Book Description
Neither art nor philosophy was kind to beauty during the twentieth century. Much modern art disdains beauty, and many philosophers deeply suspect that beauty merely paints over or distracts us from horrors. Intellectuals consigned the passions of beauty to the margins, replacing them with the anemic and rarefied alternative, "aesthetic pleasure." In Only a Promise of Happiness, Alexander Nehamas reclaims beauty from its critics. He seeks to restore its place in art, to reestablish the connections among art, beauty, and desire, and to show that the values of art, independently of their moral worth, are equally crucial to the rest of life.
Nehamas makes his case with characteristic grace, sensitivity, and philosophical depth, supporting his arguments with searching studies of art and literature, high and low, from Thomas Mann's Death in Venice and Manet's Olympia to television. Throughout, the discussion of artworks is generously illustrated.
Beauty, Nehamas concludes, may depend on appearance, but this does not make it superficial. The perception of beauty manifests a hope that life would be better if the object of beauty were part of it. This hope can shape and direct our lives for better or worse. We may discover misery in pursuit of beauty, or find that beauty offers no more than a tantalizing promise of happiness. But if beauty is always dangerous, it is also a pressing human concern that we must seek to understand, and not suppress.
Customer Reviews:
A Broken Promise.......2007-05-09
I kept on reading through this book hoping to find the message, but, except for the early implication that beauty was but a vapor in the vision of the beholder and real art was for those critics qualified to go on endlessly about the hidden meaning of the work, it was not there. Tom Wolfe nailed this in The Painted Word, and I should have been warned. I wonder if this book had an editor. If so, he or she might have noticed that while many of the paintings, especially Manet's, were repeated several times, many obscure ones critical to appreciation of the text, were left to the reader's imagination. The book was too wordy and lacked organization, which might be consistent with its message. Worse, it exuded the sniffy attitude of an academician anxious for you to know the extent of his knowledge while demeaning yours. If beauty, as the ancient philosopher once wrote, is the good so good it leads to nothing better, then we are not decived in the contemplation of it for its own sake, even if it be, as Plato described it, but the shadow of pure Beauty. Some of the art here, was, indeed, beautiful, but none of the writing, and the promise broken was that of the reviewer who implied the book was a good read.
Beauty and Ethics.......2007-03-15
With so much of today's art having been reduced to silly and trite political statements, it is refreshing to be reminded that the greatest of artists, and the greatest of thinkers, have always consider genuine art to serve the purpose of elevating the human spirit. Alexander Nehamas masterfully reminds us of the profound philosophical tradition that understands the concept and experience of beauty to be essential to moving one toward a fuller life, a life that is centered on its concern for the well-being of the other. Along with rich philosophical reflections of thinkers ranging from Plato to Mann, Nehamas leads his reader on a journey of discovery: a journey that helps one discover what Plato considered to be the one basic human instinct: the instinct to respond to beauty. After reading this text, take a look at E. Scarry's work: Beauty and the Just, or some of the essays by I. Murdoch. You will, in the end, no longer be taken-in by today's artists who pose as poets, painters, or musicians, but who in fact simply use the aesthetic medium to propagate some sort of shallow and thoughtless political agenda.
"To think of beauty as only a promise of happiness is to be willing to live with ineradicable uncertainty" (pg. 130)........2007-03-07
This book mixes the philosophy of art, ethics, and language in a very creative way. Although Nehamas covers much ground, he pursues throughout a creative discovery of the meaning of Edouard Manet's "Olympia" painting. He chases the inscrutable Olympia with the same fervor that Langdon chases Leonardo in "The Da Vinci Code" and the same intensity that Paul Harris chases the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili in "The Rule of Four." Nehamas pursues Olympia as the moral virtue of happiness against a historical background where, "For Socrates, virtue was nothing but its own pursuit. And only the promise of happiness is happiness itself" (pg. 138). Beauty, for Nehamas, is the promise.
Modern art, as in modern Anglican philosophy, has placed "beauty" in a relegated, unimportant position. Instead, aesthetics, and objectivity, have become the marks of modern art criticism and modern philosophy (and science). Nehamas wants to restore beauty without giving transcendent features to it. He begins by posing 2 alternatives: Plato or Schopenhauer. Without agreeing with Plato all the way through the argument for the Forms and Pythagorean style objectivity, Nehamas does see in Plato an articulated expression of the power of beauty. In Plato's "Phaedrus" Nehamas sees the homosexual words of Plotinus as a muse on beauty. Nehamas connects the sexual nature of the philosophical ascent towards the form to arete (Greek word for moral virtue; but Nehamas sees the word fitting a context where the "older man was expected to provide him with the motivation and knowledge necessary for success and distinction in life" pg. 6). But Schopenhauer wants to "exclude passion and desire from the serious," according to Nehamas, who quotes Schopenhauer saying, "All amorousness is rooted in the sexual impulse alone" (pg. 8). Schopenhauer is following Kant's notion of the beautiful as what is known through contemplation or art that produces "a satisfaction without any interest" (pg. 3). And although the word aesthetics is from the Greek word "aesthesis," which means "perception," Kant's notion of a satisfaction without interest seems to separate the perceptual experience from aesthetics.
Nehamas sides with Plato against Kant and Schopenhauer. "Beauty...is part of the everyday world of purpose and desire, history and contingency, subjectivity and incompleteness" (pg. 35). As for progress in the arts, new art is not somehow closer to Truth than other art, according to Nehamas who almost likens period changes in art to Kuhnian science paradigm shifts: "No theoretical proof...will do: the only way to show that new and better art is possible is to create a work that some, at least, among its audience will at some time accept as new and better art" (pg. 40). Unlike Kant who denies interest as part of the mark of beauty, Nehamas invokes Plato again, "Our reaction to beautiful things is the urge to make them our own, which is why Plato called eros the desire to possess beauty" (pg. 55). "Beauty points to the future, and we pursue it without knowing what it will yield, and that makes it as difficult to say why we love someone as it is to say why someone else is our friend. My reasons for finding you beautiful include characteristics I feel you have not yet disclosed, features that may take me in directions I can't now foresee. Beauty inspires desires without letting me known what they are for, and a readiness to refashion what I already desire without telling me what will replace it.
When I say...that what I want is you, not anything from you, I am putting myself in your hands, assuring us both that I will be happy no matter what happens to me, if it is due to you. It is an overwhelming feeling, that sweeping sense that all will be well - and it is often wrong. Stendhal was right: beauty is only a promise of happiness" (pg. 63). We do not know what beauty will yield because beauty is "the emblem of what we lack" which "so frightened Schopenhauer instead of calming him" (pg. 76).
As far as agreement on art is concerned, "Aesthetic judgment must move away from a dogmatism that detects a difference in quality in ever divergence in taste without, at the same time, falling into a relativism that refuses to make any judgment at all" (pg. 84). Nehamas begins this difficult task by making distinctions between the value of morality, aesthetics, beauty, and style; "while the values of morality are the emblems of our commonalities, the values of aesthetics are the badges of our particularities" (pg. 86). "Universal aesthetic agreement would mark the end of aesthetics. Distinctions always denotes a necessity and, sometimes, a value" (Ibid). Thus good aesthetics carries varying styles along for the ride (Nietzsche says "To `give style' to one's character - a great and rare art!"). But since universality is the end of aesthetics, descriptions, and interpretations "depends in each case on how well we and our audience know a work of art and our purposes on that particular occasion" (pg. 123). Again, as far as interpretation is concerned, "there are no unexplained explainers" (pg. 124).
Nehamas has already written on Plato (in "The Art of Living") and Nietzsche (in Nietzsche: Life as Literature). Richard Rorty thinks that Nehamas is trying to bring Plato and Nietzsche's conception of beauty together in "Only a Promise of Happiness."
Amazon.com
"We are a sleep-sick society," says William C. Dement, M.D., Ph.D. According to Dr. Dement, "sleep science" has yielded a great deal of scientific knowledge about sleep--yet the general public, and even doctors, aren't aware of it. Sleep disorders are routinely misdiagnosed or ignored, sometimes resulting in medical tragedy and death, frequently leading to chronic exhaustion. In The Promise of Sleep, Dr. Dement aims to remedy that by making the latest sleep information accessible to health professionals and lay readers. He describes the sleep cycle and gives a short history of sleep research. Then he dives into clear and detailed explanations of concepts and conditions we've all heard about, but that few of us understand: sleep debt, biological clock, circadian rhythm, insomnia, sleep apnea, narcolepsy. He discusses why we need sleep (sounds obvious, but it isn't) and the role of dreams. After 300 pages of sleep facts, Dr. Dement teaches you how to "reclaim healthy sleep" in your own life. You learn to assess your personal sleep situation by keeping a sleep diary, measuring your sleep debt, and evaluating your risk of sleep disorders; find appropriate treatment; manage sleep crises; and adopt a "sleep-smart lifestyle." A three-week "sleep camp" program at the end helps you put all the strategies together. This book will put you to sleep--and that's meant as praise! --Joan Price
Book Description
Sleep better, live longer with the groundbreaking information and step-by-step program in this revolutionary book.
Healthful sleep has been empirically proven to be the single most important factor in predicting longevity, more influential than diet, exercise, or heredity. And yet we are a sleep-sick society, ignorant of the facts of sleep--and the price of sleep deprivation. In this groundbreaking book, based on decades of study on the frontiers of sleep science, Dr. William Dement, founder and director of the Stanford University Sleep Research Center, explains what happens when we sleep, when we don't, and how we can reclaim the most powerful--and underrated--health miracle of all.
Taking us on a fascinating tour of our sleeping body and mind, Dr. Dement reveals the price we have paid for ignoring sleep--an epidemic of heart disease, 33 percent of traffic-fatigue-related accidents, and immeasurable mental and psychological disadvantages. And he offers a hands-on prescription for vibrant good health and longevity, including...self-tests to determine how much sleep you really need...the role of prescription and over-the-counter sleeping aids...the latest research on how sleep affects the immune system...how to combat insomnia, snoring, and jet lag...plus information on sleep disorder clinics nationwide, Web sites, and more.
Taking readers on a fascinating tour of our sleeping body and mind,
Dr. William C. Dement reveals the price paid for ignoring sleep--an epidemic of heart disease, traffic-fatigue-related accidents (responsible for a full third of all traffic accidents), and immeasurable mental and psychological disadvantages. Offering a hands-on prescription for vibrant good health and longevity, THE PROMISE OF SLEEP includes self-tests to determine how much sleep you really need, full information on the role of prescription and over-the-counter sleeping aids, the latest research on how sleep affects the immune system, helpful methods for combating insomnia, snoring, and jet lag, plus information on sleep disorder clinics nationwide, sleep disorder Web sites, and more. -->
Customer Reviews:
Invaluable health info.......2007-07-22
The author is one of the pioneers of sleep research, totally in command of his subject and it's surprising exactly how important sleep is in a healthy lifestyle. My only complaint: I would have preferred more sleep research results and less sleep research.
Wonderful work.......2007-01-19
"After all the research I've done on sleep problems over the past four decades, my most significant finding is that ignorance is the worst sleep disorder of them all."
A half century of work combined to create a unique perspective. The first chapters deal with the basics: what sleep is and what we know about it. The next chapters deal with biology and sleep debt; causes: such as insomnia, apnea, narcolepsy, and fatigue; the effects: on the immune system and mood; dreams; personal needs; children; lifestyle. The appendix contains a list of sleep centers in each state.
"People need to change the way they sleep and live."
My sleep problems were brought on by personal troubles and trying to run a business 24/7; simplification was the answer. Excellent book; highly recommended, even for those just interested in the subject.
"Healthy sleep has been empirically proven to be the single most important determination in predicting longevity."
Wish you well
Scott
Important reference, too long, a bit dated.......2007-01-09
If you have just become interested in sleep disorders and want to know the foundations, this book is likely a must read by a pioneer in the field. The author makes a strong case that the medical issues of humans during the night is much undervalued in current practice. However, the book is too long, and is written in an inefficient and chatty style that doesn't have an obvious organizational structure to it. This makes it hard to use as a reference for the serious reader and a bit too ponderous for the casual lay reader. Furthermore, after reading other references and recent sleep and medical literature, it is likely that the author's rigid theory of a sleep deficit, and other major conclusions, are matters of current debate. The book, therefore, is a bit dated.
The Best! My insomnia has been gone for years now.......2006-11-21
I had a bad case of insomnia which after reading this book and following its principles has never returned
Thoroghly and well written by The Man of Sleep himself........2006-11-03
Dement tells us himself how the study of sleep got started and took off, but then how scientists now are not giving sleep the attention it deserves. Sleep deprivation leads to depression, listlessness, lack of motivation, decreased alertness, and possible involuntary sleep episodes (falling asleep at the wheel, sleep apnea, etc.). Missed sleep is not made up by sleeping more the next day/night but rather accumulates over days and months until one has a vast accumulation of "sleep debt". This is proven through scientific studies as Dement iterates in his text. Helpful and informative, this is the book for anyone suffering from lack of sleep and is the foremost book on the subject of sleep for psychological courses focused on sleep & sleep disorders. Also includes Freud's and Jung's explanations of why we dream.
Book Description
Theologian and women's empowerment pioneer Patricia Lynn Reilly contends that a woman's relationship with herself is the source of all personal power. Here she refashions the wedding vow so that every woman can make a lifelong commitment to herself, reclaim a sense of authenticity, and value her own self-worth. The book offers a step-by-step process for composing a personal vow, offering examples and stories of women of all ages and walks of life.
Customer Reviews:
This book is essential for teenage girls!.......2000-08-18
I met at Patricia Reilly, the author of "I Promise Myself," at a recent booksigning in Salt Lake City. "I Promise Myself" is an amazing book and I made all of my high school friends read it. They all agreed that we girls need to affirm, appreciate, and love ourselves before anyone else. This in itself is a wonderful idea. But in a society such as ours, where we are told that pleasing others is our first priority, where we are taught that beauty is more important than comfort and love, and where we are ashamed of our sexuality and womanhood, this notion of self-affirmation isn't just wonderful...it's painfully needed. Patricia and her book are a wonderful example to me and to every one else.
PLR Reminds us of the Core of Self, Strength, and Focus.......2000-08-16
I Promise Myself is a book to sit with and thumb through and read ten thousand times or more. Reilly shows us, through a vow composition process, how to truly know ourselves and find the inner strength needed to live in this hectic and often externally-focused world. The book is especially helpful to women who, as PLR describes it, tend to get caught up in the 'swirls' of others... ever the caretaker, ever the giver, ever the one who depends on others for strength. It has helped me through times of crisis by allowing me to define the natural center of my self to which I can always return.
Book Description
Each one of us enjoys deep relationships held together by an invisible cord called commitment, and every important community depends on the strength of that unseen cord. At times, we find it a joy to keep our commitments. At others, it seems difficult–even impossible–to honor those spoken and unspoken pledges.
If you deeply desire to make and keep commitments…
If you want insight into what makes relationships work–
or to learn what to do when a relationship is in crisis…
If you feel trapped by a bad commitment and wonder if you can
experience grace and a new beginning…
Best-selling author Lewis Smedes offers insights that will profoundly affect the way you interact with and relate to others. Find out what you and those you love can gain from committed relationships; discover how to cope when someone close to you breaks your trust; and determine which, if any, relationships should continue forever–as well as how you can make these relationships last–in Learning to Live the Love We Promise.
Customer Reviews:
"Beauty is the promise of happiness" - Stendhal (5+).......2006-12-30
HARDCOVER Book Description: "I'M NOT ATTRACTED TO THIN MICE." So stated the urbane Baron Tiele Raukema van den Eck - and as Rebecca Saunders was both thin and mouse-like she knew exactly where she stood with him! But he had been very kind, rescuing her when she was virtually destitute. He had even found her a job - nursing his mother - that was enjoyable and well paid and that took her to Norway and Holland. The result was inevitable - Rebecca had fallen in love with him, and even the presence of his girlfriend Nina couldn't stop her from dreaming.
In this Neels story, good-looking rich Dutch Doctor Baron Tiele Raukema van de Eck assists plain, kind, hard-working British Nurse Rebecca "Becky" Saunders when she ran away from home to save the lives of her two best friends, reclaim her life, and make a home for them. She is determined to escape from her cruel, selfish step-brother and step-mother and make a life for them. After all, she was a trained nurse and had her savings in her pocket for them to live on until she found employment. Along the way she meets, and is assisted by, a good-looking, rich stranger who she later finds is a Dutch Baron and a Doctor.
Initially Tiele is kind when assisting Becky but is also distracted (though aware of her at some level), inattentive (but always seems to be there when needed), and impatient in manner (after all, she expects him to be). The story includes the resistance of attraction, acknowledging but hiding that attraction, an interfering selfish beauty, impaired self-image, and fear of being found. The story, however, centers abound and is about beauty - the true definition of beauty.
This is among my favorite Betty Neels stories; another beauty is in the eye of the beholder - Dutch Doctor/Plain British Nurse - Cinderella tale.
Tiele and Becky appear in "Caroline's Waterloo; Tiele is Radinick's best man.
A Wonderful Neels Story (5+ stars).......2006-11-29
PAPERBACK Book Description: "I'm not attracted to thin mice." So stated the urbane Baron Tiele Raukema van den Eck -- and as Rebecca Saunders was both thin and mouselike, she knew exactly where she stood with him! But he had been very kind, rescuing her when she was virtually destitute. He had even found her a job -- nursing his mother. The job was enjoyable and well paid, and it took her to Norway and Holland. The result was inevitable -- Rebecca fell in love with the baron, and not even the presence of his girlfriend, Nina, could stop her from dreaming.
In this Neels story, good-looking rich Dutch Doctor Baron Tiele Raukema van de Eck assists plain, kind, hard-working British Nurse Rebecca "Becky" Saunders when she ran away from home to save the lives of her two best friends, reclaim her life, and make a home for them. She is determined to escape from her cruel, selfish step-brother and step-mother and make a life for them. After all, she was a trained nurse and had her savings in her pocket for them to live on until she found employment. Along the way she meets, and is assisted by, a good-looking, rich stranger who she later finds is a Dutch Baron and a Doctor.
Initially Tiele is kind when assisting Becky but is also distracted (though aware of her at some level), inattentive (but always seems to be there when needed), and impatient in manner (after all, she expects him to be). The story includes the resistance of attraction, acknowledging but hiding that attraction, an interfering selfish beauty, impaired self-image, and fear of being found. The story, however, centers abound and is about beauty - the true definition of beauty.
This is among my favorite Betty Neels stories; another beauty is in the eye of the beholder - Dutch Doctor/Plain British Nurse - Cinderella tale.
Tiele and Becky appear in "Caroline's Waterloo; Tiele is Radinick's best man.
Cinderella.......2002-11-20
Back Cover description: She knew it was time to leave! Determined to break the stranglehold of a selfish stepmother and stepbrother, Becky left home. She'd begin nursing again; make a home for herself and Pooch and Bertie, the pets she'd brought with her. Then at dawn on a rainy highway, fate took a hand--fate in the form of Baron Raukema van den Eck. His mother needed a nurse and Becky filled the bill. Only one thing marred her new life. Poor plain Becky fell desperately, hopelessy in love...
Becky is a nurse, the Baron is a doctor. This is the second story of Ms. Neels's that takes place in Norway. For the first part of the book, Becky and the Baron's mother go to Norway, then Holland/Netherlands. The descriptions of Norway, Holland and the country travelled through are good. You feel as though you've gone on the trip too. The story moves along, nothing feels rushed, and love wins in the end, what more could you ask for.
Average customer rating:
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The Promise of Happiness
Fred Inglis
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0521231426 |
Book Description
A powerful elegy to the intimacies and idiocies of family, The Promise of Happiness tells the story of an apparently ordinary family on the cusp of an extraordinary moment: the return of the family’s prodigal daughter, Juliet. Her release from an upstate New York prison throws the Judds, formerly of London but now scattered, back together.
For her father, Juliet's conviction for a theft she may not have committed had proven the disintegration of a dying society. For her mother, it is a source not only of resentment, but bafflement. And for all of the Judds, it is a moment of both intense joy and confusion.
As Justin Cartwright’s novel opens, Juliet’s parents await her release and return to England. Charlie, their capable and successful son, has been charged with collecting her and softening her reentry into the world, his own life unsettled meanwhile by his glamorous girlfriend's pregnancy and his ambivalence towards it. Sophie, the youngest and most rebellious sibling, is in the midst of getting her chaotic life (mostly) under control. And Juliet herself is wounded, the perfect daughter made scapegoat for a victimless crime.
With searching perception and gentle humor, Justin Cartwright gradually reveals the inner struggles of the five disparate Judds as they grapple with their conflicting feelings for each other and the moral dilemmas that beset them, bringing them finally together in what is ultimately a celebration of the layers and universal oddness of the love of a family.
Customer Reviews:
A Good Family Saga for a Long Weekend.......2007-03-13
While I enjoyed Justin Cartwright's award winning "The Promise Of Happiness" very much, I was bothered that there wasn't much ANGER expressed at JuJu for the wrong doing (yes, her crime) that resulted in her incarceration. Her family make a lot of excuses for her, and other than one moment that might have been the result of illness, she is never taken to task for her part in the scheme. Maybe this is something "British" that I don't "get" as an American, but if it had been me, my parents and siblings would have been vocally angry - even if they would have eventually also come to forgiveness.
Arid, could not finish.......2006-12-01
The plot is not so much a plot as a situation that gets chewed over and over and OVER and the characters collections of traits relentlessly described by the author --JuJu's brilliance, dad's creepy melancholia, mom's low self-esteem -- but not really coming to life as individuals. In fact, they remained so undifferentiated it was often difficult to tell who was speaking during the meandering patches of dialog. The bathos-laden ruminations on Art, History, and the Meaning of Americanism were truly cringe-making, and I couldn't tell if the author intended them to be taken seriously or was demonstrating how sophomoric JuJu & co. actually were. I admit I only made it halfway through the book. In light of the glowing reviews, I can only assume it does a brilliant turn-around and out-performs Tolstoy on the home stretch. But after reading the first claustrophobic half, I was desperate for air and willing to break any number of Tiffany windows to make my escape.
"We are all subject to its tyranny".......2006-05-04
Juliet "Ju-Ju" Judd never really believed she would end up spending two years in a Federal Correctional Facility in upstate New York. She'd been working as a high profile art dealer when she was sentenced for conspiring to illegally sell a stolen Tiffany Window. Although she didn't actually take it, she took the blame because she divvied up the money and wrote the checks. Wracked with shame, she blamed it on her love affair with Ritchie, her partner in crime, who led her down the path of shady dealings and corrupt transactions.
We first meet Juliet just as she's being released from prison and her dependable brother Charlie has arrived in the States to take her home to England. It has been two years of hell for this intelligent and quietly enigmatic girl, and her sudden incarceration has splintered and fractured her family.
Mired in humiliation, Ju-Ju's parents, Daphne and Charles retire to a ramshackle cottage on the windswept coast of Cornwall, devastated at their daughter's plight. Always the apple of his eye, Charles can't bear the thought that everyone knows his precious daughter is in gaol. Ju-Ju's younger sister Sophie, battles drug addiction, whilst working as a film advertiser in London. And Charlie, the family success story, is making his fortune selling socks over the Internet.
For two years, the Judd family has stumbled into darkness; Daphne - never actually believing that Ju-Ju was guilty - finds solace in prayer, cooking classes and flower arranging. She hopes for a resolution, a manifestation of family, where one day they can all get together in Cornwall. Charles, bitter at being forcibly retrenched from a prestigious law firm in London, endlessly studies the cliffs and ekes out his days on the local golf course.
Obviously they've coped badly, even the dog-committed suicide, and then there where Daphne's ghastly and tense visits to the prison to see Ju-Ju in America. Author Justin Cartwright steadily unveils the family dynamics, with Ju-Ju's imprisonment affecting each of them in vastly different ways. Caught in an ethical dilemma, Charles refuses to go to America to see his daughter because he just couldn't bare to see Ju-Ju suffer; he feared the sight of her in a prison uniform would demolish the unsteady edifice that his life has become, he even admits, "I am being punished for my cowardice."
Charles is the moral center of this novel, yet he is the one who loses his bearings and the one most affected by Ju-Ju's incarceration. Wracked with disenchantment and deeply cynical, he tries desperately to blame 9/11: "all the foreigners were suspect; the dragnet caught my Ju-Ju." And he's angry that his life hadn't turned out the way it should have and that all the hope he had invested in his daughter has come to nothing. He'd always imagined that he could shield their children from all that is harsh and lonely in the world.
The Promise of Happiness is all about the search to regain contentment in a world that has become far from bucolic. England is transforming and within this change, the Judd family finds it difficult to reconnect - intimacy does not come easy for them. They're also a family who are somewhat clannish and critical, even Daphne believes they are "from some natural aristocracy, "whilst Charles just wants to "pull up the drawbridge against the barbarians."
Ju-Ju's experience has caused them to go through a forced and very necessary cycle of change. Her release from prison brings a new awareness, challenging their guilt and their willingness to encapsulate a grief that has so dominated their lives. Cartwright has written a complex and multifaceted story that explores the terrible costs of avoiding happiness. His themes are profound - the importance of beauty, class, and family and the idea that art is different from the rest of life, something pure and more authentic.
Throughout the novel, the Judd family is faced with some critical choices - especially Charles, as he's the type of old-style reserved Englishman who knows he's out of touch with the modern world and holds a lot back. It is only through Ju-Ju's eventual arrival back in London that this family can be reunited and begin to move on, and perhaps start to heal from this terrible tragedy that has so dominated their lives. Mike Leonard May 06.
Family.......2006-03-23
Rather than provide another comprehesive review, which has already been accomplised by previous reviewers, I will simply add this; that Cartwright reminds us in The Promise of Happiness of the preordained roles family members are assigned for life. No matter how our lives change, there is a dynamic established during childhood with our parents and our siblings that remains intact. Juliet Judd was, and alwlays will be, the Judd's brightest star, though all three children possessed strengths. This is a testment to the significance and lasting impact childhood and family has on the individual.
A touching novel about overcoming family trials.......2006-01-25
There are many different types of "family novels" being written in today's insular world, and sadly not all of them are worth reading. There are those that read like personal memoirs --- maudlin accounts of dysfunctional upbringings and unforgotten family rifts that often sound like the author is using his or her writing to work through psychological problems left over from childhood (i.e. whining). There are also those that boast an overarching theory about The State of The Contemporary Family and a ripped-apart value system without really delivering a graspable narrative. And then there are those that, despite their minor flaws, deliver an amicable mix of engrossing story and "state-of-things philosophizing" so that by the time the book has concluded, its readers feel that they not only have had an entertaining and informative look-see into someone else's family life, but that they have also realized a thing or two about their own.
Man Booker-shortlisted and Whitbread-winning author Justin Cartwright's latest offering is thankfully the latter of the three. A slow-to-unfold yet rightfully deliberate stroll through the contours of human suffering and a story that recognizes the importance of hope as an offset to seemingly irreversible tragedy, THE PROMISE OF HAPPINESS describes one family's pieced-together attempt at redemption following a far-reaching misfortune that threatens to break them apart permanently.
At 32, Juliet Judd is at the height of her life. She has a cheeky, hip gallery-owner boyfriend, a gorgeous Upper East Side apartment, an Oxford education and a prestigious job at the preeminent Christie's in New York. In the midst of it all, she is convicted of an alleged crime --- it is questionable whether she plays an active part in it or not --- and is sentenced to what turns out to be three years in prison. The fact that there were others responsible for stealing and reselling the Tiffany's glass window is beside the point, according to the court. She is the one who wrote the checks. She is the one with the prestigious reputation. She is the one who must take the fall.
In her absence, the Judd family silently unravels --- each in their own twisted struggle to reconcile the condemnation of their prodigal daughter/sister. Her father Charles loses his business as well as his grasp on reality, withering away into a frail shadow of his former self. Her mother Daphne realizes the depths of her unhappiness and tries to fill the seemingly endless empty hours with pointless cooking classes and gardening. Her sister Sophie drops out of school, starts doing drugs, and has an affair with her boss, twenty years her senior. Her brother Charlie, despite becoming successful in a burgeoning self-started Internet business, enters into a relationship with a gorgeous yet seemingly vacuous woman, Ana. Although Ana is pregnant and they have plans to marry, it is questionable as to whether or not Charlie actually loves her. Without Ju-Ju to hold the family together, the Judds flounder about, wounded and self-righteous in their efforts to block out what has befallen them.
Fast-forward three years and Juliet is being released from prison. In preparation for her return home, a number of intentional (and unintentional) transformations take place. Charlie plans to go ahead with the wedding and Daphne makes arrangements for an elaborate celebration --- bringing together her old family with the new, all in a blind hope to restore peace and humility to their shattered world. Sophie breaks up with her married boyfriend, takes out her nose ring (a small yet symbolic gesture) and plans to move home for the summer to get her life in gear. Even Charles, although he has the hardest time of it, takes pains to get past his depression enough to forgive his daughter (and himself) for all that has transpired in her absence.
What makes THE PROMISE OF HAPPINESS so touching and worthwhile is not so much the actual circumstances of Charlie's, Sophie's, Daphne's, Charles's or Juliet's lives, but how each one deals with the randomness of what happens to them in relation to how they define themselves as individuals and as part of a breathing, functioning family unit in the world. "And so this is life. It is arbitrary; its narrative is erratic. [They] have been given a harsh understanding of the human condition. [They] didn't ask for it, or seek it." But they must keep moving and growing together, nonetheless.
As Tolstoy once wrote as the opening first lines to ANNA KARENINA, "Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." Justin Cartwright's eighth novel is a true testament to the disparaging trials any family might encounter and to what ends they might have to travel to make it through to the other side.
--- Reviewed by Alexis Burling
Average customer rating:
- Great discussion tool!
- Ordinary Joy
- My Faith Rejuvinated
- Ordinary Joy, Finding Fresh Promise in Routine Moments
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Ordinary Joy: Finding Fresh Promise In Routine Moments
Joe Campeau
Manufacturer: Augsburg Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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Seven Spiritual Gifts Of Waiting
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Leaving Church: A Memoir of Faith
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ASIN: 0806651458 |
Book Description
Joy involves seeing ordinary things in new ways. This book helps readers revive the joy contained in ordinary living. The discovery of true joy, says Joe Campeau, begins not by breaking out of the daily grind, but by learning to recognize a joy that is already at hand. God draws nearest not only in extraordinary moments of powerful faith, but right in the middle of all the stressed-out, maddening events of daily living.
Customer Reviews:
Great discussion tool!.......2005-10-04
Look closer. If you want to see beauty, learn to view ordinary things in a new way, Campeau says. The author is currently a senior pastor of the fast-growing Christ Lutheran Church in Santa Clarita, California.
Campeau says in his introduction that the first key is finding uncommon joy at the center of common life--and that God is in the middle of it. The second key is to recognize the ways in which the simplest areas of life can also be the most profound areas for serving God.
If you read nothing but the questions at the end of each chapter--and give serious thought to the answer, you will be way ahead of things. But let's talk about the content leading up to those outstanding questions. My favorite is in the chapter, "Sometimes the giver is the gift." If you have received a gift without knowing who gave it, how did you feel about receiving it?
The sections are: 1: Discover God on Ordinary Days and 2: Serving God in Ordinary Ways.
In the chapter on being needed, the author states that sometimes we need a break from being needed; when the pressures build, the sacrifice too exhausting, the times we want to run away and hide. Then you ponder: "I wonder if God needs me?" God has chosen to need you and me.
Armchair Interviews says: This book would be a great tool for discussion by a church group because of the thought-provoking content and soul-searching questions.
Ordinary Joy.......2005-09-22
Prior to my reading Ordinary Joy, had Jesus Christ walked right up to me, I most cetainly would have missed Him. Now there is a chance that I will recognize Him every day for the rest of my life. This read has truly made me feel loved by God.
My Faith Rejuvinated.......2005-09-13
Ordinary Joy reminds you that God is in fact all around you in your ordinary living if you just take a break from all the hustle and bustle and truly appreciate His beauty. Joe Campeau uses personal illustrations that we can relate to, and in turn, relates them to the teachings of Jesus. On a personal note, my own faith has waivered for quite some time that after taking a "closer look," I am rediscovering God's presence in my life and I know that, no matter what, "the sun will shine tomorrow and I will be kissed by Son again and again and it can never be wiped away." Peace and JOY!
Ordinary Joy, Finding Fresh Promise in Routine Moments.......2005-09-13
How often have humans found that the wanting or desire for something has often eclipsed actually attaining that item. In Pastor Joe Campeau's book, Ordinary Joy, Finding Fresh Promise in Routine Moments, the author writes, "The key to ordinary joy is finding it in the journey, not simply upon arrival". In reading this book one begins to find the joy of discovering that we can find joy in our daily lives.
From the beginning of the book he stresses that we often fail to see the presence of Jesus and his joy. He writes, "In a world of budgets, megabyte computers, and humming technology, our imaginations become infertile, and we often fail to recognize grace". From the beginning of the book to the end, Pastor Campeau reaffirms God's love for us and His unconditional acceptance Campeau writes, "God's invitation to you is come as you are, not as you aren't." In reading Pastor Campeau's book I found such a sense of release and freedom that I am loved by God as I am-not as I think I should appear to others. Campeau again writes, "God is not pleased with you because you are remarkable; you are remarkable because God is pleased with you." One has only to look this far to realize that the joy of life is that we are loved and accepted by God.
Pastor Joe helps bring his writing to life as he weaves stories of his family, friends, parishioners, and examples from the Bible onto the pages. These examples of ordinary people help one connect to the points that the author is making.
In the hectic life that many of us lead this book is a refreshing reminder that God is all around us and that we only need stop and begin to recognize the joy of Jesus in our lives. Pastor Campeau finishes with an excellent statement of fact that leaves the reader knowing that we are loved. "We have an extraordinary Savior. He inhabits the most common moments of life and delights in everyday discipleship, for he rejoices in the ordinary. He rejoices in me, in you. There is no better reason for joy."
Customer Reviews:
NO BIG REVELATIONS.......2005-04-29
It is immediately obvious as soon as you begin to read this book that the author can write with style. His prose is crafted with care and he can use words effectively.
However, I could not identify with any of the characters. There is a theme of the old and the new Englishness; and unfortunatly this is often a themn taken on by those who were never brought up in England.
The father is cold and aloof...and its this description which is a stereo typical view of the English professional...sorry but this is outdated.
The kids are just too hip and trendy and oftentimes they use language that has a mixture of Street London and then occassionally they speak too intellectually. It just doesnt work.
And another thing: noone in the UK ever describes being drunk as "being tight"...it's just far too out of date.
All in all I did not learn anything about happiness; if anyone had this it was the vicar who the author continually castigates without ever introducing him to us.
I would say this was an average read.
Average customer rating:
- Powerful Helps For Women of Every Age and Stage
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A Woman's Guide to Keeping Promises: 52 Ways to Choose Happiness & Fulfillment
Judith Rolfs
Manufacturer: Kregel Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Relationships
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ASIN: 0825436273 |
Book Description
Fifty-two ways for any woman to build stronger relationships at home and work and deepen her spiritual character.
Customer Reviews:
Powerful Helps For Women of Every Age and Stage.......2000-10-11
At last a woman's book that addresses the real challenges women face at every age and stage! The principles in this book have enriched me personally, as well as my husband and our family life. I found clear practical insights for having a richer relationship with God, a more emotionally intimate marriage, deepening friendships with other women, even improving extended family relationships and most importantly being a better Mom. (There's three suggestions here I've never seen elsewhere!) 52 Ways for Women literally covers every concern of women, even the stage of being a grandmother. Is it any surprise? It's written by a marriage and family counselor who really knows her stuff. This book is a keeper, I won't lend my copy, every woman should have one of their own!!!
Books:
- Pegasus Descending: A Dave Robicheaux Novel (Dave Robicheaux Mysteries)
- Physik (Septimus Heap, Book 3)
- Prague: A Novel
- Queen Elizabeth's Wardrobe Unlock'd: The inventories of the Wardrobe of Robes prepared in July 1600, edited from Stowe MS 557 in the British Library, MS LR 2/121 in the Public Record Office, London, and MS V.b.72 in the Folger Shakespeare Library, Washington DC
- Raintree: Inferno (Silhouette Nocturne)
- Real Estate Finance: Theory and Practice (with CD-ROM)
- Relax Your Way to Thin! Hypnosis Weight Loss Motivation
- Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How It Changed America
- Send Me
- Shadow Baby (Today Show Book Club #14)
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