Distant Shores: A Tenth-Anniversary Celebration (Star Trek: Voyager)

Distant Shores: A Tenth-Anniversary Celebration (Star Trek: Voyager)
Average customer rating:

Great colloction of short stories for Star Trek Voyager fans...

Voyager Roads Not Taken

Voyager Season 7.5

Perfect for a short attention span

New Appreciation

Distant Shores: A Tenth-Anniversary Celebration (Star Trek: Voyager)

Manufacturer: Star Trek
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0743492536

Customer Reviews:

Great colloction of short stories for Star Trek Voyager fans..........2007-08-16

I enjoyed the stories in this volume some more than others, but overall I thought the entire book was worth adding to my collection and well worth reading. In fact, there are a couple stories that had some real depth to them. I hope to see more collection like this one in the future.

Voyager Roads Not Taken.......2007-06-09

DISTANT SHORES is simply an excellent collection of Voyager stories that span the entire run of the series. The stories focus on previously unexplored plots, based on episodes or events referred to in episodes. And many of them would have made great shows: Kes and Neelix in "Closure", Chakotay and Tuvok in "Command Code", B'Elanna & Kes in "Winds of Change", Chakotay and Janeway in "Isabo's Shirt", as well as stories with former memebers of The Equinox, and the Borg. If there was any disappointment with the book, it is that I wanted more stories!
If you like Voyager, pick up this wonderful book that fills in the spaces between shows.

Voyager Season 7.5.......2007-01-27

Voyager was exasperating. The crew never ran out of fuel, food, or shuttles, the characters never really changed, and there was never any sense of peril, that the characters might die or that Voyager might not make it home. But still, after seven years together I couldn't help feeling a little wistful after the last episode knowing I'd never see those characters again, except in reruns.

Which is why Star Trek Voyager: Distant Shores was such a pleasant companion for a couple of weeks, a collection of 12 short stories each of which reads like a typical television episode. The stories cover all seven seasons and with the exception of Tuvok, all the major characters are featured in at least one story.

The writers in this volume must be great fans themselves. They've succeeded in capturing the essence of the show and the characters, recreating in print what we saw each week on television. Their faithfulness, however, sometimes goes too far and as a result we get ridiculous plot contrivances, such the first season story in which Tuvok withholds the command codes from Chakotay even though the ship is under alien attack and Janeway incapacitated because, well, Tuvok's not really sure if he can trust the former Maquis. There's also the sentimental, ripped-from-a-Harelquin-romance episode in which Chakotay confesses his love to Janeway, and 38 pages of stuporous logs recorded by the doctor while stranded on the planet Tahal (which answers the question of how a being made of light could have a "son.").

The better stories in this collection equal and even outdo the better televised episodes. Harry Kim finally gets the girl, a very special person who teaches him the value of living in the present. At Janeway's suggestion, the crew puts together a talent show, full of wit and humor with a rather sorrowful and touching ending. And perhaps the best episode of all, the story of how Kes and B'Elanna learn to build a windmill and in the process learn something about themselves and each other.

You're sure to find something of interest in Distant Shores, a wonderful volume for anyone who has ever enjoyed Voyager. Even those of us who sometimes couldn't wait for it end.

Perfect for a short attention span.......2007-01-10

Distant Shores is the perfect collection of 'novelettes' by previously-published Star Trek novel authors. Focused around the Voyager cast and crew, with most episodes being placed after the 5th season, it is a mix of stories that (a) further explore the emotional psyche of characters whilst experiencing events already told in the series (e.g. there is a story of how Janeway's ex fiance processed her being 'lost in space' and moving on shortly prior to receiving confirmation that she was still safe and sound); and (b) introduce new storylines around the already established events. Both are enjoyable in their own way, if not a little saccharine-sweet sentimental - but that's just a matter of taste. This bag of mixed lollies certainly has enough variety of sweets to appeal to all tastes. A recommended read for all.

New Appreciation.......2006-08-14

Made me realize how much I miss Star Trek! Voyager was not a favorate of mine, but I guess I was more attached to the charactors then I thought. Want to buy the series and live it again.

Average customer rating:

Much Better than the first
Dawn on a Distant Shore
A Cut Above the Ordinary
ENTERTAINING HISTORICAL ADVENTURE EPIC...
Dawn on a Distant Shore

Dawn on a Distant Shore
Sara Donati
Manufacturer: Bantam
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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Lake in the Clouds
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Kilgannon

ASIN: 0553578553
Release Date: 2001-05-29

Amazon.com

Sara Donati's novel Dawn on a Distant Shore picks up soon after the conclusion of her prior book, Into the Wilderness. In the winter of 1794, on the edge of the New York wilderness, Elizabeth and Nathaniel Bonner have settled into the comforts of domestic bliss. Typically, however, adventure seeks these two out. Alone but for her stepdaughter Hannah, Elizabeth gives birth to twins, while Nathaniel and his father Hawkeye are imprisoned in Montreal. Determined to help her men, Elizabeth packs up the children and sets off to free them. Liberty does not bring relief to the Bonner clan, however, as sinister forces conspire to pirate them to Scotland and embroil them in a complex family feud.

History and adventure are slathered on thickly throughout this epic tale. Donati's talent for dialect and detail bring the large cast of characters to life, though the steady pace of dramatic catastrophe is somewhat exhausting. Will our heroes never get a break? Fans of Donati's earlier work will enjoy seeing the familiar characters, but new readers would benefit by reading the books in the series in order. --Nancy R.E. O'Brien

Book Description

In an icy, untamed world of pristine beauty, a husband and wife are torn apart by fate but reunited forever by a love that can't be broken....

An unforgettable love comes alive in this masterful epic of passion, treachery, and adventure....

Award-winning author Sara Donati's debut novel, Into the Wilderness, was hailed as "one of those rare stories that let you breathe the air of another time" (Diana Gabaldon). Now, in an eloquent blend of fact and fiction, Donati re-creates her beloved characters from Into the Wilderness in an enthralling new tale of romance and adventure.

Elizabeth and Nathaniel Bonner have settled into their life together at the edge of the New-York wilderness in the winter of 1794. But soon after Elizabeth gives birth to healthy twins, Nathaniel learns that his father has been arrested in British Canada. Forced to leave Hidden Wolf Mountain to help his father in Montreal, Nathaniel himself is imprisoned and in danger of being hanged as a spy.

In a desperate bid to save her husband, Elizabeth bundles her infants and sets out through the snowy wilderness and across treacherous waterways on the dangerous trek to Canada. But she soon discovers that freeing her husband will take every ounce of her courage and inventiveness — and will threaten her with the loss of what she loves most: her children.

Torn apart, the Bonners must embark on yet another perilous voyage, this time all the way across the ocean to the heart of Scotland, where a destiny they could never have imagined awaits them....

Customer Reviews:

Much Better than the first.......2007-05-02

This follow up to Into the Wilderness was very enjoyable. I was not too thrilled with the first book, but thought I would read the next book anyway. I was pleasantly suprised and got a better feel for the characters. I will buy the next one with interest!

Dawn on a Distant Shore.......2006-06-30

Enjoyed this second in the Donati series. Like the way history and narrative make an easy read.

A Cut Above the Ordinary.......2004-06-01

Sequels often are big let-downs, but fortunately that is not the case with "Dawn on a Distant Shore," the second book in a projected five part series that started with "Into the Wilderness."

Elizabeth and Nathaniel Bonner are still the focus of the story, which moves along at a fairly brisk clip, although it does falter toward the end when the action moves from Canada to Scotland. Elizabeth still exhibits the same moral and physical courage as she did in the first book of the series. When her husband Nathaniel follows his father Daniel to Montreal, the younger man is also arrested and is likely to be hanged as a spy. Elizabeth, having given birth to twins, takes her babies to Canada in the dead of winter to try to save him. As in the previous book, no one is ever quite who or what they seem, and the Bonners encounter many shady characters in trying to determine Daniel Bonner's heritage....the secret of which lies in Scotland.

Sara Donati is a gifted storyteller. She has a good ear for natural sounding dialogue, her plotting is refreshingly original, and her characters are appealing -- even the "bad guys" have shades of gray in their character. My main criticism of this book had to do with the slowing of the action once the story moved to Scotland, and the fact that Nathaniel's daughter (Hannah or Squirrel) from his first marriage has started to take center stage. For some reason authors seem to feel compelled to make children in historical novels into little adults, and Hannah is no exception to that "rule." Her emotions are simply too adult-like to be appealing to this reader. However, I still highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for something a little different in an historical family saga. The fourth book in the series will be out in hardcover this fall.

ENTERTAINING HISTORICAL ADVENTURE EPIC..........2003-11-04

This is the second in a series of three published books by this author. Following on the heels of the author's enormously popular debut novel, "Into the Wilderness", this novel attempts to pick up where the other one left off. While eminently entertaining, it does not reach the heights of the author's beautifully written, debut novel.

In this sequel, Elizabeth and Nathaniel Bonner have their idyllic married life in late eighteenth century Upstate New York shattered shortly after Elizabeth gives birth to a set of fraternal twins. Nathaniel, upon learning that his father, Hawkeye, an intrepid backwoodsman with strong ties to the Mohawk nation, has been arrested in Canada, departs to the rescue. When he sets foot over the border, he, too, find himself arrested as a spy and imprisoned in Montreal with his father, victim of a sinister plot.

Elizabeth, never one to sit by idly, packs up the twins, and she, too, goes to the rescue. The Bonner men, however, are released through the intervention of others before Elizabeth and her entourage arrive. The hand of fate deals them yet another blow, however, when they all are spirited away by ship to Scotland, where the Catholic Earl of Carryck awaits their arrival. It seems that the Earl has determined that Hawkeye is his long lost first cousin and, consequently, his heir. The Earl means for Hawkeye or Nathaniel to inherit the Earldom, in order to thwart his Protestant adversaries. Unfortunately for the Earl, the entire Bonner family proves to be uncooperative, leading to many adventures, both on land and on the high seas.

Part of the charm of the author's debut novel lay in its telling of life in Upstate New York in the late eighteenth century, with all of its historical underpinnings. That is entirely is lost here, as this novel takes a decidedly international turn. Some of the adventures are a little too far-fetched, making the novel seem a bit incongruous at times, though still eminently readable on its own terms. Those who enjoyed the author's debut novel will, undoubtedly, enjoy this sequel, though with an underlying layer of disappointment that the debut novel proved to be just too hard an act to follow. Still, notwithstanding this, I am looking forward to reading the third novel in this series, "Lake in the Clouds", as will all fans of this author.

Dawn on a Distant Shore.......2003-06-28

This story took me across the pond and into a world of adventure. The love that Nathaniel and Elizabeth have and the family devotion is magic. Thank you Sara for allowing me to live this story.

On Distant Shores: Colonial Houses Around the World

Average customer rating:

A unique book

On Distant Shores: Colonial Houses Around the World
Ovidio Guaita
Manufacturer: Monacelli
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Island Life: Inspirational Interiors
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ASIN: 1580930514

Customer Reviews:

A unique book.......2007-06-11

This is a truly unique book breaking down as it does buildings by colonial nation. It enables a side-by-side comparison of how different countries adapted their historic architectural styles to their mostly tropical colonies. It is stunningly illustrated and is a must-have for anyone interested in colonial architecture or, like my self, wishing to build a luxury home with colonial elegance in the tropics.

Average customer rating:

Fabulous Romance deservidly a Lammy winner
Great addition to the series
A Definite Must Read!
Best in this series
Midwest Book Review, October 2005 Issue

Distant Shores, Silent Thunder
Radclyffe
Manufacturer: Bolds Strokes Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1933110082

Book Description

No matter how much we plan, life—and people—have a way of surprising us.

For Doctor KT O'Bannon, a near-fatal tragedy derails a career and disrupts everything she thought she knew about herself and her future. Battered and nearly broken, she turns for solace to the one woman who knows her best, her ex-lover Doctor Tory King. Their unexpected reunion in Provincetown uncovers old wounds, forges new bonds, and awakens long-buried passions. While Tory's lover Sheriff Reese Conlon struggles to uncover a deadly drug ring and Officer Bri Parker navigates the torturous path between friendship and desire, Tory and KT—and those who love them—are forced to examine the boundaries of love, friendship, and the ties that transcend time.

Customer Reviews:

Fabulous Romance deservidly a Lammy winner.......2006-11-03

If there were ever a series that created a yearning to visit a particular peninsula in Massachusetts if only to catch of glimpse of Sheriff Reese Conlon, her loving partner, Dr. Tory King, Rookie Officer Bri Parker, and now Dr. KT O'Bannon, and Pia Torres, PT, OT, CMT, then Radclyffe's "Distant Shores, Silent Thunder" will clinch it. After being immersed in the first two novels, "Safe Harbor," and "Beyond the Breakwater," and the fourth in the best-selling Provincetown series "Storms of Change," one can only hope that Radclyffe never tires of writing about these characters because readers will never tire of reading about them. It's not easy to keep a series fresh, but Radclyffe is proficient at bringing in new blood while keeping us abreast of old favorites, to satisfy and yet fuel the insatiable hunger for the ultimate escapism of getting lost in a book.

What endears Radclyffe to her followers goes beyond telling an exciting story in a great setting and tapping into all aspects of human nature. The award-winning author has her fans eating out of her skillful hands by giving them characters who are so real it's either impossible not to search every cruiser or bike for Reese and Bri or to hope if you ever need a doctor in an emergency that Tory or KT will come to the rescue. If you enjoy witnessing the mending of a broken heart and spirit, falling in love, or aspire to having forever with one special person, you will love "Distant Shores, Silent Thunder." Radclyffe eloquently puts into words what it feels like when a woman loves another woman with her body, heart, and soul, and it's riveting.

"Distant Shores, Silent Thunder" takes us on the tumultuous journey of a woman when her career and confidence are shaken for the first time and redeems her in every way possible. It is easy to forgive Tory's ex-lover, Dr. KT O'Bannon, her past transgressions because Radclyffe has us falling in love with her transformation. Fate has landed the surgeon a low blow but in the process has taught her what's important in life. KT meets a therapist who not only helps restore the use of her hand, but who restores faith in matters of the heart. KT and Pia are perfect together and as far as love interests go, it's a match made in heaven, but can heaven really be found on Earth?

Whether the scene is between Reese and Tory, Bri and Allie, or KT and Pia, Radclyffe keeps the pace fluid while doing each couple justice. It's wonderful to follow Reese and Tory's pre-marital bliss with baby Regina. Even when Reese's oft-dangerous job and other threats loom on the horizon, the couple's relationship remains solid. Bri shows great promise as an officer and Reese is very proud of her, while Reese is Bri's hero and mentor. Bri's character is put to the test in more ways than one. Is Bri strong enough to remain faithful to her lover studying art abroad in the face of stiff competition by a persistent, desirable fellow officer Allie? Then there is the pleasure of rooting for KT and Pia and hoping they will have their ever after. Further keeping the interest for continual sequels, new characters are always popping up as well, and Counselor Trey Pelosi shows great promise of future story lines.

Few authors write medical drama better than those who have lived it. Radclyffe's medical expertise enhances the clinical scenes dramatically but her writing is never condescending or over-the-top. There is that perfect balance so that everyone can enjoy and understand what's going on. She also writes police procedurals with the same flourish. It is no surprise that "Distant Shores, Silent Thunder" was awarded a 2005 Lammy and was a Goldy finalist in the Romance category. "Storms of Change" continues the saga and is touted as being Radclyffe's best work to date. This reviewer thinks that every work is her best, only it just keeps getting better.

Romance is a leading seller in fiction and Radclyffe has yearning, love, sex, and satisfaction down to an art. Distant Shores, Silent Thunder earns five plus stars and is one of those books you can read more than once and enjoy it more each time.

Great addition to the series.......2006-07-25

This was a great read. I enjoyed the evolution of the relationships. The core characters become more interesting without betraying their essential elements. This is a fantastic series to read and reread. I can't wait for the 4th to arrive.

A Definite Must Read! .......2006-01-04

Dr. KT O'Bannon, is a woman at the top of her game. Her life as a surgeon is a dream come true. Often times confident and sometimes brash, she's living life large and in charge. Then the unthinkable happens and KT is suddenly faced with the possiblity of losing the only way of life she knows.

Dr. Victory "Tory" King, and her partner, Sheriff Reese Conlon, along with Officer Briana "Bri" Parker whose stories began in Safe Harbor then were continued in Beyond The Breakwater once again find themselves smack in the middle of a case fraught with intrigue, danger and suspense. As the three women work to unravel clues, someone one of them never expected to see again suddenly surfaces - in a most unexpected way.

KT, who is reeling from the impact of her situation and desperate to practice medicine of any kind, responds to an ad placed by a doctor needing an assistant. A doctor with whom KT shares a history - namely one Victoria King - a woman KT once loved and left in pursuit of a career. Despite reservations that Victoria's not sure she can put a name to she hires KT to work in her clinic.

Into the fray comes temptation from an unlikely source for Briana. Temptation that could affect her position in the Sheriff's department. Will she allow herself to succumb or will her feelings for Caroline, who was her first, be strong enough to help her resist? When Bri is injured during the course of the case, a major question arises - whom will she turn to for comfort?

Then there is the matter of KT unexpectedly finding herself more than a little attracted to Pia Torres, a physical therapist who works with severely injured patients. Although it seems Pia has been fighting feelings for KT almost from their first meeting, she is still leery of becoming involved with the surgeon. Will Pia allow herself to act on her feelings and take a chance on getting burned? As for KT, what choice will she make if she is able to return to the life she once knew? Will she choose Pia or will she choose career over love once more time?

Radclyffe has written a truly masterful tale of how someone - who is faced with overcoming their greatest challenge - sometimes has life throw them the absolutely perfect pitch. Distant Shores, Silent Thunder joins the long list of this author's works, which include such terrific reads as the "Honor" and "Justice" series as well as stand alone books - Passion's Bright Fury, Fated Love, Love's Tender Warriors, Tomorrow's Promise, Innocent Hearts and Love's Melody Lost. Each book is a perfect example where Radclyffe's skill of weaving a tale of intrigue with romance and drama is very much on display.

Best in this series.......2005-11-10

All the books in the Provincetown series are entertaining. But I found the the first two to be very average Radclyffe fare which relied too much on her usual formula and stock characters.
Distant Shores, Silent Thunder is much better in every way. The book continues the story of Doctor Tory King and her partner, the butch and brave Sheriff Reese Conlon, who is sometimes too noble to be true. But why shouldn't we have such heroes in our own fiction?
In this compelling book, the author writes about a group women who are very well rounded characters that are easy to identify with and have believable lives. The plot is complex enough that a lesser author would probably have messed up. But not Radclyffe. She pulls it all together and takes the reader to a happy and satisfying conclusion.
I don't like books whose authors try to hide shallow characters and poor plots with emotive cliche. Radclyffe is a very good romance author and doesn't need to do this. But for a long time I've found her writing a bit too overheated and sentimental. This has changed in Distant Shores, Silent Thunder and it seems like she has struck a perfect balance between the emotional content and a feeling of authenticity.
You don't have to read the whole series to enjoy this fine book as a stand alone novel. I highly recommend it.

Midwest Book Review, October 2005 Issue.......2005-10-25

In this third book in the "Provincetown Series" (after SAFE HARBOR and BEYOND THE BREAKWATER), Reese Conlon and Tory King are back. Their romance, begun early in the series, has settled into a solid day-to-day life with their new baby. Tory, a doctor, is nearly ready to go back to work at the clinic, and Reese has continued to work in town in her capacity as deputy sheriff. But their lives are about to be upset by the return of Tory's ex, KT O'Bannon. Tory has effectively shut out memories of KT, but when her ex shows up, Reese and Tory's lives are shaken up in a big way.

But Reese and Tory are only a part of the novel. This multi-plot story connects and examines the lives of a delightful group of women living in Provincetown including Bri Parker, a rookie deputy and recurring character. Bri is lonely for her girlfriend, Carolyn, who is out of the country studying art for a year in Europe. Bri's continued learning process as well as the relationship she has with cute fellow officer Allie comes into play as the death of a young girl in the dunes is investigated. Also important is Pia Torres, a physical therapist. She's a woman not willing to trifle with others. She's looking for a "forever" soul-mate and would rather live her life without a partner than accept anyone who gives her less than one hundred percent.

At the heart of the story is the journey KT must take toward wholeness and a new way of living her life. Will she be able to make peace with Tory? Will she continue with her Casanova ways? Or does she want something more in her life? Unexpected attractions flare for KT, and she doesn't know how to handle them or the limitations with which she's faced. KT's plotline is compelling and angst-filled, and her emotional journey forms the heart of the book.

Simmering in the background is illegal activity and a drug distributor who may go to desperate lengths to protect himself, which could put both civilians and deputies in danger. All of this, against the backdrop of the beauty of the eastern coast, makes for a compelling and immensely satisfying novel, finely crafted and perfectly integrated. Storylines and questions hinted at in the previous two novels are all sewn up here. Radclyffe can close out the Provincetown series with this third and masterfully written novel-or she can easily go on with any number of sequels about the lives of these fascinating people who live, work, and love in Provincetown. ~Lori L. Lake, Midwest Book Review

Average customer rating:

The story of Theo, a young slave boy in the year of 1865

Distant Shores (Southern Tides, Book 3)
Gary E. Parker
Manufacturer: Howard Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Fateful Journeys (Southern Tides, Book 2)
Secret Tides (Southern Tides, Book 1)
Highland Grace (Blue Ridge Legacy, Book 3)
Highland Mercies (Blue Ridge Legacy, Book 2)
The Wedding Dress

ASIN: 1582294925

Book Description

It's early May 1865 and the entire south has been devastated by the Civil War. Slaves have been freed, but there is little work, little food for them -- or those who used to own them. With Hampton York's cash money scarce, can the plantation he has dreamed of owning ever be returned to it former glory? Young Theo has searched for his mama -- a former slave -- for months. Will the former slave reunite with the son she desperately longs to find? Lynette Wheeler, a hotel owner in Richmond, has hidden two secrets for over twenty years. Now it seems she must tell the truth. But what will the consequences be if she does? Can they all be brought together again?

Customer Reviews:

The story of Theo, a young slave boy in the year of 1865.......2006-06-06

Distant Shores by Gary E. Parker is the story of Theo, a young slave boy in the year of 1865, and his quest to discover his mother after a dream of her presence on the Oak Plantation. Deftly carrying readers through the tale of young Theo's engaging pursuit, Distant Shores brings the boy's travels to Lynette Wheeler, a hotel owner in Richmond whose secrets of over twenty years will reveal to Theo the truths he must know. Distant Shores is a very highly recommended and entertaining reading novel of one young man's sometimes harrowing adventures in the post-slavery, post-Civil War south.

Average customer rating:

Great book
Not perfect, not bad
Great summer reading!
Generic - Not a good book, not a bad book, just kinda there
A story of a woman lost in a marriage who finds herself and a new life

Distant Shores
Kristin Hannah
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0345450728
Release Date: 2003-04-29

Book Description

In her remarkable New York Times bestseller, Summer Island, Kristin Hannah struck a chord in readers and critics alike with her portrayal of the bittersweet reunion between an errant mother and her unforgiving daughter. Now Hannah once again reveals the fragile ties that bind a family in transition, as two people choose to escape the limits of their ordinary lives and reach for the extraordinary promise that lies on Distant Shores.

Elizabeth and Jackson Shore married young, raised two daughters, and weathered the storms of youth as they built a future together. But after the children leave home, they quietly drift apart. When Jack accepts a wonderful new job offer, Elizabeth puts her needs aside to follow him across the country. Until the sudden death of her father changes everything.

Grieving and alone, she retreats to an isolated beach house where she packs away the last remnants of her parents’ lives. There, the pieces of a past she never knew unfold to reveal a tender story of lasting devotion, the kind of steadfast commitment that Elizabeth admits is missing from her own marriage. Faced with her own disillusionment, she makes a terrifying decision, risking everything she has for a second chance at happiness.

Enriched by soul-stirring emotion and an appreciation for the simple joy of everyday miracles, Distant Shores is an exquisite reminder of the most precious gifts in life: friends and family, children and lovers, the strength to change, and the courage to forgive–all flawlessly captured by the graceful hands of Kristin Hannah.

From the Hardcover edition.

Download Description

Elizabeth and Jackson Shore married young, raised two daughters, and weathered the storms of youth as they built a future together. But after the children leave home, they quietly drift apart. When Jack accepts a wonderful new job offer, Elizabeth puts her needs aside to follow him across the country. Until the sudden death of her father changes everything.

Grieving and alone, she retreats to an isolated beach house where she packs away the last remnants of her parents' lives. There, the pieces of a past she never knew unfold to reveal a tender story of lasting devotion, the kind of steadfast commitment that Elizabeth admits is missing from her own marriage. Faced with her own disillusionment, she makes a terrifying decision, risking everything she has for a second chance at happiness.

Enriched by soul-stirring emotion and an appreciation for the simple joy of everyday miracles, Distant Shores is an exquisite reminder of the most precious gifts in life: friends and family, children and lovers, the strength to change, and the courage to forgive -- all flawlessly captured by the graceful hands of Kristin Hannah.

Customer Reviews:

Great book.......2006-10-08

I stayed up until 3:30 am to finish this book. I found it very well written & made me think about adding to my life as a mother & wife. It was definitely a page turner.

Not perfect, not bad.......2006-06-29

This is my first Kristin Hannah's book and generally I liked it. It is easy to read and it involves emotionally. The only problem with the plot is that it's too flat and predictable.

A desperate housewife finds herself in a vacuum. She has plenty of money and time but she does not know what to do with her life. Her children are grown up, her husband is busy with his own career and suddenly all her skills of being a good wife and a perfect mother are not required anymore. In a desperate attempt to find something to fill the emptiness Elizabeth rediscovers her forgotten talent. And I'd say this solution is too easy. The heroine not only has money, freedom and time, she also has a talent. Isn't it too much? I mean, this Elizabeth is way too perfect - she's a patient and supportive wife, she's a great mom, understanding and all, she's a great artist and after all these years of doing nothing with her abandoned gift she still appears to be able to create some piece of art. The cure for her problems seems to be too obvious to be interesting. There's no serious obstacle for her to find a way to raise her self-esteem.

Elizabeth's husband is also a kind of cliché - handsome, popular, rich and famous. On his way of reconsidering their marriage he faces many temptations that constantly come in form of a young, pretty and sexy woman. And here too, all characters are too beautiful and perfect to be real. Men in the world of women literature are weak and easily manipulated, and Jack doesn't make an exception. His infidelity to Elizabeth is given as something inevitable and rather forgivable, while Elizabeth's shy attempt to dive into a relationship with another man is from the very beginning doomed to be a failure. Another dull cliché...

And despite all this criticism... well, I enjoed the book. It's not perfect, but it's not bad either...

Great summer reading!.......2005-09-11

I really enjoyed this book. KH has a style of writing that really captures the reader's attention. She never fails to entertain. Birdie and Jack had been married for 24 yrs. and everything seemed to fall apart. Daughters Jamie and Steph were away at college and Birdie was restless. Jack moves to NY and finds the single life grand.

Generic - Not a good book, not a bad book, just kinda there.......2005-07-27

So we have two people in there 40's. The female is an artist that put her dreams on hold to take care of her philandering husband and children. Now that her kids are out of the house and she realizes just how boring being married to a selfish lout can be she decides to ask for a separation.

So they separate she joins a passionless group and starts painting again. He starts banging his assistant and feels guilty about it because he used to be a serial cheater until his wife gave him the ultimatum, your family or your lust. He chooses his family and is never really happy with that decision. Now he has everything he ever wanted and he is lonely because his wife is no longer there to brag too. He realizes that he can't relate to his daughters without his wife's help because he has always been too selfish to try. So now he has a problem, either he keeps sleeping with girls his daughters age and slowly loses even the small connection he has to his family or he decides to finally be an adult rather then just play at being one. Yawn. Truthfully he should have told his assistant that sleeping with the people you work with is a stupid and dangerous thing to do. Though I think the assistant figured that one out for herself.

The wife thinks she is a failure because her paintings did not sell out on the first day. Get real, Van Gough lost an ear and nobody gave a darn about Vermeer until decades after his death. As an artist I would think she would know that art is subjective and tourists are not the best people to gauge your work by, duh. Anyway, she finally becomes friends with her step mom after her father dies (the springboard for the story). I think the adultery was gleaned over and is something that should have been addressed. His wife was faithful for 25 years and well he wasn't. Yeah he finally figured out that he really did not deserve her. Which is my problem with this book. Why should she have to go back again to this man? Why not allow her to meet a man who is worthy of her? This book is supposed to be a precautionary tale not to take your family and love for granted. Well in the end everything was just great and all their problems were resolved with a quick conversation. Where is the lesson in that? Boring.

A story of a woman lost in a marriage who finds herself and a new life.......2005-07-25

Elizabeth "Birdie" Shore has been aware for some time now that her marriage hasn't been quite right. However, after following her husband, a former NFL star turned small-town sports newsman--around from town to town for years, she has finally settled into a house she loves, and so while the problems in her marriage occasionally bother her, she is mostly able to ignore them. Meanwhile, her husband, Jack, has been desperate for years to reclaim some of his former glory, and when the opportunity to break a big story comes his way, he runs with it. When Jack accepts a fabulous job opportunity on the opposite coast without even consulting Elizabeth, she reluctantly prepares to leave the home she loves to follow her husband once again. However, a sudden loss causes her to re-evaluate her life, and for the first time, she decides to follow her OWN dreams.

When I first started this book, it seemed like yet another story of a woman trying to find herself--mildly interesting, yet nothing particularly new or different. Also, I found Elizabeth and some of the other characters (namely her Southern stereotype father) to be somewhat cliched. As I continued reading, however, both the story and the characters became more rich and complex, and I became more engrossed in the novel, making it easier to overlook the occasional flaws. Overall, this was an enjoyable summer read about a woman in transition which I'd rate at 3 1/2 to 4 stars.

The Call of the Sea: The Lost Sea, The Distant Shore, and A Sailor's Life

Average customer rating:

The Call of the Sea: The Lost Sea, The Distant Shore, and A Sailor's Life
Jan De Hartog
Manufacturer: Atheneum
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Similar Items:

The Captain
OUTER BUOY, THE: A Story of the Ultimate Voyage
The Commodore: A Novel of the Sea

ASIN: B0007E108U

Distant Shores: The Odyssey of Rockwell Kent

Average customer rating:

Ladies,Gentlemen,Fellow Rockwell Kent nuts!

Distant Shores: The Odyssey of Rockwell Kent
Constance Martin
Manufacturer: University of California Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | History & Criticism | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Criticism | History & Criticism | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Artists, A-Z | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Rockwell Kent: The Mythic and The Modern
Salamina
Rockwell Kent's Forgotten Landscape: An Artist's Gifts to the Former Soviet Union
N by E
Voyaging: Southward from the Strait of Magellan

ASIN: 0520227123

Book Description

Rockwell Kent (1882-1971) was an artist of extraordinary drive, talent, and versatility; he embraced life with exuberance. And though he was one of the most popular American illustrators of this century--so much so that The New Yorker published the ditty, "That day will mark a precedent, which brings no news of Rockwell Kent"--the controversies engendered by his socialist leanings, particularly during the McCarthy era in the 1950s, frequently overshadowed his artistic achievements. His major art was inspired by his extended stays in remote, sparsely inhabited and climatically harsh regions, most of them islands, to which his imagination was drawn for a mythic association with the mystical and marvelous.
Distant Shores captures Kent's great enthusiasm for the sea and mountains, and the relationship between nature and humanity. Produced to accompany a traveling exhibition of the artist's work, this handsome volume features eighty paintings, prints, and drawings, (more than fifty in full color) related to Kent's sojourns in the wilderness--Maine, Newfoundland, Alaska, Tierra del Fuego, and Greenland. Included in this collection are works from The State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg that have been unavailable to the public since the early 1960s. Kent's dramatic black-and-white illustrations for Herman Melville's Moby Dick--the engravings that popularized his work in the United States--are also featured.
The essays describe Kent's career as a painter, printmaker, book designer, illustrator, and prolific writer. Constance Martin contextualizes the work in the exhibition by providing an informative and insightful background of Kent's life and art. Richard West contributes fascinating details about Kent's childhood and early adult life, his mastery of the print medium, and his involvement with American political thought during the McCarthy period.

Customer Reviews:

Ladies,Gentlemen,Fellow Rockwell Kent nuts!.......2003-06-22

This effort may not appeal to everyone...certainly not as a coffee table book....but for those of us who follow Kent, his writings, his art and his life story, it is a commendable compliment to the study of his art. This book drove me nuts, so much so that I travelled to Greenland to see the Arctic light and shadows for myself. Kent captured the light and images of a unique land and this book provides a worthwhile reference to many of his Greenland landscapes. I sure would like to see one of his original landscapes hanging on my wall at home:-)

Average customer rating:

Extremely well written but not a picker-upper.
This is any life, a retrospective
Haunting Story
Alienation and displacement in contemporary England
And now a word from the Alienated ...

A Distant Shore
Caryl Phillips
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Literary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

The Nature of Blood
White Teeth: A Novel
Cambridge
The Atlantic Sound
Crossing the River

ASIN: 1400034507
Release Date: 2005-03-08

Book Description

Dorothy is a retired schoolteacher who has recently moved to a housing estate in a small village. Solomon is a night-watchman, an immigrant from an unnamed country in Africa. Each is desperate for love. And yet each harbors secrets that may make attaining it impossible.
With breathtaking assurance and compassion, Caryl Phillips retraces the paths that lead Dorothy and Solomon to their meeting point: her failed marriage and ruinous obsession with a younger man, the horrors he witnessed as a soldier in his disintegrating native land, and the cruelty he encounters as a stranger in his new one. Intimate and panoramic, measured and shattering, A Distant Shore charts the oceanic expanses that separate people from their homes, their hearts, and their selves.

Customer Reviews:

Extremely well written but not a picker-upper........2007-01-22

A remarkable story, superbly told. It started off as a slow moving, melancholy, depressing story about a retired teacher - Dorothy Jones - whose only friend, if you can call him that, is Solomon the black neighbour, who drives her to her doctor's appointments. However, by the end of the story I had to give kudos to the author, who definitely pulled off a masterpiece.
The author is especially great at descriptions and incidentals- the portrayal of some cultural differences as well as sad commentary on the state of womankind as depicted by Dorothy.

This is any life, a retrospective.......2005-05-07

The work warmed me, massaged my frontal lobes by the third chapter. I was intrigued by the way the book was drawn, prettier than flashback. The story plays like an accordian, folding in on itself, each part touching the others by the book's end.

The characters develop in hunking displaced quarters that beg the reader to forage her heart for compassion. This is how we live and grow, it says -- one scene at a time, life event by life event.

And haven't we all? Would any of us recognize our 40 year-old selves if our life movie were played for us at 14? Unlikely, but the view from there to here is dramatic, and Phillips has drawn that line back to a distant shore.

Haunting Story.......2004-12-05

This was a deeply moving story. The struggle of Solomon and how he came to England haunts the mind. While Dorothy and her story haunts the spirit. This was a powerful drama. The end left me in tears and full of sorrow. A story not easily forgotten.
Reviewed by:
Dawnny

Alienation and displacement in contemporary England.......2004-09-18

"A Distant Shore (ADS)" is Caryl Phillips' beautifully mature and emotionally resonant new novel about life in contemporary England. The story's protagonists, Dorothy and Soloman, can't come from more different backgrounds. She's white, he's black. She's a lonely retired schoolteacher with deep family secrets, including a broken marriage, to haunt her. He's the sole survivor of a family wiped out by ethnic cleansing in an unnamed African country and an illegal immigrant desperate to begin a new life in civilised and democratic England. They are both "outsiders" in their own social context and outsiders recognise if not seek each other out in their subconscious yearning for human contact. Their dim lives brighten up albeit briefly when they intersect before fate rudely steps in to despatch them to their own black holes. Significantly, even their shared loneliness could not bridge the gap in their ethnic and social differences when they tried to connect but sadly failed. Unbeknown to them, they would never get a second chance.

Phillips tells his story backwards with time scale detours in between. The final outcome comes as a shock when it is revealed less than a quarter of our way through. We then backtrack into the past when Soloman was Gabriel and we follow his escape route out of hell into the land of milk and honey. Dorothy, who disappears for much of the middle section, returns in the final third to reveal her own private hell from being repeatedly used and humiliated by men, including a male colleague and an immigrant grocer, who aren't interested in anything but a casual sexual relationship. Her fragile mental state takes a turn for the worse after she arrives a little too late to nurse her estranged and dying lesbian sister and goes into terminal decline when her friendship with Soloman is cruelly ended.

Phillips' narrative technique parallels the novel's theme of alienation and displacement. The early Dorothy sequence suggests she's an unreliable narrator before we finally realise she's indeed in mental decline. The quick cuts as we leap backwards and forwards in time is fused together expertly and seamlessly, so we don't find it confusing.

Blighted by racism and parochialism, Phillips's contemporary England isn't a pretty sight. You may not die from ethnic cleansing in England but all the same, it's a society fraying at the edges from the pressures of new social forces at work. Yet the deep, deep sadness at the heart of ADS is tempered by the realisation that in life, there's always kindness and goodness to be found in the most casual or unlikely of places and persons (eg, Soloman's sponsors from the north have absolute hearts of gold).

"A Distant Shore" is an excellent novel that will appeal to readers who love books that speak of deep and personal truths. Those who enjoyed Clare Morrall's "Astonishing Splashes Of Colours", one of last year's Booker Prize nominees, will also love "A Distant Shore".

And now a word from the Alienated ..........2004-09-05

I found this book a fascinating look at 2 people who find themselves unaccepted by society and their dealings with both the external and internal demons. I was very impressed even within the first pages, where the primary character, Dorothy, an aging music teacher who can barely cope with her already extremely limited world of subdivision life. She emerges with her almost monotonic voice, punctuated with her jabs of intolerance of the undisciplined society around her. She is a woman no longer young, of a past with issues with her bigoted family, plagued by loneliness, not able to connect.

The scene shifts astonishingly to the point of view of an African who escapes oppression, from a prison cell, giving the viewpoint of a newcomer to a society where rejection is the norm. The exploration of this oppression, external, contrasts with the self-inflicted oppression of the female character, Dorothy.

Philips is a wonderful writer, unusual in the clarity and the freedom that allows his characters' voices to emerge. Dorothy was presented with complexity and compassion. The story is skillfully woven between past and present, with threads presented in one place explored, seamlessly, from platforms a further level removed in the narrative.

A Sea Vagabond's World: Boats and Sails Distant Shores Islands and Lagoons

Average customer rating:

NOT a narrative--this is a guidebook, or handbook
a little behind the times
Moitessier thought

A Sea Vagabond's World: Boats and Sails Distant Shores Islands and Lagoons
Bernard Moitessier
Manufacturer: Sheridan House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Sports | Subjects | Books

The Long Way
Cape Horn: The Logical Route ; 14,216 Miles Without Port of Call
Tamata and the Alliance: A Memoir
Sailing to the Reefs
Alone through the Roaring Forties (The Sailor's Classics #5) (Sailor's Classics Series)

ASIN: 1574090216

Book Description

This simple 'how to' explains why the sea never changes despite the incredible progress of technology.

Customer Reviews:

NOT a narrative--this is a guidebook, or handbook.......2007-08-14

This is the last book published under Moitessier's name--he never finished it himself--of tips he had collected over the years. It's divided into three sections: (1) preparing a boat, (2) sailing, navigating, weather forecasting; and (3) how to become self sufficient once you reach your island paradise. It's a practical guide, NOT a story, but if you are interested in tips on how Moitessier learned to harvest coconuts, plant a garden on an Atoll, (he brought his own topsoil) or built many of his boats then this could be for you.

a little behind the times.......2005-09-13

In my opinion, a metal boat in the tropics, using 50 year old technology, is way behind the times. He does share some interesting ways of doing things, and has a unique philosophy.

Moitessier thought.......2000-05-05

When the great Moitessier died in 1994, was working to his "manual", and " A Sea Vagabond's World ", finished by his companion Veronique and printed in 1996, is the result, the summa of his thought. You have to forgot electronic equipment, regatta tactics, crowded moorings... and enter in his philosophy, in his primitive method of rigging, in his innumerable astuteness that at the right moment may be your salvation. Feel how is a life in an atoll, in harmony with everything and everybody. If you will follow his philosophy even only in a Sunday sailing, you will feel better, more autonomous, free and you will understood what beautiful and big is the world and you will wish only to set out and sail on it.

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