Book Description
What happens in the Mansion, doesn't stay in the Mansion!
How did I get here? I was raised a nice Catholic girl in Ontario, Canada. I am an only child whose parents lavished their attention and resources on me. I have a Bachelor of Arts degree and a law degree, and I'm studying to take the California bar. I am comfortable with my own sexuality, responsible for my own orgasm, and have never been sexually or emotionally abused. And yet for two years, I lived at the infamous Playboy Mansion, rolled in a posse of seven succulent beauties, and was a co-girlfriend of the father of the sexual revolution and the world's largest living hedonist.
What is wrong with this picture?
The Bunnies. The Girlfriends. The Mansion. The Grotto. The Myth. The Man. The Fantasy. The Reality.
Izabella St. James left colder climes for the beaches of Malibu. Young, blond, and pretty, she was looking for fun, and the SoCal nightlife was a powerful magnet. Out clubbing one night, she met Hugh Hefner and his friends. Beyond the silk robe and age-proof good looks, Hugh was a genial man who invited Izabella to join his group of friends and then to move into the world-famous Mansion as one of Hef's girlfriends. (Plural.)
Bunny Tales is Izabella's story—of a party girl who discovered what work it is to play all the time. Plastic surgery, gorgeous clothes, cool cars, and a generous weekly allowance are the perks of Mansion life, but Hef's girlfriends are a clique, a sorority, a group of best buds, and bitter rivals, the worst of high school in an adult party circuit.
Izabella was witness to the growing pains of an empire—and legend—built on a revolution long over. Like the best relationships, Bunny Tales is honest and fun, revealing and real, satisfying and surprising.
Customer Reviews:
Slow starter however it tells all you wanted to know.......2007-09-21
The first part of the book was a slow start. All I was interested in was the details about the girlfriends and the day to day life in the mansion. It does get to that part later and was enough to satisfy my curiosity. It also answered many questions I had about the 3 current girlfriends in the house. If you like the show and you want to know, just read the book. I thought Izabella did a nice job telling the details in a nice way. How else can you explain the details of that type of living situation without smearing anyone? It is just how I thought it would be at the mansion. Izabella is absolutely gorgeous and has self respect which is more than I can say for the current girlfriends of which I am not a fan of. I do like the show but they should call it "gold diggers"!!!!
Bunny Tales.......2007-09-18
This was a great book if you want a little more insight into the playboy mansion. I watch the Girls Next Door on E! and since I have started watching I have wanted to know some more secrets of Hugh Hefner, his girlfriends, and Playboy. I have heard and read a lot of things before reading this book, but things are clarified. I think if you want to know more about Playboy and what life is really like, this book will provide that.
Wonderful Book.......2007-08-29
I don't feel sorry for Hefner, he's got plenty of dough and wants to do the right thing with it before he dies. Spend it all on that wonderful entity called ......"himself". I got to say I never felt like he was someone to laugh at but this book does it. An 80 year old "swinger" purchasing 20 year old girlfriends and thinking he's still looking "cool". What a clown. All that money and he wastes it on hookers that mock him behind his back.
Thanks Hef, you taught me something, hedonism isn't all it's cracked up to be and you must be one first class jerk to draw in flies like this author.
The only shocking thing is this girl's disdain.......2007-08-24
I think that there have been a lot of in-depth reviews of this book, both on this site and others, so I will just get to the point in this review:
1)For someone who continually touts her education, she obviously must not have paid much attention in grammar. Were they in such a hurry to get the book out that they skipped an editor altogether? There are so many errors that it takes reading some paragraphs twice to get what she was trying to say!
2)I found it absolutely amazing that she would talk herself up as being so loyal to Hef in one sentence, then say how she laughed at him behind his back the next. It is hard to explain without using specific instances that would spoil it, but that was a consistant theme throughout the book. She would praise him and then trash him for the exact same things! She not only sounds like an ungrateful brat now, but her memoirs show that she was an ungrateful brat all the time.
3)Gee, bitter? She tries to make herself out as some kind of victim with the other girls, but she very clearly has just as bad of attitude as the girls whom she is trashing, if not worse. She at least should have reviewed what she was slamming the other girls for before she went and wrote about her doing the exact same thing.
4)Nothing here is shocking. It's not like we are reading about a politician with a squeaky clean record here-We are reading about Hugh Hefner. Although some of the descriptions are disgusting, she did all of that for two years. She acts like she was so shocked and appalled in the bedroom, but she admits that she participated (of course with a it wasn't her fault attitude) in it all.
I would say that it would have been a light, easy read had she been a better writer and not have been so obviously self-centered. The basic information is interesting and gives a lot more insight into the Mansion, but do not expect it to read like someone with as much of an education as she claims to have.
Really nothing new.......2007-08-20
I didn't think there was anything really all that earth shattering in this book. I think we all figured this is what went on. I think she is jealous of the girls that are still his girlfriends. That is she isn't on the show. I also think more women as girlfriends would lead to more problems that just having a couple of them. I think that Hef is a very generous person. It is shame that people use him as they do. I wouldn't waste my time reading this book.
Book Description
Great management is difficult to see as it occurs. It's possible to see the results of great management, but it's not easy to see how managers achieve those results. Great management happens in one-on-one meetings and with other managers---all in private. It's hard to learn management by example when you can't see it.
You can learn to be a better manager---even a great manager---with this guide. You'll follow along as Sam, a manager just brought on board, learns the ropes and deals with his new team over the course of his first eight weeks on the job. From scheduling and managing resources to helping team members grow and prosper, you'll be there as Sam makes it happen. You'll find powerful tips covering:
- Delegating effectively
- Using feedback and goal-setting
- Developing influence
- Handling one-on-one meetings
- Coaching and mentoring
- Deciding what work to do---and what not to do
- ...and more.
Full of tips and practical advice on the most important aspects of management, this is one of those books that can make a lasting and immediate impact on your career.
Customer Reviews:
Practical Indeed!.......2007-07-09
I am very skeptical of most business improvement books and one size fits all methodologies, but I can tell you that this book absolutely shines as a glint of hope in the sea of business improvement noise. As opposed to trying to force a given technique that will apply to everyone in every business, this book provides some very "real" examples that exist in the software development world and some very simple concepts and techniques that can be used. This book is not written like an academic book of problems and solutions, but more of a story based book on a "real world" scenario, which truly solidifies the pragmatic name of the publisher. This pragmatic approach makes the book very easy to read, understand, and ultimately use. I think if you use at least one or two of the techniques presented in this book such as One-on-Ones and Big Visual Charts (BVCs) that the book will have more than paid for itself in terms of the time you will have spent reading it and of course the money!
Excellent Guide for New and Seasoned Managers of Knowledge Workers.......2007-06-04
This is an excellent work that guided me though my first formal management experience. The book weaves its lessons into a story which helped you to understand how to apply what you learned. Like many important books, it explains some simple rules that can be difficult to execute in practice. The downside of reading this book is that you may realized that you're not being managed well (or have not been in the past) and you can no longer live in blissful ignorance. All technical managers at all levels should have read a copy of this book. The section on having one on ones by itself is worth the price.
Basic solid info covered in fluff.......2007-03-28
Having gone through a recent re-org that calls itself "new" 6 months after the fact, a 2-hour reading of this book was able to bullet point a good many ways the new management chain is screwing up. Nothing in this book is actually "secret" (it's all pragmatic) and very little happens "behind closed doors" (by the time you're there, something's gone wrong), but it's a good primer to read for a new manager or a good primer to pummel a pointy-haired boss with when they're doing nothing right. The fictionalized case study running through the book didn't appeal to me, but the drawn out points and sidebars were well (that is "concisely") written.
Not sure why this book has good reviews.......2007-01-21
First, let me say that I have read many books off the Pragmatic Bookshelf. Many of the best books I read during 2006 were published by these guys. With that said, this is by far the worst book I have read in recent memory. It is very simplistic and not very engaging at all. It's like a Fischer Price introduction to management. I did read most of it, but only because I was trapped on an airplane to Norway. Incidently, I left the book on the plane. It wasn't worth the shelf space in my library.
Good book.......2007-01-14
I am a new manager and this book made me see how many things I'm not doing or what my manager is not doing either. This has caused me to wake up and begin trying to push for some changes in building teams instead of the groups that we are now.
Average customer rating:
- Behind Closed Doors
- Predicatable - but decent beach read
- Great read
- A book for those who find ABUSE and WIFE-BASHING SEXY
- WOW!! It's HOT!!
|
Behind Closed Doors
Shannon McKenna
Manufacturer: Kensington
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 Suspense
| Thrillers
| Mystery & Thrillers
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Mystery & Thrillers
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Romance
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Contemporary
| Romance
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Mystery & Thrillers
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
Suspense
| Thrillers
| Mystery & Thrillers
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
General
| Contemporary
| Romance
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
General
| Romance
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
All 4-for-3 Deals
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
Similar Items:
-
Standing In The Shadows
-
Out Of Control
-
Return To Me
-
Hot Night
-
Edge of Midnight
ASIN: 0758203195 |
Customer Reviews:
Behind Closed Doors.......2007-04-26
Ok..so I just started reading this book and I have to tell you that it wasn't exactly what I expected.. The characters especiallly Seth is just an abusive animal who only thinks of sex and wants only sex and I don't get why Raine puts up with it by the way he treats her..I'm not saying that this book is bad..but it isn't great either..
Predicatable - but decent beach read.......2007-04-18
The only thing that elevates this book from a fluffy Harlequin Romance Suspense novel (complete with the macho hero and heroine in desperate need of help) is that the heroine is a Mormon - who is struggling with keeping her ties to her Mormon community she was raised in and coming to terms with the great let down she has found in the Churchs teachings and it's actions.
The Mormon angle and the "patriarchal family" women in it are faced with- is what makes the book interesting, and ultimately worth a read. There's are a couple of good twists wrapped into it and the dissappearance of Raine's Mormon girlfriend that will keep the pages turning - and rooting for her to find her "own way" in the world.
Great read.......2007-02-03
Shannon McKenna is one of my favorite authors. She writes romantic thrillers which keep me on the edge of my seat. Some reviewers claim Seth was abusive to Raine. That never even occurred to me as I read the book. I didn't see Raine being hurt either emotionally or physically. Sure people fight and get angry, but I didn't take it as abuse. I'm intrigued with how readers react so differently. To me you need a strong alpha good guy to fight a vicious bad guy. Seth was great for that. I like plot, action and interesting characters in a romance novel and Shannon McKenna does it well.
A book for those who find ABUSE and WIFE-BASHING SEXY.......2006-08-04
I would have given this book zero stars, but 1 is the lowest Amazon allows. The male lead/hero of this book is so violent and so abusive that he was nothing but very scary throughout. He is completely driven by his uncontrollable anger and paranoia, and fits the psychological profile of a wife-basher and psycopath remarkably well. This is a profile for a villain, not a hero. He is never likeably in any way.
One example. The book's hero, Seth, is having a conversation [well, Seth can't actually converse, he just yells, swears and (at best) dicates orders] with a colleague and "friend" [well, Seth has no friends (surprise, surprise) but this is as close as he can get]. This friend, Connor, has recently emerged from a coma and has suffered a shattered leg which leaves him limping and using a cane. Connor mentions that Raine (the book's female lead) is attractive. Connor doesn't know that Seth is already sleeping with Raine, because his "friend" has withheld this information [unable as Seth is to chat, share or converse]. Seth hears Connor's comment and, in one of his habitual blinding fits of fury, Seth attacks Connor, throwing him across the room into the wall, onto the floor, and hurting his back. This is how he treats his "friends". Needless to say, Seth sees nothing wrong in his behaviour. He does not even help Connor up. He does not apologize.
With the heroine, Raine, Seth behaves like a mentally unstable dictator of a third world country. I won't give details because there are so many and more to the point I just can't stomach it. I read these books for pleasure, escape, fantasy and fun. There is none of that in this book. Scene after scene, I kept cringing at his treatment of her which always involved insults, emotional abuse, and manipulation. This never fails to arouse him, so after all the abuse he has sex with her.
Then I cringed at how Raine accepts it all passively, even happily, the consumate doormat, rationalizing Seth's abysmal antisocial behaviour the whole way. It doesn't help us that the author keeps telling us that Raine is strong and taking control. If it looks like a doormat, walks like a doormat, and quacks like a doormat -- it's a doormat!
It is very rare for me not to finish a book, but on page 272 of 430 I finally decided to stop torturing myself. I normally pass books on to my friends or donate them. This one went straight into the garbage. I can't think of anyone I would inflict it on.
If your fantasy is an abusive man who judges you, yells at you, insults you, pushes you around physically, manipulates you, is frighteningly antisocial, and couldn't treat you with respect if his life depended on it, then this book is for you. Otherwise, please, please spare yourself. I devoted hours to it and am left only with a sick hollow feeling inside.
WOW!! It's HOT!!.......2006-07-14
I did love this book, I am enjoying this entire series. I admit it, I like my stories steamy and this one delivered. The suspense held my attention as well which is hard to do sometimes. I loved how the lead female, Raine, went from shy and mousy to brave and strong BUT I did feel that her transformation was a little too quick AND went way overboard by the end. I love how she revealed and held on to her 'pirate queen' fantasy but do feel that it wasn't strong enough to change her personality in the way it supposedly did.
All in all it was a GREAT read. Perfect for the beach or a cold winter's night when you can curl up with a hot steamy romance.
Average customer rating:
- Every time a solution resolves another problem pops up!
- Glad I Borrowed It
- O.k., but not her best
- Read One, Read Them All
- Through rose-colored glasses...
|
Behind Closed Doors
Kimberla Lawson Roby
Manufacturer: Avon A
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| African American
| United States
| World Literature
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Roby, Kimberla Lawson
| African American
| United States
| World Literature
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
General
| United States
| World Literature
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Contemporary
| General
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
United States
| Short Stories
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Similar Items:
-
Here And Now
-
It's A Thin Line
-
Too Much of a Good Thing
-
The Best-Kept Secret
-
Casting The First Stone
ASIN: 0060593652
Release Date: 2004-09-21 |
Book Description
Regina Moore and Karen Jackson, lifelong best friends, are living the kind of life most women only fantasize about. With beautiful homes, fulfilling careers, and two adoring husbands, their joy could not be greater, their worlds could not be richer. But suddenly, shattering truths about the loving men they thought they knew turn happiness into anguish and rage. For Karen and Regina, nothing they believed in or cherished can ever be the same as it was.
Yet, in the painful process of starting over, new doors will open, and two women who once had it all will rediscover the power of honesty and friendship ... and learn the true scope and meaning of love.
Customer Reviews:
Every time a solution resolves another problem pops up!.......2006-12-29
The book was terrific, it kept my interest for the book going. Kimberla is a very good author. Childhood friends; Regina Moore and Karen Jackson have achieved the American dream of the successful careers, the handsome husbands and extravagant homes in the Chicago suburbs. Eventually all isn't all well when Karen's husband John begins throwing away his paycheck to the race track, and Regina's husband Larry starts spending his more time at the office 'so he says,' but her woman's intuition tells her he's creping'.
Both women experience heartache and their biggest fears come to life. Regina Moore is a independent, loving, strong, and determined wife who insists on savoring her marriage no matter what the costs. With all the sleepless nights and questions of his faithfulness Regina has stressed herself out, but won't give up on her husband even though he is cheating on her. Some men look at women as always being the strong one, but Regina realizes she is weak at times too and this characteristic is more than believable to me. Behind Closed Doors deals with interesting topics like infidelity, gambling, friendship, and betrayal. Infidelity may be thought of as common. For Instance Regina's husband Larry is cheating on her with a close friend. Also, gambling can destroy a relationship or it can strengthen the bond between a couple as it does in this novel. Karen's husband John has a serious problem with gambling that he is not willing to confront. With the struggles they go through, they continually dust themselves off to rise and put their lives back on track. Friendship is the glue that holds them together.
I enjoyed Behind Closed Doors. It is a reminder that money does not bring happiness and that the grass is not always greener on the other side. The characters struggle with relationship issues such as gambling and cheating and learn painful lessons in dealing with these problems. This is a very shocking and realistic book that keeps you turning the page and waiting for the outcome.
Glad I Borrowed It.......2005-10-12
I knew what was going to happen in this book by the time I got past chapter 2. Husband working overtime, suddenly hanging out late at night, dose'nt want you to go on his buisness trips with him....duh. The most shocking part of this book was to find out the he was cheating with her so-called good friend Marilyn. Should have been less crying and more getting revenge. I gave this book 1 star and I kinda feel like that was too much.
O.k., but not her best.......2005-08-16
I just finished reading Behind Closed Doors. It was an easy read. I could tell that it was one of her earlier writings. The ending was abrupt and some of her add-ins were obvious information. I have read her other books and can easily say that her books have matured as she has matured as a writer. I would still recommend Behind Closed Doors to a friend.
Read One, Read Them All.......2005-04-02
I started not to review this book because I just really didn't have that much to say bout it. I read the book about 3 weeks ago, and can't remember a whole lot about the book, which says that it couldn't have left a big impression on me. This was a book with good chapters, but predictable and not her best. But as I understand it, this is a remake of her first published book. I do remember having to make myself finish it. This is just o.k. If you enjoy her other books and haven't read this one yet, don't bother. You aren't missing anything. Her best books are written after this one.
Through rose-colored glasses..........2005-01-15
Marriage is such a sacred institution, but in this present day and time, it seems that it takes much more to make a marriage work. In order to have a successful union, both parties must give it their all, and if all is not given, the sacredness of the vows taken becomes jeopardized, causing a rift that may or may not be so easily fixed.
Regina Moore and Karen Jackson are both married to men they believe are the perfect spouses. Almost simultaneously, Regina and Karen discover secrets about their husbands that threaten the very essence of all they hold dear. Both women must do some serious soul searching, ultimately deciding whether or not they will fight for their marriages or if they should just cut their losses and move forward to the next phase of their life.
BEHIND CLOSED DOORS is the very first novel ever penned by highly acclaimed author Kimberla Lawson Roby. Although the storyline was predictable, Roby's story was well-written, complete with either characters you can identify with ones you want to slap some sense into. All in all, this was a good book, and I can't wait to see what's next from Ms. Roby.
Reviewed by Renee Williams
of The RAWSISTAZ™ Reviewers
Customer Reviews:
Great book!!!!.......2001-08-22
This book is excellent. Each storyline is exciting, and everything is intense. Jessica Wakefeeld is depressed after her losses. SHe has loved many men, but afetr many relationships goen wron, she decides to cry to dodge love, but fails. She, who usually parties all day and night, decides to go to a bookstore. She feels out of place, but meets an interesting guy there. Louis Miles is unlike any guy she's ever met, but totally not her type. But, he manages to get her itnerested in Midevil history. But, when she fidns out that he is her professor, she is shocked. She soon falls in love with him. They share nice talks, and one day, at the beach, she sees Louis walkign around on the rocks. It turns out Louis was thinking of her at the exact same moment, and there she comes. They talk and have romantic thoughts about eachother. Louis, meanwhile is trying to escape his wife, wo has been giving him death threats. Jessica is his only pride and joy. Meanwhile, Elizabeth Wakfield is sad that Tom Watts, her boyfriend, is leaving for a few eeks in L.A. Suddenly, whenever she mentions Todd WIlkins, her ex-boyfriend and Tom's worst enemy, he begins to grow cold toward her. He gives ehr a supposedly boring assignment. She is furious that Tom won't let her work on helping Todd get back on the team. But she agrees. Little does she know that this boring assignment is the most exciting story ever! Slowly she finds out more and more. SHe works on it with Todd, which infuriates Tom. Tom tells her to stop, but Elizabeth doesn't give up. As Elizabeth and Todd come closer and closer to exposing the story, it keeps on getting more and more dangerous. It's really interesting. Meanwhile, Lila Fowler and Bruce Patman are moving in together. Also, Winston Egbert is working hard on a test, but he's worried that if he doesn't pass it, him and Denise Waters will be separated. This book is exciting, engrossing, and a real page turner. This book is great!
Best Sweet Valley University romance novel!.......2001-05-12
I absolutely loved BEHIND CLOSED DOORS...it was such a romantic book! In this one, Jessica is mistakenly signed up to take a course in Medevil History when she asked for Film History. But then she learns that her Medevil History professor, the new, young, hot, sexy, mysterious, and popular, Louis Miles, feels attraction toward her...and she begins to feel attraction AND confusion when she knows he likes her but keeps trying to push her away because of some dark secret from his past.
And all this while, Elizabeth and Todd are trying to track down who attacked Todd. And Winston cheats on his pyhsics exam because he is failing pyhsics and if he does not pass, then his parents will send him to a different school and he won't be able to see Denise, his girlfriend, anymore. Tom goes off to Las Vages for a reporting job.
Great, well-written novel! I congradaulate Laurie John for an excellent novel and a terrific addition to the SWEET VALLEY UNIVERSITY series. If you're an SVU fan, this is definitely for you! The romance and affection between Jessica and Professor Louis Miles will have you engrossed 'til the end and be begging for more! I totally recommend this book.
Kept Me Interested.......1999-03-27
I wasn't picking out the book because it seemed interesting. I picked it out thinking oh something to do. It ended up that I couldn't put it down once I started Reading it. It kept me very well interested and wanting more after i was finished reading. So if you like the romance mystery novels this is the one.
I thought this book was written exceptionaly well........1997-06-01
As well as all the other books in the SVU series, I thought this book was FANTASTIC. As I read, I realized Winstons experiences were simalar to other College, or even High School or Middle School, students inwhich they are tempted to cheat on exams or even a simple thing like Homework. The Way Lourie John expresses the Character's Feelings throughout the book made me feel like it was a true story.Students and other young girls that have followed the Sweet Valley Characters through all the Sweet Valley series will defintely enjoy the SVU adventures of Elizabeth, Jessica, Winston and all the others while they come across new characters throughout the years. Many people should enjoy this book as well as the rest of the SVU books. Thank you and Happy Reading, Michelle Sinopol
Customer Reviews:
From The Inside Flap:.......2006-01-11
Built by an oil company that struck water, the Beverly Hills catered to wealthy Easterners wintering in Southern California. It's owners have included Irene Dunne, Loretta Young and Hernando Courtright, a flamboyant showman who made the Beverly Hills the most chic place in town.
Gable had his affair with Lombard here. Yves Montand with Marilyn Monroe, John Kennedy with a gagglt of girls - during the Presidential campaign. Evelyn Keyes with Mike Todd, pre-Elizabeth Taylor. Howard Hughes kept four bungalows, but allowed the plumbing to be used in only two of them. Ali McGraw fooled around with Steve McQueen, who wasn't her husband. Joanne Woodward with Paul Newman, who was.
It's said that more movie deals have been made in this dimly-lit cocktail lounge than in all the studio offices in town. Paramount Pictures was sold over drinks to Gulf and Western. Arthur Miller talked Clark Gable into doing The Misfits, the film that killed him. Cary Grant conseled Lance Reventlow on the fine points of divorce during the latter's shedding of Jill Saint John. President Sukarno of Indonesia ogled Marilyn Monroe across the room and then decided to transfer his entourage of two hundred from the Ambassador to the Beveryl Hills. Warren Beatty spotted Leslie Caron among the artificial plants and began his pursuit. Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra started a brawl and were officially banned. W.C. Fields requested and received a table for two - for him and his man-eating plant.
This is a look at the people and hapopenings that have made the Beverly Hills one of THE spots to be seen - and not be seen. Here is glamour, gossip, and an absorbing study of how a legend was made.
Average customer rating:
- Beautiful.
- A beautifully crafted book, cautious interpretations
- Behind Closed Doors: The Art of Hans Bellmer
- Behind Closed MINDS
- Behind Closed Doors: The Art of Hans Bellmer
|
Behind Closed Doors: The Art of Hans Bellmer (California Studies in the History of Art Discovery Series)
Therese Lichtenstein
Manufacturer: University of California Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
History
| Subjects
| Books
| Africa
| Americas
| Ancient
| Arctic & Antarctica
| Asia
| Australia & Oceania
| Books on CD
| Books on Cassette
| Europe
| Gay & Lesbian
| Historical Study
| Large Print
| Middle East
| Military
| Military Science
| Russia
| United States
| World
General
| History & Criticism
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
European
| Regional
| History & Criticism
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Criticism
| History & Criticism
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Collections, Catalogues & Exhibitions
| Photography
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Photographers, A-Z
| Photography
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
| Adams, Ansel
| Avedon, Richard
| Bourke-White, Margaret
| Brady, Mathew
| Bubley, Esther
| Callahan, Harry
| Capa, Robert
| Caro, Anthony
| Carroll, Lewis
| Cartier-Bresson, Henri
| Clark, Larry
| Cunningham, Imogen
| Doisneau, Robert
| Eisenstaedt, Alfred
| Evans, Walker
| Feininger, Andreas
| Gatewood, Charles
| Geddes, Anne
| General
| Goldin, Nan
| Goldsworthy, Andy
| Hamilton, David
| Haskins, Sam
| Hine, Lewis Wickes
| Hurrell, Geoerge
| Jackson, William Henry
| Kenna, Michael
| Kern, Richard
| Kinsey, Darius
| Lange, Dorothea
| Leibovitz, Annie
| Leonard, Herman
| Mann, Sally
| Mapplethorpe, Robert
| Mark, Mary Ellen
| Miller, Lee
| Modotti, Tina
| Muybridge, Eadweard
| Newton, Helmut
| Orkin, Ruth
| Ray, Man
| Ritts, Herb
| Seymour, David
| Sherman, Cindy
| Steichen, Edward
| Stieglitz, Alfred
| Sturges, Jock
| Uelsmann, Jerry
| Wegman, William
| Weston, Edward
| Wiggins, Myra Albert
General
| Sculpture
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Similar Items:
-
Hans Bellmer: The Anatomy of Anxiety
-
Hans Bellmer
-
Little Anatomy of the Physical Unconscious: Or, The Anatomy of the Image
-
L'Amour fou : Photography and Surrealism
-
The Doll (Atlas Anti-classics)
ASIN: 0520209842 |
Book Description
The life-size, adolescent-girl dolls created by German artist Hans Bellmer in the 1930s are the subject of Therese Lichtenstein's highly original book. Disturbing and controversial, Bellmer's dolls--with their uncanny, fragmented bodies and eroticized poses--were just as shocking during Bellmer's time as they are today. Until now there has been little available in English about Bellmer's dolls, and Lichtenstein's book will be welcomed for its fresh interpretation of the artist's work and his place in European modernism. Eighty striking photographs accompany the text.
Working during a time when Nazism was on the rise, Bellmer created several dolls with fragmented bodies that could be dismantled and arranged in various configurations. Using a narrative format, he then photographed the dolls in a range of grotesque--often sexual--positions. The images he conveyed were of death and decay, abuse and longing, in stark contrast to Nazism's mythic utopian celebration of adolescence.
Lichtenstein interprets Bellmer's complex expressions of eroticism as a protest against the Nazis and also against his father, a cold and repressive Nazi sympathizer. At the same time, she says, by hyperbolically flaunting a passive femininity in a theatrical manner, Bellmer's images allow us to consider how cultural representations can affect the formation of identity and alternative possibilities.
Customer Reviews:
Beautiful........2005-01-06
Therese Lichtenstein, Behind Closed Doors: The Art of Hans Bellmer (University of California Press, 2003)
If you are aware of Hans Bellmer, you probably don't need this review. If you are not aware of Hans Bellmer, you're probably not reading this review. So... fish!A blowdryer. Seven kinds of candy and a needle threaded with bullion stitching together tree limbs in the desert.
Lichtenstein does a fine job of deconstructing Bellmer, not only focusing on his subversion of Nazi ideology (ground already well-trod in art criticism), but pulling in biographical data to give a clearer understanding of what forces drove Bellmer to create life-sized dolls, assemble the pieces in odd ways, and then photograph them hundreds of times with only the smallest changes in position. Her essay is clear, readable, excellent. The book's main problem is that, well, for an art book, there's not terribly much art. More pictures, please! (Especially the drawings, a side of Bellmer's art seen all too rarely.) What art there is is reproduced well, though that's to be expected from an art book, wot? The book also uses the annoying, but increasingly common, convention of end-of-the-book endnotes instead of footnotes (or even end-of-the-chapter notes, annoying but not as much so). Stopping every half-page or so to flip to the back of the book makes for not-so-happy readers.
Still, a fine work on a sadly neglected artist. Worth your time. ****
A beautifully crafted book, cautious interpretations.......2004-07-02
Therese Lichtenstein's "Behind Closed Doors" will immediately grab you visually, as any book about art or an artist should. It rivals Sue Taylor's "Anatomy of Anxiety" as far as visual appeal with the book itself and the plates therein. However, Lichtenstein's discussion of the exceedingly complex Hans Bellmer is a little too cautious, a little too much of a large brushstroke. This is a great book for a reader who knows little about Bellmer's work to read, but if you are hoping for some biography with your art discussion, this one does not have very much.
This book is significant, though. Lichtenstein's discussion of Bellmer's life and art within an historical context is an engrossing and very well-documented discussion, but since so much of the book is spent on such interpretation, I feel it has left a lot of Hans, the man, and where his dolls really came from, by the wayside.
This is merely opinion, and it may be that what was needed (and I guess I can accept this) was a new look at Bellmer and his work, with a little less focus on castration anxiety, his relationship with his father, his brother, and his lack of ability to truly be a child when he was a child. But I fear it was never really investigated b/c of the inherent taboo nature of Bellmer the man. It may have been me, but it always kind of felt like Lichtenstein was holding back a little, a tone of tension, perhaps, a touch of apprehension.
What I feel is absolutely wonderful in Lichtenstein's book: its absolutely gorgeous creation, and the inclusion of a couple of Bellmer's own writing.
As I said, for a reader just beginning to delve into the surreal world of Hans Bellmer, it is perfection. For those who already know a good deal about Bellmer, it is still very much worth it for the beautiful construction of the book, the excellent plates of his work, his own writing that is also contained, as well as Lichtenstein's solid, though sometimes redundant, interpretations of Hans Bellmer's work.
Behind Closed Doors: The Art of Hans Bellmer.......2001-11-18
This is a good book to dicover the strange world of Hans Bellmer. Therese Lichtenstein describes the history of the dolls and Hans Bellmer with the contribution of people that were close to Bellmer. She also try to give a sociologic, anthropologic and psychoanalitic explanation to Bellmer's work. I think it's a good book to buy!
Behind Closed MINDS.......2001-04-27
For me, this book was more than a mere companion to the exhibition, which I was fortunate enough to see. It caused me to reconsider my uncritical reluctance to take Bellmer seriously.
Behind Closed Doors: The Art of Hans Bellmer.......2001-04-25
Too many words. Not enough photoes as an art book.
Book Description
In 1987 Michael Harrold went to North Korea to work as English language adviser on translations of the speeches of the late President Kim Il Sung (the Great Leader) and his son and heir Kim Jong Il (then Dear Leader and now head of state). For seven years he lived in Pyongyang enjoying privileged access to the ruling classes and enjoying the confidence of the country’s young elite. In this fascinating insight into the culture of North Korea he describes the hospitality of his hosts, how they were shaken by the Velvet Revolution of 1989 and many of the fascinating characters he met from South Korean and American GI defectors to his Korean minder and socialite friends. After seven years and having been caught passing South Korean music tapes to friends and going out without his minder to places forbidden to foreigners, he was asked to leave the country.
Download Description
In 1987 Michael Harrold went to North Korea to work as English language adviser on translations of the speeches of the late President Kim Il Sung (the Great Leader) and his son and heir Kim Jong Il (then Dear Leader and now head of state). For seven years he lived in Pyongyang enjoying privileged access to the ruling classes and enjoying the confidence of the country's young elite. In this fascinating insight into the culture of North Korea he describes the hospitality of his hosts, how they were shaken by the Velvet Revolution of 1989 and many of the fascinating characters he met from South Korean and American GI defectors to his Korean minder and socialite friends. After seven years and having been caught passing South Korean music tapes to friends and going out without his minder to places forbidden to foreigners, he was asked to leave the country.
Customer Reviews:
Very Enjoyable Account of a Foreigner's Perspective.......2007-03-17
I starting reading this book after having finished the monolithic "Under the Loving Care of the Fatherly Leader." I saw this as a sort of light-read supplement to the opus that is "Under the Loving Care."
What this book provides is a very fascinating account of author Michael Harrold's experiences working as a translator within the North Korean government. His multi-year stay is surprisingly eventful, in part due to the author's willingness to experience life outside the set normalcy.
The author helps bring a human face to North Korea. The self-induced paranoia of the system, the quirks of the people, all come alive through his accounts. While some might find his perspective diminutive at times to the great wrongs committed by the North Korean government, I find it to be honest.
This was a solid book, that I would very much recommend to those interested in life behind an iron curtain.
Another Unique Situation.......2006-05-30
As other reviewers have pointed out this book is a collection of the author's memoirs and should be treated as such. If a more scholarly work is desired then Bradley Martin's Under the Loving Care of the Fatherly Leader : North Korea and the Kim Dynasty would be a superior choice. However, this book offers insights that few were capable of collecting and remains enjoyable for anyone interested in the "unique situation" in the DPRK. Martin was in and out, but Harrold was a resident.
Readers in North America should note that what is being offered here is the UK edition. The quaint archaic spellings and blurred syntax aren't nearly as distracting as the slapdash punctuation. Anyone with an eye for punctuation will be distracted time and again by apostrophes used as quotation marks, lower case where there should be upper, and a complete jumble of commas, semicolons and colons - not to mention the patented British habit of concluding sentences with the period outside the quotation marks rather than inside.
I found the content worthwhile but was agitated time and again by the irritating British punctuation (and lack thereof).
Very Interesting.......2005-11-20
I think it must be hard to write a book about North Korea that's not depressing, but somehow Micheal Harrold manages to do just that. Not many westerners have had the opportunity to live in North Korea, so his perspective is unique and interesting. He highlighted many of the problems of the country, but managed to give a certain humanity to his study of North Korea that is lacking in other books about the isolated nation.
Fascinating tale of extreme cross-cultural understanding.......2005-08-31
Harrold's personal story intrigued me on so many levels. I worked as an English teacher on the southern half of the Korean penninsula during almost the same exact period he was in the North (1987-1993 for me). Much of the xenophobic experiences that he attributes to ideology and politics, is rooted a culture that values much that the West does not: tradition, stability, respect for authority, hierarchical relationships, conformity and consensus. Of course, the DPRK's strident self-reliant communism, coupled with its constant search for "positive strokes" from outsiders greatly exacerbated the author's experiences, relative to my own.
It was especially fascinating to read how Harrold and North Koreans digested many of the incidences from that era--the South Korean "radical" who went illegally to North Korea; the visits to the North by Billy Graham and Rev. Moon; the drama surrounding the 1988 Olympics, and what, if any, role the North might have. These and other anacdotes had me thumbing through the pages late into several nights--a true testament considering that we have three young children in the house!
Some have complained that Comrades and Strangers is thin on actual information. However, part of Harrold's thesis is that a foreigner could be intelligent, observant, easy-going, willing to give up many personal liberties, and gain a working knowledge of North Korea's language, culture, history, and political workings, and still--after seven years--come out having barely scratched the surface. Those who want details might do better reading Bradley Martin's "Under the Loving Care of the Fatherly Leader." However, this diary gives you an insider's feel for the North that Martin cannot match, despite his 800+ pages.
Having praised the content of Harrold's offering, a few minor issues. The book comes across as a diary that's been organized for publication. As such, it is occasionally uneven, sometimes a seeming collection of "random thoughts," and somewhat overabundant in mundane personal details. While I enjoyed the work for its personal first-hand information and story-telling, I'm wondering if more revision and editing might have improved this effort. Another concern--Comrades has a very narrow audience niche. Those interested in things Korean, and in the particularly intriguing system that permeates the North--as learned and told by an expatriot with limited Korean language skills will likely prove few indeed.
Bottom-line: I loved this book--but mostly because I could relate to so much of it. The writing is anecdotal, very personal, and it covers the enigma of North Korea from the perspective of a British national, employed by an official foreign language organ of the regime. The mass market appeal for this work may be limited, by I personal thank Michael Harrold for giving me some truly enjoyable and thought-provoking reading.
Some interesting insights, but..........2005-07-17
I really expected more from this book. The author doesn't bring much depth into his commentary on North Korean life. Too much of the book is given over to diarizing his workplace spats and drunken mooning over Korean barmaids. His apologetics for the North Korean government are distasteful in light of the atrocities that regime commits on its own people (see "Aquariums of Pyongyang"). Still, it was interesting enough to read of the reception that an "imperialist running dog" receives from the people of the DPRK's model city.
Book Description
For twenty years, they had been closer than sisters, sharing girlhood secrets, their hopes and dreams for the future—and a soul-searing promise. Melissa was the only one who knew what had really happened to Jannie beyond the sacred walls of the Mormon Temple the night that changed her life forever….
UNTIL HER BEST FRIEND VANISHED WITHOUT A TRACE.
Now Melissa has gone missing, just days after entrusting Jannie with a mysterious box that someone would kill to possess. And someone has—leaving in their murderous wake an innocent victim and a trail of blood that leads to the heart of Jannie’s hidden burden. Desperate to protect her secret, and to find out what has happened to Melissa, Jannie trusts no one. Not the stranger whose piercing green eyes have already seen too much, nor the family and friends whose familiar fold may be shielding a cold-blooded killer who is lurking
BEHIND CLOSED DOORS.
Customer Reviews:
Great READ!.......2007-08-27
I couldn't put this book down. Wonderful-I love her writing style and the details that are truley morman and salt lake city. You won't be dissapointed!
OK Mormon drama.......2007-05-12
I personally didn't find the murder mystery part of the story very suspenseful. It was pretty obvious to me early on what real life event the story was based on and even though the author fictionalized the story a bit - it wasn't hard for me to figure out who the killer had to be. But I also come from a law enforcement family and I've been reading mysteries for about 30 years, so maybe that has something to do with it.
That said, the character development was still pretty good and I found it worthwhile because the story did a good job describing the Mormon culture, in my opinion. I was raised Mormon and I could (unfortunately) relate to a lot of the Mormon culture issues and attitudes that were brought up in the story and I was vividly reminded of some of my own experiences. For me personally, this was the main part of the story and the murder mystery was more of a peripheral vehicle to move the Mormon culture issues along - and that worked for me.
This book is hard to put down........2007-04-11
I read Behind Closed Doors in a day. I hated to put it down for any reason. My husband was lucky to even get supper that evening! I loved the inside information about what goes on in the Mormon Temple. Jannie's life is full of hard knocks which made me care all the more about her. Jannie had known Melissa for twenty years and felt she was her best friend only to learn you can't always know even your best friend even as well as you think. Detective Colt Singer is the kind of guy all women want to care about their safety. The villains of the book are the kind of bad guys you can enjoy seeing get theirs as well. Just another great read from Ms. Collins. Brava!! Can't wait for the next book from her talented pen!
Great fiction for spring/summer fun.......2007-03-12
Another great book from Ms. Collins! She has a gift with her quick paced books that suck you in from the first pages & you don't want to put it down. Perfect for spring break or summer quick reads.
Yes, it gives an insider's look at the LDS lifestyle, but it's just fiction. The LDS portion gives depth to several of the characters. True some of the facts of ONE of the crimes in this book may be familiar, there is still a lot of original writing & unexpected twists & turns.
Can't wait to see what Ms. Collins comes out with next, I've only read 2 books & I'm hooked on her style!
Mark Hacking ripoff.......2007-03-08
Didn't anyone notice the crime was verbatim mark and Lori Hacking? The husband even had the same initials-MH. I looked in the front and back sections for an acknowledgment but found none.
Books:
- C'est La Vie: An American Woman Begins a New Life in Paris and--Voila!--Becomes Almost French
- Cemetery Stories: Haunted Graveyards, Embalming Secrets, and the Life of a Corpse After Death
- Close Your Eyes (New York Times Best Illustrated Books (Awards))
- Cocktails In Tahiti
- Conviction: A Novel
- Coping with Prednisone (and Other Cortisone-Related Medicines): It May Work Miracles, but How Do You Handle the Side Effects?
- Crime Novels: American Noir of the 1950s: The Killer Inside Me / The Talented Mr. Ripley / Pick-up / Down There / The Real Cool Killers (Library of America)
- D'Aulaires' Book of Norse Myths
- Dancing with Your Dark Horse: How Horse Sense Helps Us Find Balance, Strength and Wisdom
- Dark Celebration: A Carpathian Reunion (The Carpathians (Dark) Series, Book 14)
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- National Electrical Code 1999
- Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity
- Cash Rules: Learn & Manage the 7 Cash-Flow Drivers for Your Company's Success
- Civil Service Arithmetic & Vocabulary, 15th edition
- Exploring Interface Design
- Forever a Hustler's Wife: A Novel
- History: Fiction or Science
- Key Financial Instruments: Understanding and Innovating In the World of Derivatives
- Digital Economy: : Impacts, Influences and Challenges
- The Laws of Invisible Things: A Novel
Playground : A Childhood Lost Inside the Playboy Mansion
Kiss and Tell
My Horizontal Life: A Collection of One-Night Stands
The Girls Next Door - Season 1
The Girls Next Door - Season 2
