Dynasties: Fortunes and Misfortunes of the World's Great Family Businesses

Book Description

A rich and lively survey of the great families who rule industry by the acclaimed author of The Wealth and Poverty of Nations

Through perseverance, solid ingenuity, and unwavering determination, family-run companies— dynasties—have dominated wealth and business throughout the last two centuries. One third of Fortune 500 firms are family owned and, in most cases, the ideal of the family business is one synonymous with continuity, watchful leadership, and dedication to success. But what happens when bad behavior, extravagance, and laziness—all very real enemies of industry—are allowed to proliferate?

In Dynasties, bestselling author and historian David S. Landes scrutinizes the powerful family businesses that rule both the financial and industrial sectors across Europe, Japan, and America to determine what factors can cause a dynasty to flourish or fail. Focusing on three areas—banking, automobiles, and raw materials—his cast of characters speaks to the power of the family enterprise: Ford, Rothschild, Morgan, Guggenheim, Rockefeller, and Toyoda are but a few whose histories contain all the drama and passion expected when exorbitant money, power, and kinship intersect. Drawing on his immense knowledge of economic history, Landes offers a new reading of the dynastic business plan of the last two centuries—with surprising recommendations for the coming one.

Customer Reviews:

Uhhh, Ohhhh, Ehhhh, In a word? Disappointing!!!.......2007-06-07

David Landes has written one - not only in my opinion, I believe - of the "must read" book of all times: ''The wealth and poverty of Nations'' . Based on this, You can tell the amount of expectation on every single line he writes, and "Dynasties" unfortunately does not help at all. The book is too long, too superficial, and some times it was really hard to keep on reading. If you are looking for something to chat on cocktails and/or with your colleagues at the cafeteria - there are some interesting stuf in here. In the other hand, if you are looking for some analysis on the familiar enterprises and their evolution (organizational, structural, etc.) - search somewhere else.

Struggled to get through!.......2007-02-04

I had a hard time finishing this book. I kept thinking the book would get more interesting but nothing kept my attention. Part two on automobiles was probably the most interesting part but I still nearly put the book away to read others. I was not impressed with the author's style of writing. He seems to have a fascination with one or two words sentences which became very annoying. I would not recommend this book.

It was a bit slow........2007-01-10

It seems that Mr. Landes tried a bit too hard to write a book rather then an article. If a good editor worked on this it would have been an intersting article for a magazine such as Smithsonian. Although I bought the book because of seeing if there was any historical perspective, I found that it lacked detail that would have made me connect or say wow.

Wheel of Misfortune (Dragon Slayers' Academy, 7)

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Great Book for Kids
An awesome book
Wheel of Misfortune (Dragon Slayers Academy, 7

Wheel of Misfortune (Dragon Slayers' Academy, 7)
Kate McMullan
Manufacturer: Grosset & Dunlap
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0448435071

Book Description

Wiglaf, Erica, and Angus are representing DSA in the All-Schools Brain-Power Tournament! But what on Earth are they going to do about their know-it-all captain Bragwort? And how can they even stand a chance against the snobbish Knights Noble Conservatory team?

Customer Reviews:

Great Book for Kids.......2005-07-08

A great book for kids that are learning to read and write. The book is about trivia and you learn a lot of little things. My favorite part was when they got to the castle and they went to suite D and Bradworts' anger caught up with him.

An awesome book.......2002-05-21

I think this book is awesome I've read the book two times My favorite part is when they go to get breakfeast and all they find is ell because the cook of the school was the cousin of the cook at Dragon slayers academy.

Wheel of Misfortune (Dragon Slayers Academy, 7.......1999-12-10

I just finished reading aloud book 7 of the Dragon Slayer books to my children (10, 9, & 7). We laughed out loud over and over, again. Personally, I was a little disappointed that no dragons were slain in this book but the kids didn't mind in the least. We especially loved Bragwort running around saying "Who?" and Zelnoc wondering why Wiggie would be bragging about his wart. Keep up the good work, Ms. McMullan!

"It's Your Misfortune and None of My Own": A New History of the American West

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THE Authority on the WEST
Whoopee Ti Yi Yo, Git Along, Little Dogies
It's all our misfortune ...

"It's Your Misfortune and None of My Own": A New History of the American West
Richard White
Manufacturer: University of Oklahoma Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Americas | History | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0806125675

Customer Reviews:

THE Authority on the WEST.......2007-02-08

If you are a historian, this book should definitely be on your shelf. It is packed full of New Western History ideals. Despite its topical form, the book still allows for a firm grasp of the chronology. White has woven a single volume that integrates, with fludity and detail, the most critical social, economic, racial, gender, and political issues of the West. Fastidiously researched. A spectacular introduction to New Western History for the aspiring or seasoned historian.

Whoopee Ti Yi Yo, Git Along, Little Dogies.......2003-09-30

Richard White work reexamines the American Western History much in the same format as Patty Limerick has. Rather than seeing the United States movement across the continent as a political/military or even industrial happening it strives to write a history of the "place" known as the American West. In doing so, the author's comprehensive history chronicles in 634 pages European arrival in the American West to the modern era 1980s.

The author's work reminds me of that geography theme- human and environmental interaction. He points to how the Spain's introduction of the horse altered life for the plains Indians. (21) Later in chapter five he addresses how various geological surveys and the changed what was know of the west. (135) He illustrates the challenges that the settles experienced in the face of 164-degree changes over the course of one year in the severe Montana climate. (229) No history on the American west would be complete with some time devoted to the railroad as White does on page 247 in the chapter entitled "the West and the World Economy." Yet Whites perspective is that of economics rather than merely industrial expansion and conquest. In doing so the railroads were not the subject history revolved around yet one part of the economic transformation occurring in the American West. Interesting and perhaps obvious to a historian of the West appears on page 142 when the author states that the catalyst for most of the legal changes to the land system stems from the 1862 Homestead, Pacific Railroad Grant, and Morrill Acts passed by Congress during the Civil War. Perhaps the author could have better stated that it was the war and the resulting absence of Southern representation that enabled this long debated westward movement legislation to clear the gridlock of antebellum politics.

White in the spirit of Limerick and other "New Western Historians" does an excellent job of illustration a multicultural, multiethnic, multi-political, and gender rich history of the land west of Missouri. At numerous occasions, he interjects the diversity of the American West throughout its history. Examples of this are the section on Red Cloud and his white-Indian culture, (105) the portrayal of Mexican-American migration during the war years, (504) the birth of Kearney's Workingmen's Party centered around nativist attitudes of the late nineteenth century, (334) and most memorable melting pot that was the California Gold Rush. (189) It was interesting to see how White's work influenced a later work - Susan Lee Johnson's Roaring Camp: The Social World of the California Gold Rush (2000) which focused entirely on such issues over one period of Western History and did it so well it garnished a Bancroft Prize.

"The Imagined West" is White's final chapter and in it, the author demystifies and explains how the History of West has taken on a sort of folklore quality. Naturally, the fictional efforts of Buffalo Bill (614) and Owen Wister (621) are attributed for part of the myths about the West. However in addition, are real actors in this history that appear bigger than life such as George Armstrong Custer (625) and Kit Carson (616). One criticism of the author is that he, like most "New Western Historians," ignores the impact of Turner's Thesis unless it is to debunk it, which by the way is easily done. Yet an argument can be made that Turner was correct in that the West was a "place" unique to the American Experience unlike anything in Europe and special in its own right. One would think if an author was writing about the West, as a "place" credit would be given to the historian famous for this identification. Although White never mentions Turner this is done mildly with the citation by Henry Thoreau on page 620.

In terms of style, the book is an easy and quick read despite its behemoth size. Most frustrating is the author's lack of notes. In five years of graduate school, the reader has yet to come across a book the void of any footnote or endnotes. Furthermore, the publisher - Oklahoma Press is probably the primer research university on this subject and noted for quality historical documentation. The reader was subjected to never-ending frustration due to this omission. Where is White get information for example, "As one historian of expansion has noted, the United States had acquired 100-horsepower empire, but only a 10-horsepower government to manage it. . ." ? (84) Another example centers around statistical information, "The death rate on the trail was about 3 percent, or about 10,000 people in all, compared to a death rate of 2.5 percent in America society as a whole." (199) Had a note be added it only would lend the author greater credibility. On the other hand, White's unorthodox historical approach pays off when he releases a zinger like, "The Texans accomplished all this amidst revolutionary maneuverings more appropriate to Groucho than Karl Marx." (68)

It's all our misfortune ..........2000-02-01

Recently, movements such as the Sagebrush Rebellion in Nevada have sprung up in the West pitting ranchers, mining companies, and developers against federal government agencies in charge of managing the land. It's been a long held myth that the government agencies, especially the Forest Service and BLM, have enacted rules to hasten the end of these economic interests in the Western US. This is one of the first books to accurately dispel many western myths such as the lone individual expressing a lifestyle of freedom, land and neighbors be damned! Read this book and learn before automatically siding with groups whose sole motivation is greed at any cost to our precious land, land that will take centuries to recouperate if left alone. These "interests" hide their motives behind "noble" state rights issues, insisting that American taxpayers turn over to state politicians (who receive the bulk of their campaign funds from these special interests) what's left of western wilderness so cattle can graze, ranchers can grow surplus crops such as alfalfa, foreign mining companies can rape the land and pay a pittance to the US Treasury, and developers can hasten the destruction of what's left of our western lands. We need more books like this one to combat the misinformation these special interests spread. Remember that in the end all american taxpayers pony up the money for these groups either through ridiculously low grazing and mining fees to subsidized water systems. This is big business, not mom and pop operations nor is it the Marboro man riding into the sunset. And after reading this book, read Cadillac Desert (Marc Reisner) to better understand how these special interest groups are threatening our beloved west.

Pariah: Misfortunes of the British Kingdom

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Pariah: Misfortunes of the British Kingdom
Tom Nairn
Manufacturer: Verso
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Elections | Government | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Book Description

Pariah is a retrospect of Tony Blair's recent New Labour plebiscite, so far the most absurd 'election' of the 21st century. After a much-vaunted Constitutional Revolution, overwhelming victory was obtained on less than a quarter of the electoral register, with more people abstaining than voted for Blair. In 2000 the Constitution of the United States collapsed into farce; this year it was the turn of the United Kingdom, as the oldest and most stable of Western democracies turned into a despised pariah of the global age. 'How is Britain breaking up?' asks this book. Is there any chance—or indeed any need—of its being repaired? In this corrosive polemic Nairn argues that democratic and constitutional reform alone provides an answer to such questions. But the longer the British ancien régime endures, the less chance there will be of such changes taking place by agreement. 'Reform or perish' is the moral; but to perish further looks like the only way towards reform.

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Glitz & Glitter
She never said she was Shakespeare!
A great read
A Great Beach or Airport Novel!!
Good Beach Read

MISFORTUNE'S DAUGHTERS
Joan Collins
Manufacturer: Hyperion
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0786890681

Book Description

In this utterly compelling novel, two sisters born into privilege find themselves forced to make wrenching life decisions as they struggle with a troubled family legacy and the immense weight of wealth, fame, ambition, and betrayal.Misfortune's Daughters chronicles the gripping, multigenerational saga of the wealthy Stephanopolis family. Beginning in the Golden Era of Hollywood, the beautiful and talented actress Laura Marlowe meets the young, dashing, and rich shipping magnate Nicholas Stephanopolis. After a whirlwind courtship, the two marry and move to the private Stephanopolis Island in the south of Greece. Yet heartache and tragedy soon find them and extend into the lives of their two very different but willful and ambitious daughters, Venetia and Atlanta. One is a beautiful and favored daughter who's bent on self-destruction; the other is a wallflower who buries herself in books and shies away from her privileged world. But both must confront the legacy and tragedy of the lives of their parents.Sweeping across almost 60 years and jetting from New York to Paris, Los Angeles, and Greece, Misfortune's Daughters is an irresistible, page-turning tale that reveals the glittering life of show business and the grittiness of the journalistic profession. Drawing on her own knowledge and experience, Collins takes the reader deep inside the exclusive gates of wealth and luxury, exposing dark secrets and forbidden desires as two young women vie to break free from their family's shadow and become independent women in their own right.

Customer Reviews:

Glitz & Glitter.......2007-09-23

Joan Collins has taken a great deal of flack over her novels, but for me, her books always deliver the expected punch: glitz, glitter, glamour and gossip, things one would expect from a glamorous international superstar such as Joan. Misfortune's Daughters doesn't explore any new territory from her other bestselling titles Prime Time, Love & Desire & Hate, Infamous and Star Quality, as the novel chronicles the incredible lives of two vastly different sisters born into amazing privilege but who both suffer the hard knocks of the fabulously wealthy. You won't lose any sleep discovering what happens to siblings Atlanta and Venetia as they cross the globe searching for love and acceptance, but you certainly will have an entertaining time reading about their misadventures in a glamourous world that exists only between the pages of one of Joan's novels.

She never said she was Shakespeare!.......2006-05-16

Joan did a fairly good job with this book but I kept finding myself wishing for better continuity. It was hard to keep my attention and the story wasn't nearly as good as say "Star Quality". Maybe one of these days she'll release the two books she was sued over because any fan of "Dynasty" could tell you that "Hell Hath No Fury" like Joan Collins scorned!

A great read.......2005-07-26

I just finished reading this book. I loved it the character outlines were great and Joan Collins writing was incredible. I can't see anyone not enjoying this book. Well worth reading this summer!

A Great Beach or Airport Novel!!.......2005-04-04

This is hands down the best novel by Joan Collins to date. The sisters, Venetia and Atlanta, have anything and everything they could ever want in the material world.

But they lack the love of their father who emotionally abandons them at an early age leading one sister to accidently star in a scandalous film while another becomes a drug addict.

Coupled with an interesting sub-plot concerning an immigrant fashion designer thirsty for revenge and an Italian movie diva who hungers for pleasure, from anyone, "Misfortune's Daughters" is a delightfully fast paced novel that I couldn't put down!

Obviously, Joan is taking snipets of her own life and career, along with facets from other celebrities to craft her characters and storyline. But she succeeds very well, quite simply this is the best Jackie Collins novel that Jackie Collins didn't write!

Joan is at the top of her game, weaving decadent settings with delicious characters to craft a story that is neither groundbreaking or wildly original. Rather, it is an enthusiastic, fast paced novel that can be described in one word: FUN!

Good Beach Read.......2005-03-29

If you're looking for "serious" reading, pass this one up. It's strictly fluffy, breezy, easily digested poolside/airplane reading. The characters are neither sympathetic nor realistic; they are simply puppets in a fantasy world that doesn't really exist, no matter how rich you are. This is the type of novel that you'll read and immediately forget.

Joan Collins is nailing her kid sister Jackie's writing downpat a little bit harder with each novel. Same people, same places, same story.

The Misfortunes of Virtue and Other Early Tales (Oxford World's Classics)

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What? No sex and torture?
A portrayal of an evil society
Infinite evil
Essential.
The philosophy of vice

The Misfortunes of Virtue and Other Early Tales (Oxford World's Classics)
Marquis de Sade
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0192836951

Book Description

Revered by Enlightenment and Victorian thinkers, de Sade was recognized as a founding father by the Surrealists, and holds a prominent place in the history of modernism and post-modernism. This selection of his early writings, some appearing in English translation for the first time, reveals the full range of his sobering moods and considerable talents.

Customer Reviews:

What? No sex and torture?.......2004-04-01

This collection of short stories proves that the Marquis de Sade was a real writer, and a brilliant one. Some of these stories are excellent example of storytelling. They were written in his earlier days before he started writing the violent pornographic novels on which his reputation stands. In these stories, Sade shows great range--satire, low farce, sophisticated comedy, morality tale, mystery tale, documentary realism, and even a touch of mythology as he puts his own twist on the Faust legend in one of the stories. This volume also includes Sade's infamous mockery of God and religion "Dialogue Between a Priest and a Dying Man" as well as a shorter, "clean" version of "Justine."

A portrayal of an evil society.......2001-06-29

This book reveales the dark side of a society, the blackness corner of human soul. It is higly recommended to read because it enriches one's knowledge and knows more about the immortal, hopeless reality during Sade's time.

Infinite evil.......2001-05-09

Sade, long known for being the unprintable,unpublishable and,in the words of Henry James, the great "unnameable", continues to be avoided by the mainstream, as well as the syllabuses of academic literature courses. Several university professors have even frankly confessed to me that they wouldn't touch Sade with a pair of tongs. This is due to his delight in all manifestations of evil, his notorious enjoyment of cruelty and self-inflicted pain, his immoralism and his picture of a loveless and destructive cosmos. For Sade, the universe has no features: there is no God, no goodness, no truth, no unity. Nature, the great aristocrat, is indifferent and the bad and strong triumph while the small and weak go to the wall. These sentiments, presented in their most bald form, may strike us as banal, though they do contain an essential germ of truth and right. The main story in this collection, amply illustrates this theme, as a pious, intensely moral girl, upon meeting with adverse circumstances, travels through life enduring the most agonising injustices imaginable, ranging from slavery, robbery, beating, mutilation and rape by a group of lecherous monks she had ostensibly sought out for aid. Nevertheless, she refuses to yield to the temptations of revenge and hate of the world which so cruelly treats her, but holds fast to her religious and moral principles. As a result, Sade has her punished for her virtues. Other tales touch on Sade's preoccupations with evil and good, including one that touches on lesbianism, though the overall selection is not as dark as it seems, containing a number of episodes of genuinely original humour and irony. "Dialogue between a Priest and a Dying Man" is one such story, employing the fashionable eighteenth century form of the dialogue. It consists in a dying man outarguing his priest, eventually convincing him of the advantages of vice and converting him to atheism. It's a shame that Sade is so underrated as a humourist.

Essential........2001-02-27

This is arguably the best starting point for one who is interested in the Marquis' writings.

The philosophy of vice.......2001-02-23

This is the first version of "Justine". It has a moralizing facade, in order to circumvent censorship, but behind it there is the bitter philosophy of pleasure and vice. The existence of good requires the existence of evil, in identical proportions. Good people fail; bad people triumph. Justine suffers all her life, in incredible amount, the deceptions and vexations of perverted beings who openly rejoice in the practice of evil.

Justine passes through the hands of supposed protectors who beat, humiliate and rape her without the slightest trace of compassion. The central episode concerns Justine's reclusion in a monastery. You'll see what the monks do to the lady.

On the other hand Juliette, the sister from whom Justine was separated since birth, advances as she dedicates herself to theft, prostitution and murder, thanks to which she has prospered in the world. At some point, they will meet again, with consequences that you'll find out at the end, after reading this jewel of perversion.

Book Description

What would you do if your fortune cookie fortunes started coming true? Confucius says something very weird is going on! Could his thirteenth adventure be Zack's unlucky number?

Customer Reviews:

What's in your cookie?.......2002-03-29

"The Misfortune Cookie" combines a short novel by Dan Greenburg with illustrations by Jack E. Davis. Number 13 in the "Zack Files" series of books for young readers, "Cookie" exemplifies the series' excellent blend of humor and paranormal storylines.

In "Cookie," New York schoolboy Zack discovers that a strange condition has resulted in a weird gift (or maybe curse): all the fortunes he gets in fortune cookies come true. The resulting revelation has an unsettling effect. Greenburg uses humor to thus explore some compelling metaphysical questions.

"Cookie" is definitely one of the stronger entries in this consistently entertaining series. Greenburg creates some fun supporting characters (most notably Yoda-like Chinatown sage Grandma Guy) and fills the story with clever, memorable details. And it's all superbly complemented by Davis' hilarious drawings.

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The New Gatsbys: Fortunes and Misfortunes of Commodities Traders
Bob Tamarkin
Manufacturer: William Morrow & Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Public Finance | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
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The Merc: The Emergence of a Global Financial Powerhouse

The Merits of Flexible Exchange Rates: An Anthology

Leo Melamed on The Markets: Twenty Years of Financial History as Seen by the Man Who Revolutionized the Markets

Leo Melamed: Escape to the Futures

Fooled by Randomness: The Hidden Role of Chance in Life and in the Markets

ASIN: 0688028780

Average customer rating:

great book!!

A great premise spoiled by dull story telling

Unsatisfying, overall

La Cage Aux Dickens

What a Lovely Surprise!

Misfortune
Wesley Stace
Manufacturer: Amazon Remainders Account
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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A Factory of Cunning

Songs of Misfortune

Never Let Me Go

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ASIN: B000FDFVRO

Amazon.com

The story thus far is so engaging, and the details of Rose's childhood so playfully rendered (when she was first brought to Loveall Hall, the staff of 250 included a servant whose sole responsibility was to iron newspapers before their second reading), that it is with reluctance that the reader meets the inevitable rude, scheming relatives whose plotting will lead to the "misfortune" of the title. Luckily, Stace (the given name of the musician John Wesley Harding) takes too much delight in Rose to dump her back on the garbage heap, or at least not for long. The cross-dressing love child of Great Expectations and A. S. Byatt's Possession, Misfortune will find you breathlessly tracking the movements of its principal players, and applauding the most ridiculous twists of fate. --Regina Marler

Amazon.com Bonus Content
Born in Hastings and educated at Cambridge, Wesley Stace is also known as the musician John Wesley Harding. Musical influences are on display in his gender-bending debut novel, Misfortune, a historical tale set in 19th-Century England about an abandoned boy raised as a girl. Read on to listen to three original songs inspired by the book.

A Message from Wesley Stace
Songs weave their way throughout Misfortune--some are ballads, crucial to the plot and written by one of the characters, others are traditional songs sung at various points of the narrative, others are folk songs from a collection in the Octagonal Library of Love Hall, the home of the central family.

Songs aren't anything if they aren't sung, so I decided to match melodies and words and record some of them. I picked these because they were the first two. There will be a full record of the songs of Misfortune, performed by The Love Hall Tryst (myself, Kelly Hogan, Nora O'Connor, and Brian Lohmann) which will be released by Appleseed Recordings later this year. --Wesley Stace

"Lambkin"
From Chapter One: "For a moment, the laundress was unaware that there was anyone beneath. She began to sing as she worked and this is what finally breathed life into Pharaoh again. It was one of the old songs, his favourite of the many she sang: the story of Lambkin the builder who tortures Lord Murray's family when his note is refused. The purity of Annie's voice contrasted starkly with the words of her song and the street below:
"'Where is the heir of this house?' said Lambkin:
'Asleep in his cradle,' the false nurse said to him.
And he pricked that baby all over with a pin,
While the nurse held a basin for the blood to run in."
She had sung it so many times as a lullaby that the horror of the story was somehow soothing."

Listen to "Lambkin"

"Lord Lovel"
From Chapter Two: "Loveall recalled a previous Lord Loveall and the song that bore his name, and he sang it softly to the baby. This ancestor had deferred his marriage for seven years while he went travelling. He returned after only twelve months, but as he rode home, he heard the church bells ringing, "for Nancy Bell who died for a discourteous squire." He died too of grief, as he gazed on her corpse lying in its coffin, and was buried next to her. From her heart grew a red rose and from his heart a briar:
"They grew and grew to the church steeple
Till they could grow no higher
And he pricked that baby all over with a pin,
And there entwined in a true lover's knot
For true lovers to admire."

Listen to "Lord Lovel"

"The Ballad of Miss Fortune"
"Miss Fortune" is the song from which came the original idea for Misfortune. The Ballad of Miss Fortune is a re-recording of this song from John Wesley Harding's album, Awake.

Listen to "The Ballad of Miss Fortune"

Music from John Wesley Harding

Awake
Adam's Apple
Here Comes the Groom

Trad Arr Jones
Confessions of St. Ace
John Wesley Harding's New Deal

Book Description

One of the most auspicious debuts of recent years, Wesley Stace's Misfortune follows the rise, fall, and triumphant return of Rose Old, a foundling rescued from a London garbage heap in 1820 by the richest man in Britain. Lord Geoffroy Loveall, whose character has been shaped by perpetual mourning for a sister who died in childhood, seizes on the infant as a replacement for his beloved sister. With the help of trusted servants, he arranges for the child to be lovingly brought up at his ancestral mansion, Loveall Hall--to all appearances, his biological daughter and unhoped-for heir. No matter that the baby is not a girl. The story thus far is so engaging, and the details of Rose's childhood so playfully rendered (when she was first brought to Loveall Hall, the staff of 250 included a servant whose sole responsibility was to iron newspapers before their second reading), that it is with reluctance that the reader meets the inevitable rude, scheming relatives whose plotting will lead to the "misfortune" of the title.Luckily, Stace (the given name of the musician John Wesley Harding) takes too much delight in Rose to dump her back on the garbage heap, or at least not for long.The cross-dressing love child of Great Expectations and A. S. Byatt's Possession, Misfortune will find you breathlessly tracking the movements of its principal players, and applauding the most ridiculous twists of fate. --Regina MarlerAmazon.com Bonus Content Born inHastings and educated at Cambridge, Wesley Stace is also known as the musician John Wesley Harding. Musical influences are on display in his gender-bendingdebut novel, Misfortune, a historical tale set in 19th-Century England about an abandoned boy raised as a girl. Read on to listen to three original songs inspired by the book.A Message from Wesley StaceSongsweave their way throughout Misfortune--some are ballads, crucial to the plot and written by one of the characters, others are traditional songs sung atvarious points of the narrative, others are folk songs from a collection in the Octagonal Library of Love Hall, the home of the central family. Songs aren't anything if they aren't sung, so I decided to match melodies and words and record some of them. I picked these because they were the first two. There will be a full record of the songs of Misfortune, performed by The Love Hall Tryst (myself, Kelly Hogan, Nora O'Connor, and Brian Lohmann) which will be released by Appleseed Recordings later this year. --Wesley Stace "Lambkin"From Chapter One: "For a moment, the laundress was unaware that there was anyone beneath. She began to sing as she worked and this is what finally breathed life into Pharaoh again. It was one of the old songs, his favourite of the many she sang: the story of Lambkin the builder who tortures Lord Murray's family when his note is refused. The purity of Annie's voice contrasted starkly with the words of her song and the street below:"'Where is the heir of this house?' said Lambkin:'Asleep in his cradle,' the false nurse said to him.And he pricked that baby all over with a pin,While the nurse held a basin for the blood to run in."She had sung it so many times as a lullaby that the horror of the story was somehow soothing." Listento "Lambkin""Lord Lovel"From Chapter Two: "Loveall recalled a previous Lord Loveall and the song that bore his name, and he sang it softly to the baby.This ancestor had deferred his marriage for seven years while he went travelling. He returned after only twelve months, but as he rode home, he heardthe church bells ringing, "for Nancy Bell who died for a discourteous squire." He died too of grief, as he gazed on her corpse lying in its coffin, and was buried next to her. From her heart grew a red rose and from his heart a briar:"They grew and grew to the church steepleTill they could grow no higherAnd he pricked that baby all over with a pin,And there entwined in a true lover's knotFor true lovers to admire." Listen to "Lord Lovel""The Ballad of Miss Fortune""Miss Fortune" is the song from which came the original idea for Misfortune. The Ballad of Miss Fortune is a re-recording of this song from John Wesley Harding's album, Awake.Listento "The Ballad of Miss Fortune"Music from John Wesley HardingAwake Adam's Apple Here Comes the GroomTrad Arr Jones Confessions of St. Ace John Wesley Harding's New Deal

Customer Reviews:

great book!!.......2007-07-26

i really enjoyed this book! i had never read anything like it before and did not think i was going to get through the first chapter but by the end of it the story had grabbed me and i could not put it down! it is definitely one of the oddest stories i have ever read but also one of the best!

A great premise spoiled by dull story telling.......2007-05-21

This book promised a "mischievous and spirited English adventure" and it could've been all that and more.... were it written by a different author.

Now really I tried my darndest to love this book. Lured in by the great premise of a young male heir, raised as a lady by an eccentric Lord with an unhealthy attachment to his dead sister; I immediately headed over to my local bookstore for a copy. The story starts off well enough- however as the it progresses (and boy does it take its time to progress) one immediately realizes that the tale is just not being told the way it ought to be.

The author seemed sidetracked, killing his own momentum by focusing on too many irrelevant and uninteresting sidestories that have nothing to do with the plot. He further fails to build climax or suspense and seems to have a hard time focusing on his own tale, this method of writing ultimately killed it for me. After about 100 pages I was hoping for Stace to get on with the plot, and to stop talking about the poet Mary Day when there is a much more exciting account waiting to be told!

Admittedly, I was hoping for fresh, witty, clever and even a humorous account of the adventures of Rose Old, however Mr. Stace seemed adamant to tell this story at a snails pace, deprived of any excitement, humor or vigor. The book reads like an humdrum account of any event you would read off a textbook or a reference book. Rose Old (the young Lord raised as a young Lady) narrates and he seems equally bored with his own story and deprived of any sentiment, emotion, or wit as any piece of wood.

It has been a long while since I was this disappointed by a book- and perhaps a little more upset at how this author told the story. If only this book was written by someone adept at injecting life into characters who can keep readers interested and rooting for them.

Unsatisfying, overall.......2006-09-28

I bought this book with great hopes--it had been reviewed well here and elsewhere, and the Victorian pastiche is a favorite form of mine.

I found, however, that this book was almost completely unreadable. The main character was tiresome at best, an utter blank at worst. Too much energy was expended in forcing rather outdated Freudian notions of gender and sex, and one got the sense, correct or no, that the author was a good sixty years behind on current debates on the subject.

Ultimately, I lost so much interest that I was unable to finish the book. It does, however, make a handy hammer for those times when my bed frame begins coming loose.

La Cage Aux Dickens.......2006-07-29

I was beginning to describe the plot to someone who began to look more baffled as I went on. I'll try it here: A baby is saved from a certain death by a young English Lord whose mind has been somewhat fractured by the death of his younger sister. He brings the child home, and the family decides to raise the child to be the next Lady of Love Hall, except the Lady happens to be a Lord. Somewhere between 'Middlesex' and Charles Dickens lies 'Misfortune'. It's extremely well written and quite funny at times, although towards the end the gender argument presented became a bit tiresome, and the ending a tad convenient. However it definitely wins the prize for unique fiction entry, and if the book isn't enough, there is a companion cd of the many songs throughout the book.

What a Lovely Surprise!.......2006-07-28

I am a fan of John Wesley Harding's music, so I came late to this, not knowing that he had written a novel. Of course, as a fan, I should have expected something good, but I have often been disappointed by the lame offerings of other so called "literary" rockers... Misfortune, on the other hand, had me hooked from the very first line. (And for those of us who know the original song Miss Fortune, it's an extra treat.) It's no wonder this got the reviews it got, the characters are fantastic and the playful use of the genre delightful. Tender, sexy and bizarre, Misfortune was most definitely my cup of tea.

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The Misfortunes of Elphin
Thomas Love Peacock
Manufacturer: Wildside Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Book Description

In the beginning of the sixth century, when Uther Pendragon held the nominal sovereignty of Britain over a number of petty kings, Gwythno Garanhir was king of Caredigion. The most valuable portion of his dominions was the Great Plain of Gwaelod, an extensive tract of level land, stretching along that part of the seacoast which now belongs to the counties of Merioneth and Cardigan. This district was populous and highly cultivated. It contained sixteen fortified towns, superior to all the towns and cities of the Cymry, excepting Caer Lleon upon Usk; and, like Caer Lleon, they bore in their architecture, their language, and their manners, vestiges of past intercourse with the Roman lords of the world. It contained also one of the three privileged ports of the isle of Britain, which was called the Port of Gwythno. This port, we may believe if we please, had not been unknown to the Phoenicians and Carthaginians, when they visited the island for metal, accommodating the inhabitants, in return, with luxuries which they would not otherwise have dreamed of, and which they could very well have done without; of course, in arranging the exchange of what they denominated equivalents, imposing on their simplicity, and taking advantage of their ignorance, according to the approved practice of civilized nations; which they called imparting the blessings of Phoenician and Carthaginian light. . . .

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