

After a breathless whirl through the universe story, the author brings us back to planet Earth with very personal and pointed questions addressed to the reader. These are not all tidily collected at the ends of chapters, but interspersed throughout the text in such a way that they cannot easily be ignored. She shows how creation's interplay of chaos and ordering is reflected in our lives, and helps us learn from the ruins of our hopes. Using anecdotes from her own life, Silf makes her insights tangible and invites us to explore, rather than try to explain our own life story. Brief focused chapters make the book especially useful for those whose reading time is fragmented, yet each chapter offers ample food for further reflection.
While the first part of this refreshing book helps us nurture good roots, the latter part con-tains flying lessons. Familiar Gospel stories are retold from a new perspective, with one of the participants in the story as narrator. Mary Magdalene, trying to cling to Jesus after his resurrec-tion, is told, "We can't ever go back. The way leads only forward. Don't hang on to the past.... The future has such gifts for us, but we can't receive them unless we move on with empty hands." This is a book full of hope, urging us to both dig deeper and soar higher.

The Stardust Lounge: Stories from a Boy's Adolescence

Average customer rating:

A good read BUT
this book blew me away
Highly recommended story about raising an unconventional son
Stunning, moving book
What a great read!

The Stardust Lounge: Stories from a Boy's Adolescence
Deborah Digges
Manufacturer: Anchor
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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philosophy hope in a jar daily moisturizer

ASIN: 0385720939
Release Date: 2002-05-14

Amazon.com's Best of 2001

"Thanks for a wonderful childhood!" Stephen Digges tells his mother as he hugs her goodbye in front of his New York City college dorm, and it's a measure of just how persuasive and potent her account of his difficult adolescence is that we know exactly what he means. At 13, Stephen was running away, stealing his mother's car, carrying guns, doing drugs, and getting into trouble with the law and in school. Already divorced from Stephen's father, Digges saw her son's problems break up her second marriage and heard society, her family, and her neighbors tell her she was too easy on her son, that fatherless boys needed "tough love" and discipline. But Digges had the courage to listen to a highly unconventional therapist who urged her, "Join him in his anger at life.... Don't educate him about what he should have done. Let him figure it out." Together with Digges's foster son (an African American teen thrown out of his home after a stint in juvenile detention), they create a bohemian household. Three dogs (one of them epileptic) "sleep on the beds no questions asked"; Stephen does his homework with a pet mouse named Frederick in his pocket; there are swarms of kittens "leaping in and out of the windows"; and the pizza delivery for dinner may be interrupted by "phone calls from teachers, more often the cops." Go figure: creative, anti-authoritarian Stephen acquires a sense of responsibility and ambition in this offbeat atmosphere. His mother's surprisingly funny, unsentimentally tender memoir reminds us that there are no rules about raising children, just countless perils and boundless possibilities. --Wendy Smith

Book Description

Stephen Digges is the kind of angry adolescent a lot of parents would have given up on. He is out of control by the time he is 13 -- running with gangs, stealing cars, fooling around with drugs and guns, and in general making his family’s life hell. Confronted with his growing recklessness and defiance, his mother, the poet Deborah Digges, decides to try to accept Stephen on his own terms--a course that stuns her family and leads to the breakup of her second marriage. Digges “shadows” him on his late-night forays so that she can understand his world, welcomes his gang into their apartment, and tries to see life through his eyes. When she discovers that children who are devoted to animals have an easier time forming attachments to other people, she fills their home with a menagerie of ailing or abandoned pets. She also turns to an unconventional therapist who offers unusual — but helpful — treatment.

The Stardust Lounge isn’t your usual story of rebellious adolescence. The power of Digges’s memoir comes from her stubborn unwillingness to give up on Stephen. Even when things are roughest, Digges manages to see the intelligent, sensitive child behind the hostile behavior. However difficult the path she chooses, her story is ultimately a heartening one, and it’s impossible not to root for this family as it rebuilds itself.

Customer Reviews:

A good read BUT.......2006-12-21

This book was difficult to put down. I enjoyed the story. For that reason I gave it 5 stars.
Ms. Digges is a good writer and a good mother but I disagreed with many points made in this book. For one thing, should it really have taken all those therapists to figure out that this kid, whose only steady older male figure in life, went crazy after that male figure, his older brother, left for college? The kid obviously had abandonment issues. Why? Because his mother kept marrying unavailable men in jobs and/or lives that kept them away a lot. She seemed to like it because it allowed her to freely (a bit too freely) raise her boys. I raise this issue because the most helpful therapist said the past is irrelevant. Frankly, I think it was quite relevant. Ms. Digges, a rebel herself, a true child of the 60's, married a military guy. Why, because she wanted to escape her oppressive parents. Then, surprise, she has babies with that husband yet does not agree with him on parenting issues. They divorce and the boys, particularly the youngest child, are left holding the baggage she created for them. She then picks another unavailable guy and he ultimately leaves. All of this is relevant since, despite the fact that she raised two boys who ultimately made it, both appear to be nomads. Let's hope they learned through their own examination of the past to be prepared to be available and part of a team when they have kids, if they choose to have them.
The big solution for this kid is to teach him the value of fairness. Great, but honestly, that discussion at a younger age might have prevented a lot. For instance, could she not have introduced this concept when the whole family was busy destroying rented houses? Honestly, I pity their many landlords.
On the subject of fairness, she talks a lot about how society doesn't "get" her kid. I believe the traditional school path is not the best one for every kid, particularly this kid. With that said, she was a writer and professor with plenty of time on her hands to homeschool him. Was it fair to dump him on a school system in his condition?
She also seems to talk about how "poor" they were at times. Seriously, legitimately poor people do not eat take out as much as was referenced in this book. Poor people do not have her education. Poor people do not send their kids to (multiple) private schools. I realize citing limited funds paints a more pitiful story but self-imposed neediness is not pitiful.
She talks about people's views toward her as a single parent. Specifically, she says that people seem to revere single dads but dump on single moms. She's right. With that said, the dad in the story was interested and wanted to help. She admitted that she wanted to be the single mom with her boys. She did not want to be apart from them. Then, as unfair as people may be, when you choose the path, suck it up.
My view of this mom is that she did step up...later than I would have liked...but kudos to her for sticking by her son, especially when it seemed like it was the end of the road. She also gets kudos for taking in a foster son, who, by the way, gave her own troubled son the opportunity to be the big brother/dad he missed so much.
This is a good book. I think parents and people who work with children should read it. I don't believe it should be used as a guidebook by any means but there are important lessons in it, not the least of which, happy endings are possible.
As a mother of young children I want to believe prevention was critical here. As a mother who has encountered those times when I am shocked to learn that my kids have already decided my authority is limited, I pray I am right and that I can find the tools to prevent complete mutiny and worse. I am wise enough to never say never but I am well-planted enough in reality to say that troubled adolescent boys don't show up in your house without a history that explains at least some of it.

this book blew me away.......2006-02-19

i'm a psychiatrist and a mother of an adolescent boy and can tell you that this book is one of the most beautifully honest books i've ever read on ANY subject. i'm going to recommend it to all my patients who are parents. it's a wonderfully inspiring story that helps one move beyond fear into a state of grace. i just loved it.

Highly recommended story about raising an unconventional son.......2002-05-26

This book offers so much wisdom from a mother who learned the hard way how to raise an artistic son through a difficult adolescence. It's a very personal story that the author was brave enough to share. I suffered with her as I read her struggles, but in the end cheered both her and her son for their courage and intelligence. I loved that she included essays her son wrote for school and his photography as well. This is an important book for parents to read. Animal lovers may appreciate the book also because animals are central to the healing of this family. I wish all the best to the author, her son, and her foster son.

Stunning, moving book.......2002-05-19

I first heard about this book on the Dianne Reemes show. Lots of controversy-- so I HAD to buy it. I'm glad I did. This book is so intelligently written. I loved the lists, letters, even the police reports Digges uses to further the narrative. The story itself is stunning.The ending is a knock-out! I just had to say how beautifully crafted this book is, as well as moving, and memorable.

What a great read!.......2002-05-19

I want to say that I began this book just after supper one night and couldn't stop until I finished it about 3 in the morning. I KNEW I had to get up for work, I KNEW that in a few hours I would be dead on my feet cooking my kids' breakfast. But I just couldn't stop, and though I was, for sure, exhausted the next day, I was also haunted by Digges' break-through story. I have talked about it with other parents, co-workers, and friends. They say, Can I borrow it?" I answer no. Go buy it yourself. I'm keeping mine.

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