Just a Sister Away: Understanding the Timeless Connection Between Women of Today and Women in the Bible

Book Description

The #1 Essence bestselling author reveals the timeless connection between todays women and their biblical sistersand how to live a better life because of it. Using stories of strong biblical women, from the well-known to the obscure, Renita J. Weems delves deep into their emotional and spiritual pains and triumphs, and offers compassionate lessons to all women who want to lead more fulfilling lives. Weaving together such diverse issues as honor, integrity, sexuality, abuse, and relationships, Weems reveals in her imaginative style the life-changing biblical solutions that women everywhere can use to solve their modern-day problems.

Customer Reviews:

Book Club enjoyed this Book.......2007-10-10

My book club really enjoyed this book. We had a great two-hour discussion about the stories in this book. The author touched on Bible stories that many of us had never studied before. Overall, it was a fast read and very educational.

Sister Talk.......2007-06-02

This book is a book for soul searching. You will never look at yourself or any other woman the same. This book will make you do a self assessment and take inventory on your life. Sisters in Christ should read this book together in a group setting or for a women bible study. This book is also a book that can be given as a gift and should be very much appreciated.

A Good Connection.......2006-06-27

If you've ever thought about or wondered how closely connected today's women are the Bibical women, then this is the book for you. Tastefully presented, thought provoking, and easily understood by any woman of today.

Excellent First Time Experience.......2006-03-25

This was my first experience with Amazon. The service was impeccable, I received the books even sooner than they told me which was great as I needed them for a Bible Study class I was attending. The books were in excellent condition and based on this experience I will definitely make future purchases through Amazon.

Just A Sister Away... My sister.......2006-03-17

Author Renita J. Weems appeared to be playing the "Devil's Advocate" when she used familiar lessons from the Bible like Abraham and Sarah, Naomi and Ruth, Martha and Mary, Jephthah's Daughter and the Mourning Women and so on. But what is so awesome about "Just A Sister Away" is we were able to take a peek into the minds and hearts of the women who were not considered to be "chosen" of God and those who were placed in a predicament that was not of their doing, like Hagar.

Weems gives readers an opportunity to walk in the shoes of women, like Hagar, who was first used by her owner Sarah and then thrown away once Sarah realized she made a mistake giving Hagar to her husband, Abraham. But what no one ever talks about is what Hagar was going through; she has been made to look like a home wrecker in the lessons we have heard over and over again, but we find in this lesson that in spite of the plans Sarah (Sarai) had, God still had a plan for Hagar and her son, Ishmael.

"Just A Sister Away" reminds us that there is always more than one side of the story, and it is fascinating to read from the perspective of those whose voice is not really heard throughout the Bible just what may have been going through their minds and the emotions they experienced. Most importantly of all, we are reminded that God does indeed favor women. We can be found throughout the Word of God.

Reviewed by Sharel E. Gordon-Love
APOOO BookClub

Average customer rating:

Between Sisters
One of the best books I have ever read.
Wonderful.....Highly Recommend !!
Wonderful, fabulous! Not enough superlatives for this one!
Between Sisters

Between Sisters
Kristin Hannah
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0345450744
Release Date: 2004-06-01

Book Description

Meghann Dontess is haunted by heartbreak. Twenty-seven years ago she was forced to make a terrible choice, one that cost her everything, including the love of her sister, Claire. Now, Meghann is a hotshot divorce attorney who doesn’t believe in intimacy—until she meets the one man who can change her mind.

Claire Cavenaugh has fallen in love for the first time in her life. As her wedding day approaches, she prepares to face her harsh, judgmental older sister. It is the first time they have been together in more than two decades. Over the course of a hot Pacific Northwest summer, these two women who believe they have nothing in common will try to become what they never were: a family.

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No one knows you like your sister. She can make you laugh or break your heart with a single word. And no one writes novels like Kristin Hannah, an author who vividly explores the intricate bonds of family and, as Tami Hoag said "touches the deepest, most tender corners of our heart." Now, in her rich, captivating new book, she creates an indelible portrait of two women, once lost to each other, about to come together in a time of exquisite joy and almost unbearable sadness. Sisters by blood, strangers by choice, each stands at a crossroads, ready to confront the betrayals of the past.

Meghann Dontess is a woman haunted by heartbreak. Twenty-five years ago she was forced to make a terrible choice, one that cost her everything, including the love of her sister, Claire. Now, Meghann is a hotshot divorce attorney who doesn't believe in intimacy—until she meets the one man who can change her mind.

Claire Cavenaugh has fallen in love for the first time in her life. As her wedding day approaches, she prepares to face her harsh, judgmental older sister and their self-absorbed mother. It is the first time they have been together in more than two decades. Over the course of a hot Pacific Northwest summer, these three women who believe they have nothing in common will try to become what they never were: a family.

Tender, funny, bittersweet, and wonderfully moving, Between Sisters celebrates the joys and heartaches that can only be shared by sisters, the mistakes made in the name of love and the healing power of new beginnings—all beautifully told by acclaimed author Kristin Hannah.

Customer Reviews:

Between Sisters.......2007-07-09

Reading "Between Sisters" by Kristin Hannah takes the reader inside the emotions of two sisters who shared unhappy childhood memories of a self-centered mother who eventually abandoned them for her own selfish desires.

Two decades later, the eldest sister was most comfortable in a courtroom setting as a hotshot divorce lawyer, while the younger sibling was content to live the simpler life as she helped her father run a family campground. Sadly, they had become "sisters by blood, but strangers by choice" as they led separate lives.

A brush with death and an impending wedding brings the two sisters together after years of avoiding each other over an unresolved past betrayal. They find they have more in common than they had realized as they reacquaint with each other and begin mending their broken relationship.

Except for needing to cover my eyes a few times through the really steamy segments of the book, "Between Sisters" was a well-written novel, and Kristin Hannah is an excellent author.

One of the best books I have ever read........2006-10-15

What a wonderful story. This books poignant characters kept me interested. I found myself not wanting to put the book down. The writing is spectacular. It made me chuckle at times as well as cry.
The characters have a chance at redemption in life and that is all we ever need. What a great reminder this book is. It is never too late.

Wonderful.....Highly Recommend !!.......2006-06-23

Having never read Kristin Hannah before, I found this book on a clearance shelf, so I took a chance & bought it. WOW!!! What a great story. I have never read a book that literally moved me to the point of tears, as "Between Sisters" did.
(Truth be told, I was sobbing like a baby).

I was so impressed with this book, I ran out & purchased many of her other titles. She is now on my list of favorite authors & I eagerly await her new releases.

"Between Sisters" is one of her best.

Wonderful, fabulous! Not enough superlatives for this one!.......2006-04-23

Claire Cavenaugh, and Meghann Dontess are sisters. Meghann is definitely a surrogate mom to Claire though, as their mom who does nothing but sleep around with men, and is totally into her acting, has no time for the girls. But things change when Sam comes along. This is Claire's dad, and he is bitter that he never knew about having a daughter. He and Meghann don't get along, so Meghann leaves Claire's life for a very long time, causing an estrangement there for sure.

When they grow up though, Meghann who has been more or less living on the streets, is taken under the wing by a caring teacher. She pursues a wonderful career as a divorce lawyer, and rolls in piles and piles of money. Over time, she becomes very snobby.

Claire, on the other hand is very down-to-earth and doesn't mind getting her hands dirty. She owns a resort on a campground and had a daughter Allison unmarried whom she adores.

Meghann is always very disapproving of Claire's very down-to-earth ways when the two make contact. It seems Meghann always knows just how to set Claire's teeth on edge. Especially when Claire meets the love of her life, Bobby, and wants to marry. Meghann of course, is nothing but critical of the whole thing.
Yet, she wants to go to Claire's house and pay a visit, to talk her out of the impending marriage of course, but when she gets there, things change. Meghann decides to keep quiet and help with the wedding and so she does. But the two of them have a lot of hurdles to work through. They get through it, and then tragedy strikes Claire later in this book. It is then when Meghann opens her eyes, and realizes the love she has always had for her sister.

And this is not all. There is a character, Joe, in the story who is just as down-to-earth as can be. When Meghann goes out and gets drunk one night at a bar, these two connect and a flicker of romance is in the air. It didn't seem to matter that Joe Wyatt lived on the streets as a bum. Meghann loved him anyway, interestingly enough. So she had no room to talk about Bobby and Claire anymore. And not only that, but Joe is hiding a painful secret of his own. And when it comes down to saving Claire from a life-threatening illness, he reveals the hero he really is. One of the best neurosurgeons of all.

Between Sisters.......2005-10-09

This is one of the most outstanding books that I have ever read! It has all the elements of a book that can't be put down nor wait until the next chapter. I listened to it in audio form and even carried the cassette player in my pocket while doing chores! That's how good it was. Didn't want to miss a single line. I HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a book that has love, family, mystery, challenges, good and bad relationships, healing old wounds and appreciation of people that touch your lives. You won't be able to put this one down!!!!!!!!!!!

Average customer rating:

Couldn't get in to it
A Well Woven Tale
Amazing family drama!
A little on the cheesy side, but was a great read!
GREAT!

Just Between Us
Cathy Kelly
Manufacturer: Downtown Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0743490266

Book Description

From international bestselling author Cathy Kelly, a heartwarming story of three sisters who are about to discover that -- even within a close-knit Irish family -- looks can be deceiving.

Look at them go!

In the Irish Country town of Kinvarra, the Miller girls are generally perceived to have it all. Single mother and brilliant attorney Stella looks like a Renaissance Madonna and is about to get a second chance at love. TV soap opera writer Tara has just married the love of her life -- the charming Finn -- after a whirlwind six-month romance. And shy, beautiful Holly is living an enviable bohemian life, with artistic friends and a beautiful apartment where her creative talents find an outlet. Have there ever lived three more fabulous sisters?

Now look more closely.

The Miller girls' mother, Rose -- calm, elegant, and unchanging -- is about to celebrate her fortieth wedding anniversary. But as plans for the party of the decade take shape, it's revealed that nothing in the lives of Rose and her daughters is as it seems. And as the secret heartaches the four women have kept hidden from each other begin to emerge, they're set to discover whether they're strong enough to handle the truth -- and whether greater happiness awaits them still.

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From international bestselling author Cathy Kelly, a heartwarming story of three sisters who are about to discover that -- even within a close-knit Irish family -- looks can be deceiving.

Customer Reviews:

Couldn't get in to it.......2007-06-23

I found it very hard to get into this book and consequently I havn't managed to finish it. Usually I can keep pushing through books but not this one. Its boring and dull has no life the characters are dull. If those of you who have managed to get through this book and have enjoyed it, good for you and well done

A Well Woven Tale.......2007-06-07

This is a wonderfully told story. Some of the minor characters seemed a bit improbable but that's what fiction is all about! There are so few stories written today about families that really love each other so the relationship between the sisters is rewarding. Each chapter changes to continue the story line of one family member or another as the story progresses. At the end of each chapter I would be so interested that I was disappointed to rejoin the story of a different character - which character I would forget about two pages into the next chapter! The only reason a star is missing is that the ending left me with an unsettled feeling for one of the sisters because in reality her husband's alcoholism would not be so easily dealt with.

Amazing family drama!.......2007-04-15

Contemporary and heartwarming, this story is about a family who seems to have it all until one day they start having to open up one by one until they realize that everyone has ups and downs. Cathy Kelly does a tremendous job of making the characters sympathetic and believable. It felt like home when I read it and helped me feel even more comfortable with my family. It's good to be reminded that we are only human and that its okay to have faults and mistakes. Afterall, a true friend is one who knows all your faults, your deepest/darkest secrets and still loves you for you. This is a from the heart page turner that starts out simple, but with the greatly timed twists and plots, this story grows more complicated with every chapter, and sometimes every page. I would highly reccomend this book!

Also recommended: The Rock Orchard by Paula Ward

A little on the cheesy side, but was a great read!.......2007-04-04

I haven't quite reached the end of this very long novel yet, but have enjoyed the developing story line. I enjoyed the concept that of this seemingly perfect family being far from flawless. The story line shows that once you delve under the surface, no one has the perfect life.

However, aside from the story line, I found the wording to be a little cheesy. The characters in the book would openly talk about feelings, when real-life situations would most likely not warrant the same reactions. It is, on the other hand, an easy read. So, if you can get past the cheesy lines, and are looking for something to quickly speed through, this is the book.

GREAT!.......2007-03-17

I love this book! All of Cathy Kelly's books give the point of view of a few different people and it keeps you so interested. The main characters this time were that of a well known family in a small town. Rose, the matriarch is just approaching her 40th wedding anniversary and has kept the fact that her husband unfaithful to herself for almost all of the 40 years. Her oldest daughter, Stella, is raising her young daughter on her own and is just falling in love for the first time since the birth of her daughter. Rose's middle daughter, Tara, is blissfully newly married, or so she thought. Tara is struggling through her whirlwind marriage and learning her husband has a few secrets of his own. And Rose's poor youngest daughter, Holly, has a lack of self confidence all stemming from Rose's own problems when Holly was a baby.

It's such a good book that takes you into the minds of each of the woman and they gain control of their lives.

My Dearest Minette: The Letters Between Charles II and His Sister Henrietta, Duchesse D'Orleans

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A fascinating read, but a frustrating history

My Dearest Minette: The Letters Between Charles II and His Sister Henrietta, Duchesse D'Orleans
King of England Charles II , and Henriette-Anne, duchesse d' Orleans
Manufacturer: Peter Owen Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0720609917

Customer Reviews:

A fascinating read, but a frustrating history.......2005-05-21

This is a good book for anyone interested in finding out more about some of the more interesting figures of Restoration-era England. Despite the fact that Norrington is prone to gush at times about the fascination and charm of letters that are, in some cases, little more than quickly dashed-off notes, as a body the collection is quite interesting.

Norrington's strength (and weakness) lies in her ability to string together the letters, filling in the context with incidents in the life of Charles II and his sister, Minette, the two main correspondents. Unfortunately, Norrington uses about a fifth of the footnotes I'd like to have seen. For every anecdote whose provenance she footnotes, there are four she doesn't. There is a bibliography, but some of the unfootnoted incidents are so so vaguely attributed in the text that I'd be hard-pressed to know where to begin searching them out in her sources. She includes no index, either, which is quite frustrating as well.

Still, it's a good read, and those interested in the Restoration would already be in Norrington's debt had she only assembled the letters and nothing more. The book is worth buying just on the strength of the letters, if you can find it for a reasonable price.

It should be emphasized that these letters are most interesting from a historical perspective, however, and not as masterpieces of the art of letter writing. For that, try Charles' and Minette's contemporary, Rochester, in Rochester's letters, edited by Jeremy Treglown.

Between Warrior Brother and Veiled Sister: Islamic Fundamentalism and the Politics of Patriarchy in Iran

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Westernized Islamic Sociology

Between Warrior Brother and Veiled Sister: Islamic Fundamentalism and the Politics of Patriarchy in Iran
Minoo Moallem
Manufacturer: University of California Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0520243447

Book Description

Minoo Moallem challenges the mainstream stereotypical representation of Islam and Muslims as backward, fanatical, and premodern by showing how Islamic nationalism and fundamentalism are by-products of modernity. Writing with a deep personal and scholarly concern for recent Iranian history, Moallem refers to the gendered notions of brother and sister as keys to understanding the invention of the Islamic ummat as a modern fraternal community. Using magazines, novels, and films, she offers a feminist transnational analysis of contemporary Iranian culture that questions dominant binaries of modern and traditional, West and East, secular and religious, and civilized and barbaric.
Between Warrior Brother and Veiled Sister responds to a number of important questions raised in connection with 9/11. The author considers how veiling intersects with other identity markers in nation-state building and modern formations of gendered citizenship. She shows how Islamic nationalism and fundamentalism are fed by a hybrid blend of images and myths of both pre-Islamic and Islamic Iran, as well as globally circulated patriarchal ideologies.

Customer Reviews:

Westernized Islamic Sociology.......2006-10-19

When reading this book keep a bottle of No-Doz handy. You will enjoy this book if you relish reading stuff like: "coercive displacement is a desubjectifying process"..."they merely divided patriarchy into hegemonic and subordinated semiotic regimes"... "postmodernism relies extensively on consumerism, where Islamic culture is increasingly commodified and opened to uncertainty, multiplicity, intertextuality and the collapse of time-space with no foundation." This Persian gal's turgid writing style reminded me that the 'Tower of Babel' originated in Mesopotamia. The author is opposed to how capitalism has provided so many products to the poor of Iran: "Consumer capitalism has incorporated this transnational reworking of the nation in its inexorable march to produce new consumer subjects" because women have "overarching dichotomous notions of identify in modernity by suppressing cultural hybridity or forms of inbetweeness" (p.16). By writing these thoughts the author believes that they explain the 1979 revolution in Iran; but she fails to demonstrate by how. The author also worries about "the emasculation of Muslim men produced by neocolonial modernity and the remasculinzation permitted by nationalist and fundamentalist political movements", but doesn't convincingly relate this concern to the 1979 revolution. Once a reader finishes reading this book, one really doesn't have any clearer understanding about the differences between the Sunni and Shiite sects of Islam and why they so joyously fight one another. The author jumps around her book in briefly noting the influence of the Shiite tragedy of Imam Hussein but doesn't explain why or how Hussein was killed; he just dies and then 1400 years later "de-emasculated" Shiites rebel against the Shah! Essentially, this book reflects the author's studying of some 50-75 socio-philosophers and adopts their perspectives as to how women are restricted by the religious-caste system in India or foot-binding in pre-Communist China, and concludes from those sociology studies (and many others) that women were indeed repressed by tyrannical Islamic religious imams in pre-1979 Iran -- which was made all the worse by the Shah's corrupt government. Given the generic, cookie-cutter, one-size-fits-all sociological "principles," one can pretty well just drop all the times that the word "Iran" appears, and substitute any other country's name. Essentially, if the postulate feels good, scratch it and adapt it. Similar to the American humorist Will Rogers, the author never met a socio-theory she didn't like (at least, she didn't condemn any here). Both Nietzsche and Hegel make their obligatory guest appearances in this sociology study. The author barely mentions any role that anti-Shah liberals and communists played in ousting the Shah. The author does not quote from the Quran to show how the Islam mullahs justify their veiling (and seclusion) of Muslim women. Women who veil show their independence from men in that they can hide themselves from the lustful looks of men; but then, women who don't veil show their independence of not fearing mens' leering eyes. One realizes that the author, having lived under the Khomeini regime, has many personal insights about the historical Islamic seclusion of women; regretfully, the author relates very little of this to the reader. The author could write numerous books based on her sociological "principles" that she presented in each chapter of this book, if she were only to open up and write about specific examples as to how the post-1979 Islamist government curtailed women's independent or public activities. For instance: Why won't the Muslim mullahs allow women to campaign for the Iranian presidency? It is ironic that after the "reform oriented" Shah was dumped, and after the successful assumption of power by Khomeini's "fundamentalist Islamic" government, that this pro-Muslim author had to eventually flee to a terrible, consumer-capitalist oriented western country (which she so loathes) in order to freely live and write about the liberated Muslim-women lifestyle that she cannot find in any Islamic-ruled country. The author fails to explain what is so endearing about Islam, from her liberated-female perspective, that the imams fail to understand. This is a book that is easy to put down, and difficult to pick back up. Sociology majors will like this book because of its extensive citation of sociology studies. Be very familiar with Islam and Iranian history before reading this book, or else you will be lost in the author's socio "time-space" worm holes. Regretfully, you are not really going to learn much about Iranian Islam in this book; what you are going to learn is that this author has read many "internationally applicable" sociology studies that seem to be able to be generic enough to fit into almost any political event in Iran (or any other country). Although this book's subtitle refers to "Islamic Fundamentalism", one really does not learn anything about the foundations or beliefs of Islamic fundamentalism. The author has many fine insights, it's just that its so tedious in trying to find them. This book is worth reading, but it will take persistency. Nonetheless, I bought this book, and will frequent it for its many sociological perspectives, which are lacking in political and historical books.

The Seven Sisters of India: Tribal Worlds Between Tibet and Burma (African, Asian & Oceanic Art)

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The Seven Sisters of India: Tribal Worlds Between Tibet and Burma (African, Asian & Oceanic Art)
Peter Van Ham , Aglaja Stirn , and Peter Van Ham
Manufacturer: Prestel Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Book Description

This is the first comprehensive publication on India's remote northeast, the area comprising seven states stretching from Tibet in the north to Myanmar (Burma) in the south, among them Nagaland, Meghalaya, and Assam. This area is known as the "Seven Sisters of India". It is a region rarely visited by foreigners where peoples scarcely known to the Western world continue a way of life steeped in ancient ritual. This publication, the very first of its kind, explains and illustrates with numerous high-quality color photographs the various aspects of these fascinating cultures.

Average customer rating:

Decent but pretty dry
Not Charmed-esque Enough
Halloween Charmed
Okay read.
Author of this Charmed novel

Between Worlds (Charmed)
Bobbi JG Weiss , and Jacklyn Wilson
Manufacturer: Simon Spotlight Entertainment
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0689857926

Book Description

Breath of air, soul of fire,
Grant this night my heart's desire.
Womb of earth, tears of sea,
Bring my lover back to me.

The Halliwell sisters are no strangers to Halloween hijinks. But this year, the Wiccan celebration of Samhain is met with a rash of destruction throughout the city. Upon further investigation, the Charmed Ones learn that the demolished buildings they've heard about are actually melting. These sites are in fact the location of dimensional portals, and they're under attack.

Piper, Phoebe, and Paige will need to secure these barriers in order to prevent all havoc from being released. But the demon working against them is no ordinary monster; it's a wraith, the product of a grief-stricken young witch seeking to resurrect her lost love. And hell hath no fury like a woman scorned....

Customer Reviews:

Decent but pretty dry.......2006-06-30

This book wasn't bad but it wasn't great either. Its one of those books you read to pass the time but wouldn't likely read again. I do like the Charmed series but some of the writers are a little boring and repitious. The writers of the Buffy books seem to be a lot better. I would recommend checking out other Charmed books though. Some of them are really fun.

Not Charmed-esque Enough.......2005-12-30

From what I read, Bobbi JG Weiss and Jacklyn Wilson are great writers. The plotline, interesting tidbits of information and way in which they use rhetorical devices are wonderful, the narration is rich and detailed (maybe a bit too detailed at times), the various jokes and wordplay included for the most part was great fun, but the novel itself is not very true to Charmed. I do have in mind that this book is just `based' on the show and not an exact follow-up, but, seriously, I couldn't get over the fact that they seem to overlook Paige's power to orb! Also, some of the lines made it look like they just put them there to give each person a line and not because the character would actually say it. All in all, it's a good read, but there are better.

Halloween Charmed.......2005-07-07

Black, white and orange leads readers into another Halloween arc for the charming sisters. It's about celebration, destruction, love and lost. This great book lets your mind soar and melt as the sisters face the burning of mystical portals all over their city and all for a grieving...witch.

Okay read........2004-11-01

I have been faithfully reading all the Charmed books as I love the TV series.

This book was okay, but disappointing compared to other book which have been written.

Based during Halloween, it centres on CK and the power which she has unleased after casting a spell to bring back the love of her life who died but by doing so it could essentially mean that the realms of dead and the un-dead could collaspe.

The story idea was good, but I wasn't drawn into the storyline which seemed boring and drawn-out. I didn't feel a connection to the characters (not even the sisters who seemed like words on a page, instead of being able to picture it in your mind) and I could wait to reach the end of the book so it was over.

Overall I wouldn't recommend it unless perhaps it is Halloween and there is nothing else for you to read or if you are an avid Charmed fan.

Author of this Charmed novel.......2004-08-28

First off, thank you for the inspiring reviews..I am one of the authors of this novel, but the publishing company spelt my first name wrong! How funny is that. I co-wrote this book with a talented and experienced friend of mine, and I was only 16 years old when we began the project. (I am now 19). Anyways, I just wanted to respond to all of the readers that wrote the reviews and thank them. I would love to get in contact. My email is queansidhee@yahoo.com...thanks

Jaclyn

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My life simply happened without deep designs; I was an easily disposable commodity
A rare piece of literature
A remarkable novel
Ugly, but beautifully written
Africa

The In-Between World of Vikram Lall
M.G. Vassanji
Manufacturer: Knopf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 140004216X
Release Date: 2004-09-14

Book Description

M. G. Vassanji, author of The Book of Secrets, winner of the first Giller prize, brings us a novel that is rich in sensuous detail and political insight, and brilliantly captures the tyranny of history and memory, and questions one’s role and responsibility in lawless times.

Born in colonial Kenya, Vikram Lall comes of age at the same moment as the colony, which in 1953 is celebrating the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II even as the Mau Mau independence movement is challenging British rule. But while Kenya is being torn apart by idealism, doubt and violent political upheaval, Vic and his sister Deepa begin to search for their place in the world. Neither colonists nor African, neither white nor black, the Indian brother and sister find themselves somewhere in between in their band of playmates: Bill and Annie, British children, and Njoroge, an African boy. These are the friendships that will haunt the rest of their lives.

We follow Vic from a changing Africa in the fifties, to the sixties -- a time of immense promise. But when that hope is betrayed by the corruption and fear of the seventies and eighties, Vic finds himself drawn into the Kenyatta government’s orbit of graft and power-brokering. Njoroge, on the other hand, can abandon neither the idealism of his youth nor his love for Deepa, coerced into marrying within her Indian community. But neither the cynicism of the one nor the idealism of the other can avert the tragedies that await.

Acute and bittersweet, The In-between World of Vikram Lall is told in the voice of the exiled Vic as he contemplates from the shores of Lake Ontario the tides that have brought him so far from home and the possibility that even as history was shaping him, he has had a hand in altering its course.

Customer Reviews:

My life simply happened without deep designs; I was an easily disposable commodity.......2006-09-08

This saga of an Indian family living in Kenya, told by `one of Africa's most corrupt men', sketches the (in)direct implication of its family members in Kenya's history.

The Mau Mau movement of Yomo Kenyatta is fighting against the brutal British occupants (`plucking out eyes with bayonets') in order to free Kenya of its colonial regime.
The Indians in that country constitute an in-between world: `we Asians were special: we were brown, we were few and frightened and we could be threatened with deportation as aliens even if we had been in the country before some African people.'
Some stay neutral, but other chose sides and are directly involved in the committed atrocities.
Vikram Lall's idyllic youth comes brutally to an end with the murder of a white family.

After the black victory, the freedom movement and the Mau Mau are betrayed. `That ours had become a country of ten millionaires and ten million paupers. Those who had collaborated with the colonial police were now in all the high posts and had taken the best land and opportunities. ...If you were connected, through family or communal allegiances, even penniless you were protected and favoured.'

Corruption, blackmail, extortion and intimidation become rampant in order to `buy' cheaply the businesses of `strangers.
Vikram Lall becomes a civil servant overseeing big business contracts ...

This book is also a hymn on green Africa with the all importance of rain and a reminder of India's caste (marriage) and religious problems: `Her soul has flown away, it's only the empty body. She'll come back in a new body. I rather preferred the old body. How would I recognize the new one?'

Vassanji's chronicle is an impressive achievement, but not a `feast' of a book; instead Vikram Lall's world is one of racism, fanaticism, brutal power struggle and blatant corruption.
Not to be missed.

A rare piece of literature.......2006-08-30

This novel is presented in the first-person point of view, the narrator being Vikram Lall, an Indian born and raised in Kenya. We are made to understand that Vikram turns out to be a horrendously corrupt individual who bankrupts his nation. However, he begins by recounting his childhood, as a young boy in Nakuru, Kenya. Then we are carried into his young adulthood, as he begins to work for the newly independent government, entering the dark realm of underhanded politics. Throughout the novel, the author brings us back to Vikram's present location (Canada) where he is remembering his past.

My only complaint about this novel is in Vikram's character. A dark tragedy alters his emotions, rendering him to be a passionless man. But that lack of vigor makes him an absolute bore. There were a few scenes where I thought Vikram would suddenly break out of his shell, but he remains restrained throughout, allowing injustices to occur and his desires to collapse. I enjoyed the other characters though, especially Deepa and Njoroge, possibly the most passionate individuals in the novel.

I greatly appreciated the fearlessness in exhibiting race relations between Indians and everyone else in Kenya. The interplay appeared geniune, showing the social hierarchy amongst the races (the British, Indians, then blacks at the bottom). This hierarchy gets flipped after Kenya's independence, leaving the Indians in the middle again. But since the majority of Indians did not support the blacks during the freedom struggle, they become the scapegoats for the newly freed country's problems, leading to mass deportations, etc. Most of the race relations are viewed from Vikram's serene point of view.

I also appreciated the detailed characters, such as Mahesh Uncle who backs the Mau Mau in their fight against the British, and his relationship with Vikram.

Great book overall, excellent for those who want a greater understanding of the aftermath of colonialism.

A remarkable novel.......2006-06-21

Vassanji tells the compelling story of Virkram Lall, an East African Indian who almost inadvertently becomes involved in several massive corruption scandals in early post-independence Kenya. But the heartline of the story is the thrwarted love-affair between his sister and his best friend, a black African, and Vikram's terrifying childhood experiences and deep personal loss during the Mau-Mau rebellion against British colonial rule in Kenya. The novel is equal parts Kenyan history, love story, and political thriller seen from the unusual point of view of a tightly-knit immigrant Punjabi family.

Vassanji has writen a superb novel. It is moving, entertaining and meaningful, and that is a hard-to-beat cocktail. The style is lucid and even occassionally lyrically beautiful (the childhood part stands out). In many ways it is a complex novel with a great deal of detail but Vassanji pulls everything elegantly together.

Highly recommended for everyone but particularly readers with interest in East Africa and it's remarkable history.

Ugly, but beautifully written.......2006-06-17

In this story Vassanji does an amazing job at creating a dynamic character who is both flawed and heroic, hence the well-suited name. The reader will sympathize and shame Vikram throughout his journey from a carefree childhood that is gradually littered with racial and social complications to an adulthood that intensifies to corruption. This book truly makes one question the delicate line of moral perception. He makes the story even more brilliant by setting it in a socially and politically charged Kenya struggling for independence from British colonial rule.

This book takes patience to read, I don't recommend it for unmotivated readers. (you know who you are, you have a book you bought last year with the bookmark in a perma-sandwich on pg 10). However, if you do you will be rewarded, and I am quite sure you will be impressed how it illuminates the suffering of one's journey. A very memorable and intelligent read.

Africa.......2006-04-07

It was a very educational book, and made me realize that we often forget that africa has much multiculturalism. As in indian i found it interesting to see the views of indians who have left india much earlier than those who came to north america. I learned alot. I found vassanji to ramble on detail at times. but you get used to it.
it was a good book. but it was a long read, andon only character that made me not wanna put it down was Njoroge.

Love-Letters Between a Nobleman and His Sister

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sexuality and desire

Love-Letters Between a Nobleman and His Sister
Aphra Behn
Manufacturer: Echo Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 140683579X

Book Description

Homemade Candy Recipes from the early 1900s

Customer Reviews:

sexuality and desire.......2000-05-21

Aphra Behn's Love Letters Between a Nobleman and His Sister reveals the progress of the consciousness of the once innocent and naive Sylvia, who, after being seduced into an affair with her brother-in-law, Philander, learns of her own sexuality and desires.

Behn's novel is not only an exploration of the sexual politics of the socety in which she lived in, but also, an examination of the notions of gender and identity. The exchange of love letters between Sylvia and Philander allows readers to sense the intimacy between the two couple, but most importanly, it allows readers to follow the transformantion of Sylvia's identity from lady to whore. Behn conveys the double standard that exists in her society, and perhaps our society as well. Philander, after his lover affair and scandal is still a lord, but unfortunately for Sylvia, once 'undone' is no longer a lady.

Book Description

For nearly half a century, siblings John and Mary McLoughlin engaged in an unbroken correspondence. This exchange of heartfelt fictional letters, based upon their life histories, took place against a background of tumultuous change, and whilst they themselves were undoubtedly affected by these changes and the inevitable ravages of time, their love for and loyalty to one another remained steadfast. At the turn of the nineteenth century, British colonial Canada and America sought to define their borders as the French lost their control of the continent, exhausted by the terror and bloodbath of the Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars respectively. In this time of upheaval, the lives of the siblings diverged into two very different paths. Mary entered a convent of Ursuline Sisters in Quebec City, whilst John became active in the fur trade, a vagabond life fraught with loneliness, physical hardship and corrosive competition; the polar opposite of the cloistered life his sister led as a Bride of Christ. However, a cloistered life did not restrict Mary's sharp and eager mind; she knew only too well that for a country in the throes of a difficult birth, a certain amount of religious observance was essential for even a glimmer of much-needed political stability in the physical world her brother moved in. Throughout the decades, each guides the other through bereavement, physical pain, and the growth of their family, and ultimately, their rise to the top of their respective fields; Mary to the role of Mother Superior and John to the "Father of Oregon", their deaths followed by the birth of two nations whose infancy they also shared.

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