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- All Quiet
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All Quiet on the Western Front
Erich Maria Remarque
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
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All Quiet on the Western Front (Cliffs Notes)
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ASIN: 0449213943
Release Date: 1987-03-12 |
Book Description
Paul Baumer enlisted with his classmates in the German army of World War I. Youthful, enthusiastic, they become soldiers. But despite what they have learned, they break into pieces under the first bombardment in the trenches. And as horrible war plods on year after year, Paul holds fast to a single vow: to fight against the principles of hate that meaninglessly pits young men of the same generation but different uniforms against each other--if only he can come out of the war alive.
"The world has a great writer in Erich Maria Remarque. He is a craftsman of unquestionably first trank, a man who can bend language to his will. Whether he writes of men or of inanimate nature, his touch is sensitive, firm, and sure."
THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW
Customer Reviews:
A Fine WWI book.......2007-08-05
This view in the trenches of WW I was memorable for me, having little knowledge of WW I when I read this book. I was expecting more about what led to WW I, but was happy to read the account of the young German soldier who was not involved or terribly informed about the politics. After reading this, I read "Storm of Steel" by Ernst Junger. Remarque spends more time illustrating the ugliness and the horror, which I think is endemic in any war. His gift of description is strong, and is worth reading, but not if you want to know about the grand picture. This is about the nitty gritty daily experiences of war.
Good read, but unfulfilling.......2007-07-30
Somehow this summer became the summer of WWI books for me because I have read both All Quiet and A Farewell to Arms over the past several weeks. It was interesting to read both of these books back-to-back because of the different tones and writing styles of both authors. All Quiet left me feeling unfullfilled because it really doesn't have much of a plot and the characters are underdeveloped and many are forgotten at the end. Additionally, it was like the ending just happened, again without much development or resolution. Nonetheless, it painted a pretty effective picture of life in the trenches during WWI. A Farewell to Arms is much more romantic and a more fulfilling book however.
Simply Unforgettable.......2007-07-20
" We are at rest five miles behind the front". So begins one of the world's great literary treasures. What could I say that hasn't already been written ? I have read this novel since I was in grade school , and have revisited it every few years for the past five decades. As I grow older and think of comrades and friends now long gone , I can appeciate it's sublime beauty as the greatest anti-war novel ever written.
Best book on WWI.......2007-06-19
Every war has that one book since the Industrial Revolution has inspired at least one great anti-war piece of literature. This book is probably it for WWI. It focuses on Paul, a young German who goes to serve in the German army during WWI. The book begins with him in school being fed propaganda about the glory of war. The book ends with his death in the hated trenches. In between, he loses his innocence, nerve and eventually his sanity. He, and we the reader, witness incredible pain, suffering, tragedy, and in doing so, come to understand that war is always fought by the common people, but rarely for their good. This book is unique in that the protagonist is a German soldier, rare for an English language classic. But regardless of the nationality, the experiences here were common to all soldiers. I highly enjoyed this book, and consider it the best fiction work about WWI.
All Quiet.......2007-06-07
All Quiet on the Western Front provides a glimpse into World War I from the German's perspective. My favorite aspect of the book was that at no point did it glorify war, which is something I tend to find problematic in film adaptations of war. Brilliant piece though it's disheartening as one of the classes from the local high school are reading it for school - to say the least from my experience with them at work, I don't think they're as nearly excited about it as I am.
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- Review of Cliffs Notes on All Quiet on the Western Front
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All Quiet on the Western Front (Cliffs Notes)
Erich Maria Remarque
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All Quiet on the Western Front
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ASIN: 0764586718 |
Book Description
The original CliffsNotes study guides offer expert commentary on major themes, plots, characters, literary devices, and historical background. The latest generation of titles in this series also features glossaries and visual elements that complement the classic, familiar format.
In CliffsNotes on All Quiet on the Western Front, Erich Maria Remarque takes you inside the gruesome realities of World War I through the eyes of Paul Baumer, a sensitive teenager and typical infantryman in the German army.
This study guide will help you begin to consider how Remarque’s views on war might relate to modern-day conflicts. You'll also gain insight into the life and cultural background of the author. Other features that help you study include
- Character analyses of major players
- A character map that graphically illustrates the relationships among the characters
- Critical essays
- A review section that tests your knowledge
- A
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Center full of books, articles, films, and Internet sites
Classic literature or modern modern-day treasure — you'll understand it all with expert information and insight from CliffsNotes study guides.
Download Description
This war novel is actually an anti-war novel, tracing the lives and losses of a young group of soldiers caught in the brutality of World War I. Gripping, realistic, and searing with a vision inconsistent with post-war German character, this book caused Remarque to receive death threats and to leave Germany to live and work in Hollywood.
Customer Reviews:
Review of Cliffs Notes on All Quiet on the Western Front.......2004-06-23
I have to admit that I read the Cliff Notes after I read the book twice and saw all three movies. However, the notes are still helped with understanding points that were not previously stresses. Knowing more about the Author helps in see why he chose the perspective. Keep in mind that any conclusions drawn in the notes are those of Sudan Van Kirk. After reading this supplement you may want to re read the book. The notes include:
. Life and Background of the Author
. Genera; Plot summary
. Remarque's Introductory Note
. Critical Commentaries
. Remarque's Style
. Remarque as a Social Critic
. Character Analyses
. Questions for Review
"He fell in October 1918, on a day that was so quiet and still on the whole front, that the army report confined itself to the single sentence: All quiet on the western Front."
Product Description
6 CDs - 7 hours
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All Quiet On The Western Front
Erich Maria Remarque
Manufacturer: Recorded Books, Inc.
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Binding: Audio Cassette
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ASIN: B000JLVOHS |
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"... the greater novels or all time, and should be ranked with Stephen Crane's The Red Badge of Courage and Ernest Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms as an eloquent expression of the futility and irreparable losses of war. Paul Baumer is just 19 years old when he and his classmates enlist. They are Germany's Iron Yough who enter the war with high ideals and leave disillusioned or dead. Paul watches his Second Company---150 men strong---reduced in a single battle to 32 weary survivors. Remarque takes the reader into the very trenches of World War I, and it is his particular skill to bring us so keenly and sympathetically into the daily experiences of young Baumer. The artillery fireworks overhead, the open corpses strewn about a hellishly desolate landscape, the cries of dying men---lost and anonymous in the darkness---are starlingly realized, evoking images of Dante's inferno. As Paul struggles with the relities of who he has become, and the inscrutable world to which he must return, he is led like a ghost the war's final hours." "Surely the greatest of all war books." ---Manchester Guardian "94103 (5 cassettes/7 hours), Copyright 1928 by Ullstein A.G.; renewed 1956 by Erich Maria Remarque, Copyright 1929, 1930 by Little, Brown and Company; renewed 1957, 1958 by Erich Maria Remarque, Performance Copyright 1994 by Recorded Books, Inc., Cover art by Timothy Kelly; Copyright 1994 by Recorded Books, Inc., Recorded by arrangement with Pryor, Cashman, Sherman & Flynn, Produced in the studios of Recorded Books Production, Inc., New York, For a free catalog of other unabridged Recorded Books please call: 1-(800)-638-1304, or write to: Recorded Books, Inc., 270 Skipjack Rd., Prince Frederick, MD 20678. Ask about our easy rentals by mail." [from back of case]
Book Description
Published to commemorate the centenary of the birth of Erich Maria Remarque this is an account of the making of his novel. When published in 1928, the book transformed the popular image of war; the film, directed by Lewis Milestone, was released the following year and was instantly acclaimed a classic. It remains the quintessential view of World War I and of the brutality and waste of war. Like the novel the film was censored. Andrew Kelly covers the film's origins and production, and its fortunes on and after release. It is illustrated with scenes from the film and contains extensive extracts from the screenplays.
Customer Reviews:
Outstanding story of a great book and film.......2006-05-14
Author Andrew Kelly is a fan of ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT by Eric Martia Remarque, and he has documented the entire story of the writing of the book, the making of the film, and the impact the film had on the world.
It is hard to imaging how audiences received this film in 1930. It was probably the most violent movie made up to that time. There are so many incredible scenes, like the invasion of rats in the dugout, or the old men arguing about why Germany has not won the war -- while Paul (Lew Ayres) silently slips away. One funny but sad scene is at the mess pot where half of their company has died that day, so the soldiers rejoice when they get twice the normal amount of beans to eat!
This was a risky big film for Universal, because the Great Depression had already started. But director Lewis Milestone used moving cameras and inventively used sound. They assembled a great cast for the film, including Ayres, Louis Wolheim, Slim Summerville, and Raymond Griffith
The book tells the story of reissues of the film, where censors made alterations to the film. The most shocking part of the book concerns the Nazi's banning of the film, after first sabotaging a screening of the film in Germany.
This book is a must-read for fans of the book and the film.
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Readings on All Quiet on the Western Front (Greenhaven Press Literary Companion to World Literature)
Manufacturer: Greenhaven Press
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ASIN: 1565108256 |
Customer Reviews:
Not Just for Scholars.......2003-11-15
The Greenhaven Press Literary Companion Series stated goal is to provide "an accessible resource for students researching America's and the world's greatest literary lives and works." This collection of essays succeeds in providing thought-provoking essays on Remarque's "All Quiet on the Western Front" without being so challenging that only a scholar of literature would wish to read it. While this book is not for the average reader by any means, I feel that a motivated undergraduate or high school student with a strong interest in literature will find several articles of interest. Certainly someone who's enjoyed a few college courses in literature will find this collection of essays interesting.
If feel that an adult reader wanting to gain further understanding of the novel will enjoy this book more than a student. Certainly, the article "'All Quiet' is an immature novel of adolescent self-pity" will be more interesting to someone beyond his/her teens or twenties. I must point out that this novel was written at least in part as an attempt at therapy, so the self-pity critique may not be entirely fair. Perhaps the "self-pity" essay will inspire someone to write a book entitled "The Immature Jerk in Literature." If so, I urge this reader to start looking for adolescent self-pity in "Red Badge of Courage", where this theme seems to be part of the author's intent rather than here, where it's a product of the author's genuine angst and the critics cynicism.
Ultimately, this collection says more about reactions to the novel than the novel itself. One essay is on how the author learned that he can empathize with a German. Another reflects reactions to Book of The Month Club's self-censoring the novel before releasing it. Literary analyses is also in the collection, such as "Paul Bäumer is a Christ Figure".
No one will agree with the conclusions of all the essays. Certainly "All Quiet is false and seditious" will not reflect the opinions of most readers of the novel. Certainly someone uninterested in critical thinking may not enjoy the selection. But someone who remembers the excitement of literature class in the distant past may enjoy this collection and reread some of these essays several times.
Book Description
A lively, in-depth discussion of ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT. Students are taken on an exciting journey of discovery through every scene or chapter. Also included are unique text notes, ideas for term papers, notes on the author's life as well as a glossary.
Customer Reviews:
It was a great book........1997-11-15
A great book which needs to be given credit for. If time permits you, read it for goodness sakes!!! The story of a young lad called to war, who is confused at first, but finally grows into a well-rounded young man in military terms.
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Sin novedad en el frente/All quiet on the western front
Erich Maria Remarque
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Oprah Book Club® Selection, November 2000: Andre Dubus III wastes no time in capturing the dark side of the immigrant experience in America at the end of the 20th century. House of Sand and Fog opens with a highway crew composed of several nationalities picking up litter on a hot California summer day. Massoud Amir Behrani, a former colonel in the Iranian military under the Shah, reflects on his job-search efforts since arriving in the U.S. four years before: "I have spent hundreds of dollars copying my credentials; I have worn my French suits and my Italian shoes to hand-deliver my qualifications; I have waited and then called back after the correct waiting time; but there is nothing." The father of two, Behrani has spent most of the money he brought with him from Iran on an apartment and furnishings that are too expensive, desperately trying to keep up appearances in order to enhance his daughter's chances of making a good marriage. Now the daughter is married, and on impulse he sinks his remaining funds into a house he buys at auction, thus unwittingly putting himself and his family on a trajectory to disaster. The house, it seems, once belonged to Kathy Nicolo, a self-destructive alcoholic who wants it back. What starts out as a legal tussle soon escalates into a personal confrontation--with dire results.
Dubus tells his tragic tale from the viewpoints of the two main adversaries, Behrani and Kathy. To both of them, the house represents something more than just a place to live. For the colonel, it is a foot in the door of the American dream; for Kathy, a reminder of a kinder, gentler past. In prose that is simple yet evocative, House of Sand and Fog builds to its inevitable denouement, one that is painfully dark but unfailingly honest. --Alix Wilber
Book Description
NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE
In this riveting novel of almost unbearable suspense, three fragile yet determined people become dangerously entangled in a relentlessly escalating crisis. Colonel Behrani, once a wealthy man in Iran, is now a struggling immigrant willing to bet everything he has to resotre his family's dignity. Kathy Nicolo is a troubled young woman whose house is all she has left, and who refuses to let her hard-won stability slip away from her. Sheriff Lester Burdon, a married man who finds himself falling in love with Kathy, becomes obsessed with helping her fight for justice.
Drawn by their competing desires to the same small house in the California hills and doomed by their tragic inability to understand one another, the three converge in an explosive collision course. Combining unadorned realism with profound empathy,
House of Sand and Fog marks the arrival of a major new voice in American fiction.
Customer Reviews:
Immigrant experience is the only redeeming feature of the story.......2007-08-21
The story drags. It is depressing, as others have written. Multiple layers of tragedy, but the most compelling perhaps is the tale of prejudice experienced by the family. There are better ways to spend time than reading this book.
Hmmm..........2007-08-20
I will say that the story line held my interest, the plot was plausible, even the depiction of the cultural differences and what havoc that wrought in the clash between the characters was fascinating and truthful. I cared about each of the characters and was riveted to find out what would happen to them next. The BIG downer of this book, however, was all of the cursing and way too much explicit sex. I realize this was somewhat important for developing the characters of Lester and Kathy, but the mere suggestion of it would have been enough. Instead, it was excessive, dirty, and over the top in my opinion. Overall, I'm glad I read this strong emotion and thought provoking story, but I would be reluctant, embarrassed even, to recommend it without warning of the excessive and explicit sex and cursing.
I can't believe this made Oprah's book list.......2007-08-07
If you think that you are too happy with your life and you want waste a couple hours, then this is the book for you. I can't believe that this book was made into a movie or that Oprah put this on her book club list. It is that bad.
I did find it interesting to review the cultural differences and expectations of different societies, but other than that it was extremely depressing and a total waste of time. If you want to know the ending - everyone either dies or goes to jail. What an uplifting story - not!
Mixed Feelings.......2007-07-02
Rating this novel was extremely difficult because the book left me with very mixed feelings. The writing and imagery were magnificent and certainly worthy of five shining stars. Some of the plotlines and characterizations, however, were relatively disappointing. The characters of Lester and Kathy evoked a lot of anger and frustration, which may have been the author's intention, but their overwhelming selfishness, ignorance, and simplicity was a bit over the top. Their "love" affair was also a bit over the top and Lester's instant devotion was difficult to swallow considering he was essentially a confused adulterer who violently abused his power as a police officer and somewhat took advantage of a troubled woman who had nothing left to lose. This wasn't as emotional a read as I was expecting because it was almost impossible to sympathize with half of the key characters (mainly Lester and more often than not Kathy). I do, however, commend the author for the unique and intriguing cultural perspective he weaved throughout the book.
wow!.......2007-06-14
Even though the ending was spoiled for me ( didn't finish in time for book club) I was captivated enough to finish anyway. I really enjoyed the story. Very well written. I highly recomend this one. ( The film was pretty good too!)
Product Description
With stories that movingly illuminate the hopes and disappointments of contemporary American dreamers, Andre Dubus III has risen to the top ranks of American novelists. In this Oprahs Book Club selection and finalist for the National Book Award, he tells the riveting tragedy of two determined, yet fragile people who become caught up in a relentlessly escalating crisis. Colonel Behrani is a once-wealthy Iranian immigrant who struggles for dignity while working low-wage jobs in America. Kathy Nicolo is a troubled young house cleaner striving to put her life in order. When Kathys house is mistakenly put up for public auctionand Behrani risks the last of his familys fortune to buy itthe two become enmeshed in a desperate conflict. An elegant and powerful examination of the tragedy that arises from our failure to understand each other, House of Sand and Fog is an original, completely riveting literary thriller. A dual narration by the author and Fontaine Dollas Dubus voices all the drama of ordinary lives spinning out of control.
Customer Reviews:
A MODERN DAY GREEK TRAGEDY..........2006-05-28
This book is simply a masterpiece. It is an exceptionally well-written and brilliantly told story of two people whose destinies become intertwined through a simple twist of fate. It is the story of what happens to them and to those who love them, when their respective worlds collide in a climactic and tragic ending.
It is the story of Colonel Behrani, a formerly wealthy Iranian, who had thrived under the regime of the Shah, only to have lost everything during his country's revolution. Now, he and his family find themselves undergoing the immigrant experience in America, working to maintain appearances among their fellow exiles, and finding the going hard. Working long hours at menial jobs, Colonel Behrani longs to be a master of the universe again.
It is also the story of Kathy Nicolo, a woman with some serious issues. She is a sad and pathetic bottom feeder, who has lost nearly everything in life, including the one thing that has kept her somewhat anchored: the house she inherited from her father. She is a loser and innocuous bumbler who has totally squandered her life. When she loses that which she holds most dear, her house, and is summarily evicted from it, she meets Sheriff Lester Burden, a married man with children, who is smitten by her. His obsession with her would lead him down a path from which there would be no return.
When Colonel Behrani's quest for the American Dream finds him with an opportunity to buy a house at a bargain basement price at a county auction, he plunks down the remainder of his family's life savings. At the time, he knows nothing of the circumstances of the county's possession of that house, Kathy's house. He and his family move in. Colonel Behrani's head is filled with dreams of selling the house at a large profit, becoming a real estate speculator, and leading his family back to its former glory and place in society. He truly believes that America is the land of opportunity. He still believes in the American Dream.
Kathy, on the other hand, has done nothing with the opportunities afforded her. She has simply squandered them by marrying the wrong men, boozing, and drugging herself into oblivion. Living a marginal existence by cleaning houses and proving herself to be an untrustworthy and totally amoral person with little regard for others, her life is the antithesis of the American Dream. Still, she has this house, and when she loses it due to a bureacratic error, the bottom totally falls out of her life. For now, she truly has nothing. Like a dog with a bone, she refuses to let the issue go and will stop at nothing to get her house back from the Behranis, whom she views as greedy usurpers. Her view of the situation is supported by Sheriff Lester Burdon, who becomes embroiled in Kathy's struggle and takes it to a level that not even Kathy could have anticipated.
As the author takes the reader to the book's climactic ending, the reader will not be able to put down this beautifully crafted, literary tour de force. The author evokes a distinct mood in his narrative of the Behrani family through a clever use of language and sentence structure that seems to match the syncopation of their first language, giving it a rich, three dimensional flavor. The language of Colonel Behrani has a rich infusion of the cultural milieu out of which he arose. It is a wonderful literary contrivance used to great effect by a very talented and gifted writer.
When the author writes about Kathy, the language and sentence structure of the narrative is simpler, looser, baser, reflective of the individual around whom the author is trying to create a mood. Again he succeeds, as Kathy is a very primal character, unlike Colonel Behrani, who is more introspective. She is someone who ruins almost everything that she touches without meaning to do so. She is a person totally lacking in self-control. When she meets Sheriff Lester Burden, a tightly wound, conflicted man, very much in control of himself, his passion for her causes him to begin to lose his self-control. He begins a downward spiral that ends in a personal meltdown. The character of Kathy is somewhat pitiable, as she is the catalyst around whom the tragic events unfold. They unfold, however, in a way that she never intended.
This modern day Greek tragedy, with its layers of moral and cultural complexities, is a spellbinding and suspenseful page turner, crafted by an enormously talented author who is able to construct a rich and powerful novel of the first order. It is simply a great book. Bravo!
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SIX MAJOR MOTION PICTURE BOOKS IN HER SHOES, HOUSE A SAND AND FOG, SEABISCUIT, A CIVIL ACTION, THE REMAINS OF THE DAY, THE GENERAL'S DAUGHTER.
JENNIFER WEINER ,
ANDRE DUBUS III ,
LAURA HILLENBRAND ,
JONATHAN HARR ,
KAZUO ISHIGURO , and
NELSON DEMILLE
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000SSMOBC |
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SIX MAJOR MOTION PICTURE IN BOOKS
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- Benchmarks for Science Literacy (Benchmarks for Science Literacy, Project 2061)
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Recommended Books
- Why the French Don't Like Headscarves: Islam, the State, and Public Space
- Stem Cell Transplantation: Biology, Processes, Therapy
- Impressionist Cats
- Robert Ludlum's The Altman Code: A Covert-One Novel
- New Gardens of the American West: The Landscape Architecture of Design Workshop
- Soil and Aquifer Pollution: Non-Aqueous Phase Liquids - Contamination and Reclamation
- Ready...Start...School
- Symbolist Art Theories: A Critical Anthology
- Otafuku: Joy of Japan
- Lignicolous Corticioid Fungi
