The Inheritance of Loss

Book Description

Published to extraordinary acclaim, The Inheritance of Loss heralds Kiran Desai as one of our most insightful novelists. She illuminates the pain of exile and the ambiguities of postcolonialism with a tapestry of colorful characters: an embittered old judge; Sai, his sixteen-year-old orphaned granddaughter; a chatty cook; and the cook’s son, Biju, who is hopscotching from one miserable New York restaurant to another, trying to stay a step ahead of the INS. When a Nepalese insurgency in the mountains threatens Sai’s new-sprung romance with her handsome tutor, their lives descend into chaos. The cook witnesses India’s hierarchy being overturned and discarded. The judge revisits his past and his role in Sai and Biju’s intertwining lives. A story of depth and emotion, hilarity and imagination, The Inheritance of Loss tells a story of love, family, and loss.

Customer Reviews:

great book.......2007-10-10

This was a great read. I enjoyed the analogies between the lives of all the different characters as they played out in the novel. Most of them were very pitiful and sad, and indicative of changes we all must make in this globalized new world, good or bad. I really enjoyed the authors use of words; they were very unusual. The author left all the characters dangling as far as their future was concerned. They all came to a crossroads in their lives with no resolution and it bodes the possibility of a sequel to this. I would really enjoy that. I recommend this book for anybody who is interested in the human condition as it applies to decisions we make as our world advances forward not be leaps and bounds but by turbocharge.

Enthralling But Grim Picture.......2007-10-02

This novel is set in a relatively isolated village in India, with characters ranging from poor to upper middle class. A secondary setting is Manhattan where undocumented immigrants work in squalor and try to survive. The picture of life in India is one I had never seen, and the picture of the impact of British rule is far from complimentary. Character development, plot and historical context are all quite strong, leading to a bittersweet ending. I thought this work was a little drawn out toward the conclusion, which is the only reason for 4 rather than 5 stars.

An absolute delight.......2007-09-25

Beautifully written, charming, playful and yet melancholy, fantastically absurd at times and bitterly realistic at others. I was hooked from the first page. It is a book to be savoured: delightful imagery and perspectives. In the same company as The God of Small Things, another Booker winner that has clearly (and surprisingly) polarised readers into those who loved it (me included) and those who could not finish it. For anyone who enjoys good modern Anglo-Indian writing.

just a matter of taste, I guess . . ........2007-09-24

There isn't much I can add to the positive reviews here. Kiran Desai is a wonderful and talented writer; her canvas is vast and all-encompassing. Far from being bored, I couldn't put it down from the first page. And when I was finished, I went right back to the beginning and read the first few chapters all over again. Go figure.

Intriguing Story.......2007-09-14

In my opinion, this book was an intriguing and interesting story. I always enjoy reading a book that not only relates a wonderful story but also gives me an education. With this book it was the insight into India's way of life, customs and culture. Kiran Desai, detailed India's social order, and vividly described the living conditions and way life of the people living in the countryside. I could not help myself from being touched by the characters in the story, especially Biju life in New York. From Kalimpong to New York City, the author created these characters with such realism that when tragedy struck, I felt their pain. I did feel that the author was a bit weak in the romance side of the story, but overall I enjoyed this very interesting story.

For a Woman's Fiction that reveals the emotions and feelings of a women check out Gathering of Cans by Robert L. Saunders. This refreshing story is a real stunner. In this romance with a bit of mystery story the author heralds the relationship between husband and wife. I read this warm and wonderful story and I wasn't disappointed. You will travel with Zoie Baker, the heroine, on her quest to build a swimming pool by gathering aluminum cans. She feels right down to her bones that this is her destiny. Unique cans that she stumbles on, i.e., Nehi, Mountain Dew, etc., takes the reader on a glorious journey in the life of Zoie from World War II where she meets her soon to be husband, Nat, a Marine, through the 1980's. This gripping story will keep you up to read just one more chapter. You too won't be disappointed! Bye.

Average customer rating:

memory lane
I surprising study of relationships and human nature
Heartfelt, relatable story about what friendships can endure...
KInd of disappointed with the ending
It's an OK book

The Myth of You and Me: A Novel
Leah Stewart
Manufacturer: Shaye Areheart Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Literary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Friendship | Women's Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 1400098068
Release Date: 2005-08-30

Book Description

When Cameron was fifteen, Sonia was her best friend—no one could come between them. Now Cameron is a twenty-nine-year-old research assistant with no meaningful ties to anyone except her aging boss, noted historian Oliver Doucet.

When an unexpected letter arrives from Sonia ten years after the incident that ended their friendship, Cameron doesn’t reply, despite Oliver’s urging. But then he passes away, and Cameron discovers that he has left her with one final task: to track down Sonia and hand-deliver a mysterious package to her. Now without a job, a home, and a purpose, Cameron decides to honor his request, setting off on the road to find this stranger who was once her inseparable other half.

The Myth of You and Me, the story of Cameron and Sonia’s friendship—as intense as any love affair—and its dramatic demise, captures the universal sense of loss and nostalgia that often lingers after the end of an important relationship. Searingly honest, beautiful, and full of fragile urgency, The Myth of You and Me is a celebration and portrait of a friendship that will appeal to anyone who still feels the absence of that first true friend.

Also available as a Random House AudioBook and an eBook

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Leah Stewart is the author of Body of a Girl. She has taught at Vanderbilt University and Sewanee, the University of the South. She lives outside of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, with her husband, writer Matt O’Keefe, and their daughter. Visit her at leahstewart.com.

From the Hardcover edition.

Customer Reviews:

memory lane.......2007-10-06

This was a book that I didn't want to put down. When I did have to, I was wondering what Cameron was going to come across, or remember, next. Many of the things they encountered in their frindship, I would remember about my own "best friend" relationships. So not only did I get to enjoy reading this story, but I also was able to enjoy some of my own memories that the book brought to mind, and re-examine some the things that have happened over the years to change my own friendships.

I surprising study of relationships and human nature.......2007-07-16

I loved this book. I loved the characters and the notion of how you work so hard to present yourself as one person, but you are not happy with the outcome of the created perception. I thought the flashing back was done elegantly and not choppy. A book club read that pleasantly surprised.

Heartfelt, relatable story about what friendships can endure..........2007-06-28

Immediately after finishing this book (and wiping the tears away!) I felt compelled to contact all of my girlfriends to pass along this MUST-READ novel about friendships and the twists and turns they take throughout our lives, especially during those rather fragile transitions from high school to college and from college to "real life."

Written from the perspective of Cameron, a 29-year old "dreamer who never belived in the dream," the book explores her friendship and subsequent "breakup" with Sonia, whom she met at 14 and with whom she developed a bond so strong they nearly melded into a singular person. Through a series of flashbacks and her current journey to find and deliver a mystery package to her "ex-best-friend" we learn about the power of female friendships and how when they end, they can be even more painful than a romantic breakup. We also learn about the need to belong, to be loved, to have someone who understands and knows the real you, behind any mask you may wear for the world. It is a book of universal relatability for women of every age (I don't think I would necesarily recommend it for men, although I'm sure it will be loved by many). This is not by any means a "Chick-Lit" book- it has great depth and so many beautifully written and memorable quotes (nearly 1/4 of my copy is underlined by phrases I don't want to forget!)

I look forward to reading more of Leah Stewart's works and very highly recommend this wonderful novel.

KInd of disappointed with the ending.......2007-05-05

To me, getting to the end of this book was actually better then the ending itself. I liked how she would switch between the present and the past, and it also brought of memories of my adolescence, but the ending was just kind of "blah" compared to the trip there. I will, however, read another book by this author.

It's an OK book.......2007-03-24

Like many of the other reviewers, I read this "on assignment" from a book club, and like the other reviewers, I found it to be a quick read. That said, I'm not sure under other conditions I would have chosen this book. The narrator is developmentally stuck in a late adolescent/mid-20's phase. But because the story is told exclusively in the narrator's voice, most of the characters lacked a certain depth or complexity. I also wasn't thrilled by the portrayal of the mothers in the book--variously verging on angelic, or demonic, or simply lacking in presence. But the author uses an interesting narrative device, utilizing the format of deductive reasoning similar to that of a really good mystery novel, through which the characters and major events are unfolded. So if you're looking for something that is fun and very light, this is a good enough book.

Average customer rating:

The Sins of the Mother
Powerful and Poignant
Some good characters, patient story with kick, a bit preachy
A Heartbreaking & Deeply Moving Novel
What a find! A terrific writer!

Passing on: A Novel
Penelope Lively
Manufacturer: Grove Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0802111556

Book Description

Booker-Prize winning author Penelope Lively is that rare writer who goes from strength to strength in book after perfectly assured book. In Passing On, she applies her distinctive insight and consummate artistry to the subtle story of a domineering and manipulative mother's legacy to her children. With their mother's death, Helen and Edward, both middle-aged and both unmarried, are left to face the ramifications of their mother's hold on their lives for all of these years. Helen and Edward slowly learn to accept what has been lost in their own lives and embrace what can yet be retrieved. "The richest and most rewarding of her novels." - The Washington Post Book World

Customer Reviews:

The Sins of the Mother.......2004-07-11

Helen and Edward Glover have just buried their mother, Dorothy. Dorothy, the manipulative and domineering woman that she was, raised two meek children who did her bidding and one child, Suzanne who escaped her, but understood the life her siblings had led. Penelope Lively has once again written a wonderfully literate book of characters, showing their foibles, yet the allowing the mysteries of life to unfold in real drama.

Helen and Edward live in a small town near the edge of Cotswold. Helen is 52 and a part-time librarian. Edward is 49 and a teacher at a girl's school. It appears that both of them have not made much of their life, under the eye of their mother who had a need to keep them under her thumb, while allowing them to think they were not worthy of much.

They live in a large, unkempt home Greystones, and have a piece of land known as the Britches, which Edward keeps as an environmentally safe place. After their mother dies, she stays with them in picture and soul. It takes a while before either of them can talk about her. It is while Helen is cleaning her mother's room and then cleaning the entire house that she finds the "nasty" things her mother had done to keep her two children at home. In the meanwhile, Helen has blossomed and has become good friends their solicitor, Giles, She falls in love with this wily man and feels like a school girl again.

Edward, in the meantime becomes more reserved and into himself. An incident occurs that rocks both of Helen's and Edward's lives. As it happens, Phil, their sister, Suzanne's son has moved in with them because he and his parents do not see eye to eye. Both Helen and Edward continue their daily life and seem to make a difference in Phil's life. Has Dorothy's death freed these two characters to pursue their own lives?

Both Helen and Edward appear to be accepting what has been lost in their lives because of their mother and moving on to a new and better life. Their next door neighbor wants their land and will use every wily trick he can muster. Are Helen and Edward smart enough to rebuff this man? What would new found money do to their life? Penelope Lively has introduced us to two characters that move our hearts and souls. She has been able to develop their personalities to such a degree that we can begin to understand how Dorothy, the mother has taken over their very thought and desires. How to break free of this tragic creature?
Can something be done, be retrieved of their lives. A poignant and personal look inside the minds and hearts of two people we come to care about. Penelope Lively has done it again! prisrob

Powerful and Poignant.......2004-07-08

Only an author of Penelope Lively's talent could present a story of two diffident, almost invisibly shy middle-aged people and make the reader not only care about them, but care deeply.

On the surface, nothing whatsoever happens in the very quiet country lives of Helen and Edward, a brother and sister caught in a time warp of old-fashioned Victorianism smack in the middle of the teeming 80s (when this book was written). Having lost their domineering old battle-axe of a mother as the book begins, both brother and sister are having trouble banishing her critical and strident voice from each of their minds.

As they go about their days--Helen as a part-time librarian, Edward as a schoolteacher--the reader senses that something horrific is about to happen. The very stillness of their lives portends something awful. It is the genius of the author that can portray that feeling without in any way discussing it or warning the reader...it's just there.

And when it happens, lives are shattered, and the reader simply must weep.

This is a tour de force. A brilliant piece of writing. And something that cannot be put down and forgotten.

Some good characters, patient story with kick, a bit preachy.......2004-03-18

I realised about half way through this book that I had read it before (the first thing to really push my recognition buttons was a typically straw man attack on Creationists. I also remembered the technique she used of telling us early that one of her characters fiddled with their glasses when perplexed, and later just saying when they started fiddling). All the plot seems to happen in the last couple of chapters, whereas until that point we're just getting a picture of the main two characters. Our central character, Helen, is a 52 year old woman dealing with the death of her overbearing mother, who may have actually altered the whole course of her daughter's life by, for example, not handing on a potentially vital love letter Helen finds while sorting her mother's things. The issue for Helen is less whether things really would have been different if her mother hadn't have been involved than how much she is to blame for not taking a stand, for being too pliant.

Lively is good, you get to like and respect Helen. A major theme is linking nature to our lives: how do we deal with the fact that we really are just beasts with intelligence? (The conclusion manages to have some hope in this bleak outlook: 'They saw that there is nothing to be done, but that something can be retrieved.') This is the assumption - obviously I deal with it differently to Lively. And I suppose I put a minus after the A because I think her insight, while profound in some areas, doesn't extend to respecting anyone with alternate views. The novel is a bit preachy (in a relatively subtle way - it's not the only concern of the book), and does unapologetically reduce several characters to mere goodies and baddies (eg. Ron Plaget, Helen's mother, Giles Carnaby, Susan Wilmot). She also is pushing a pretty tough barrow: she wants us to feel sympathy for Helen's 49 year old brother, a repressed homosexual who gropes the neighbour's 14 year old, and to utterly condemn, in contrast, anyone in society opposed to homosexuality - including the father of the 14 year old (set up for a fall, of course, an utterly immoral opportunist). The way she tells the story, we are sympathetic, but it is such a contrived 'moral' that makes its point but undermines the universality of the story.

Plotwise, slow moving, sure, but a dynamite finish, with several things all happening at once, rather than conveniently pacing themselves throughout the drama. We reel with the characters with no time to wallow over major events as more major ones rudely jump in. The irony is thick as Helen's younger sister talks on about her daily crisis' assuming that her stick in the mud single older siblings will have had nothing to report - when actually they're going though much more that she probably will never give the chance to hear (shades of some conversations I've had with ' also reminds me of that ably presented scene in 'Pulp Fiction' where Bruce Willis' character, on the run from the mob, has to tread carefully around his girlfriend's potential tantrums about her nails or whatever).

Like I said, she's good - but she should read some Hornby and see it's possible to present characters that differ but are both respectable. It does surprise me when people like Lively or Adam Spencer (JJJ presenter/mathamatician) do just write off anyone who believes that the complexity and beauty of nature suggest there is a God. Not just disagree, but vehemently abuse. Surely somewhere they've come across someone they respect who holds to this idea? Maybe they have but can't put the two together. Christians with half a brain have known and made it clear for ages that some very intelligent people are atheists. How about some atheists with half a brain making it clear that some very intelligent people are theists?

A Heartbreaking & Deeply Moving Novel.......2000-01-25

Reading this book broke my heart. And yet, when I finished it I turned back to page one and began again. The characters in this book are so complex and compelling, it was as if they were people who inhabit my day to day life. I recommend this book to anyone wishing to be haunted by perfect fiction.

What a find! A terrific writer!.......1998-06-26

Passing On was my introduction to Penelope Lively and now I'm looking for her other books to see if they're as good! Reading this novel was a much more pleasurable (and poignant) experience than any plot synopsis I could provide would indicate, so just try to get hold of a copy-and enjoy!

The Magnificent Ambersons (Library of Indiana Classics)

Average customer rating:

Better than Marquand
A Classic Early 20th Century Novel
The Magnificent Stuck in Amber Family
Riffraff!
Riffraff

The Magnificent Ambersons (Library of Indiana Classics)
Booth Tarkington
Manufacturer: Indiana Univ Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

General | Graphic Novels | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0253358752

Book Description

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize when it was first published in 1918, The Magnificent Ambersons chronicles the changing fortunes of three generations of an American dynasty. The protagonist of Booth Tarkington's great historical drama is George Amberson Minafer, the spoiled and arrogant grandson of the founder of the family's magnificence. Eclipsed by a new breed of developers, financiers, and manufacturers, this pampered scion begins his gradual descent from the midwestern aristocracy to the working class. Today The Magnificent Ambersons is best known through the 1942 Orson Welles movie, but as the critic Stanley Kauffmann noted, "It is high time that [the novel] appear again, to stand outside the force of Welles's genius, confident in its own right." "The Magnificent Ambersons is perhaps Tarkington's best novel," judged Van
Wyck Brooks. "[It is] a typical story of an American family and town--the great family that locally ruled the roost and vanished virtually in a day as the town spread and darkened into a city. This novel no doubt was a permanent page in the social history of the United States, so admirably conceived and written was the tale of the Amber-sons, their house, their fate and the growth of the community in which they were submerged in the end." Booth Tarkington (1869-1946), a prolific writer who achieved overnight success with his first novel, The Gentleman from Indiana (1899), is perhaps best remembered as the author of the popular Penrod adventures and Seventeen (1916). He was awarded a second Pulitzer Prize for the novel Alice Adams (1921).

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Customer Reviews:

Better than Marquand.......2007-07-17

Assuming you have read the synopsis and a few other reviews, I thought a comparative review might serve as a change of pace. I purchased this book some time ago after The Atlantic ran a few reviews for early 20th century `transformation' novels slowly reclaiming their place in American Literature. Included in that list were The Late George Apley, H.M. Pullham Esquire (both by John P. Marquand), Alice Adams, and The Magnificent Ambersons (both by Booth Tarkington). Booth Tarkington had the added honor of an article in the New Yorker discussing his merits (structure and theme) and his demerits (awkward prose) during his `rediscovery.'

Each of these books takes as its theme the cultural transformation of America in the early 20th century (less so Alice Adams), which I found appealing given what I consider to be a cultural transformation currently taking place. I can only hope I am not becoming as out-of-touch as the characters in these novels when I question society's direction. And if I am, I hope I am more George Apley than Georgie Minafer.

I enjoyed both Marquand novels for their directness and humor. While The Magnificent Ambersons lacks these qualities (and their clean prose), its net effect is much more profound in my mind. The Marquand novels function as well-crafted time capsules rather than emotional appeals to the necessity of change. In today's world, it is easy to dismiss the codgerly annoyance and trifling social involvements of George Apley as the consequence of an East Coast aristocracy in decline. It is similarly easy to dismiss the honor-bound desperation and cognitive dissonance of Harry Pulham as the follow-on effects of Apley's generation, passed on to children faced with the Great War and the Great Depression. However, it is not easy to dismiss Georgie Minifer's behavior and ultimate `comeuppance.' The reason is simple - his character is so completely worthless and needlessly arrogant that it is impossible not to HATE this character. It is impossible not to beg for his `comeuppance.' Most frustratingly, by story's end it is difficult not to feel sorry for his character and hope that a better tomorrow waits him...the reader becines guilty of the very same motherly coddling which created Georgie's faults in the first place.

As opposed to the Marquand Man who has simply been passed by a newer generation, here we have someone actually IN the new generation who scornfully rejects every opportunity to change. In the end, he is literally run over by his town's agent of change while pining for his symbol of the way things used to be. Most like the Marquand Man, he is actually returned to the bosom of the old world by simple virtue of being unable to function in the new. Does he deserve forgiveness simply for asking? Maybe. Does he deserve a second chance because he forces himself to adopt the bedrock principles which initially provided his family's fortune (hard work and respect for family)? Possibly. Is it fair to Apley and Pulham to reward a spoiled brat for refusing to give in? I don't think so.

However, this is the point of comparison - it is the emotional impact of this novel that sets it above other transitional works in the same vein. Tarkington has captured one of the few truths of the human experience - some people never change. Tarkington has also created a much more effective message - change or fall into oblivion in spite of your most violent protests. This is the transition both Tarkington and Marquand were witnessing, yet Tarkington seems to have better anticipated impact. America does not bypass the elites because their time has passed, it bears down with the entire weight of its populace on those unwilling to innovate, work hard, and cast off conceits falsely placed in the achievements of their forebears.

A Classic Early 20th Century Novel.......2007-05-19

I think Tarkington's "Ambersons" is the first great Post-WWI American novel. Written in 1918, the novel chronicles the transition of the midwestern American postwar society from the contol of the robber baron gentry to industrialized, modern consumerism-- all personified in the precipitous decline of the Ambersons and their world of priveledge and social status.

With a surprisingly dry and sophisticated sense of cynicism, Tarkington's prose shows the beginnings of the style of Sinclair Lewis, Hemmingway, and Steinbeck that became ascendant in the period after the war.

The Magnificent Stuck in Amber Family.......2007-04-06

Set somewhere in heartland (actually, "Midland") America around the turn of the 20th century, "The Magnificent Ambersons" is a sharp and ultimately melancholy look at change. Founded on old money, the family's generations glide easily along in extravagance, until the cash runs out. Their unwillingness to adapt to new times and new industry dooms their lives of comfort and inertia, as their mansions decay and their neighborhood becomes one of common housing and polluted air.

The protagonist is George Amberson Minafer, the sole inhabitant of the third generation and an insufferable snob. He gets his come-uppance in the end, but the Ambersons have fallen so far so quickly that hardly anyone notices or cares anymore. He's chagrined to find after the fall of the house of Amberson that his once-prominent family is not even mentioned in the city history of great family names. His mother is irrationally, almost beyond belief, defensive and protective of her little scion. It's no wonder he was the terror of the town for so many years.

Booth Tarkington gradually clues the reader in that something's going wrong with the Amberson empire. He points out, mostly through Minafer's agonized thoughts, that nothing is permanent. The great fortunes and mansions that displace the Ambersons will themselves fade one day, and the customs and people one knows from infancy on will likewise shift. Midland undergoes a jarring shift from the wealthy and their poorer but settled neighbors to a bustling, dirty city of what Minafer sees as money-grubbing ethnic immigrants and incessant change. The old rich who didn't adapt fall victim to what one modern political commentator has called "creative destruction."

As if to underscore the transitory nature of things, Tarkington kills off most of the Amberson family as if it were itself somehow defective and weak. Minafer redeems himself somewhat at the end but only because of necessity. The few Ambersons who are left find themselves in a nearly alien culture that took only several decades to establish itself. Like Ozymandias, the Ambersons thought themselves and their way of life to be endless. Tarkington's rather bleak message seems to be that nothing is forever, no future is guaranteed, and that those who follow have no more claim on permanence than the mighty who have fallen before them.

Riffraff!.......2007-02-02

Possibly what keeps Barth Tarkington from going the way of the Magnificent Ambersons, completely rolled over and forgotten by history, is that this novel is on the Modern Library's top 100 list of books to read. A quick look at the imdb movie database shows that a number of his works were made into films and starred such pantheons of the golden age of movies as Orsen Welles and Rudolf Valentino. An amazon check shows that he won the Pulitzer Prize--twice! As I was sick in bed without a book of interest at hand Tarkington was perfect: his was a free ebook easily downloaded. It is a regrettable that this towering novelist of another time has become rather obscure today.
The Magnificent Ambersons excels in highlighting a rapidly changing time in American history: dress, language, style, breeding, importance, aristocracy and more all went through transformation as cities grew, fortunes were made and lost and life changed. These changes, seen and experienced by the author, an Indianapolis resident his entire life, are narrated from the living room (or parlor, or "reception" room) outwards. In the case of the Amberson family, the city they helped grow now thrives beyond them and their faltering fortune can't maintain the family as it swirls into obscurity and is surpassed by the modern motor car and sooty grime that defines the city. A touching scene occurs when the proud grandfather, stooped and aged, sits at his desk in his once impressive mansion going over ledger books to a gaslight while the boarding houses all around it have electric lights, and cars speed past the old stables where his rather now shabby carriage sits. Turmoil, Tarkington's previous novel that serves as a prequel to The Magnificent Ambersons, describes a midwestern city scene that could easily find a place here:

And then, as the car drove on, the chimneys and stacks of factories
came swimming up into view like miles of steamers advancing abreast,
every funnel with its vast plume, savage and black, sweeping to the
horizon, dripping wealth and dirt and suffocation over league on
league already rich and vile with grime.

The book's center is the grandson George Amberson Minafer, who grows up spoiled, proud, selfish and limited, and views those around him as riffraff. His goal to "be" rather than "do" prepares him for nothing, and his world view works to destroy him and undue his mother's last chance at happiness. The town in earlier years always wanted to see him have his "come uppance", (to get what was coming to him), and it comes casually, slowly, as his family is forgotten to poverty, and his own self importance is eventually shared by no one. That he is only 24 when this occurs, and has nothing to combat it but frayed pride, is pathetic. Amberson regrets that the new section of the town cemetery doesn't take into account that the older section holds the most important names, and views his uncle's entry into Congress for its ability to make family members ambassadors, allowing for easier family travel abroad. He takes all as his due, and offers little but arrogance in return. In the hands of a lesser writer George might be unbelievable or a caricature, but Tarkington makes him real, and George's failure to see beyond his own point of view is tragic.
The book's only weakness is its ending. Those who can help him do so only when his mother "speaks" to them during a seance, and its wraps up the novel too quickly. George has by this time shown some redemption, but his lifelong obstinence is still intact, and his faltering attempts at apologies should not hide that the kindness being shown him is not due so much to a light at long last glowing in his soul, but rather the pity being shown by others whose character is far surpasses his own.

Riffraff.......2006-09-27

Few books look at the decline of old ways of life the way "The Magnificent Ambersons" does. Booth Tarkington's Pulitzer-winning novel is a sharp, brilliant, sometimes mocking look at the way that old money crumbled away when the industrial revolution hit, and the way those Gilded Age millionaires ended up. It's undeniably Tarkington's best novel.

Georgie Minafer is the only heir and scion of the wealthy Amberson family, and unsurprisingly he's an insufferable brat. He doesn't improve as he grows up, believing that "there's a few people whose birth and position... puts them at the top" -- and his snottiness doesn't improve when he encounters and falls in love with an inventor's daughter, whose father was once smitten with his mother.

But soon the Amberson fortunes start to change -- family deaths, loss of money, and the encroaching city that is swallowing up their estate. George continues to believe that he is superior to others, but this belief is increasingly strained as "the magnificent Ambersons" lose the last of their property. And George's only salvation may be the man he once called "riffraff."

"The Magnificent Ambersons" seems at first to be a tombstone to the Gilded Age's beauty and glamour. Then you realize that George is a pain in the butt, not a noble figure, and that Tarkington had little affection for that bygone age -- the entire thing is an ironic look at how the "old money" refused to change their ways, and got swamped for it. Tarkington takes aim at rrogance, complacency, idleness and other flaws.

And Tarkington had a rare gift for irony. His writing seems a bit stuffy at first, with pages of details on clothes and parties; but as the Amberson fortunes fall, his prose becomes faster and more incisive. And the differences between idle "old money" and the poeple who "do" things becomes more pronounced, as well as the encroachment of machines and urban life into a once-elegant place. For example, the apartment buildings where the Amberson front lawn was.

It's pretty obvious from the start that while this is George's story, he's not the hero. He's arrogant, pompous, and genuinely believes that he is next to royalty just because his grandfather is rich. Only in the last chapters does he finally realize that he's no better than anyone else -- when even the people who once loathed him no longer even remember him.

The other Ambersons are humbler but no more useful. Aunt Fanny and Uncle George seem almost bewildered by their gradual downslide. And as a contrast to the formerly moneyed family, Tarkington provides readers with the car manufacturer Eugene Morgan -- George's opposite in every way -- and his sprightly, intelligent daughter.

Even the title of "The Magnificent Ambersons" is ironic, and it suits this quietly biting novel about how the world changed at the start of the twentieth century. The best book Tarkington ever wrote.

Book Description

In today’s society many young people have lost sight of the value of money and seem to believe that money really does "grow on trees." Part expose and part survival guide, Prodigal Sons and Material Girls addresses the nagging issue faced by many parents today – why do their children have such unrealistic expectations about money?

The book is divided into two comprehensive parts. Part I outlines the disturbing facts about America’s possession-crazed youth and the society that has distorted their views. You’ll be introduced to everything from the "three-headed monster"—a high-powered triumvirate of consumer products companies, media conglomerates, and advertising agencies that has tremendous influence over your children—to the distorted view of the American Dream as shaped by principles known as "The Teen Commandments." In learning what you’re up against you can teach financial responsibility from a position of strength.

In Part II, Dungan offers creative and convincing examples on how to leverage his highly successful "Share-Save-Spend" approach to money – critical elements for you to help your children break free from the materialism that has become ingrained in our society. Through insightful anecdotes and simple exercises, you will learn how to:

Talk to your children about money
Understand the difference between financial wants and needs
Increase the probability of your children having a prosperous life
Raise your children’s marketing IQ
Maintain healthy financial boundaries
Set a healthy example for your children to follow

The "Share–Save–Spend" methodology will help your children establish healthy financial habits and will undoubtedly become their foundation for making a lifetime of responsible financial decisions.

Nathan Dungan is an innovative leader in the financial services industry. Over the past 15 years, he has been a top-performing financial advisor outside of Philadelphia, PA and most recently served as Vice President of Marketing for Lutheran Brotherhood (now Thrivent Financial for Lutherans), a $57 billion member-owned financial services company with nearly 3 million members. Dungan is a frequent speaker and workshop leader and has been widely quoted on this subject in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, USA Today and has appeared on CNN and PBS.

Customer Reviews:

A little dissappointing considering everyone else gave it 5 stars.......2005-11-15

While Nathan Dungan makes a good case that our culture is becoming more and more materialistic and there is more and more pressure on kids to conspicuously consume, I think that he spends too much time making the case. I bought the book precisely because I was concerned about instilling sound financial values in my own children, so I think he didn't need to spend well over half the book convincing me that it's something to be concerned about.

His share/save/spend philosophy is a good one from a 50,000 foot view, but I would have appreciated more concrete actionable plans. Don't get me wrong, there are specific suggestions and exercises (some of which I plan on impleenting), and discussion topics for dialogs with your kids, just not to the level I was expecting. There are also plenty of anecdotes about what other families have done, both good and bad, but I'm always a little uncomfortable with "advice by anecdote" vs. advice by research. There are plenty of citations, and I may be wrong, but it seemed to me that most of the citations regarded the impact of our materialistic society and the current state of affairs with young people getting into financial trouble, rather than studies regarding specific advice and how kids react to the peer pressure and financial environment. Also, a lot was said about peer pressure, and a lot was said about not caving in to it, but not a lot was said about helping kids cope with it in their daily lives.

In the end, I suppose this is a very difficult subject to write about. Every family situation is different, with different levels of income and affluence. Even if I can afford to buy certain things for my kids, where do I draw the line? The world is certainly different than the world I grew up in, but I think it's unrealistic to say "this was how it is when I grew up, so you should live in that world too.

Teach your kids to Share, Spend and Save.......2004-04-16

Nathan Dungan's philosophy for teaching children to be responsible with money has its roots in a church program he designed at the behest of a friend. Dumbfounded that the kids in Sunday School hadn't thought about the possibility that money could be shared, he developed an approach to financial literacy focused on Sharing, Spending and Saving.

Many parents will identify with the profiles and stories of kids who ask for and are given too much. These same parents will likely be depressed by the evidence Dungan presents surrounding the influence of advertising, promotion and media on kids' inability to distinguish between wants and needs. Dungan offers solutions to these problems, providing parents with the ammunition to stop the madness and, not only to teach, but to lead by example.

Dungan acknowledges that its difficult for any parent to run counter to prevailing cultural imperatives to buy more, more, MORE. The tools he offers in this book should help make the job much easier for the committed parent.

Prodigal Sons and Material Girls..........2003-09-06

I just finished reading the book, "Prodigal Sons and Material Girls: How Not to Be Your Child's ATM..." I was very impressed with Nathan Dugan's share-save-spend strategy, similar to what I was raised on--and eventually converted my husband to. Mr. Dugan's strategy combines spiritual and practical values into an easy to follow formula. Another aspect that I was impressed with was that Mr. Dugan also emphasizes understanding who you are and where you come from, in relation to your financial mindset--something that leads to our spending habits. I am trying to teach good financial habits to my three young children. When they come shopping with me we talk about the things that our family "needs" versus our "wants." I firmly believe in investing in oneself by saving money, instead of satisfying immediate wants. I appreciated Mr. Dugan's philosophy of grouping values and financial habits together, something I think people in financial straits don't realize. I've had extended family members approach me from time to time, asking for help in teaching them how to budget, etc. This book is a great reference that I will recommend to those who are struggling and to those who aren't, but need reaffirmation.

Really hits the target for money and values with youth.......2003-08-16

The book opened my eyes to the some of the psychological manipulations that advertising and marketing companies use to influence children. The strategies Mr. Dungan suggests for instilling traditional values like donating and saving money as well as reasonable spending can help children learn how to be successful financially in adult life.
As a professional financial adviser and I see many financially successful people. In virtually every person that has accumulated substantial wealth I find several consistent attitudes and habits. These attitudes and habits for success are rarely found in today's youth. If this materialism doesn't change the future will not be as bright as we would want for them. I have been searching for resources that will help me teach young people in my community the value of money and how they can make choices which will provide long term happiness and security and at the same time live a life of joy and fulfillment today. Mr. Dungan's research and suggested strategies do just that.
This book has become the centerpiece of my community education effort.

Sage & Insightful Advice for Rasing Responsible Children.......2003-06-15

A brilliant review of what we/society have done to "drug" our children in a spending stupor and what we need to do to stem this cultural tide and raise responsible & healthy children when it comes to managing money/spending.

Let me be the first to say I too am part of the problem; I've indulged my child and mis-taught my son with illusions that spending is happiness. Mr. Dugan describes how I/culture are misleading our children, if not selling them out, for the sake of marketing gain: business profit over our children's happiness. We're allowing business advertising to be the stewards of our children's spending/financial health. Mr. Dungan shows us how to take back that stewardship and how not to abdicate our child-rearing responsibility (about spending) and what to do to raise wise-spending young adults.

I have a few years to try to undo whatever harm I may have wrought. Of course, it's hard to rectify a bad habit once started, so I envy those of you who get to Nathan's book early. For those of us who can't, I advise we buy a copy for each child, tell them upfront what we intend to do & why, and then go about the task of raising spending responsible children, and in doing so, healthier, happier young people.

Thank you Mr. Dungan for writing such a sage, concise prescription for our self-inflicted woes: Share, Save, Spend.

Average customer rating:

Book 1 in the "Family Business" series

Prodigal Son : Family Business (Silhouette Special Edition No. 1729) (Special Edition)

Can Samantha Edwards Trust Jack Hanson?
Prodigal Son : Family Business (Silhouette Special Edition No. 1729) (Silhouette Special Edition)
Susan Mallery
Manufacturer: Silhouette
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

General | Romance | Subjects | Books
Silhouette Special Edition | Series | Romance | Subjects | Books
Mallery, Susan | ( M ) | Authors, A-Z | Romance | Subjects | Books
General | Contemporary | Romance | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 037324729X

Customer Reviews:

Book 1 in the "Family Business" series.......2006-07-20

Description from the book back cover:

To: Jack Hanson
From: David Hanson
Subject: Bringing you up to speed

I know you resent being called away from your law firm at a
time like this, but believe me, Jack -- your late father knew
you were the only man who could save his business. You've got
free rein to do whatever is necessary.

Saw you hired your old business school friend Samantha Edwards.
She's a great choice. Not to mention the intense sparks flying
between you. Take some advice from your uncle -- loosen your
tie and let go of your past. True, she's had her own share of
heartache, but Samantha may be just the woman to show you
how to live again ...

Prodigal Son : Family Business (Silhouette Special Edition No. 1729) (Special Edition).......2006-02-17

move quick and draws you in to the story so you want to read the next book to see what happens

Can Samantha Edwards Trust Jack Hanson?.......2006-01-15

Ms Mallery has written the first in a continuity *Family Business* for Silhouette Special Edition each month for the next 5 months we'll meet one of the Hanson family through a different author.

This month we meet Jack Hanson, the heir apparent, but he didn't want to be in the family business. He agreed to get his MBA and go to law school then he could pick which he wanted to do. He picked law and his father was very unhappy! It's 10 years later and Jack is a very successful criminal lawyer in Chicago. His father dies and Jack is the CEO by default of the Hanson Media Group. He has taken a 3 month leave of absence from his law firm to keep the company going until the board can find a replacement.

Jack has decided that he will take the company into the computer age. He hires his partner from grad school, they helped each other get that MBA, Samantha Edwards to create a wonderful new website. Samantha and Jack have a little history that neither can forget but in the last 10 years each has been hurt in their relationships--he an engagement and she a marriage.

This book is their story of overcoming those other relationships and creating a wonderful life for themselves and Jack's border collie Charlie-who makes me want to have a dog again.

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