Book Description
From the rocky terrain in the North through the fertile pampa of the central provinces, all the way to the mountainous West and cold, desolate provinces of the South, the estancias of Argentina produced the high-quality meat and grain that gave the country one of the world's most powerful economies at the turn of the century. Built in a diversity of architectural styles, from Spanish farm-house to Edwardian country home, the residences of the estancieros are a fascinating hybrid of European and Argentine cultural traditions.
In an illuminating text, historian María Sáenz Quesada explores the cultural and social history of Argentina and provides captivating commentary about the families who built or occupy the estancias. She also examines the distinctive style of these country estates, their interiors, and gardens. Illustrated with exquisite color and vintage photographs, this opulently designed volume captures the rugged, romantic flavor of the good life on the Argentina pampa.
Customer Reviews:
Beautiful.......2000-11-20
Although now out of print and quite difficult to find this book is a rare gem. Beautifully photographed and rich in historical text concerning the Estancia system in general and 20-odd Estancias in particular. The reader is taken on a journey from Argentina's north to the Pampas outisde Buenos Aires, to Patagonia and finally to the Southern most tip where Argentina meets the icey waters of the South Atlantic. Over all a great "Coffee Table" box and a wonderful read too.
In depth tour of Argentina's great houses & ranches.......1998-05-25
A coffee table book filled with exquisite photographs and detailed historical and cultural insight on Argentina's premier properties -- the estancias. Through this book we catch a glimpse of the Argentine estancias that rivaled the great homes of Europe and also formed the backbone of the Argentine economy.
A must see for anyone interested in all things Argentine. In no other publication can you find such a profusion of photographic, historical and cultural information on Argentine architecture and society.
Additionally, this book is a steal when purchased in the United States -- I have seen it retail in Buenos Aires for up to $140.00 US.
Average customer rating:
- A Magnificent Tour of the Wealth of Argentina
- Beautiful Artistry, Beautiful Landscapes, Beautiful Architecture!
- OUTSTANDING !!
- Glorious photographs
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Argentina: The Great Estancias
Cesar Aira
Manufacturer: Rizzoli International Publications
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Estancias/ Ranches: The Great Houses and Ranches of Argentina
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At Home in Buenos Aires
ASIN: 0847819051
Release Date: 1995-09-15 |
Book Description
Argentina's magnificent estancias--country estates and working ranches--are guardians of the nation's cultural heritage, from its Spanish-colonial beginnings to the romantic legacy of the gaucho, to the contributions of early-twentieth-century naturalists and entrepreneurs who explored the rugged south. With their historical main residences, picturesque grounds, and beautiful collections of artwork and heirlooms, these estates preserve the genteel traditions cultivated by generations of landowning families. Adventurous settlers and Jesuits established the first estancias in the seventeenth century on vast, remote tracts of land ceded by the Spanish crown. Overcoming a harsh climate, solitude, and sporadic clashes with Indians, these missionaries and European immigrants began to raise cattle, sheep, and grain. By the turn of the century, many of their descendants headed important cattle-ranching and agricultural empires and were counted among an international elite of tastemakers, politicians, philanthropists, and art patrons.
In this volume are twenty-two rarely glimpsed estancias, portrayed in rich color photographs with accompanying text that narrates the unique history of each estate and family. The distinctive main houses reflect a wide variety of architectural styles that include criollo (creole) mansions, English castles, Palladian villas, French châteaux, and Spanish palaces. The estates are surrounded by breathtaking terrain ranging form the snow-capped Andes bordering Chile to the golden plains of the pampa in the province of Buenos Aires, and south to the crystal waters of subantarctic Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego.
Nearly all these estancias are owned today by descendants of the founding families, and most are published here for the first time. Complementing the photographs are eighteenth and nineteenth-century drawings, portraits, and paintings of life on the estancias, as well as photographs of celebrated guests over the years, including Edward, Prince of Wales (later Duke of Windsor) and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. The introduction discusses the early history of the estancias and their pivotal role in Argentine culture, and includes colorful excerpts from the journals of explorers and writers.
Customer Reviews:
A Magnificent Tour of the Wealth of Argentina.......2007-04-09
Argentina is a fascinating country, a land of intrigue (the Peron years, the lingering mysteries of the Disappearing Ones), a land praised for the beauty of its vast landscapes and waterfalls and seemingly endless ranches where gauchos still stir the imagination, the home of the Tango, the home of the preeminent Teatro Colon, etc. But this book of richly colorful photographs and interesting writing introduces yet another aspect of the country less known - the Great Estancias.
Covering twenty two impressive estates/mansions throughout the land of Argentina author Cesar Aria shares the importance of these disparate estates. Just as the country has always been Euro-centric so are the variations of the homes here rendered. There are recreations of Italian, French and English 'palaces' (they are far too grand to be mere homes!) and the histories of the buildings combined with the histories of the families who created them. But Argentina also celebrates the vast land resources and the great captains of ranching whose country homes are equal in grandeur to the other more traditional 'museums' in the book.
The photography includes not only the facades of the buildings but also the approaches and the grounds and the interiors. The variety is surprising and the quality of the color photography is excellent. For an insider's glimpse into a country of many facets, this beautifully designed and produced book makes a fine addition to the library. Grady Harp, April 07
Beautiful Artistry, Beautiful Landscapes, Beautiful Architecture!.......2006-02-06
A gorgeous collection of photographs taken on "estancias" across Argentina's many regions, from its near tropical north, through its flatlands so reminiscent of the American Midwest, to the rugged south with its Alpine highlands. Not only is this book graced by informative text, but it is simply a treasure to gaze at for hours.
OUTSTANDING !!.......2001-08-03
Tomas de Elia great photographs capture not only the european architecture of the Argentine houses and gardens but also the romantic atmosphere of the pampas. The book is impeccably designed and lavishly illustrated and allow us to wander into a part of the Argentine private world closed off to all but the most adventurous.
Glorious photographs.......2000-05-04
I found this Rizzoli hard bound book a delight to read and look through. The pictures are of outside & inside views including landscapes & gardens. I never knew anything about Argentina before I bought this book. About 22 properties photographed. Text is clear, specific and inviting. Also have FAZENDAS - THE GREAT HOUSES & PLANTATIONS OF BRAZIL which is just as good. If you are a visual person and see a 1,000 things in a photograph, this book is for you. Certainly made me realise that not the great buildings are in Europe or USA.
Average customer rating:
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Estancias: Palacios Criollos de Argentina
Manufacturer: Sessa Editores
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Estancias/ Ranches: The Great Houses and Ranches of Argentina
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At Home in Buenos Aires
ASIN: 9509140554 |
Average customer rating:
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Argentine plains and Andine glaciers,: Life on an estancia, and an expedition into the Andes,
Walter Larden
Manufacturer: T.F. Unwin
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Binding: Unknown Binding
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ASIN: B000865P7Y |
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Estancias Argentinas
Manufacturer: Galgiani, Phillip
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ASIN: 9879778197 |
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La Magdalena, 23 de marzo de 1852
Luis Maria Libera Gill
Manufacturer: Editorial De Palo a Pique
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ASIN: 9879532902 |
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Memorias de Un Porton de Estancia y Otros Re (Memoria Argentina)
Edmundo Wernicke
Manufacturer: Emece Editores
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ASIN: 9500420597 |
Average customer rating:
- Isabel, Jewel of Castilla
- Love it
- GREAT BOOK
- Isabel, Jewel of Castilla
- The diary of this brilliant spanish queen
|
Isabel: Jewel of Castilla, Spain, 1466 (The Royal Diaries)
Carolyn Meyer
Manufacturer: Scholastic Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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Victoria: May Blossom of Britannia, England, 1829 (The Royal Diaries)
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Elizabeth I: Red Rose of the House of Tudor, England, 1544 (The Royal Diaries)
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Marie Antoinette: Princess of Versailles, Austria-France, 1769 (The Royal Diaries)
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Mary, Queen of Scots: Queen Without a Country, France, 1553 (The Royal Diaries)
ASIN: 0439078059 |
Customer Reviews:
Isabel, Jewel of Castilla.......2007-06-05
This book is very interesting, and, I must admit, kind of funny. It is about the teen-aged Isabel, princess of Castilla, and her brother Enrique's contiual attemps to 'marry her off' to men she hates. In fact, at one point in the book, when Enrique's wife askes if she wants to wear this or that dress to her wedding, she says, 'I would rather wear a buarial shroud!' The reader of this review will be pleased to know the Isabel didn't have to put on a buarial shroud in order to escape marrige. This book is easily one of the better books in the Royal Diaries series. There is a movie to go with the book, and I think that it is very good, but I haven't seen it yet.
Love it.......2007-01-08
I totally love this book!! I've read it for 3 times and I never get bored with it. Even though I read it 3 years ago, it's still my favourite. It's the first book of The Royal Diaries that made me want to read the rest of the Royals..I should recommend this. It really brought me back to the past. In their time, where women wore fashionable gowns and men were gentlemen asking them for a dance.
I can't wait to read more of The Royal Diaries.
GREAT BOOK.......2006-11-24
I LOVED this book!!!!!!!!! It was one of my favorites in the series. Isabel Jewel of Castilla, is about a Spanish girl who's father (the king) died, and her mother is mourning. Her stepbrother Enrique becomes king and is married to Queen Juana. Her other brother King Alfonso rules another part of the land. With two kings there is a lot of trouble. King Enrique wants Isabel to marry the King of Portugal (El Escorpion) but,her ladies-in-waiting, her best friend Beatriz, and all of her protectors and the supporters of King Alfonso help her to meet Prince Fernando, the one she wants to marry. This is a great book, easy to understand, and very exciting. I recommend this book for everyone, and you won't be disappointed.
Isabel, Jewel of Castilla.......2006-05-08
This book is about a young girl named Isabel. Isabel is the future queen of Spain. She lives a well life, but it is full of sadness at times. Her brother, King Enrique, has forced her to stay at a castle in Segovia away from her widowed mother. She cannot leave without his consent. She has a very hard time trying to be faithful to both her brothers. She despises King Enrique, but tolerates him because secretly she is trying to overthrow him and put her other brother, King Alfonso, in charge of all of Spain.
I liked this book because it informed me about Spain and several of its rulers. It also informed me about some of Spain's culture.
I didn't like this book because it had many sad points. Poor Isabel looses a couple of her friends and family. She's left fatherless, friendless, and with out her brother.
I loved this books ending. It was so happy. Isabel gets her wish and she get married to someone SHE chose. That was very rare in Isabel's time period. Usually princes and princesses had arranged marriages.
I recommend this book to everyone! It is one of the best books in The Royal Diaries series!
The diary of this brilliant spanish queen.......2005-06-23
I loved Isabele and found it interesting all the way.Isabel is brought up in a time when women must marry whoever is chosen for them, but Isabelle wants to marry her true love and have a happy life. She is also pretty scared of her brother and lets him take over her. Most bits of this diary are quite sad and i loved the way Isabele only announces her true character in the end. When I sabel loses three beloved ones she meets the prince of her dreams and wants to marry him instantly. She also wants to become the Queen of Spain and live in luxury with her husband. The diary of this lady knight who will fight for her freedom is tragic but in the end something rather pleasant occurs. Im not going to tell you! You read the book and see! I will give this book an a+ and is definitely one of the top 5 royal diaries. A pure classic
Average customer rating:
- Royal Kingdom of Dreams
- hopless romantics will love it.
- Where's the Juice?
- Not her best novel, probably, but I still couldn't put the book down...
- Two Stars-Spoilers follow
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Cordina's Royal Family: Bennett & Camilla: The Playboy Prince\Cordina's Crown Jewel
Nora Roberts
Manufacturer: Silhouette
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Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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Cordina's Royal Family: Gabriella & Alexander: Affaire Royale\Command Performance
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The MacGregors: Alan & Grant: All The Possibilities\One Man's Art (STP - Mira)
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The MacKade Brothers: Devin And Shane: The Heart of Devin MacKade\The Fall Of Shane MacKade
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The MacKade Brothers: Rafe And Jared: The Return Of Rafe MacKade\The Pride Of Jared MacKade
ASIN: 0373285329 |
Book Description
The Playboy Prince
When it came to women, Prince Bennett could never refuse a challenge -- and after meeting quiet, lovely Lady Hannah Rothchild, the dashing playboy couldn't rest until he broke through her careful reserve. Love had always been a game to Bennett, but with this elusive, mysterious woman he found his heart was on the line, and he was playing for keeps . . .
Cordina's Crown Jewel
For a few blessed weeks, Her Royal Highness Camilla de Cordina could be just plain Camilla MacGee. And working in rural Vermont for archaeologist Delaney Caine -- devastatingly handsome, utterly cantankerous -- offered the perfect refuge. But as her irritation became fascination, then desire, the royal runaway knew she'd have to confess. Would Del see her as a woman to be loved, or dismiss her as a royal pain?
Customer Reviews:
Royal Kingdom of Dreams.......2007-08-14
To me, Cordina's Royal Family is the best of Nora Robert's series. I have read other of her series, but none have the magic that I found in the Royal Cordina Family. I loved each character: Bennett, Camilla, Alex, Eve, Gabriella, Hannah and Reeves. Somehow this series stirs the fairy tale mystery that exists in all of us. I really wish Ms. Roberts would continue with the Cordina family series. As a talented and skillful author, she should be able to find a way! What about Bennet and Hannah"s wedding? To me, that would be wonderful to read! I want more of that wonderful family!
hopless romantics will love it........2006-08-16
If you are a hopeless romantic, like stories about princes and princesses and love a classic ending. Then you will enjoy this book. I really like the fact that Hannah was a heroine but Bennett also took some credit. Very entertaining.
Where's the Juice?.......2006-08-06
Based on the recent recommendation by a Stephen King article in Entertainment Weekly, I purchased this book expecting to read some really good romance writing. The writing lack depth, dimension, and offered zero emotional skill, and after struggling through the first 100 pages, I threw the book away. So much for Stephen King's opinion - although he's written so really good things, he's also put out a lot of mediorce work too. If you want some juicy romance as well as good storytelling, read Susan Carroll's "The Dark Queen", The Courtesan" and "The Silver Rose"
Trilogy. Once I read these I went back and purchased Carroll's earlier works, all with underserved tacky covers I might add, but the writing is fun and her heroes are "broad shouldered with powerful thighs and sensuous mouths" etc. Diane Galbaldon (could be incorrect spelling) writes well with very interesting characters and story lines but too sexually violent for my taste.
Not her best novel, probably, but I still couldn't put the book down..........2006-07-17
I read all four stories over four days and I will agree that these are not her best, but still I laugh and I cried and I gasped out loud and was generally entertained. From the moment I started reading I could not put the book down and I found myself transported to royal Cordina were a family loves one another and finds love and passion while fighting terriorists. Still liked it a lot.
Two Stars-Spoilers follow.......2006-06-24
After being disappointed in reading Gabriella & Alexander, I still tried Bennett & Camilla and was still disappointed. Once again there was a lot of things happen but it felt like they were trying to destract you from the charactors. I didn't like Bennett at all. Starting with his name and it went down from there. His treatment of Hannah after learning her true idenity comented my hate. I wished Hannah would have stabbed him with a knife. I did however enjoy Hannah thoroughly all of her working with the terrorities in order to bring them down was very exciting. It would have been fun to see series on Hannah's work. Now on to Camilla. Camilla was not a very exciting charactor she was very dull. Her beau Delaney was all right until he got all hung up on her lying about being a princess when he was lying about his own title. Its calling the kettle black and makes me lose all respect and like for the charactor.
Product Description
Set 2 Cordina's Royal Family : Gabriella & Alexander Bennett & Camilla (contains four classic novels : Affaire Royale Command Performance The Playboy Prince Cordina's Crown Jewel)Two (2) mass market paperbacks with four complete stories.
Product Description
Royal palace, fortress, prison and place of execution; arsenal, royal mint, menagerie and jewel house - for over 900 years the Tower of London has served all these purposes. In this lavishly illustrated guide you're invited to explore this formidable citadel as it was and is now
Customer Reviews:
Don't miss!.......2007-05-20
This guide exceeds others on the Tower of London as far as content. You'll find information on The White Tower, The Royal Armories, The Prisoners held within the Tower, Executions, and even the Ravens. Any visit to London should require a trip to the number one castle in the world. If you'll research the Tower first with a guide like this one, you will not miss out on lesser known "must sees" like The Ceremony of the Keys and other formal displays.
Average customer rating:
- royal heist
- Glossy, Complex Caper
- If it was this easy to pull off scams we would all be rich.
- Couldn't put it down!
- A crown jewel heist
|
Royal Heist: A Novel (La Plante, Lynda)
Lynda La Plante
Manufacturer: Random House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Contemporary
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Above Suspicion
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Cold Shoulder
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Cold Blood
ASIN: 1400060257
Release Date: 2004-07-13 |
Book Description
From Lynda La Plante, one of the world’s greatest crime writers,
Royal Heist is a big, dashing novel of deception, passion, and international suspense, in which a man with a dangerous double life masterminds the greatest robbery of all time.
With a beautiful family and a magnificent fortune, Edward de Jersey is making news with his prized racehorse Royal Flush. But while de Jersey socializes with the cream of English society, he keeps to himself the details of his background and how he acquired his wealth. The son of an East End bookie, de Jersey reinvented himself as an aristocrat after pulling off some of England’s most notorious heists. He has no intention of ever going back to crime . . . until his financial adviser loses his entire fortune in a disastrous investment and de Jersey decides to retrieve it the old-fashioned way: by stealing it.
From Monaco to the Hamptons, from London to the shadowy back alleys of cyberspace, de Jersey goes into action, using guile, force, and the latest technology to put together the perfect plan. Drawing on the expertise of a computer hacker with a passion for Elvis, the inside knowledge of a dying aristocrat, and the skill of a professional impersonator, de Jersey is ready to commit his greatest and final crime. He’s going to steal the crown jewels from under the nose of the royals themselves.
Now, as Royal Flush prepares for a spectacular run at the Derby, de Jersey faces his moment of truth: How much is he willing to risk to win the sport’s most coveted prize? And just how far will he go to get away with the perfect crime?
A novel that builds to an amazing crescendo of suspense,
Royal Heist is a glamorous and gritty tale of men and women bound together by love, greed, trust, and mistrust. With all the pounding excitement of a high-stakes horse race, this is fiction that takes hold, doesn’t let go, and dares us to keep guessing until the very end.
Download Description
Chapter 1
June 2001: Royal Ascot was into its third day, with crowds enjoying the unusually warm, sunny weather. There was a circus atmosphere at times, with clowns on stilts and booths selling racing memorabilia. A brass band was warming up, and the aroma of fish and chips still hung in the air. Ladies in extravagant hats were escorted by men in morning suits, and everywhere they walked, the champagne flowed. Affluent visitors headed toward private boxes or to the Royal Enclosure. Today, it was murmured, Her Majesty the Queen was present, for one of her own horses was running.
Outside the official car park, Rolls-Royces, Bentleys, and Mercedeses queued with buses, coaches, and station wagons. The car park closest to the main gates was only for owners and trainers, and rows of attendants checked the passes displayed on windscreens. Police and racecourse stewards directed pedestrians over a crossing that led to the gates and turnstiles. The stewards wore old-fashioned bowler hats, smart black suits, white shirts, and as requested by the track officials, sober ties.
Christina de Jersey pulled her navy Corniche, packed with two teenage daughters and their friends, into the closest car park. The girls all wore their large hats bedecked with flowers, while Christina's was stowed safely in the trunk.
She had invited several guests to lunch in the de Jersey box and overseen the menu with her usual meticulousness. Though it was not twelve o'clock yet, she had wanted to avoid the even greater crush that would ensue nearer to the start of the first race, to give herself time to check the table and greet her guests.
A couple of hours earlier, in his helicopter, her husband had piloted his jockey, Mickey Rowland, and trainer, Donald Fleming, to the track. Now, from the busy helicopter pad, he made his way toward the racing stables on the far side of the track. Though fifty-seven, Edward de Jersey was still athletic and exceptionally fit from d
Customer Reviews:
royal heist.......2007-08-17
The book was received on time and was in very good condition. I was well satisfied with the purchase.
Glossy, Complex Caper.......2007-01-07
Lynda La Plante, author of "Royal Heist," previously wrote the substantial police procedural "Prime Suspect." As a former actress, she then produced that book for television, under the same title. It thereupon became the influential, prestigious Edgar award-winning, British Broadcasting Company, and, later, Public Broadcasting System television series "Prime Suspect," starring Helen Mirren. That book, and tv show, were infused with the gritty realism of the English cop shop as it then was: La Plante researched it by interviewing the highest-ranking English police woman of the time. Book and tv series were also infused with the gritty realism of some of the meanest streets to be found in England at the time. In fact, in a recent interview, Mirren claimed that "Prime Suspect" was the first tv crime drama to accurately portray the workings of English police stations: all previous programs, she stated, even, for example, "Inspector Morse," were not. However, La Plante's "Royal Heist" turns its back on realistic grit: it's a crime caper set in the rarified world of horse racing, sport of kings, among some impossibly beautiful glamorous people.
Immensely rich Edward de Jersey, owner of prize horses, beautiful wife and daughters, meets the Queen of England at Ascot racetrack, and then is ruined by a [...] collapse. Therefore, de Jersey, a self-made man, born plain old Eddy Jersey, son to a bookie in London's East End, decides his only option is to steal the Queen's jewels, including the gigantic, invaluable Koh-I-Noor diamond. (He had, you see, originally made his fortune by a series of daring, big bucks, famous robberies, gold bullion, that sort of thing.) The author has here produced a reasonably complex caper, though, in the manner of this particular genre, she never actually tells you how this crime might be done; that probably just isn't the done thing.
Royal personages, world-famous authors, athletes, billionaires, performers, television personalities, and impossibly beautiful glamorous people tend to upend the delicate balance a good mystery needs, if you ask me. But somebody must like them: they do sell. Your cup of tea?
If it was this easy to pull off scams we would all be rich........2006-02-01
It got to the point where I didn't care how this book ended. It seemed like it just kept getting more and more preposterous. If it was this easy to pull off scams we would all be rich.
Couldn't put it down!.......2005-04-21
This was a fun book! The idea of stealing the crown jewels seemed a little unbelievable, but as things unfolded, I was completely drawn in. I even found myself reading too fast sometimes, wondering what would happen next.
The thing that surprised me most was that even though I knew what the characters were doing was wrong, I still was rooting for them! Overall, an entertaining book.
A crown jewel heist.......2004-08-17
I generally like my caper novels with laughs and switchbacks. Instead, LaPlante, creator of TV's "Prime Suspect," delivers ruthlessness and daring. And a seemingly endless supply of obstacles. All of which Edward de Jersey is single-mindedly determined to overcome in his do-or-die quest to keep his life in the style to which he has become accustomed.
De Jersey, son of a bookie, has risen to the top of British society on the proceeds of previous criminal success. Now he breeds racehorses, looking for his crowning jewel, a derby winner. With Royal Flush that glory is almost within grasp when it all comes tumbling down. Suddenly, in a dot.com tumble, he's bankrupt. His trusted accountant has lost it all and killed himself.
Having previously carried out Britain's most daring robberies (a fact unknown to all but his accomplices), de Jersey dreams up a scheme to gather his old gang together and recoup his losses. By stealing the Crown Jewels. There are lots of problems with this plan, of course. Security seems impregnable. The old gang isn't getting any younger and none of them have stolen so much as a stick of gum in years. De Jersey's wife is angry and suspicious about his secrecy. His accountant's sister-in-law has gotten curious. And the team of robbers keeps getting bigger.
To pull this one off de Jersey needs a lot of accomplices, including a computer hacker, a queen, a lady-in-waiting, and a footman. De Jersey himself becomes a less sympathetic character as the plans grow more complicated, but the secondary characters are appealing. There's an odd distance to this novel, which is a mite off-putting, but the daring plot keeps the pages turning.
Product Description
Beautifully illustrated, informative guide sharing the majesty and splendor of the Crown Jewels of England and the in's and out's of the coronation process. Color photographs and in depth text.
Product Description
12 beautiful color slides of Britain's crown jewels in plastic protective sleeves mounted in softcover with descriptions of each slide, issued in 1966 by British government.
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