Book Description
Perceptively written text examines optimization problems that can be formulated in terms of networks and algebraic structures called matroids. Chapters cover shortest paths, network flows, bipartite matching, nonbipartite matching, matroids and the greedy algorithm, matroid intersections, and the matroid parity problems. A suitable text or reference for courses in combinatorial computing.
Customer Reviews:
A good overview of combinatorial optimisation.......2001-04-20
Combinatorial Optimisation : Networks and Matroids by Eugene Lawler examines shortest paths, network flows, bipartite matching, non bipartite matching. More importantly there is an excellent introduction to matroid theory including matroids and the greedy algorithm, matroid intersections and matroid parity problems, some of these Lawler's own results.
However there is not much on NP completeness, since this book was published in 1976. For a more to date version of events in combinatorial optimisation one might want to look at Papadimitriou and Steglitz's book on combinatorial optimisation (quite old too, considering this was published in 1982), Ahuja, Magnanti and Orlin's book on Network algorithms, Hochbaum's book on approximation algorithms and Cook, Cunnigham,Pulleyblank and Schrijver's book on combinatorial optimisation (listed in the order they were published).
Lawler's book is extremely well written and I am delighted that this book is now published by Dover, and hence easily affordable.
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Phase Transitions in Combinatorial Optimization Problems: Basics, Algorithms and Statistical Mechanics
Alexander K. Hartmann , and
Martin Weigt
Manufacturer: Wiley-VCH
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Statistical Mechanics: Algorithms and Computations (Oxford Master Series in Statistical, Computational, and Theoretical Physics)
ASIN: 3527404732 |
Book Description
A concise, comprehensive introduction to the topic of statistical physics of combinatorial optimization, bringing together theoretical concepts and algorithms from computer science with analytical methods from physics. The result bridges the gap between statistical physics and combinatorial optimization, investigating problems taken from theoretical computing, such as the vertex-cover problem, with the concepts and methods of theoretical physics.
The authors cover rapid developments and analytical methods that are both extremely complex and spread by word-of-mouth, providing all the necessary basics in required detail. Throughout, the algorithms are shown with examples and calculations, while the proofs are given in a way suitable for graduate students, post-docs, and researchers. Ideal for newcomers to this young, multidisciplinary field.
Book Description
Combinatorial enumeration is a readily accessible subject full of easily stated, but sometimes tantalizingly difficult problems. This book leads the reader in a leisurely way from the basic notions to a variety of topics, ranging from algebra to statistical physics. Its aim is to introduce the student to a fascinating field, and to be a source of information for the professional mathematician who wants to learn more about the subject. The book is organized in three parts: Basics, Methods, and Topics. There are 666 exercises, and as a special feature every chapter ends with a highlight, discussing a particularly beautiful or famous result.
Book Description
Computer science and physics have been closely linked since the birth of modern computing. In recent years, an interdisciplinary area has blossomed at the junction of these fields, connecting insights from statistical physics with basic computational challenges. Researchers have successfully applied techniques from the study of phase transitions to analyze NP-complete problems such as satisfiability and graph coloring. This is leading to a new understanding of the structure of these problems, and of how algorithms perform on them. Computational Complexity and Statistical Physics will serve as a standard reference and pedagogical aid to statistical physics methods in computer science, with a particular focus on phase transitions in combinatorial problems. Addressed to a broad range of readers, the book includes substantial background material along with current research by leading computer scientists, mathematicians, and physicists. It will prepare students and researchers from all of these fields to contribute to this exciting area.
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- Introduction to mysteries and myths of packing!
- Excellent introduction to packing
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The Pursuit of Perfect Packing
Tomaso Aste , and
Denis Weaire
Manufacturer: Taylor & Francis
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ASIN: 0750306483 |
Book Description
In 1998 Thomas Hales dramatically announced the solution of a problem that has long teased eminent mathematicians: what is the densest possible arrangement of identical spheres? The Pursuit of Perfect Packing recounts the story of this problem and many others that have to do with packing things together. The examples are taken from mathematics, physics, biology, and engineering, including the arrangement of soap bubbles in foam, atoms in a crystal, the architecture of the bee's honeycomb, and the structure of the Giant's Causeway. Using an informal style and with key references, the book also includes brief accounts of the lives of many of the scientists who devoted themselves to problems of packing over many centuries, together with wry comments on their efforts. It is an entertaining introduction to the field for both specialists and the more general public.
Customer Reviews:
Introduction to mysteries and myths of packing!.......2004-05-11
The text is packed with both ordered and disorderly discussions of several packing problems that arise in daily life as well as in crystallography, physics and abstract mathematics. A nice introduction to the solved and unsolved mysteries and myths of packing problems!! The text is an easy read, suitable for even high school kids, though graduate students and teachers will find it more illuminating and informative!
Excellent introduction to packing.......2001-02-25
A good starting discussion for packing problems, even though several issues are not covered (look at Erich's Packing Center for the next edition). Chapters cover Circle packings, sphere packings, the Hales proof, seed shapes, honeycombs, bubbles, atoms and crystals, fractal aggregates, The Giant's Causeway, buckyballs, higher dimensional packings, and various odds and ends. There are lots of illustrations and good discussions. I would have prefered for more to be packed into the book. Still, it's the best introductory book on packing I know of.
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Quantum Annealing and Related Optimization Methods (Lecture Notes in Physics)
Manufacturer: Springer
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ASIN: 3540279873 |
Book Description
Quantum annealing employs quantum fluctuations in frustrated systems or networks to anneal the system down to its ground state, or more generally to its so-called minimum cost state. Often this procedure turns out to be more effective, in multivariable optimization problems, than its classical counterpart utilizing tunable thermal fluctuations. This volume is divided into three parts. Part I is an extensive tutorial introduction familiarizing the reader with the background material necessary to follow the core of the book. Part II gives a comprehensive account of the fundamentals and applications of the quantum annealing method, and Part III compares quantum annealing with other related optimization methods. This is the first book entirely devoted to quantum annealing and will be both an invaluable primer and guidebook for all advanced students and researchers in this important field.
Book Description
The authors treat macroeconomic models as composed of large numbers of micro-units or agents of several types, and explicitly discuss stochastic dynamic and combinatorial aspects of interactions among them. In mainstream macroeconomics sound microfoundations for macroeconomics has meant incorporating sophisticated intertemporal optimization by representative agents into models. Optimal growth theory, once meant to be normative, is now taught as a descriptive theory in mainstream macroeconomic courses. In neoclassical equilibria flexible prices led the economy to the state of full employment and marginal productivities are all equated. Professors Aoki and Yoshikawa contrariwise show that such equilibria are not possible in economies with a large number of agents of heterogeneous types. The authors treat equilibria as statistical distributions and not as fixed points. They employ a set of statistical dynamical tools via continuous-time Markov chains, and statistical distributions of fractions of agents by types available in the new literature of combinatorial stochastic processes, to reconstruct macroeconomic models.
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- A First Course in Combinatorial Mathematics
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A First Course in Combinatorial Mathematics (Oxford Applied Mathematics and Computing Science Series)
Ian Anderson
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
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ASIN: 0198596731 |
Book Description
The spirit and aim of this book is to present a compact introduction to the basic combinatorial tools - such as recurrence relations, generating functions, incidence matrices, and the inclusion-exclusion principle - that will give the reader a flavour of the distinctive characteristics of this attractive and increasingly important branch of mathematics. A studly of block designs is followed by a brief mention of applications to coding theory. In this new edition, Steiner triple systems are constructed and S(5,8,24) is obtained via the Golay code of length 24. The final chapter combines together the three combinatorial structures of the Leech lattice, the Golay codes, and Steiner systems. Also in this edition, an application of the marriage theorem to score sequences of tournaments has been included.
Customer Reviews:
A First Course in Combinatorial Mathematics.......2000-04-03
This is a very good introduction to Combinatorics. It is filled with many examples and has problems that really reinforce the examples. Because it is well organized, it is very easy to use as a reference. I highly recommed it for anyone who is serious about studying Combinatorics.
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Algorithms for Random Generation and Counting: A Markov Chain Approach (Progress in Theoretical Computer Science)
A. Sinclair
Manufacturer: Birkhäuser Boston
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ASIN: 0817636587 |
Book Description
This monograph studies two classical computational problems: counting the elements of a finite set of combinatorial structures, and generating them at random from some probability distribution. Apart from their intrinsic interest, these problems arise naturally in many branches of mathematics and the natural sciences.
The author aims to classify the computational difficulty of these problems for various naturally occurring structures: the emphasis is on positive results that demonstrate the existence of efficient algorithms. At the heart of the monograph is a single algorithmic paradigm; simulate a Markov chain whose states are combinatorial structures. A major portion of the monograph is devoted to developing new mathematical tools for the analysis of algorithms of this kind. Among the applications presented are the first provably efficient algorithms for several important counting and generation problems. Further applications are summarized in an appendix.
This book will be of interest to researchers and graduate students in theoretical computer science, probability and statistics and theoretical physicists with an interest in Monte Carlo methods. It is a timely contribution to a fast moving field, with the immediacy and freshness of a new discovery.
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Arrangements of Hyperplanes (Grundlehren Der Mathematischen Wissenschaften)
Peter Orlik , and
Hiroaki Terao
Manufacturer: Springer
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ASIN: 0387552596 |
Book Description
An arrangement of hyperplanes is a finite collection of codimension one affine subspaces in a finite dimensional vector space. Arrangements have emerged independently as important objects in various fields of mathematics such as combinatorics, braids, configuration spaces, representation theory, reflection groups, singularity theory, and in computer science and physics. This book is the first comprehensive study of the subject. It treats arrangements with methods from combinatorics, algebra, algebraic geometry, topology, and group actions. It emphasizes general techniques which illuminate the connections among the different aspects of the subject. Its main purpose is to lay the foundations of the theory. Consequently, it is essentially self-contained and proofs are provided. Nevertheless, there are several new results here. In particular, many theorems that were previously known only for central arrangements are proved here for the first time in complete generality. The text provides the advanced graduate student entry into a vital and active area of research. The working mathematician will find the book useful as a source of basic results of the theory, open problems, and a comprehensive bibliography of the subject.
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- Loved It!
- What choices do any of us really have?
- A lesson learned
- Nothing to lose
- Another winner from Alex Flinn
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Nothing to Lose
Alex Flinn
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Breaking Point
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Fade to Black
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Breathing Underwater
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Can't Get There from Here
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Acceleration (Readers Circle)
ASIN: 0060517522
Release Date: 2005-04-12 |
Book Description
A year ago, Michael Daye escaped his violent home life by joining a traveling fair. Now his mother is on trial for murdering his brutal stepfather and only Michael knows the truth that can save her. But if he reveals the truth about his past, will he give up his newfound freedom forever? A fresh, unflinching look at domestic violence from the acclaimed author of Breathing Underwater.
o Alex Flinn's first novel, Breathing Underwater, received rave reviews and numerous honors, including a Publishers Weekly Flying Start. In a starred review, Kirkus called Nothing to Lose "arresting," and said, "As she did in Breathing Underwater, Flinn does a masterful job of exploring domestic violence."
o During her career as a lawyer, Flinn dealt with domestic abuse. She brings an objective yet insider view to this topic, and has gained a reputation as an author who can write gripping, honest fiction.
o This powerful, character–driven novel will appeal to adults and teens across the board who simply enjoy fine fiction.
Ages 13+
Customer Reviews:
Loved It!.......2006-11-05
This book is wonderfully expressed. It tells about the challenges of abusive relationships and their effects on their family members. Even though it is based on a true story, don't be deceived. This book has tons of drama, action, and some romance. I think it is a must read book!
What choices do any of us really have?.......2006-07-02
Nothing to Lose is an incredibly heart-wrenching book because of the very strong story and believable protagonist, but also because of the all-too-true story of abuse that could have been ripped from the headlines of any newspaper across the world. Michael Daye has been on the run for a year, traveling with a carnival, but now he's back in his hometown of Miami, hoping not to be recognized for who he really is: the son of Lisa Monroe, currently on trial for the murder of her husband.
Walker, Michael's now-dead stepfather, was a horribly abusive man. As the book unfolds and every other chapter takes you back a year to when the trouble first really started (though I suppose you could argue it really started when Lisa first began dating Walker), you see that Michael did everything within his power to get his mother to leave. But, like many abused women, she didn't feel capable of it and stayed.
For the first time, he felt like he had an option other than just watching his mother get beaten by Walker. Kirstie, a carny, makes him realize that sometimes there really is nothing you can do. People have to want to help themselves. Michael finally gave up completely after `outing' Walker to an Emergency Room nurse and having his mother once again deny the abuse. He decided to leave everything behind and create a new life with Kirstie and the carnies.
But what really happened the night Walker died? Can Michael help his mother now? Will she accept his help or will her guilt hold her back? There are many questions and Alex Flinn masterfully twines everything together to come up with an effective and engrossing ending (though some may guess the truth early on, it is so well done you won't mind at all).
I recommend this book for readers aged 12 and up. There are some sexual situations (none graphic and none gratuitous) and some painful abuse/fighting scenes, so do keep that in mind. What I'd really like to do is recommend this to women suffering under domestic violence. This book very clearly shows how abuse challenges and changes every member of the household.
If you or someone you love is in such a situation - don't hesitate. Get help. Your local phone book will have listings for local organizations and the Internet also offers help. Just search for "domestic violence" or similar terms.
Kimberly Pauley, YA Books Goddess @ YABooksCentral.com
A lesson learned.......2006-01-27
"At some point, when you give up everything, there is nothing left to worry about."
Most carny's lives model this quote, as does Kristie's, one of the main characters who has been in this carnival tour for years. They have nothing to lose. As for Michael, also a main character, who ran away from his troubled homelife to join Kristie in the tour, he's already lost. He's hiding from a secret past only to see it resurface to face him head-on with the world now watching.
This is a great book with even better morals. I reccommend reading Nothing To Lose for adventure, mystery, romance, and a twist ending. It leaves you asking questions throughout the entire book; and thereon after.
Nothing to lose.......2005-11-19
Nothing to lose is a great book. This book is about a family that's dad left them when the boy (Michael) was young. Michaels mom re maired later to a man named walker. It turns out to be abusive. Michael could not stand walker abusing his mom. Walker was killed and Michael ran away with the curious. One year later Michael came back. He wanted to help his mom out in the murder trial...
Michael and his friend when to the carnival and Michael meat Kristy the "the whack amole girl", they became very good friends. Another one of my favorite parts is when Michael gets to talk to Kristy after a very long time. Kristy helps Michael through a hard decision. Last but not least Michaels was a great football player. But when he ran away he had to quit it. Then when all this was over he went back to school and made the team.
I loved this book; it was a great murder mystery. I think that most people would love it to. I can't think of anything that I did not like this book. But I just gave you three reasons why I did. But there are so many more reasons to love this book.
Another winner from Alex Flinn.......2005-09-02
This story is structured well, told in alternating passages from the present time and from the events of a year ago in narrator Michael's life. The two time periods converge beautifully at the end, as we learn the whole story about the night that Michael's abuse stepfather was murdered in his house. The end is slightly predictable, but the journey is still enjoyable, as Michael deals with anger, guilt, choices between right and wrong, and a basic struggle to survive.
This book has a good male protagonist, and it should appeal to teen readers of both genders. Michael is a tough guy, a football player, who realizes he has no true friends to confide in about the hell that his homelife is. He makes an unlikely friend throughout the course of the book, and there's a good lesson about finding your true friends in here.
Breathing Underwater is an earlier, and even better, YA novel from Flinn that comes highly recommended.
Amazon.com
In her enchanting debut novel Single Wife, Nina Solomon presents a witty, heartfelt, and utterly engaging book with the rare Manhattan heroine who a) isn't single, and b) doesn't work in publishing. In fact, Solomon's Grace Brookman doesn't even count calories, even when the salesperson at Barney's suggests she may want to go up a size in the new Katayone Adeli suede skirt. These reasons, plus the page-turning pace and a delightful cast of supporting characters, make Single Wife's somewhat unbelievable premise and sometimes contrived coincidences mere afterthoughts to an otherwise captivating read.
The book opens with the disappearance of Laz, Grace's dynamic yet somewhat disturbed husband. Laz has disappeared before, only to return after a few days with renewed love and affection for his faithful wife. So when days turn into weeks and months, Grace lets everyone believe that Laz is still around, simply away on business or recovering from a rough night on the town. Soon, the lie takes on a life of itself, and Grace finds herself slipping farther and farther away from the once-perfect life she thought she led. Adding color to the drama are Grace's parents and their friends the Sugarmans, whose Scrabble-potluck dinners provide a constant supply of amusement in the form of Seinfeldesque New York neurosis (the first time Laz disappeared Grace's apartment was overtaken by noodle kugels and whitefish salad).
Single Wife does not always make sense; sometimes it feels as if too much is going on at once and it gets hard to keep track of all the details. At times you may want to shout at Grace to get a clue. But it will still keep you awake until 2 A.M., promising to put the book down as soon as you finish one more delightful chapter. --Gisele Toueg
Book Description
"Like a particularly sharp episode of Sex and the City, the novel poses a provocative question-does a woman need a man to feel 'married'?-and goes about answering it with both flair and heart." (Elle)
Grace Brookman thought she had it all-until her husband went out one day and never came back. Suddenly Grace is left responsible for everything, including covering up for her AWOL husband. Leaving traces of him everywhere, she discovers that a marriage can be reduced to a few timely excuses and well-placed props, some spilled crumbs here, some dirty laundry there. But then Laz's sordid past shows up on her doorstep, along with a few other surprises, turning her New York life into mess. As a single wife, Grace finally realizes it's time to take matters into her own hands...
Customer Reviews:
A marital allegory.......2007-04-30
Is it possible to be so lonely in a marriage that you feel LESS lonely when your partner is gone? And is it possible to hide the most basic facts of your existence from your friends and family?
The answer to these questions, according to Nina Solomon's "The Single Wife," is a resounding affirmative. Grace Brookman, Solomon's main character, has become somewhat accustomed to her husband's unusual comings and goings, so she automatically attempts to cover for him when he disappears in the wake of a scandal that is poised to destroy his career.
Grace puts up a good front, fooling almost everyone, and along the way discovers how lonely she's been -- and who her true friends are. Compelling characters and a unique premise make this "not your ordinary chicklit." Highly recommended.
An interesting take on friendship, marriage, and loneliness. If you enjoyed "The Time Traveler's Wife," you'll like "The Single Wife."
Awesome!.......2006-03-22
Excellent! I started it and didn't put it down until I was finished....
Very amateur writing and a promising premise that falls flat.......2006-01-26
The premise of a husband that goes missing and a wife that tries to cover it up is an interesting one...for the first 50 pages or so. Then it becomes incredibly monotonous. There were so many holes in this book that I don't even know where to begin. Grace never follows up on any clues that are handed to her about her vanished husband, instead just thinking that she must be imagining everything. A jacket appears out of nowhere? Oh, I must just have imagined it. Coffee mugs start materializing. Hmmm...must be that darned imagination again! Strange ticket stubs and lipstick in one of his pockets. Stupid imagination!!
Grace is one of the most passive and dull characters I have ever read about. What irked me most about this book wasn't how horrible it was, but how it kept me reading...mired in its horribleness...with the promise of an interesting ending that would tie all the loose ends together. There was no such thing.
Solomon is clearly a novice writer and I could almost see the editor's pen on her manuscript, telling her to add a bit of mystery here and there to keep people reading, even though it would have no bearing on the story itself. If you are midway through the book and decide you don't like it, don't bother plodding through because you will only feel cheated.
Interesting idea, bad book.......2005-10-16
Her husband has disappears and, instead of doing something about it, the protagonist decides to arrange his possessions on a daily basis as if he were still there, not to ease her grief, but to make sure the maid doesn't know he's gone. Mmmmmmmmkay. She's a rich, cold, bored housewife...no, not very likeable and certainly not a sympathetic character. Add to this the brief, inconsequential details of a conspiracy surrounding the husband's absence which, unfortunately, were not enough to keep me interested.
Single Review.......2005-10-07
Single wife was a fairly good book. It had a nice story and it kept me interested most of the time. It was about a woman named Grace, whose husband leaves her and because of previous experiences, she won't accept it. Grace covers up her husband's absence by leaving traces of him around her house and making up appropriate excuses for when he misses events. She is able to fool her ever-present parents and close friends, and her and her husband's best friend and her house keeper. As the period of time that Laz (her husband) is gone increase, Grace becomes more and more away of how one lie leads to many others. She begins to feel the burden of lying to everyone she knows, and when Laz's past returns instead of him Grace knows she is in over her head.
I enjoyed this book. The author has a very distinctive writing style and I like it, although it can be boring at times. I recommended this book to several family members and they all enjoyed it. I thought the ending could have been prolonged, and set with more depth. Over all the entire 317 page book was interesting through the end with a nice plot and good insight.
Book Description
A sweeping narrative, set in gold-prospecting Alaska, where ambition, adventure, and romance collide—and the usual rules are forgotten.
The year is 1900. Fleeing from a stormy marriage, Essie, a Midwestern farm girl, joins up with prospectors bound for Nome, where the golden sands teem with dreamers, schemers, and high rollers. Feisty and resourceful, Essie soon makes money caring for horses and delivering mail to the miners' beach diggings. Soon, too, Essie is drawn to Nate Deaton, the idealistic foreman of the Cape Nome Company. Nate's Eastern background is in direct contrast to Essie's down-to-earth Minnesota upbringing, but there is a deeper problem: Leonard, Essie's stubborn and volatile husband, is sure to come after her.
"She had lived her life steered by the force of Leonard, against him." And when Leonard does travel north, astonishing scenes of pursuit, sacrifice, and crucial decision rise to a conclusion that is both surprising and inevitable.
Powerfully evoking a past world and the variable territory of the heart, this novel establishes Peter C. Brown as a consummate storyteller.
Customer Reviews:
A fast read, but doesn't live up to its promise.......2007-09-08
I wanted to read this book for one reason and one reason only. It's set in Alaska and I just can't resist books about the frozen north. Maybe someday I'll visit that area of the world. But for now, its books that take me there.
The central character, Essie, has all the characteristics of modern historical novels: she's smart and "feisty". In this case, she's a Minnesota farm girl who marries a man who has many faults. Her husband, Leonard, has had a hard life. He has a weakness for drink which causes many hardships in the couple's lives, one of which leads to the death of their young crippled son. Essie leaves him and goes to Alaska during Gold Rush times where, naturally, she meets a strong and desirable man.
But Leonard is not to be forgotten. He travels to Alaska to find her. That's the conflict and the conclusion is inevitable.
I think the author wanted the reading public to identify with Essie. But, personally, I identified with the husband. He is a complex individual with a troubled background. I felt I understood him and where he was coming from.
As I mentioned before, I wanted to read this book because of its Alaska setting. I was a bit disappointed. I guess I've read too many books already about Alaska to make the scenes in this book memorable.
The Fugitive Wife is a fast read and I enjoyed it while I was reading it. But I know it will soon be forgotten in the dustbin of books that didn't quite live up to their promise.
A fine yarn.......2007-07-10
The best historical fiction places us in the past and lets it view it through the eyes of someone we care about. This book does that and does it well. The period and place (Alaska at the turn of the century in the middle of a gold rush) are both fascinating, and the "back story" is spare and heart-wrenching. There are many characters in here, all well-drawn, but Leonard, with his limited way of understanding the world and weakness for the jug really broke my heart. I'm not going to offer a plot synopsis because there are plenty up here, I'm just going to recommend this book.
A New Great American Story.......2006-04-30
The Fugitive Wife is a rewarding saga reminiscent in some ways of great American stories of the nineteenth century such as Moby Dick, or The Scarlet Letter. It is a story rich in historical detail, with complicated and flawed characters wrestling with passions, adversities, and moral dilemmas. The author, Peter Brown, creates vivid visual scenes for the reader and more important has a great gift for hearing and rendering his characters' unique voices. The story is principally that of Essie who bears with and then finally leaves the husband who has near ruined her life. She casts her lot with men and women forging a way in a new frontier. But the story is also about the man left behind, his anguish and the shadow it casts on the future.
One Fabulous Novel.......2006-04-09
There is so much to savor here I know I'll read THE FUGITIVE WIFE again. With the authority of careful research and the grace of a gifted storyteller, Peter Brown gives us a window to history, a love triangle, an unforgettable tale.
He parcels out the narrative, telling just enough to make the three main characters, Essie, Nate and Leonard, vivid and compelling, while holding back pieces we're both itching and afraid to know. We meet Guppy Totman, Plug Jefferson and so many other zany souls, Charles Dickens could take a lesson. Brown guides us expertly through century-old worlds of farming, trapping, chicken husbandry, mining and more. His language is rich and in tune with its time, and I stopped often to read a beautifully crafted paragraph twice, or three times.
"Abiding." Watch for this pitch-perfect, one-word sentence. The countless, lyrical phrases Brown finds to describe the sky, water, ships setting sail. Nuggets of heart-baring insight, dug deep from emotionally restrained characters. And humor. You will laugh out loud at the "five erect fingers of mortuary fortune," and more.
I'll warn you: a very creepy snake inhabits this novel. And, like the rest of THE FUGITIVE WIFE, Peter Brown brings it masterfully to life.
character is destiny.......2006-04-09
"A little curl had come into his voice like the creeper on a bittersweet." 'The Fugitive Wife' glides along on this kind of simple, elegant, and haunting prose; rich period details bring the story to life, and good old fashioned yarn-spinning (a la Ken Kesey) make it a pleasure to read. But it is the characters themselves- Nate, Essie, the gold-rush city of Nome, and above all Leonard Crummey, who make it impossible to put down. Beg, buy, or borrow this book and enjoy the ride.
Customer Reviews:
Another Winner By Charlotte Lamb.......2000-05-17
This is a charming story of how a marriage about to be on the rock was saved.
Francesca had been married to Oliver Ransom for 10 years. They started out as a poor but happy couple, passionately in love. But as years went by and Oliver became more and more successful, they began drifting apart. Oliver spent most of his time in London while Francesca was tucked away in a beautiful house in the country. Now that their only son was sent away to boarding school despite her protest, she felt her life was lonely, empty and purposeless. It was the last straw when Oliver could not make it home for their 10th wedding anniversary. She was fed up with their phoney marriage. She would no longer be taken for granted. She decided on an impulse to leave her husband
This is a fascinating story because of its all too familiar real life situations with which women, especially non-working wives, will empathise. We have a marriage going stale and a husband in danger of straying. What will the wife do? Francesca, although shy, gentle and reserved, was no fool. She knew the problem lay with their seeing so little of each other and this had to be rectified. A much more serious one was Oliver's glamorous and ambitious secretary who made no bones that she fancied and wanted to ensnare him. Francesca kept her cool. She gave her husband surprise after surprise. She was no longer the self-effacing pushover wife, but a woman with looks, brains and business sense who could hold her own. Before she took him back, he had to recognize their marriage as an equal partnership.
The floundering marriage plot can be a let down for being cliched with a less skilful writer. But Charlotte Lamb is wonderful and I was swept into the flow of the story and totally captivated. we get to look at the marriage problem not only from the wife's angle but that of the husband. We glimpsed his inner world. Even a successful man can be vulnerable; he has his fears and insecurities and needs reassurance from his wife in the form of attention and passion . But he would not tell his wife. The lack of commuication and understanding nearly killed their marriage. Luckily it had a happy everafter ending which is most satisfying.
Average customer rating:
- Excellent resource for teachers!
- Sensitive, Realistic, Unforgetable
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Baby Blue
Michelle D. Kwasney
Manufacturer: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0805070508 |
Book Description
Blue's family is coming apart at the seams. After Pa drowned in the river, Mama up and married Jinx, whom Blue and Star know is big trouble. And now Star has run away, leaving Blue behind. It was hard enough to watch Mama get knocked around when Jinx was in one of his 'moods,' but now, with Star gone, Jinx has spun out of control. It's up to Blue to find Star and get help for Mama, to piece the family back together again. But Blue is running out of time. With biting realism and poignancy, this compelling young-adult novel explores Blue's struggle to protect her family and stand up against what she knows is wrong.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent resource for teachers!.......2004-05-31
Baby Blue is a very realistic and emotional story with a strong message. It lets all the "Blues" of the world realize that they are not alone, and it may give them the strength to look for a solution to their situation. Michelle Kwasney writes in a manner that allows the reader to feel the emotions experienced by Blue and her sister Star. As a teacher, it has helped me to better understand the plight of children living in an abusive setting. This book is an excellent resouce for teachers!
Sensitive, Realistic, Unforgetable.......2004-03-31
This wonderful novel gripped me from the first page. I literally could not put it down. The character development was so realistic and so compelling that I feel as if I know Star, Blue, Ceil, and even Jinx and Pa like family. I remember that as I read the first chapters I wished I could hurry the story along because I was so invested in the story as it unfolded. Then, as I got to the end of the book, I didn't want it to end. I got a decaf, a popsicle, etc... just trying to prolong the beautiful drama and emotions I felt as I read it. Also, the author's descriptions, like the "fruit stripe gum" lamp, just etched this clear picture in my mind that is unforgetable. I hope this is just the beginning for this author, as I am looking forward to more. As a teacher, I can see how this novel, with it's sensitive handling of a difficult topic, could be ideal for the curriculum of most middle schools and high schools. I honestly haven't felt so caught up in a book since I re-read Jane Eyre last summer. I hope many others will read it and post their reviews, as I will be interested in your impressions.
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