Eleven Minutes: A Novel (P.S.)

Eleven Minutes: A Novel (P.S.)
Average customer rating:

A Tale In The Dark

couldn't believe it..trash!

HE HAS DONE IT AGAIN

The best of Coelho's books by far (surpasses The Alchemist)

Eleven Minutes

Eleven Minutes: A Novel (P.S.)
Paulo Coelho
Manufacturer: Harper Perennial
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Literary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Coelho, Paulo | ( C ) | Authors, A-Z | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0060589280
Release Date: 2005-03-29

Book Description

Eleven Minutes is the story of Maria, a young girl from a Brazilian village, whose first innocent brushes with love leave her heartbroken. At a tender age, she becomes convinced that she will never find true love, instead believing that "love is a terrible thing that will make you suffer. . . ." A chance meeting in Rio takes her to Geneva, where she dreams of finding fame and fortune. Maria's despairing view of love is put to the test when she meets a handsome young painter. In this odyssey of self-discovery, Maria has to choose between pursuing a path of darkness -- sexual pleasure for its own sake -- or risking everything to find her own "inner light" and the possibility of sacred sex, sex in the context of love.

This P.S. edition features an extra 16 pages of insights into the book, including author interviews, recommended reading, and more.

Customer Reviews:

A Tale In The Dark .......2007-08-28

What pleases me in Paulo Coelho's work, and in this book in particular, is his ability to penetrate the psyche of characters and make a story evolve from that,and not from detailed descriptions of actions or places. If you compare him to, let's say, Emile Zola, where the characters from the gutters of society are usually vicious by nature (genes) or by the action of a decadent society, we will see in Maria, a prostitute, a being that suffers and dreams like anybody else, without this necessarily meaning that the author is condoning or condeming prostitution. The painter she falls in love with, a successful artist who is "tired of sex", is as unhappy yet full of longing as she is. And Paulo Coelho builds a beautiful and complex plot of how their chemistry evolves - even if it may wind up a little naive sometimes, since, personally, I haven't seen two people change into enlightened lovers so fast. But their innocence thriving in a cruel, loveless world, even despite their defenses, and their struggle to keep "real", is refreshing, and even edifying, even if not a fact of everyday reality. I don't think this book will please those who are looking for a realistic portrait of the dirty and dark side of life at Copacabana (a bar in Switzerland) or in Rio de Janeiro. But it will please those who believe literature isn't journalism, but rather an expression of an author's own subjective interpretation of love. Paulo Coelho is, before anything else, a poet. If you brake his text into verses, a poem comes out of it. He is giving you a sad reality just to have it tested against the power of the mystic poetry of his discourse. You will be able to let his personal poetry sink into you, if you manage to accept the author using prostitutes and "special clients" as ordinary people as his models - who, to him, are human beings capable of love and cynicism just like any one of us - not creatures of "low life".

couldn't believe it..trash!.......2007-08-18

It's hard to believe this is the same writer who wrote the Alchemist.
This book is trash. I have never dropped a book straight into the trash can before. Usually, I drop it in the mail to a friend (as I did with the alchemist) or keep it in my permanent library. I stopped reading this book 3/4 of the way through it. Then the next day I picked it up off the floor where I tossed it, flipped to the last two pages, read them, laughed, and dropped it right in the trash can.
This storyline is unrealistic. It's completely goofy garbage.. Comparing sacred sex to sex without love doesn't require such drastic measures, measures that are completely unrealistic at that. All this book is, is a steamy romance novel about sex, pornography in my opinion. There was nothing intellectual about the novel. Not even in the sense of being able to learn random facts. All it will do is leave an imprint on your mind of detailed sex scenes and then a ridiculously flimsy love story to go along with it that is highly unlikely. It seems like this book was written by a teenager. I am shocked it was written by Paulo Coelho.

HE HAS DONE IT AGAIN.......2007-08-09

As a writer myself, I am amazed by the talent and brilliance of Coelho. I do not believe you can learn to write like this. It is pure inspiration writing from a higer source that Coelho is in touch with. This book was certainly a masterpiece and enjoyable every second of my reading. Couldnt wait to come back to it after putting it down. 11 minutes discussed and explores the biggest area in all our lives sex and love. The story is enlightening and exquisitely crafted by the best writer that I have ever come in contact with. Thanks again Paulo, wish I had what you have. Perhaps it will come along in my search for excellence in writing. Highly recommended. Im now reading Coelos latest book. Ive read them all and will keep reading as long as he keeps writing.

The best of Coelho's books by far (surpasses The Alchemist).......2007-07-30

I am an avid reader of Paulo Coelho; his books are enlightening and inspirational to say the least. Eleven Minutes is by FAR the best one he has written thus far. This passionate book can be explicit at times, only because it has to be if it intends to effectively examine love, sex and relationships. Mainly, it explores the nature of love and lust, and the important difference between the two. While reading Eleven Minutes, I found myself laughing and crying with each passing moment. At the very last page, I felt completely fufilled and wise- as though everything I needed to know about love was expressed or at the very least touched upon in this book. READ THIS BOOK if you are interested in knowing what true love really is.

Eleven Minutes.......2007-07-12

This was the first book I've read by Paulo Coelho and I was amazed at how much this book changed my views on love and happiness. I greatly enjoyed every minute I spent with this book and I can't wait to read more of his titles. His characters are so witty and intelligent I feel like I'm listening to a conversation in my own house. I'd suggest this book to anyone.

Poirot Investigates: Eleven Complete Mysteries (Mystery Masters Series)

Average customer rating:

fun short stories and David Suchet is great!
This was Poirot at his best, many times!
Not for me, but not bad
Poirot Investigates: Eleven Complete Mysteries
Excellent collection of Chinese folktales

Poirot Investigates: Eleven Complete Mysteries (Mystery Masters Series)
Agatha Christie
Manufacturer: The Audio Partners, Mystery Masters
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

British | Short Stories | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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Sherlock Holmes: A Baker Street Dozen

ASIN: 1572703210

Book Description

Two things bind this sampler of thrillers: the diminutive Poirot's deductive brilliance and his partner Hastings's obtuseness. The eleven cases here involve film stars, valuable jewels, and abductions as Poirot stylishly uncovers the truth. This is a thrilling short story collection by the master of mystery and the most popular author of all time.

Customer Reviews:

fun short stories and David Suchet is great!.......2007-09-25

This is a fun set of short stories and David Suchet's reading is really wonderful. He does a great Japp (sounds just like the actor on the TV series). His female voices leave a little to be desired, but overall his characterizations are really good.

This was Poirot at his best, many times!.......2007-02-24

I enjoyed all the different stories that were in this book. It is great fun to listen to. My book came in great condition and the seller kept me informed of when it was shipped and when I could expect to receive. Wonderful service.

Not for me, but not bad.......2007-02-15

This is the first book on "tape" I have every tried to listen to. I am from the midwest in America, so the accents are a little hard for me to follow... I haven't made it past the first track... that could be my problem though!

Poirot Investigates: Eleven Complete Mysteries.......2007-01-19

I travel a lot and drive. The great thing about books on CD's (or tapes) are someone else reads to you while you are driving. Great fun.

Excellent collection of Chinese folktales.......2006-04-23

I was pleasantly surprised with this collection of short-story mysteries. I had seen the television versions, but the stories are still a delight! Suchet performs brilliantly, able to play both the English characters as well as the delightfully Belgian Poirot. The best thing about these short mysteries is that if you wish to pit your wits against the Great Detective, they are solvable. Also, unlike some of the other CD collections, the mysteries end on the CD they start on, so you have 2-3 complete mysteries per CD. This is really great if you are using them in your car.

Eleven Short Stories (Dual-Language) (Dual-Language Book)

Average customer rating:

Introduction to an Italian Nobel Laureate
Eleven Short Stories - Dual Language
Neat
A great tool

Eleven Short Stories (Dual-Language) (Dual-Language Book)
Luigi Pirandello
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0486280918

Book Description

Masterly stories include "Little Hut," "With Other Eyes," "A Voice," "Citrons from Sicily," "A Character’s Tragedy," six more. English translations.

Customer Reviews:

Introduction to an Italian Nobel Laureate.......2007-08-24

Luigi Pirandello, the 1934 Nobel laureate for literature,created some delightful and surprising short stories of the southern regions of Italy.
Supported by a careful English translation on the opposite pages it is possible for the intermediate level student of Italian to get a taste of real literature.
Because of Pirandello's place in the literary world, this book should be added to every student's library.

Eleven Short Stories - Dual Language.......2006-08-24

Outstanding book for the intermediate Italian student. Put together well.

Neat.......2004-07-29

Yeah, its fun to study this way, and you will not even realize how much italian you have learned until you go back to read the book again or go read another book in italian and you will be like "Holy cow I can understand some of this"...I am reading this book for a second time now...my feelings on the actual stories themselves is really kinda hit or miss...some of them I thought were really cool, like Una Voce, it is a story about a blind man who is engaged to this woman. A doctor thinks he can cure the man's blindness. What happens? You have to read to find out but it was very interesting (Yeah I know it sounds like that movie with Val Kilmer but trust me, it's different). But honestly, for a lot of the other stories I was like please let this end. Maybe something was lost in the translation, and I'm not fluent in Italian, but Pirandello reminds me of a guy who takes 2 hours to set up a joke and then has no punchline. He writes like at the end there is going to be some really big catch like "Woah I can't believe this happened!" but then he just ends it before that catch ever takes place. So I guess what I am trying to say
is that this book is a great tool for learning italian, I just didn't find most of the stories very interesting. Still, I am glad I bought it. I thought "Italian Stories" were a lot more interesting. Yeah, I know Pirandello is real famous and people love his stuff, I'm just saying that I didn't particularly like it.

A great tool.......2003-05-25

This book is a great version of these classic tales. Being a dual-language text makes it an excellent aid to Italian language study. It is a must-read for lovers of Italian literature.

The Listerdale Mystery and Eleven Other Stories (Mystery Masters)

Average customer rating:

Love the twists. Not typical Christie
Great entertainment
Twelve very different mysteries come to life

The Listerdale Mystery and Eleven Other Stories (Mystery Masters)
Agatha Christie
Manufacturer: The Audio Partners, Mystery Masters
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Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: 1572704977

Book Description

First published in 1934, this collection of Agatha Christie short stories features 12 ingenious tales involving mystery and adventure, from a stolen rajah's emerald to a necklace discovered in a basket of cherries to a mystery writer's bizarre near-arrest for murder. Among the stories in this enjoyable early collection are "The Girl on the Train," "Jane in Search of a Job," and "Philomel Cottage," which was made into the film Love from a Stranger.

Customer Reviews:

Love the twists. Not typical Christie.......2007-08-17

If you're looking for some great, "feel good" atypical mysteries go for it. If you're a classic Christie fan... you may want to give this a pass, but once you get the hang of the general direction, the stories are beautiful, most are well-crafted, some are a little contrived but still enjoyable. Good driving listening.

Great entertainment.......2006-08-21

A wonderful way to enjoy an excellent book. Hugh Fraser is tops as narrator.

Twelve very different mysteries come to life .......2006-04-19

Agatha Christie's mystery THE LISTERDALE MYSTERY AND ELEVEN OTHER STORIES once again enjoys veteran Hugh Fraser's long-time audio experience bringing Christie's many mysteries to life. Here twelve very different mysteries range from a cottage murder to a missing emerald, with all Christie's patented talent for high drama packed into the short mystery format.

Average customer rating:

A Perfect Taste of Highsmith's Mastery
POSITIVELY BRILLIANT!...
A BRILLIANT COLLECTION...
Eerie and compelling
most of the stories deserved a five star rating

Eleven
Patricia Highsmith
Manufacturer: Atlantic Monthly Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 087113327X

Book Description

From the eerily outlandish to the dark and brutal, Eleven presents a gallery of bizarre characters, each driven by strange unspoken urges, whose cumulative effect is at least as unsettling as any of Highsmith's previous novels.

Customer Reviews:

A Perfect Taste of Highsmith's Mastery.......2006-03-14

I am a hardcore Highsmith fan, having read almost every book. This collection is among my favorites. This book has it all... suspense, action, mystery, some confusion, and tragedy. An all-time favorite among the 11 stories is The Heroine. Wow! I reread this story over again and again. It tells of a troubled woman who applies as a nanny for a wealthy family. Concerned about her own psychological status, she doubts that she is "worthy" of taking care of such wonderful kids. As in every Highsmith story, the character becomes obsessed with the role as caretaker and wants to become their "Herione". Anyway, this is a PERFECT first taste of Highsmith. Of course, there are always the bizzare stories, like The Snail Watcher, but I find those most enjoyable. Read the book-- I know you'll love it.

POSITIVELY BRILLIANT!..........2003-09-14

I first became aware of Ms. Highsmith through her wonderful book, "The Talented Mr. Ripley". Although I am not a big fan of short stories, I decided to take a chance on this book, as I so admired the author's talent. I am delighted that I did so, as this book contains a veritable treasure trove of literary gems.

Her stories range from the macabre to the suspenseful. What makes them particularly chilling is that many of them take place in otherwise mundane everyday settings with people who may be either quite ordinary or slightly bizarre, but to whom something extraordinary happens. These are stories that will capture the imagination of the reader. Some even reminded me a little bit of the stories of H. P. Lovecraft, as some of them contain a strong element of horror, crafted, however, in a most delicate, sublime fashion.

These eleven compelling short stories will keep the reader turning the pages of this marvelous little book. It is a book well worth having in one's personal collection. Bravo!

A BRILLIANT COLLECTION..........2003-04-30

These eleven compelling short stories will keep the reader turning the pages of this marvelous little book. It is a book well worth having in one's personal collection. Bravo!

Eerie and compelling.......2002-08-25

Patricia Highsmith has enjoyed a higher profile recently almost entirely due to the film adaptation of her novel "The Talented Mr Ripley".

This collection of 11 short stories show why she is considered by many to be a mistress of chilling suspense. All of the stories begin innocently enough, but an air of expectation is always just around the corner. Often the payoff comes in the last few lines, but what a payoff indeed! The outstanding story has to be "When The Fleet Was In At Mobile" with it's horrific revelations. Do not read these late at night, as your dreams will become nightmares.

most of the stories deserved a five star rating.......2001-11-17

A couple of so-so stories in this collection, but most are extraordinary. "The Snail Watcher" is her most well-known story, and it is truly bizarre, but the best stories are more quietly unsettling, such as "Another Bridge to Cross" (which has an almost Hemingway feel to the writing), "When the Fleet Was In at Mobile," "The Herione," "Mrs Afton, among Thy Green Braes."

My two favorite stories are "Cries of Love," and "The Empty Birdhouse."

I've read a couple of critics and several readers who have suggested she was not as good a writer of stories as novels, but from this collection, at least, I would have to disagree. Now I prefer her novels, but these stories were as good as any writer's. A few times the reader is given the character's past in a lump dose that hurts the strength of the story, such as "The Heroine," and "The Empty Birdhouse," but that is an inherent obstacle of the short story format. I still had a good feel for those characters, and I still felt the overall impact of the story. Some truly great stories.

Face Relations: Eleven Stories About Seeing Beyond Color
Average customer rating:

The usual. . .

Richie's Picks: FACE RELATIONS

A great anthology on an important subject.

Face Relations: Eleven Stories About Seeing Beyond Color

Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0689856377

Book Description

Why can't a white kid sit with the black kids in the cafeteria?

What happens when a biracial girl from Trinidad falls for a guy from a very different culture?

How does a teen deal with being the only Palestinian boy or the only Japanese girl in a small American town?

Face Relations offers eleven original works by celebrated authors Joseph Bruchac, Marina Budhos, M. E. Kerr, Kyoko Mori, Jess Mowry, Naomi Shihab Nye, René Saldaña Jr., Marilyn Singer, Rita Williams-Garcia, Sherri Winston, and Ellen Wittlinger that explore the possibilities of embracing diversity in a world still rife with bigotry and racism. As editor Marilyn Singer writes in her introduction:

"...the characters in these stories tear down the barriers that separate us." Their stories may be troubled, funny, sad, or fierce, but all are full of hope.

11 stories about seeing beyond color

> "Phat Acceptance" by Jess Mowry
> "Skins" by Joseph Bruchac
> "Snow" by Sherri Winston
> "The Heartbeat of the Soul of the World" by René Saldaña Jr.
> "Hum" by Naomi Shihab Nye
> "Epiphany" by Ellen Wittlinger
> "Black and White" by Kyoko Mori
> "Hearing Flower" by M. E. Kerr
> "Gold" by Marina Budhos
> "Mr. Ruben" by Rita Williams-Garcia
> "Negress" by Marilyn Singer

Customer Reviews:

The usual. . ........2005-02-22

I'm glad I took this book out of the library before I wasted my money on it.

The only reason I took this book out was to read Kyoko Mori's story which was about the only good one in the entire book next to "Hum" and "Epiphany".

Most of the stories in here, first off, were structured horribly and were seemingly random, jumping from point to point making the story confusing and unreadable.

As for the actual content of 80% of the book - It's all pretty much propaganda. Most of it was "Please pity me!" or "How DARE you pity me!". The usual whiny politically-correct stuff.

Richie's Picks: FACE RELATIONS.......2004-06-19

"It seems to me as though I've been upon this stage before
And juggled away the night for the same old crowd"
--Al Stewart, "One Stage Before"

"Then Brandon wondered how he should react. The other students were watching him, too. He felt as if he was up on a stage and no one had told him what part to play. This massive black boy was invading his space on the very first day of high school, dammit! It felt like his cool was a house of cards and this woolly black mammoth was shaking the floor. Brandon had gone to a private school from kindergarten through junior high, so he didn't know anyone here. He had no posse to take his back and validate his coolness permit. He remembered something his father had said about making career decisions. Nobody would dis him for dissing this dude, but they'd probably dis him for not. And they'd have him under a microscope for all this freakin' period. Observer, hell! he told himself; he was the one who was being observed, scanned, filed and categorized, labeled and tagged for the next four years by how he treated this huge black kid within the next forty minutes!"
--from "Phat Acceptance" by Jess Mowry

Last November 18th my wife's middle school participated in Teaching Tolerance's "Mix It Up At Lunch Day." While students in other, tougher places--where they truly fear for their personal safety at school--might scoff at our earnest and enthusiastic efforts to have students get to know kids in some of the "other" groups on campus, we certainly have testimony from students who are intimidated and discouraged by the barriers they perceive between groups.

" 'Well, I'm sorry, DeMaris, but you cannot eat at our table!'
" 'Why?'
" 'Because it makes everybody uncomfortable. Can't you tell that?'
" 'Yes. But I still don't know why. We were best friends for six years. How come all of a sudden you can't even sit at a lunch table with me?' Just saying it out loud made the sadness bunch up at the back of my throat, making my voice sound thick."
--from "Epiphany" by Ellen Wittlinger

But I expect that a number of those students will ease up on their cynicism after experiencing FACE RELATIONS, a stellar collection of short stories about the "relations" part of race relations. Written by some great YA authors who are, themselves, from a multiplicity of family backgrounds, and utilizing the wisdom of their own firsthand experiences within the changing American social structure, their fictional tales probe the subtleties and complexities that arise amid the interactions of variously hued adolescent characters in today's world.

"Sometimes I'm right and I can be wrong
My own beliefs are in my song
The butcher, the banker, the drummer and then
Makes no difference what group I'm in"
--Sly & the Family Stone, "Everyday People"

"When you go to a high school in a town so small that you have to look twice to see it when you're passing through, everyone knows who you are...That's especially true in school, where you've been with the same kids ever since you were in preschool together. As a result, they remember the time when you were five and you got yelled at by the teacher and expelled for a week because you bit a certain girl in the butt so hard that you left tooth marks."
--from "Skins" by Joseph Bruchac

Yes, the collection contains a wealth of humor, alongside the tension, and the questions posed by the stories. You can add Jess Mowry's hysterically funny leadoff piece, "Phat Acceptance" to my all-time Best of the Best short stories list. Not only a crackup with its Goths, Geeks, and Surferdudes, it also teases us with an intriguing little slice of history, as does Ms. Singer's own provocative piece, "Negress."

"Everyone is changed
Everyone is still the same
They can't get out of the game"
--Todd Rundgren, "Black and White"

"It gets worse. The girls are on me, something bad. 'You think you something special, huh? Little brown girl with straight hair showin' up the brother, huh? Who you think you are?'
" 'Just let me go,' I beg, pressing my books to my chest. I angle through them, but it is all pinches and shoves; my scalp burns needles from where they pull my hair. 'Runnin' to your mama?' they taunt. Please, I think, let me go. Let me disappear into my down jacket and be no different. I tie up my hair in a bun, but in math class a girl pokes it with a pencil and starts hissing, 'Chinky girl now?' "
--from "Gold" by Marina Budhos

The book is prefaced with a letter from the Outreach Director of the Southern Poverty Law Center (the folks responsible for Teaching Tolerance and "Mix It Up At Lunch Day"), which nudges us with, "What unwritten rules limit our ability to enjoy new experiences, explore new cultures, and to make new friends? Once you identify those rules, break them."

FACE RELATIONS provides ammunition for readers to do exactly that, stocked as it is with new perspectives galore, as its variety of teen characters reevaluate their relationships with peers and reconsider their feelings about who they, themselves, are and where they've come from. A fine sense of realistic optimism weaves through the collection, leaving us feeling hopeful at the end of each story.

"My eyes burn into him. For a moment, his dark pupils become video screens and Emmaline and her pain flash across the bridge of his nose. The time I spent working on that story, interviewing Emmaline and all the others, carrying their pain around in my notebook, gave me a companion. They talked about feeling scared and unsafe. I feel scared and unsafe all the time.
"All the time."
--from "Snow" by Sherri Winston

Thoroughly entertaining, and consistently thought-provoking, FACE RELATIONS will serve superbly as both a component within a middle school short story unit, and as a prelude for catalyzing change for the better among diverse middle school students.

A great anthology on an important subject........2004-05-17

"The kids were a typical Santa Cruz mix -- meaning that most of them were white -- from surfers in tank-tops, hoodies and shorts, to hip-hops in big-jeans and backward-turned caps. A pair of gothics, boy and girl, had so many piercings that Brandon winced, even though he was wearing an earring himself. There were also a couple of obvious jocks."

I assume Jess Mowry is describing a typical 9th grade World History class in Santa Cruz, California in this early paragraph of his peppery and hilarious story, "Phat Acceptance", which opens this great anthology dealing with modern-day race relations. Another clue is when Mowry teases us with a mention of a youth gang from the early 1960s who were known as the "Tola Rats" for their stomping ground of Capitola, Ca, a little seaside town bordering Santa Cruz. Mowry goes on to illustrate this mix:

"...one of the jocks could have been on TV as a model for all-American boys. There was also a skinhead in boots and suspenders who could have passed for an albino ape, though the only "statement" he seemed to make was that some Caucasians had lame-looking skulls and should have kept something on top of them. ....The other students included three Asians, two slender girls who were Vietnamese... and a pair of rolly Mexican boys in tattered white T-shirts and faded big-jeans. ....The black race hadn't been represented, until this ebony mountain of blubber had lumbered casually into the room."

So begins Brandon Williams' -- age 14, blond, blue-eyed, and a sidewalk surfer -- first day of high school, and we might also assume his introduction into the real world of race relations, being that he's gone to a private school from kindergarten through 8th grade.

I love Mowry's style of seemingly writing about one thing while actually writing about another ("Phat Acceptance"), and even though pedigreed Kirkus Reviews didn't seem to think this story was funny, or even important enough to mention -- citing, instead, Rita Williams-Garcia's offering, "Mr. Ruben", as "the only really funny story in the collection" -- I would recommend this book for Mowry's story alone, and I'm not surprised that Simon & Schuster chose it to open this well-compiled and thought-provoking anthology.

While I agree that "Mr. Ruben" is indeed quite amusing, I think it's significant that Ms. Marilyn Singer's poignant (and also quite funny) contribution, "Negress", wasn't mentioned either. I've read enough Kirkus Reviews, especially those dealing with "minority" and social issues, to know that when they ignore something it's often just the thing I do want to read; and much more importantly, often just the thing young people want to read. As a middle-school librarian, I'm much more concerned with this than what conservative reviewers may think kids "should" read.

The eleven stories in "Face Relations" are by no means all funny, though every one is hopeful without being saccharine or preachy. I highly recommend Marina Budhos' Caribbean story "Gold". Sherri Winston's devastating, yet happily-ending, "Snow" -- about a black principal "cleaning up" a troubled and predominantly black school by favoring lighter-skinned and non-Haitian students, rouses one to anger and is not to be missed -- which is probably why Kirkus didn't mention it either.

"Then my junior year, I challenged King. Told him too many non-African-American students were treated like second-class citizens. We were right here, in this office. He yanked me from my seat and told me to get out and go cool off. ...'Your Haitian story, Noelle, concerns me'."

All in all, I think "Face Relations" will be a welcome and, more importantly, much-read addition to any school library or a young person's collection.

The Book of Ten Nights and a Night: Eleven Stories
Average customer rating:
The Book of Ten Nights and a Night: Eleven Stories
John Barth
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Literary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
General | Short Stories | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Barth, John | ( B ) | Authors, A-Z | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0618405666

Book Description

John Barth, the postmodern master, is back with his sixteenth book and third collection of stories, which gathers for the first time in one volume stories previously published in various journals. Exploring ideas of narrative frames, stories within stories, and the uncanny power that language has in our lives, he offers the thrilling blend of playfulness and illuminating insight that has marked him as one of America's most distinguished writers. Here are tales of aging, time, possibility, and relationships. And in typically Barthian fashion, they are framed by the narration of a veteran writer, Graybard, and his flirtatious, insouciant muse, WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get). During the eleven days that follow September 11, 2001, Graybard and WYSIWYG debate the meaning and relevance of writing and storytelling in the wake of disaster, or TEOTWAW(A)KI The End Of The World As We (Americans) Know It. The Book of Ten Nights and a Night is vintage Barth, sure to appeal to his loyal fans and find new readers touched by his irreverent but deeply human perspective on how writers can respond to the emotional and ethical demands of tragic events.

Peter Rabbit and Eleven Other Favorite Tales (Dover Children's Thrift Classics)

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a fantastic collection of rabbit tales

Peter Rabbit and Eleven Other Favorite Tales (Dover Children's Thrift Classics)
Beatrix Potter
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 048627845X

Book Description

In addition to the title story, this treasury includes The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin, Ginger & Pickles, The Tale of Two Bad Mice, The Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher, The Tale of Mrs. Tittlemouse, The Tale of Tom Kitten, and 4 more. Newly reset in large type with 59 new illustrations.

Customer Reviews:

a fantastic collection of rabbit tales.......2000-09-26

I bought this book for my nephew's birthday. To say the least he loved the stories and has prompted his imaginative and creative abilities....he wants more of these books. The illustrations he thinks are cute and laughable! . Beatrix Potter has always been one of my favorite authors as a child and from my nephew's reaction it seems as though it will be a favorite of children of all ages. This books is great for kids and is quite easy to read and understand. It is also quite affordable to buy the lot. I am about to order another of these books. Thanks

Eleven Turtle Tales (American Storytelling)

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Eleven turtle Tales, Adventure Tales From Around the World

Eleven Turtle Tales (American Storytelling)
Pleasant DeSpain
Manufacturer: August House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Short Story Collections | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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Eleven Nature Tales (World Storytelling)

ASIN: 0874833884

Book Description

Turtle carries the world on her back: this story has been told by different cultures around the world for generations. Like Mother Nature, Turtle is unhurried, wise, and enduring. She walks on land, swims in water, and breathes the air and so embodies three of the four elements of creation. We have much to learn from Turtle.

Customer Reviews:

Eleven turtle Tales, Adventure Tales From Around the World.......2000-09-13

If you like turtles, you will love this book! One of my favorite classroom titles, DeSpain's style of telling works with students of all ages. I also appreciate the informative notes on story sources and storytelling ideas in the back of the book. This is a fun as well as effective classroom source.

Average customer rating:

Mysterious, surprising, and delightful

Unexpected: Eleven Mysterious Stories

Manufacturer: Scholastic Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Short Story Collections | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0439455855

Book Description

An eerie house filled with forgotten treasures . . . A young detective from the future . . . A miniature village that feels like home . . . A mom abducted by trolls . . .

These are just a few of the eleven mysterious encounters conjured up by some of today's most popular and acclaimed authors, including Gail Carson Levine, Graham Salisbury, Margaret Peterson Haddix, Norma Fox Mazer, Jane Yolen, Dian Curtis Regan, Peter Lerangis, and Bruce Coville.

All of them conspire to make you ask: Is this really happening?

Customer Reviews:

Mysterious, surprising, and delightful.......2005-12-16

"Things are never quite what they seem." Whoever said that must have read UNEXPECTED, 11 stories that are almost guaranteed to surprise --- and delight --- you. Some are mysterious, some are funny, and some are touching. But all will keep you reading until the very last page, when you get an unexpected surprise every time.

One of the stories, "Loser," is about a boy who constantly loses things, all kinds of things --- even a tuba that the school lent him so he could practice (yes, he actually misplaced a tuba!). Now, of course, you'd expect the tale to end with Frederick (that's the boy/loser) not losing things anymore. But what's unexpected is how he breaks his losing habits. As you might guess from the tuba episode, "Loser" is not only highly unusual but also quite funny.

In another story, "The Telltale Croak," an underage boy sneaks his father's car out for a little joyride and accidentally hits the youngest member of a neighbor's family who has wandered out onto the road. In a panic, he buries the body near a hidden pond. The boy is terrified and feels guilty --- so guilty in fact that he keeps hearing the croaks of a bullfrog that was in the pond and witnessed him bury the body. The "croak, croak" sounds to him like "murder, murder" and almost drives him mad. How can he explain to his father about the new dent in the car's fender? How will he tell his sobbing neighbor girlfriend that it was he who is responsible for Marky's strange disappearance? What will he tell his family and the police? Ah, that's the surprise, and we'll never tell....

UNEXPECTED will enthrall you with such strange occurrences as a haunting that started in pioneer days and now affects a modern-day family, and a miniature village where the inhabitants are tiny as well. But be warned: expect the unexpected when you read UNEXPECTED. You won't be disappointed.

--- Reviewed by Robert Oksner

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