Lost Girls

Book Description

For more than a century, Alice, Wendy and Dorothy have been our guides through the Wonderland, Neverland and Land of Oz of our childhoods. Now like us, these three lost girls have grown up and are ready to guide us again, this time through the realms of our sexual awakening and fulfillment. Through their familiar fairytales they share with us their most intimate revelations of desire in its many forms, revelations that shine out radiantly through the dark clouds of war gathering around a luxury Austrian hotel. Drawing on the rich heritage of erotica, Lost Girls is the rediscovery of the power of ecstatic writing and art in a sublime union that only the medium of comics can achieve. Exquisite, thoughtful, and human, Lost Girls is a work of breathtaking scope that challenges the very notion of art fettered by convention. This is erotic fiction at its finest. Similar to DC's Absolute editions of Watchmen and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Lost Girls will be published as three, 112-page, super-deluxe, ovesized hardcover volumes, all sealed in a gorgeous slipcase. It will truly be an edition for the ages.

Customer Reviews:

I feel validated in my disappointment..........2007-09-11

When I first read Lost Girls, I was so deeply disappointed in the flat, amateur artwork that it took me a while to realize how flat and unexciting the storytelling is as well. I can't believe that the book made it to production with the ridiculous dialect Alan Moore assigns to Dorothy, which is tremendously distracting in and of itself. I was expecting a magical experience from this collaboration - and to me magical doesn't mean it can't also be creepy and disturbing, which Lost Girls definitely is - but found this book to be the least imaginative of any Alan Moore I've read. At one point I thought the creepy factor might be clouding my view, but after reading other reviewers' comments, I felt validated to see that others share the same opinions about its shortcomings.

Enjoyable erotica.......2007-09-01

OK, some will balk at the premise. We all know Dodgson's Alice, Baum's Dorothy, and Barrie's Wendy as little girls, in the familiar fictions built around them. This takes the fiction a step beyond, imagining the girls as grown women, thrown together in an isolated resort on the eve of the first world war. Alice, the grande dame, stands aloof from political unpleasantness. Wendy is wed to an industrialist more interested in armored boat hulls than in breakfast (or in her). Dorothy appears as a plain old farm girl, who can't imagine that grand duke Ferdinand might affect her little life. Geographically isolated at this odd resort and culturally isolated by their individual circumstance, they break their personal isolation in each others' company.

They succeed, and break each others' inhibitions as well. With Moore's script and Gebbie's delicate colors, we follow a delightful debauch. Alice takes the two younger ladies under her opium-scented wing, for languidly choreographed affections of the sapphic kind. Dorothy brings her farm-girl awareness of livestock breeding to her human relations, male and female. Wendy, the ignored housewife, blossoms under any attention at all. Other characters round out the goings-on with straight, gay, and solo loving. The happy and consensual tone could appeal to readers who've been turned off by harsher kinds of erotica, and Gebbie's delicate artwork treats it all with lucious respect.

Make no mistake, this is smut. Decide whether that's what you want. It's good smut, though, of a female-friendly kind - the kind that also appeals to men tired of all that negative imagery. If you often find your genitals requesting the company and comfort of your hands, this could be a story for them to read to each other.

-- wiredweird

Absolutely brilliant.......2007-08-10

A must-read for anyone who can handle it -- this is not "erotica," this is porn. The stories and illustrations are EXTREMELY graphic. Some of them are unbelievably hot, some are unbelievably disturbing, many are both. Not all the sex in this book is fun.

It's also a brilliant piece of literature. What Moore did previously with League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, he does again here, on a grander and more ambitious scale. He deconstructs these tales with a ruthlessness that is both horrifying and inspired.

A solid piece of erotic fiction.......2007-04-02

While the art style may not appeal to everyone, "Lost Girls" is certainly worth a look if you like erotic fiction with a little more substance. The books provide an amusing interpretation of the "real" events behind "Alice in Wonderland", "Peter Pan" and "The Wizard of Oz". While the first two books do not appear to be particularily thought-provoking at first, they set the stage for some potent character development in the third book, when the formerly frivolous stories are cast in a harsh, new light.

Of note is that while events take on a darker tone in the third book, "Lost Girls" does not contain any particularily violent scenes. Unlike in most adult media, the focus of these three books is not the gratuitous depiction of extreme sexual acts, but raising questions and telling a solid story with believable characters. Alan Moore and Melinda Gebbie have done a great job, showing that pornography doesn't necessarily belong in the gutter.

All things said, "Lost Girls" is a charming, bittersweet tale about saying goodbye to your childhood, leaving your make-believe world and growing up, and well worth the price.

Not what I hoped.......2007-03-06

I thought it was boring and a bit pointless. The illustrations were childish but the story line was interesting if a little disjointed. I wouldn't recommend these books unless you're somewhat innocent and looking for a thrill.

Average customer rating:

Good, fast fun
Heartstopper
WONDERFUL
Great summer read!
Predictable, but good

Heartstopper: A Novel
Joy Fielding
Manufacturer: Atria
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0743295986
Release Date: 2007-04-03

Book Description

From the New York Times and internationally bestselling author of Mad River Road comes a spine-tingling thriller about a picturesque Florida town -- and the killer determined to prey on its teenage girls.

Welcome to Torrance, Florida. Population: 4,160. As Sheriff John Weber would attest, the deadliest predators to date in his tiny hamlet were the alligators lurking in the nearby swamps. But that was before someone abducted and murdered a runaway teenage girl...and before the disappearance of popular and pretty Liana Martin. The pattern is chilling to Sandy Crosbie, the town's new high school English teacher. With a marriage on the rocks, thanks to her husband's online affairs, and a beautiful teenage daughter to protect, Sandy wishes she'd never come to the seemingly quiet town with shocking depths of scandal, sex, and brutality roiling beneath its surface. And as Sheriff Weber digs up more questions than answers in a dead-end investigation, one truth emerges: the prettiest ones are being targeted, the heartstoppers. And this killer intends to give them their due....

Alternating between the chilling journal entries of a cold-blooded murderer and the sizzling scandals of small-town life, Heartstopper is Joy Fielding's most exciting novel of suspense yet.

Customer Reviews:

Good, fast fun .......2007-10-03

Fielding does a good job with her characters, better than the average thriller writer. And this book is no exception. The characters are believable and richly drawn.

This time, Fielding sets her story in a small Florida town. A journal written by a serial killer alternates with glimpses of the people in the town. The central characters include a teacher whose husband has left her for a younger Barbie clone, and her two high school age children.

But who is the serial killer? Fielding heightens suspense until all is revealed at the end.

Heartstopper.......2007-09-28

Great book. At last Joy Fielding has returned to her psychological thrillers which I read and loved years ago. A good one for her fans.

WONDERFUL.......2007-07-22

Boy, did this book grab me! From the first paragraph to the last sentence it was just fabulous! I've read many of Joy Fieldin's books, but I must say this was my absolute favorite. What great characters, and plot, and.....well everything! Definitely would recommend this book highly.

Great summer read!.......2007-07-18

I loved this book, and would have to say this was one of my favorites by Joy Fielding. I had no clue who the killer was going to turn out to be, and was completely shocked at the end as to who it was! Take my advice and read this suspenseful book. You will have a hard time putting this one down!

Predictable, but good.......2007-06-21

Within the first few chapters I figured out who the killer was. Still, "Heartstopper" was a pageturner. For sure a good Summer beach read.

A-List #8, The: Heart of Glass: An A-List Novel (A-List)

Average customer rating:

Courtesy of Teens Read Too
Gotta have it
Pretty Good...
Heart of Glass
Heart of Glass

A-List #8, The: Heart of Glass: An A-List Novel (A-List)
Zoey Dean
Manufacturer: Poppy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0316010960

Book Description

The New York Times bestselling series about the scandalous lives of rich and famous teens in Beverly Hills, California.High school is officially over and that means one thing for the A-List: time to party! But the celebration is cut short when unlikely pair Anna and Cammie find themselves in an even more unlikely situation--caught trespassing on a celeb's beach estate--and are forced to don steel handcuffs along with their Tiffany tennis bracelets.Luckily, the girls are spared a summer stuck in tacky orange jumpsuits when their hotshot lawyer lands them a cushy community service gig: helping plan a fabulous charity fashion show! But while it may seem like a plush job, Anna and Cammie are in for a challenge. Can the girls handle the pressure of the vicious fashion world? Or will they fall to pieces faster than a cheap Louis Vuitton knockoff?

Customer Reviews:

Courtesy of Teens Read Too.......2007-05-31

In the last book in the A-LIST series (American Beauty: An A-List Novel (A-List #7)), the gang had finally graduated while discovering some juicy secrets. Cammie had discovered more information on what really happened to her mother. Sam was finally reunited with Eduardo, and Anna met Caine, who was nothing like her boyfriend, Ben. And Ben's dirty little secret wasn't a secret any longer.

The A-Listers are back again in HEART OF GLASS, and this time with a little twist.

Anna and Cammie have to work together - that's right, together - on a charity fashion show. But they got off easy, since this little community service project was the result of getting caught trespassing on a celebrity's estate. No worries, these two can work together, right?

Anna and Caine are getting a little closer, while Ben doesn't seem to worry so much. While Adam and Cammie are trying to make things work, we're hoping that opposites really do attract. Sam is still trying to adjust to living with Poppy, and maybe trying to get rid of her at the same time, while making sure nothing goes wrong with her and Eduardo. And Dee, well, she's Dee, trying to get back on her feet.

The gang is back and it's going to be one sizzling summer.

Eighth in the series, HEART OF GLASS is still filled with secrets, lies, and plenty of drama. The best thing about this series is that the material is never old and it still keeps you guessing and on the edge of your seat. The cast is still great and you just love Anna more and more after each book. Lets just say that HEART OF GLASS is more appealing than another episode of a certain teen drama on a new network - at least I'm experiencing something I haven't seen before!

Reviewed by: Randstostipher "tallnlankyrn" Nguyen

Gotta have it.......2007-05-24

I am crazy over this series ... i think that this book had to be the most mouth dropping one ... i almost feel like zoey can't write these books fast enough ... i feel like i can identify w/ every character on one level or another ... zoey dean delivers everytime you read one of her books

Pretty Good..........2007-05-17

I've been following the A-List novels since they came out a few years ago. There were tons of these book series floating around--the rich, cliquey girls who seemed to be mean and exclusionary--there were the Gossip Girls, the Clique... you get my drift.

Of all the books of that sort, A-List was the one that caught my eye. I followed it religiously for a while, but I got to one particular book in the series and almost gave up on it. The name-dropping and overall snobbery frustrated me to the point that I almost didn't give a flying ice cream cone about Anna and Ben or Dee's increasing psychosis.

Dean has redeemed herself with this last one, though. The characters are proving to be much more dimensional than first thought, and although they still tend to get themselves into outrageous situations, they are handling them with class and the kind of assertiveness I wish I'd had as a teenager. I really enjoyed this last book and I am looking forward to the "next juicy A-List novel."

Heart of Glass.......2007-05-14

Gabriela R. 5/11/07

Heart of Glass, Zoey Dean, ISBN: 0-316-01096-0

If you like Drama, Fashion, and Love then the Heart of Glass is the book you want to read. The main characters are Anna, Sam, Cammie, and Dee! Anna and Cammie got arrested for trespassing on a beach estate, but since their dad's hired really good lawyers they only got community service. Which is to help plan a charity fashion show. Since Anna started hanging out with Caine. Cammie decides to go and hang out with Ben hers and Anna's ex-boyfriend because Adam is camping and she just wants to have a little fun! Cammie finds out what really happened to her mother.

Sam suspects that Poppy her step-mother is cheating on her father the famous Jackson Sharpe so she gets her friend Parker to flirt with her so she can see if Poppy would really cheat. Anna and Cammie have to work with a girl named Champagne on the fashion show, but everyone says that she is a thief! Anna see Caine at a place call the Firehouse dancing on stage with no shirt on, she figures out that he is just like Ben always keeping secrets from her! But Ben is determined to fight for Anna!!!

Right before the fashion Show a dress is missing, everyone thinks it is Champagne but Cammie is on the case to find the real thief...will Sam find out if Poppy is really cheating on her dad... who will Anna choose Ben or Caine?

I really liked this book it was a page-turner because you want to see what will happen next. I recommend this book to girls 11 and up because this book talks a lot about fashion and girl problems!

Heart of Glass.......2007-05-14

[...]

If you like Drama, Fashion, and Love then the Heart of Glass is the book you want to read. The main characters are Anna, Sam, Cammie, and Dee! Anna and Cammie got arrested for trespassing on a beach estate, but since their dad's hired really good lawyers they only got community service. Which is to help plan a charity fashion show. Since Anna started hanging out with Caine Cammie decides to go and hang out with Ben hers and Anna's ex-boyfriend because Adam is camping and she just wants to have a little fun! Cammie finds out what really happened to her mother.

Sam suspects that Poppy her step-mother is cheating on her father the famous Jackson Sharpe so she gets her friend Parker to flirt with her so she can see if Poppy would really cheat. Anna and Cammie have to work with a girl named Champagne on the fashion show, but everyone says that she is a thief! Anna see Caine at a place call the Firehouse dancing on stage with no shirt on, she figures out that he is just like Ben always keeping secrets from her! But Ben is determined to fight for Anna!!!

Right before the fashion Show a dress is missing, everyone thinks it is Champagne but Cammie is on the case to find the real thief...will Sam find out if Poppy is really cheating on her dad... who will Anna choose Ben or Caine?

I really liked this book it was a page-turner because you want to see what will happen next. I recommend this book to girl 11 and up because this book talks a lot about fashion and girl problems!

Average customer rating:

I Was Very Engrossed In Reading Two Little Girls In Blue
On the Top
Two Little Girls in Blue
Two Little Girls in Blue
Very Blue Reading

Two Little Girls in Blue: A Novel
Mary Higgins Clark
Manufacturer: Pocket
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0743497295
Release Date: 2007-03-20

Book Description

In a riveting thriller, worldwide bestselling suspense writer Mary Higgins Clark brilliantly weaves the mystery of twin telepathy into a mother's search for a kidnapped child, presumed dead.

When Margaret and Steve Frawley come home to Connecticut from a black-tie dinner in New York, their three-year-old twins, Kathy and Kelly, are gone. The police found the babysitter unconscious, and a ransom note from the "Pied Piper" demands eight million dollars. Steve's global investment firm puts up the money, but when they go to retrieve the twins, only Kelly is in the car. The dead driver's suicide note says he inadvertently killed Kathy.

At the memorial, Kelly tugs Margaret's arm and says: "Mommy, Kathy is very scared of that lady. She wants to come home right now." At first, only Margaret believes that the twins are communicating and that Kathy is still alive. But as Kelly's warnings become increasingly specific and alarming, FBI agents set out on a desperate search.

Download Description

"""THE TWINS' BEDROOM WAS AT THE END OF THE HALL. THERE WAS NO SOUND COMING FROM IT NOW." In a riveting new thriller, worldwide bestselling suspense writer Mary Higgins Clark weaves the mystery of twin telepathy into a mother's search for a kidnapped child, presumed dead.

Customer Reviews:

I Was Very Engrossed In Reading Two Little Girls In Blue.......2007-09-20

I have always been a big fan of MHC. I've read all of her books. I enjoyed reading Two Little Girls in Blue. I only wish that the kidnapper's identity wouldn't have been so obvious. I think that the story would have been more mysterious if the Pied Piper had been someone that people would never have suspected in a million years.
Other than that, it was a nice read.

On the Top.......2007-09-08

I'd have to say this book is one of my favorites. I loved how they portrayed the twins being telepathic, or their sense that one was in danger. The characters are vivid, the story line was wonderful. It was hard to put it down. Definitely on the top!

Two Little Girls in Blue.......2007-08-11

Oh what a fertile mind Ms. Clark has! And how many folks across this (and others) land of ours have met with similar difficulties? Hopefully, not many. A great time reading.

Two Little Girls in Blue.......2007-08-10

I enjoy Mary Higgins Clark books and this one was no exception. It took a concept of kidnap and crime and put them to the challenge by Ms. Clark. Thank you. While I've read other reviews of the book since I finished it, I fall in the category of those readers that thoroughly enjoyed reading this selection.

Very Blue Reading.......2007-07-17

I had stopped reading MHC for over two years now and when a co-worker gave me this book to read, I figured I'd give her another shot. No good. As others have stated before me, the story was dull and the ending, anti-climatic. Two three-year old twin girls get kidnapped; one is brought back and the rest of the story hunts the lost twin down. Nothing exciting. The bad guy was no surprise and frankly, who cared at that point. The whole "twin-talk" thing really turned me off and yes, they did seem quite advanced for three-year olds. Well maybe in another two years I'll give MHC another try. For now, I am sticking with authors who write books with substance.

The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter (Oprah's Book Club)

Average customer rating:

The Quiet Man.
Character study, not a story
No thrilling page-turner, but a deep, honest look into the heart of man!
The Meaning of Life
doesnt stand up over time

The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter (Oprah's Book Club)
Carson McCullers
Manufacturer: Mariner
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0618526412
Release Date: 2004-04-21

Book Description

With the publication of her first novel, THE HEART IS A LONELY HUNTER, Carson McCullers, all of twenty-three, became a literary sensation. With its profound sense of moral isolation and its compassionate glimpses into its characters' inner lives, the novel is considered McCullers' finest work, an enduring masterpiece first published by Houghton Mifflin in 1940. At its center is the deaf-mute John Singer, who becomes the confidant for various types of misfits in a Georgia mill town during the 1930s. Each one yearns for escape from small town life. When Singer's mute companion goes insane, Singer moves into the Kelly house, where Mick Kelly, the book's heroine (and loosely based on McCullers), finds solace in her music. Wonderfully attuned to the spiritual isolation that underlies the human condition, and with a deft sense for racial tensions in the South, McCullers spins a haunting, unforgettable story that gives voice to the rejected, the forgotten, and the mistreated -- and, through Mick Kelly, gives voice to the quiet, intensely personal search for beauty. Richard Wright praised Carson McCullers for her ability "to rise above the pressures of her environment and embrace white and black humanity in one sweep of apprehension and tenderness." She writes "with a sweep and certainty that are overwhelming," said the NEW YORK TIMES. McCullers became an overnight literary sensation, but her novel has endured, just as timely and powerful today as when it was first published. THE HEART IS A LONELY HUNTER is Carson McCullers at her most compassionate, endearing best.

Customer Reviews:

The Quiet Man. .......2007-09-27

An outstanding and realistic examination of the human condition. It's an indirect examination ("thoughts that wound from behind" as the great philosopher/storyteller Soren Kierkegaard put it) and that's what makes it so effective.
Everyone is so caught up in their own problems and acting out their desires that nobody notices the quiet suffering of the saintly central character. When he exits his void is felt yet no one can fathom the reasons for his disappearances. Maybe Jean Calvin was/is right about that thorough-corruption doctrine.
Carson McCullers sounds Kierkegaardian in showing the limits of organized religion and social action. The men of purposeful action (street preacher Simms, vagabond Jake Blount, and house-calling Doctor Copeland end up estranged, embittered, and feeling a lack of accomplishment. Meanwhile, the non-formalists (John Singer, Mick Kelly, and Biff Brannon) are better-adjusted and seem to have done more for the world. McCullers doesn't forget the "middle path" either by giving us Portia Copeland, a decent and generous church-goer who talks a little too much.
Our author echoes the sentiments of fellow Southerner William Faulkner on the civil rights issue. Both McCullers and Faulkner despaired at the suffering of blacks under Jim Crow but were wise enough to know the situation could not be legislated away (after all Jim Crow was a creation of government too.) Racism is a human failing to see The Other as a fellow child of G-d. It's an animalistic impulse, as Rabbi Daniel Lapin (a teacher of mine) rightly points out. Trying to speed the undoing of this impulse through legislation and protest marches, while not completely unhelpful, risks bloodshed. Having the faith/attributes of Biff (who runs a restaurant/hospitality center in the spirit of Biblical patriarch Abraham, the father of faith), Mick and Singer makes peaceful change possible in time.
Doctor Copeland and Jake Blount foreshadow the professional protestors of our era. Their enjoyment in physical confrontations tells us a good bit about the psyche of poverty pimps and union thugs.
Singer's life shows the truth of what another of my teachers (the saintly Rabbi Avigdor Miller ZT"L) once said -- "It is the quiet man that is respected." The public activist hero portrayed in Hollywood and TV news misleads many into thinking that they must pour forth a constant stream of verbiage to make an impact and promote "understanding." Rabbi Miller and other sages know better -- Most talking is counterproductive.
McCullers (who was 23 at the time "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" was published) proves herself the Great American Prophetess of the Great American Loneliness. Widespread ambivalence and inarticulateness amid the Information Age and cell-phone-driven communications "revolution" wouldn't have surprised Carson McCullers.
To close, here's a gem -- "He (Biff) had known his loves and they were over. Alice, Madeline, and Gyp. Finished. Leaving him either better or worse. Which? However you looked at it."

Character study, not a story.......2007-09-13

I read tons of "pulp" novels and I've started adding some classics to my wish list--largely to see if the books I abhored in high school would be more enjoyable if they were not assigned reading. The Heart is a Lonely Hunter was no better now.
As a character study it is superb; the main characters are deep, believable, and unique. I understood the characters, or at least why they didn't understand themselves. Each chapter with Mr. Singer made me smile with anticipation while I waited for something magical to happen to make the characters happy.
That was the problem with the book. Each chapter barely moves the story forward, and in the end nothing happens. There is so much potential for characters to talk and understand and change, but it never happens and the potential hangs over the entire book like a cloud. The book simply ends. No character is better off than they were in the beginning, no character's life path is appreciably changed from those of their next door neighbors. In short, with the exception of Mr. Singer, there was no reason to write about these characters in terms of their participation in events that are worth writing about.
The book was not a labor to get through, but I was largely unsatisfied with the resolution. I don't need a happy ending, but atleast give me a sense that the previous 200 pages somewhat affected that ending.

No thrilling page-turner, but a deep, honest look into the heart of man!.......2007-09-09

It's no fast-paced thriller, nor is it a gripping page-turner, it is however, an incredibly deep look into the heart and soul of man. Not until you finish the very last page and reflect on what you have read, can you truly begin to understand the simple truth behind the title, `The heart is a lonely hunter.'

The heart of man is lonely, always seeking, always needing something... elusive. We all share the need to feel connected, to be part of a whole. To know truth, and be at peace. We are so many disjointed voices that few of us are ever really heard.

Set in the deep South, Carson tells of a deaf mute named John Singer and a group of frustrated individuals that gravitate towards his serene and kindly nature--a young girl, desperate to follow her dreams; a drunkard, willing to impart his wisdom on the uninformed; a black doctor, eager to lift his people to equality; and a café owner, stuck in the routines of life.

Each seek Singer's company and tell of their woes with a deep believe that he, and only he, truly understands their ply. In him, each sees a kindred spirit. But what, exactly, does Singer see in them?

The Meaning of Life.......2007-08-29

"Seek and ye shall find," Jesus is quoted as saying in the Bible. All of us, no matter what our religious affiliation--or lack thereof--are seeking out a dream, a little piece of happiness. Sometimes this process is conscious and sometimes a subconscious imperative drives us forward towards that piece of happiness.

The five main characters of "The Heart is A Lonely Hunter" are all seeking their dreams in an unnamed mill town in the South in the late 1930s. For teenaged Mick Kelly, the dream is a career in classical music that her impoverished family can't afford to provide. For the relentless black Doctor Copeland, the dream is freedom and equality for his people. For restaurateur Biff Brannon the dream is having children. For vertically-challenged drifter Jake Blount the dream is a Marxist revolution to level the playing field for all people. And last, but most important, the dream for deaf-mute John Singer is to be reunited with his long time partner Anatopolous, who was committed to an institution.

Singer becomes the prime focus for the other four. One by one they inadvertently seek him out and spill their wishes and desires to him, although he often doesn't understand them. To Mick he is a secret friend who understands her. To Copeland he is a wise man who understands the struggles of the black minority. To Blount he is a comrade in arms for the revolution. And to Biff he is a kindred spirit, a fellow observer of humanity.

Yet for as much as he represents to them, they mean relatively little to Singer. His thoughts are consumed by his love--platonic, we assume--for Anatopolous, the one he thinks understands him. But much as Singer is a false idol to the other four, Anatopolous is a false idol for him, a lazy, selfish, slovenly person incapable of appreciating Singer's love. In the end these troubled souls are left to pick up the pieces after the false idols shatter, as they inevitably do. This leads each of them to make a decision and to enter a new phase of life.

What makes this book so wonderful to read is the profound understanding of humanity shown here. All of us at one time or another have felt the pent-up ambition Mick feels at wanting something that remains just out of reach. We've felt the righteous anger to right a terrible injustice like Doctor Copeland. We've felt the isolation of being the outsider like Blount. We've all felt the confusion after a loss like Biff. And those of us fortunate enough--or perhaps unfortunate enough--have felt the heartache of an unrequited love like Singer.

These people all seem real because their hopes and desires are those hopes and desires we all have. Their dreams aren't altogether different than those each of us seek, whether we're aware of it or not. We know their longing and desperation to find someone who understands them, even if that someone is a deaf-mute who can only nod along.

Because of that, the book touches something deep in our consciousness, something primal within all of us--the need to seek out for something greater. The most astounding thing about "The Heart is A Lonely Hunter" is that the author was only twenty-three years old when she published this. At a time when most of us are just getting out into the "real world" and discovering ourselves, McCullers already had it figured out.

This is truly a literary achievement that you should seek out at your local bookseller or library at once, those who haven't already done so based on Oprah's recommendation.

That is all.

doesnt stand up over time.......2007-08-13

Lula Carson Smith was my favorite author for a long time. However i must have outgrown her, because i found a recent re-reading of 'the heart...' to be a little tiresome. i agree with another reviewer who noted it was easy to tell the characters were developed by a 23 y/o.

Average customer rating:

Sliding Through This One
Fun and substance!
Flying thru the pages at the edge of my seat.
Another great story by Scottoline
Fantastic!

Daddy's Girl
Lisa Scottoline
Manufacturer: HarperAudio
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: 0061227153
Release Date: 2007-03-13

Product Description

Unabridged on 8 CDs, original shrinkwrap. Read by the marvelous Barbara Rosenblat. Best-selling Scottoline brings listeners into the story of lawyer Natalie Grace who gets involved in a violent prison break, a violent murder and her life threatened.

Customer Reviews:

Sliding Through This One.......2007-10-06

Lisa Scottoline has a long line of fast-moving thrillers filled with gutsy female protagonists and clever one-liners. This one has what turns out to a female law professor who becomes brave, and a number of somewhat half-clever lines, like the very first one: "Nat Greco felt like an A cup in a double-D bra." Dare I say that falls flat?

But for me the most serious problem was that the book didn't seem to move; it dragged along. Quickly yes. But nonetheless, it dragged. This may be because of no solid base. Was anything near believable? Again, maybe halfway. And I think one has to go right over the top into never-never land or stay rooted. This one hedges, and thus left me unsatisfied at the end. I have to say that not wanting to give away endings, I will only add that it bothers me that there was really no good guy anywhere here. That may be life sometimes but, hey, this wasn't reality to begin with! She's done much better!

Fun and substance!.......2007-09-20

I only discovered Scottoline this year, and I am really enjoying her works. My life is busy, stressful, and hectic, and these stories about brave (and nosy) female protagonists are fun, quick reads. This one was my favorite so far because of Nat Greco's fun, interesting family dynamics and her passion for teaching and justice.

The thing that I am liking most about Scottoline's work is that she writes an exciting novel that is easy to follow and to read -- so much so that I don't want to put it down -- but there is always something positive and substantive about the "lessons" that the character is learning. In DADDY'S GIRL, the distinction between what is "just" or justice and what is "legal" turns up over and over again, in the law school, in the police procedures and investigations, in the discussions of legal history and legally related literature, and in the discussions of the the Underground Railroad. This repeated theme give the novel a passion and a purpose that lets me forget that I am reading a murder mystery.

Overall: A fun, easy weekend or vacation read and a real page turner.

Flying thru the pages at the edge of my seat........2007-09-10

This is the first Scottoline novel I have read and it certainly won't be my last. This was an action packed, suspenseful, romantic novel that was very hard to put down. Natalie Greco is a law professor who accompanies a colleague to a prison for a class he gives as part of a program affiliated with the law school. While they are there, a riot breaks out and Nat finds herself fighting for her life. She receives a dying wish from a CO who is fatally wounded. The wish is a message to give to his wife. "Tell my wife It's under the floor". This sets off a wild and action packed tale with twists and turns that will have you at the edge of your seat. Mix that with a very protective family and boyfriend. Add a little bit of lust for the colleague and you have yourself a great thriller.

Another great story by Scottoline.......2007-08-20

I can only say good things about this story----it's exciting,couldn't put it down and the best part was that I didn't predict the ending. I was shocked by the last twists and turns at the very end. It was awesome. I love to have surprises like that when it catches you and you say to yourself "wow, I didn't see that one coming". This was a fun read. I don't know how anyone could have been bored with the story nor could they predict the outcome. I read a lot and this one was one of the best for me. Enjoy!

Fantastic!.......2007-08-19

This was my first time reading this author and I loved it! Like James Patterson, it keeps twisting and turning and it is a book you can't put down. Now I am starting to read all her books. If you like James Patterson or Harlan Coben you will absolutely enjoy this author.

Gossip Girl #11: Don't You Forget About Me: A Gossip Girl Novel (Gossip Girl)

Average customer rating:

AMAZING!
Did the editor fall asleep on this one?
Say Goodbye to New York...for now
They've done it again....
Oh, please.

Gossip Girl #11: Don't You Forget About Me: A Gossip Girl Novel (Gossip Girl)
Cecily von Ziegesar
Manufacturer: Poppy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

School | Issues | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0316011843

Book Description

Don't You Forget About Me continues the #1 New York Times bestselling series about the provocative lives of New York City's most prestigious private school young adults. Sharp wit, intriguing characters, and high stakes melodrama drive the action of this addictive series that have made Gossip Girl the lit world's coveted "it" girl.

Customer Reviews:

AMAZING!.......2007-08-21

This was a great way to end the series for nate, blair, and serena. I'll admit it, I cried at the end. I read every Gossip Girl novel, but this one was byfar my favorite. Cecily knows how to write a series. You're hooked, and the characters become a big part of your life. (at least for me anyway). I'm super excited for the pre-quil, scheduled to release in october; and very, VERY, excited for the tv show...i'm interested to see how much they actually keep to the book. This series is amazing, so buy them all, read them all, and pretend to be them all!

You Know You Love Me!

Did the editor fall asleep on this one?.......2007-06-30

I'm an avid reader of Gossip Girl, and when my copy of this novel came in the mail I was very excited to read it. I loved every bit of it, except one thing. There are so many mistakes in the story. One minute Nate has BUCK NAKED written on his chest in red ink, and the next page it'll say it was black. Things like this continued on with what the girls were wearing. The author is famous for sticking in designer labels wherever she sees fit, but this time I think she got a little mixed up. One page Blair is wearing coral colored Prada flats, let's say, and the next page they magically turn into leopard print D&G's. It was little things like that that annoyed me but overall it was an AMAZING book and I can't wait for the prequel.

Say Goodbye to New York...for now.......2007-06-19

The eleventh and final novel of the Gossip Girl series was, to say the least, a little mediocre. I have to agree with majority of the reviews that, whereas it was a fun read like all the previous books, I kind of expected a little more. It seems it ended quickly with a boring just-need-to-finish-the-series goodbye.

Though I am excited to for the new "season" of Gossip Girl staring the Carlyle Triplets, I wonder if it will just be a repeat or the same played out drama that we've seen with Blair, Serena, Nate and the other characters of the first Gossip Girl. Of course that won't stop be from buying the novel anyways! :)

P.S. To all the Gossip Girl fans, the CW is going to be airing Gossip Girl the tv series in the fall of 2007, so keep an eye for commercials. Blake Lively will be playing Serena, but for more information go to IMDB.com or Wikipedia.com and search for "Gossip Girl".

They've done it again...........2007-06-08

Once again, the characters of von Ziegesar's G. G. series have captured my attention & taken me on another dramatic adventure in the life & times of rich, Manhattan teens. If you've followed this series from the start, like I have, then you'll be thoroughly entertained & satisfied with the last chapters of the overwhelmingly chaotic, yet amusing, story of these characters lives. It'll have you heart-wrenched & heart-warmed as you join Blair, Serena, Nate & all the other people we seem to be wishing we were during their last summer before college. Just when you think you know exactly who gets their way & who ends up sitting in Central Park alone, the ending hits you & you're left wishing there was more to the story than that. I definitely recommend this as a good read to anyone, but especially to those of you still waiting to see how the grand adventure ends.

Oh, please........2007-06-08

This book sucked. And thank God it is the last, these characters need to be put to rest.
But it is so surpising? After Cecily left, the book got very, VERY dumb.
Ok, in the latest installment, Nate finds out that he's in love with both Blair and Serena.
Oh, big shocker. As if we didn't see that coming already.
And I'm so damn tired of Serena. She is such a Mary-Sue. No one is perfect like that. And it irks me to death how much time is wasted describing her slutty behind.
And Dan? Oh, lord. How did I kwow? Hmm, maybe because no one in this book can last wth anyone for more than a chapter?
Dan is not gay. I saw this coming. You saw it coming. You dead ancestors saw it coming. And who does he like, yet again? Vanessaaaa.
Wow.
Sorry, but this book was very stupid and I regret ever buying it.

Oh, and did you hear? This series is getting NEW people next year. Wow, more Mary-Sues. Can't wait! >:U

Average customer rating:

Recommended
A Fool No More
How can I like this more than Philippa Gregory's Boleyn stories??
The Queen's Fool: A novel
WONDERFUL

The Queen's Fool: A Novel
Philippa Gregory
Manufacturer: Touchstone
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0743246071

Book Description

A young woman caught in the rivalry between Queen Mary and her half sister, Elizabeth, must find her true destiny amid treason, poisonous rivalries, loss of faith, and unrequited love.

It is winter, 1553. Pursued by the Inquisition, Hannah Green, a fourteen-year-old Jewish girl, is forced to flee Spain with her father. But Hannah is no ordinary refugee. Her gift of "Sight," the ability to foresee the future, is priceless in the troubled times

of the Tudor court. Hannah is adopted by the glamorous Robert Dudley, the charismatic son of King Edward's protector, who brings her to court as a "holy fool" for Queen Mary and, ultimately, Queen Elizabeth. Hired as a fool but working as a spy; promised in wedlock but in love with her master; endangered by the laws against heresy, treason, and witchcraft, Hannah must choose between the safe life of a commoner and the dangerous intrigues of the royal family that are inextricably bound up in her own yearnings and desires.

Teeming with vibrant period detail and peopled by characters seamlessly woven into the sweeping tapestry of history, The Queen's Fool is another rich and emotionally resonant gem from this wonderful storyteller.

Customer Reviews:

Recommended.......2007-09-14

This is the first Philippa Gregory novel I've read, and I chose this one because of the slight fantasy of the main character's "sight" that she uses to foretell events. This aspect I would have enjoyed had the author used it more; however, then it would be even more of a fantasy than historical fiction. Regardless, the story held my interest and I liked the characters.

A Fool No More.......2007-08-27

Another drama of the Tudors by Philippa Gregory. I enjoyed this one more than "The Other Boleyn Girl" because the main character had spunk and independence, unusual for a girl in those days. Although a vassal to a Lord with his own agenda, she developed a deep love for Queen Mary and was a loyal friend to her through all her suffering. For the first time, I got a clear picture of the conflict between Mary and Elizabeth before and after the death of their young brother the King. Both made huge mistakes but were strong women to be reckoned with. Hannah serves both but is still her own woman. Very exciting events unfold as the balance of power shifts back and forth between these two woman and their supporters. Adding to the drama is the fact that Hannah and her family are Jews passing as Christians during a time when heretics were burned at the stake.

How can I like this more than Philippa Gregory's Boleyn stories??.......2007-08-07

I don't know how it's possible that I liked "The Queen's Fool" even more than "The Other Boleyn Girl", and "The Boleyn Inheritance" which I loved. I think it's partially the addition of Hannah Green the young jewish girl escaping the Spanish Inquisition and becoming the Queen's Fool, telling the story. Having Hannah tell the story introduces how great an effect all the european countries and their politics have on other European countries.

I am sure it is also the fact that these stories build on each other, with characters whose families and circumstances are already familiar from the book before. I encourage you to read in sequence - and I encourage you to READ these stories and learn some history. Even if it is couched in some fiction, you still learn and this way is so much more fun. My friends are now as hooked as I am -- this many people can't all be wrong.

The Queen's Fool: A novel.......2007-08-02

Intriguing! Great descriptions of the Tudor court in a suspense filled, exciting time in history. Had me hooked.

WONDERFUL.......2007-07-19

Ms. Gregory's The Queen's Fool is as beautifully written as her other historical fiction novels. We continue the story of the Tudor line in England, but instead of being guided through a queen's view or a princess's view, we read through the eyes of Hannah the Fool. Hannah is a wonderful character who grows from an apprentice tomboy to a desirable woman. We pick up the story from Henry VIII's last wife to see his son, Edward IV, on the throne. Edward, ruled through the Duke of Northumberland, dies and the throne is shoved into the hands of Jane Grey (Northumberland's relation). The victory is short-lived, because Mary (Henry VIII's first and only child with Katharine of Aragon) raises an army to fight for her as Queen. Though she wins, it is not long before her sister, Princess Elizabeth (Henry VIII's first and only child with Anne Boleyn), conspires to take the throne. Hannah is thrown in between the half-sisters and must use her Sight as a gift to help both women. The story line is filled with historical fact, tweaked enough to give a well rounded account of The reign of Queen Mary I and Queen Elizabeth I. WONDERFUL!

Average customer rating:

Awesome
Fantastic!
i AM clown girl
A very good debut
Make Me Smile

Clown Girl: A Novel
Monica Drake
Manufacturer: Hawthorne Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Comic | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0976631156

Book Description

Clown Girl lives in Baloneytown, a seedy neighborhood where drugs, balloon animals, and even rubber chickens contribute to the local currency. Against a backdrop of petty crime, she struggles to live her dreams, calling on cultural masters Charlie Chaplin, Kafka, and da Vinci for inspiration. In an effort to support herself and her layabout performance-artist boyfriend, Clown Girl finds herself unwittingly transformed into a "corporate clown," trapping herself in a cycle of meaningless, high-paid gigs that veer dangerously close to prostitution. Monica Drake has created a novel that riffs on the high comedy of early film stars — most notably Chaplin and W. C. Fields — to raise questions of class, gender, economics, and prejudice. Resisting easy classification, this debut novel blends the bizarre, the humorous, and the gritty with stunning skill.

Customer Reviews:

Awesome .......2007-10-05

i have been in and out of the hospital alot this past year. And the moments where the main characater is thinking about what to say and not say to the drs. is brillant. I was laughing out loud at the coffee shop. This book is a must read.

Fantastic!.......2007-09-23

I can't do this book any justice by writing a review. The reviews on the back of the book didn't tell me what I was going to get out of it, it was extremely personal. Monica Drake was able to combine issues such as: unintentional and intentional creative whoring in business, the sickness of life, love defined in a Buddhist fashion and a sensational struggle resolved in a finale defining the category of a classic. The character development is such that I have already imagined who I would cast for the film. I have already passed the book along to a friend as a MUST READ, and if they don't I will doubt we ever had anything in common at all. Or they're just too busy or too lazy. My favorite book... that's what this is.

i AM clown girl.......2007-08-29

i loved this book. Monica Drake is such an amazingly descriptive writer i felt like i was living in Nita's world. it was heart wrenching and darkly funny. i related so much to Nita, all her ups and "pratfalls". i didn't want the book to end.

A very good debut.......2007-08-12

I, like most people, probably checked this out because of Chuck Palahniuk's name on the cover. This was a very good novel, and it definatly kept my interest throughout, but lacked in shocking moments that seem to occur in Chuck's books. Also it was a very short read, but definatly worth checking out.

Make Me Smile.......2007-07-18

As I understand it,a book focused on a clown should make you laugh(with tears mixed in).I did and so will you.I compare it to A Confederacy of Dunces.Monica's debut stands on it's own,w/out Chuck Palahniuk's endorsement.Bada Boom!

Average customer rating:

Lessons in Life
Great book
Inspiring & Touching book
A Tree Grows...
The Best Book Ever

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (P.S.)
Betty Smith
Manufacturer: Harper Perennial Modern Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Classics | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0061120073
Release Date: 2006-05-30

Amazon.com

Francie Nolan, avid reader, penny-candy connoisseur, and adroit observer of human nature, has much to ponder in colorful, turn-of-the-century Brooklyn. She grows up with a sweet, tragic father, a severely realistic mother, and an aunt who gives her love too freely--to men, and to a brother who will always be the favored child. Francie learns early the meaning of hunger and the value of a penny. She is her father's child--romantic and hungry for beauty. But she is her mother's child, too--deeply practical and in constant need of truth. Like the Tree of Heaven that grows out of cement or through cellar gratings, resourceful Francie struggles against all odds to survive and thrive. Betty Smith's poignant, honest novel created a big stir when it was first published over 50 years ago. Her frank writing about life's squalor was alarming to some of the more genteel society, but the book's humor and pathos ensured its place in the realm of classics--and in the hearts of readers, young and old. (Ages 10 and older) --Emilie Coulter

Book Description

The beloved American classic about a young girl's coming-of-age at the turn of the century, Betty Smith's A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is a poignant and moving tale filled with compassion and cruelty, laughter and heartache, crowded with life and people and incident. The story of young, sensitive, and idealistic Francie Nolan and her bittersweet formative years in the slums of Williamsburg has enchanted and inspired millions of readers for more than sixty years. By turns overwhelming, sublime, heartbreaking, and uplifting, the daily experiences of the unforgettable Nolans are raw with honesty and tenderly threaded with family connectedness -- in a work of literary art that brilliantly captures a unique time and place as well as incredibly rich moments of universal experience.

Download Description

E-Book Extra: Self-Reliance: A Reading Group Guide

Named by the New York Public Library as "one of the books of the century," A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is the story of young, sensitive, and idealistic Francie Nolan -- and her erratic, eccentric family -- in the turn-of-the-century Williamsburg slums of Brooklyn. Originally published in 1943, this true American classic has sold millions of copies worldwide, and includes a foreword by Anna Quindlen.

Customer Reviews:

Lessons in Life.......2007-09-27

This is the kind of book where there is no interwoven complex plot - just life, death, marriage, sacrifice and lessons learned. It's these simple writings that sometimes touch us the most and are the most thought-provoking. A girls life from childhood into womanhood, and all the dreams and devastations in between... Excellent.

Great book.......2007-09-24

This is one of the best books I have ever read...it has a great plot and a great setting too. Once I started reading it, i couldn't stop. The characters and problems they face seem so real! I recommend this book for people 13 and up because It does have minor "things" in it. BEST BOOK EVER!

Inspiring & Touching book.......2007-09-20

I'm so glad that I decided to read this book. I'd initially purchased it because it was on sale (and I really needed something new to read). Nonetheless, this book has become one of my, if not all time, favorite novels. The characters and situations are so real, and I'm a firm believer that ANYONE (male or female, young or old) can somehow relate to Francie Nolan. In this day and age where the youth seldomly read and are exposed to terrible mediums of entertainment (reality tv--Paris Hilton??) we need books such as "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn." It's so genuine and full of spirit and heart, despite the characters' dismal situations. This book has the ability to inspire readers to live their lives with integrity and to persevere--especially in seemingly hopeless situations.

A Tree Grows..........2007-09-20

Like before...I am pleased to say your product was sent in a timely fashion and in very good condition. Good job...keep it up!

The Best Book Ever.......2007-08-30

This book was required reading by a Jewish teacher in my 8th grade English class, in Brooklyn. Being a know-it-all Black girl from Brooklyn, I never wanted to read it because I thought I knew it all. Fast forward 10+ years and I finally read the book as a semi-adult. Fast forward 10+ more years and I read it AT LEAST twice a year. This is, in my opinion, the best book for any young woman to read, EVER. It made me read everything else that Betty Smith wrote. It makes me check my local library's supply to make sure they have adequate copies for other young (or older, wiser) girls to read. I have searched and found a 1st printing of the book and I hold it more dearly that my most profound treasure. I would suggest this book to anyone that can read. It will surely teach you something about love, sacrifice and the complexity of the human heart. It is full of romantic love, child-parent love, hopes, dreams, fears, innocence, everything! I recently purchased the movie and I've watched it at least 15 times already. This is a really good book. Oprah thinks so too; she lists it as one of the few books that changed her life. I wholeheartedly agree.

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