Amazon.com
In Oracle Night, Paul Auster returns to one of his favorite themes: writing about writers and the act of writing. Recovering from a severe illness that has left him weak and prone to nosebleeds, struggling novelist Sidney Orr takes the suggestion of his mentor, the acclaimed novelist John Trause, and begins a story about a man who, upon considering a near-death experience as an omen (or excuse), walks out on his wife and begins a new life. Nick Bowen, Orr's protagonist, moves to Kansas City and finds work with a man engaged in creating a sort of catalogue of all known persons from a warehouse filled with phonebooks. Dressed in Goodwill clothing, Nick finds it "fitting to don the wardrobe of a man who has likewise ceased to exist--as if that double negation made the erasure of his past more thorough, more permanent." Grace, however, acts strangely soon after Sidney begins the "novel-within-a-novel" in a mysterious blue notebook.
Auster uses footnotes to provide interesting backstory and develops Sidney's insecurities regarding love and fidelity, but when Sidney hits a patchy spot and writes Bowen into a corner, he (and Auster) shrugs and drops the story. The mystery that seemingly unrelated coincidences may have a causal connection is left unresolved, and Trause's delinquent son shows up to facilitate a hollow, climactic ending. Auster is a gifted writer, to be sure, but once trapped by the inner story, Oracle Night loses steam. --Michael Ferch
Book Description
Several months into his recovery from a near-fatal illness, thirty-four-year-old novelist Sidney Orr enters a stationary shop in the Cobble Hill section of Brooklyn and buys a blue notebook. It is September 18, 1982, and for the next nine days Orr will live under the spell of this blank book, trapped inside a world of eerie premonitions and bewildering events that threaten to destroy his marriage and undermine his faith in reality. A novel that expands to fill volumes in the reader's mind, Oracle Night is a beautifully constructed meditation on time, love, storytelling and the imagination by one of America's boldest and most original writers.
Customer Reviews:
What Oracle?.......2007-09-14
Not sure what Auster's intentions were for this one other than to provide the reader with a series of novel treatments that he never got around to writing. Tied together by the narrator's relationship with Grace and a famous author who used to be Grace's lover, it failed to provide closure at every level.
Strong Mixture of Traditional and Experimental.......2007-04-25
Stylistically somewhere between The New York Trilogy and The Brooklyn Follies, Oracle Night encompasses what I loved about both.
Auster gives us a bit of a plot, but there is also much experimentation in this rich novel as well. And, like with The New York Trilogy, if you are a fan of linear storytelling with a concrete introduction, body, and conclusion, Oracle Night may not be for you, though there are elements of all three.
That being said, Oracle Night was a captivating read with deeply charismatic characters who were not difficult to emotionally connect with at all. However, there are many (literal) footnotes and several asides, all of which I enjoyed immensely. Unfortunately, I'm not certain a casual reader would feel the same.
So, all in all, if you're an Auster enthusiast, this is more greatness from a wonderful writer. If you're unfamiliar with Auster but are open-minded and interested in trying out a mixture of traditional and experimental storytelling, I think you'd like Oracle Night. However, if you're into more conventional storytelling, I recommend Auster's Mr. Vertigo or The Brooklyn Follies.
Left Hanging.......2007-02-20
This book has a great premise: Sid, a novelist recently out of the hospital after a life-threatening illness, is having trouble writing. In fact, he's having trouble doing much of anything. He feels bad depending on his wife Grace, whom he absolutely adores, to financially support them.
One day while out for a walk, Sid comes across a small stationery store, where he falls in love with a blue composition book. Once home with the book, he sits down and writes for hours on end. He doesn't hear Grace return, and she insists that when she peeked into his study, he wasn't there at all. Sid writes the beginning of an amazing story, then finds he's written himself into a corner from which he can't escape.
Oddly enough, once Sid begins writing in his new notebook, strange coincidences begin surrounding him. Grace dreams about a situation almost exactly the same as the one in the story Sid had been writing. She also disappears without a word one day, just as his main character did. Could Sid be catching a glimpse of the future and writing it into his story?
This book seemed to be leading somewhere, with the strangeness of Mr. Chang, the mysterious past of Grace and the odd blue notebook. However, at the end of the book things were left hanging. Grace's past was cleared up, but the touch of supernatural in the person of Chang and in the story in Sid's notebook were unfinished. I felt like Auster was leading me in one direction but then he just quit.
I loved it, I loved it not, I loved it, I loved it not, etc..........2007-02-08
Even after turning the last page, I found myself unable to determine whether *Oracle Night* was a magically original piece of serious fiction or the sort of pop literary-lite that passes for such in today's commercially oriented publishing industry. This novel by equal turns intrigued me and annoyed me. It sucked me in from the very first page and then seemed intent on spitting me back out every twenty pages or so with its unbearably saccharine sentimentality. But each and every time I was about to call it quits, give the novel just two more pages, it sucked me back in again. The husband who loves his wife almost to the point of imbecility, the black guy with the heart of gold, the gratuitous Holocaust subplot...there were times I was convinced that Auster was straining to stuff all the elements of a surefire Oprah-pick into this novel, going right on down the checklist of all the politically correct sympathetic archetypes as he pictured himself sitting there on a couch in front of a studio audience filled with adoring middle-aged women.
Im still not entirely certain thats not what he was doing.
Still and all, when all is said and done, *Oracle Night* is an engaging novel featuring what has become a trademark of Auster's style: a story within a story within story, all of them obliquely linked together, an interplay of reality and fiction, each reflecting the other. *Oracle Night* is written with the directness of a fable--and this indeed seems to be part of Auster's intention and on that ground one might justifiably attempt to excuse its people-pleasing sunnyside up point of view--but, as in all fables, even though the language is clear and straightforward, the plot takes many strange and unexpected turns. What seems simple at first--a writer, recuperating after a long illness begins to write a novel--ends up being a complex and labyrinthine journey through a heart-rending landscape of love, betrayal, regret, and redemption.
There's plenty about *Oracle Night* to deride and despise, to find intellectually and emotionally dishonest, to disdain as pandering of the first order, but still enough left over to keep you reading, and reading with ardor if for nothing else than to find out what happens next. Which, after all, is one of the marks of a good book. It's a book that I don't regret taking the time to read. Which is another.
A master of fiction .......2007-02-06
This Auster novel is the story of the writer Sidney Orr and his wife Gracie, and her elderly friend- since- childhood the writer John Trause. But saying that I feel how impossible it would be for me to make any summary of the work which would approximate its complexity, intricacy ad richness. It is a work in which reality and imagination are confounded in the most surprising ways. As it is a story of two writers it also contains subplots of the works they are working on, and how these effect the major story of the main characters.
Auster is an unbelievably interesting writer. He can suddenly in the midst of a whole tell a story for two pages which is tremendously effecting. In this work within the fictional work being written by Orr about a man who has simply walked away from his family to make a new life, there is a small story from the Holocaust. It is about a mother getting milk to give to the baby she is carrying around who has been dead for days. The way Auster tells this story is just one example of his mastery.
The relationship between Sidney Orr the narrator-writer and his wife the beautiful Gracie is at the heart of this work. But we have a feeling of mystery and question in their relations to the very end. One long speculative effort at Orr at solving the problem does not necessarily provide the answer. The book ends in a surprising and horrible way.
Auster's power to surprise, his capacity for creating characters of tremendous interest, his ability to make the reader urgently want to know what will happen next, his rich knowledge of human life and situation are also evident in this truly first- rate novel.
After reading it I wonder if there is any writer of fiction working today who has the gifts and the skills , the sheer mastery, that Auster does.
Book Description
What would legendary Boston Celtics coach and 16-time NBA champion Red Auerbach say is the most critical quality for a person to be successful? Would his advice differ from 10-time NCAA championship coach John Wooden's? What would each say to a young person just starting out in pursuit of their dreams? What is the best advice they were ever given?
It took author Christian Klemash more than two years of research, persistence, and original interviews, but now he's ready to pass on the best advice you'll ever get. Only the rare individual has had the opportunity to pick the brain of just one legendary sports coach—let alone thirty-four of the best sports coaches of all time. Klemash gives sports fans a once-in-a-lifetime chance to learn valuable life lessons from the most famous, intelligent, and victorious coaches ever. The legends span the sports world, from gold medal-winning gymnastics coach Bela Karolyi and three-time college football championship coach Tom Osborne to four-time World Series-winning baseball manager Joe Torre and hall-of-fame boxing trainer Angelo Dundee.
These coaches know how to teach top athletes about character and winning, how to manage pressure at crunch time, and how to bring out the best in their players when it matters most. How to Succeed in the Game of Life shares their insights into sports, life, and the most vital keys to sustain success.Featuring Exclusive Interviews with:
Red Auerbach, 16-time NBA World Champion
Bobby Bowden, College Football's All-Time Winningest Coach, 2-time National Champion
Scotty Bowman, 9-time Stanley Cup Champion
Bill Cowher, Super Bowl Champion
Tony Dungy, Super Bowl Champion
Dan Gable, 15-time NCCA Champion
April Heinrichs, Gold Medal Winning Coach of the U.S. Women’s Soccer Team
Bela Karolyi, The World’s Greatest Gymnastics Coach
Bill Parcells, 2-time Super Bowl Champion
Emanuel Steward, Boxing Trainer of 30 World Champions
Joe Torre, 4-time World Series Champion
Bill Walsh, 3-time Super Bowl Champion
Lenny Wilkens, NBA’s All-Time Winningest Coach, NBA Champion
John Wooden, 10-time NCAA Champion
And More!
Customer Reviews:
A Great Read.......2007-08-26
Wow!Could not put it down.An extraordinay self help book.Gave it to my kids they loved it.Don't miss this one
What a great read!.......2007-07-25
I took it on vacation with me and I couldn't put it down. A great book for aspiring athletes and coaches as well as your average Joe who works 9-5. The coaches discuss a variety of topics from their childhood to how they motivate their players. Any easy read for all ages.
Game of life.......2007-07-24
I've read through Game of Life and I enjoyed it very much. There are so many things to take from this book, not just into sports, but also some reflections on life. I would recommend this book to everybody.
Coaching advise from athletic coaches.......2007-06-27
A fun read, especially if yoiu're a sports fan. I read it in search of things that would help my own ability as a coach in my company. Much of it is light stuff but the easy read makes it fun nonetheless and there are few golden nuggets laced throughout the book.
Overcome Adversity.......2007-04-12
Anyone looking for inspiration, either for their own life or to share with others, will find a gold mine of quotes here. This book isn't just for sports fans.
Book Description
New from Lori Wick, this stand–alonestory shows how unexpected changes can set the perfect course for love.
1945, WWII—When Lieutenant Donovan Riggs experiences trouble with his PT boat, the sailors of Every Storm make an unscheduled stop...and a surprising discovery.
Lorraine Archer is an American teacher living and working in Australia. While on a flight with her sister, her daydreams are disrupted by the sounds of the plane going down. Lorri ends up alone on a deserted island in the Pacific. And just when she loses all hope of being found...Donovan and his crew arrive.
Neither Donovan nor Lorri suspect that their encounter is the beginning of something very certain...a future not left to chance, but to faith.
Customer Reviews:
I loved this book.......2007-01-09
This was the first Lori Wick book I ever read and I LOVED it. I immediately went to the library and read through every book of hers that they had. "Sophie's Heart" and "The Princess" along with this book are probably my favorites, but picking a favorite is like trying to pick a favorite child. Lori does such a good job telling a story and getting you involved in what happens to the character. If I had to say something bad about her books it is that it is always makes me a little sad when I am done with the book, I would love to go on reading forever!
Not her best..........2006-12-28
I am a BIG fan of Lori Wick. I have read most of her books. I found this book hard to read. It took me a long time to get through it. I usually eat up her stuff. The book was just a bummer in my opinion. I usually save the books and reread them but this one I didn't bother, I donated it to the library.
I Liked It.......2006-12-11
I picked up this book recently when we were traveling and read it on the road. I have not read Lori Wick before so didn't have preconceived ideas of her writing. I enjoyed the book immensely. When I finished I went back and re-read parts of it as I tend to miss things the first time around. I thought the part where the book skips to Riggs finding Lorri on the Island was actually an interesting style of writing. Little by little it comes out what happened after the plane crash. Reading the other reviews I noticed no one mentions the grandfather and the impact he has on Lorri's life and helping her to recover such a trauma. From the beginning I was sure Riggs and Lorri would find romance but was curious how the author was going to get them together. I thought his character took such special care of Lorri and was going to make a special person in her life. Even though some of the reviews were pretty critical, I enjoyed the book. Since reading this one, I have read a few more Lori Wick books (The Princess, Who Brings Forth the Wind, To Know Her By Name) and have enjoyed those also. Sometimes I think I want the story to go a little differently but yet understand what the author is trying to accomplish. I enjoy the historical times even if they aren't completely accurate. Anyone enjoying historical Christian romance, another excellent author is Gilbert Morris. I really enjoy his books and as a rule the history in them are right on.
One of her better "stand alone" books.......2006-07-16
Having been a fan of Lori Wick's series, I sometimes have a hard time getting into her stand alone books. For instance, "The Princess" was not one of my favorites. However, "Every Storm" is one of my favorites. Some of the other reviews were critical of the book, but the story line is good, and although some were disappointed by the gap between the sisters boarding the plane and servicemen finding Lorri on the island, I felt it added to the book. Instead of getting all the info. in a neat little package, you get little hints on what happened.
It's a good read. If you really get into the characters when you read keep kleenex handy.
I couldn't finish it..........2006-06-13
Usually I love Wick's books and have sincerly enjoyed her tuckermills books and have read all of her other novels, enjoying Pretence and others the most, but this book was terribly hard to get into. I actually couldn't finish it and gave it to my husband to trade for commentaries (He's a seminary student). I was really disappointed, because when I learned Wick had written a WWII novel I was excited, but my excitement was misplaced.
Customer Reviews:
AN EMOTIONAL JOURNEY FROM GRIEF TO HEALING.......2007-09-15
"Through Every Storm" is the perfect title for this heartfelt, heartwrenching novel by author Sharlene MacLaren. A young couple loses a beloved child in an unforeseen tragic occurrence, and the devastation to their spirits, and their marriage, is captured in sensitive, compassionate detail through the pages of this emotional story. When the marriage has all but died as a result of neglect and emotional distance, a precocious seven-year-old comes into their lives and touches hearts frozen in grief and bitterness.
Ms. MacLaren captures the spirit of each character beautifully. It's obvious that she has a heart for children; Timmy's character was delightful, and brought back memories of my own children at this age.
Her insights into a marriage tested in a way that (thankfully!) few must endure are poignant and dead-on.
This was the first book by this author that I have had the opportunity to read. I won't be signing off tonight until I have the remainder of the books in her catalog on order!
Highly recommended!
Wonderful Book!.......2007-07-17
This was the first Christian Romance novel that I have read, and I adored it! I was so sad when the book ended, because I really became attached to the characters. Sharlene MacLaren did an incredible job bringing the characters to life. I loved that just like all of us, the characters were not perfect. I was constantly stealing moments to read. I can't wait to read another one of her books!
Through every storm.......2007-03-08
It's a very realistic and everyday reality book. Anyone looking for a wonderful christian story, this is it.
Page-turner debut book!.......2007-02-02
MacLaren's debut book is a page-turner. A compelling plot, her characters are deep, both fragile and strong--especially the little boy, Timmy. MacLaren portrays the genius child with a depth of insight I found completely believable. He was still a child with childish ways, in spite of his brilliant mind.
Without giving away the end, both Maddie and Jeff find their way back to God in a manner I found natural and in harmony with the story. I applaud MacLaren for not overwriting this. This heartrending tale unfolds at just the right pace and carries the reader through to a very satisfying end. Novel Reviews gives Through Every Storm a high recommendation.
Reviewed by Ane Mulligan
[...]
Out of the Mouth of Babes!.......2007-01-15
All the adult advice in the world fails to help Jeff and Maddie Bowman recover from the death of their daughter. Almost fulfilling the statistical data on divorce for bereaving parents, their world is further turned upside down by a little boy, Timmy.
Timmy is staying with Jeff and Maddie while his mother continues to cope with the effects of chemotherapy for cancer. But Timmy is highly energetic and speaks straight from the hip. What he has to say, told with such frank honesty, hits Maddie the most initially and she can't respond in the usual victim way, no matter how real that is.
Timmy initially and then others teach Maddie that there is a Comforter who is far bigger than the awful event she has endured. She in turn begins to change and the results touch her husband, who has already filed for divorce, and produce many more totally unexpected effects.
It has been said that when one most needs love, one should give it to someone else in need of it. For that is the nature of the God Maddie newly learns to trust and to whom she responds, so naturally receiving healing in the process.
This is a beautiful story which Sharlene MacLaren has crafted with sensitivity and frankness.
Constantly engaging with a fast-moving plot, Through Every Storm will touch the hearts of every reader - in expected and unexpected ways!
Reviewed by Viviane Crystal on January 14, 2007
Customer Reviews:
WOW.......2005-02-27
Made me laugh made me cry. What a wonderful story. I usually read romances of a historical nature but stumbbled on to Ms. Wick and fell hard. The story is deep and wonderful. Two lives that couldn't be farther apart coming together in an amazing way. Also being a Navy wife it was nice to read a good story about a navy man. Set in WW2. Only one question. Is he related to some people in another series? I will see you can figure that one out.
Book Description
Do not despair! God is with you. That is the faith-affirming message of Strength for the Storm, a map for dealing with the troubles that inevitably arise in our lives. Using dozens of real-life examples, contemporary and biblical, Richard Exley powerfully demonstrates how God not only guides us through difficult periods but transforms those times into positive experiences for our ultimate good. Strength for the Storm is an invaluable reference for ministers, counselors, those enduring a crisis or tragedy, Christians who want to be prepared for future trials, and friends of anyone in the midst of trouble.
Customer Reviews:
Down To Earth!.......2000-01-06
I like this book because it gave me a new perspective on how to handle tragedy. There are so many examples given in our life today and in bible times. It shows how people handled difficulties and what made them overcomers!
After reading this book, I feel that I am so much stronger. I feel that I would be prepared in handling the problems life throws at us. I have the hope that God is in control and I have more faith that "come what may", God CAN and does deliver and restore his people. I am left with the thought that if disater strikes, I can find peace and comfort in knowing that I have a God who cares and who will never leave me. You can stand on His promises, and His word NEVER comes back void! He won't let you down if you stand on His word, He can't. That is GREAT news!
This book made me look back on my life and all the troubles that I have had and re-examine them and see how God really did bring good out of them, even though it didn't seem like it at the time. The enemy brings them for our destruction, but God uses these circumstances to show us HIS power and HIS love! AWESOME!
Average customer rating:
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Every Storm
Manufacturer: Harvest House Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0739446509 |
Product Description
Abigail Dunnigan wakes to a phone call telling her of the brutal murder of her former lover and dear friend. A return to her hometown for the funeral soon becomes a run for her life, not only from the murderer but also from the truth about her own well-concealed act of killing to survive during a war. As the story unfolds, Abby confesses her experiences in Desert Storm and becomes haunted with the past as the bizarre connection between then and now reveals itself. While the FBI works to protect her and apprehend the murderer, the murderer works to push Abby over the mental edge with their secret correspondence.
With every breath Abigail is drawn deeper and deeper into the twisted mentality of the murderer. As she fights to overcome the demons that haunt her, will she survive, or will she edge too close to the precipice of death?
Customer Reviews:
Another Gulf War Vet's View.......2006-03-23
Well, I don't know why the other gulf war vet reviewer didn't like Alexander's writing, but that's totally his or her opinion and sure isn't mine. I really liked this book, and for a first novel, it was very good. Alexander seems pretty raw and real and I felt very close to the characters and connected to the story. Give it a shot, especially if you've never experienced war. I lost a lot over there and I appreciated the honesty in the pages. My hat's off to the writer for the courage to tell a story like this. I recognized those places and I know what that's like. And, even if I hated this book, I'd never kick a fellow veteran in public like that. I would just keep my mouth shut.
Keeps you guessing all the way.......2005-11-08
Extremely well written book which holds your interest from beginning to end. It keeps you guessing all the way through. There is mystery and intrigue; tenderness and sorrow. It lets the reader see inside the head of its heroine and feel her pain and fear as she leads her platoon through a war, as she copes with the murder of a lover, and as she struggles with maintaining her sanity when it looks like she may be the next victim. The book tackles such issues as domestic violence, and what it is like being gay and living in a straight world.
On the edge of my seat..........2005-10-27
Alex Alexander's With Every Breath is the gripping story of Abby Dunnigan, a Desert Storm Veteran whose past comes back to haunt her when her ex-lover is murdered. As Abby works to lure the killer into the waiting hands of the FBI, the killer tries to chip away at her sanity until the past and present begin to merge. Lively dialogue and deft plot twists keep this thriller fast paced.
When you start reading this book, don't expect to be able to put it down before you're finished. It kept me on the edge of my seat and awake into the wee hours anxiously awaiting the ultimate resolution.
From the jacket of With Every Breath.......2005-10-22
PRAISE FOR WITH EVERY BREATH
"Blending and transcending the romance and suspense genres, Alex Alexander's With Every Breath is so entertaining and provocative that it demands to be read in one sitting and thought about long afterward. Like the tough but tender heroine of her novel, Alexander tackles society's ills, from war to domestic violence, with honesty, courage, and hope."
--Julia Watts, author of Finding H.F. and Piece of My Heart
Book Description
Tests and trials - we all have them. It's not the test, it's our performance that counts. Hear how every day women have faced a challenge in their lives and overcome it. This book offers tips and ideas to teach us that in the midst of a storm we can be more than a survivor but an achiever; that we can be free and no longer bound. Experience the stories of women facing personal challenges that took them to some dark places -- addiction, incest, unexpected death of a spouse, illness, teenage pregnancy, care of an aging parent and more... This book will encourage us all to: ~ Realize that God has the power to help us IF we ask ~ Recognize that we can't live victoriously if we live in fear ~ Create a vision for our lives, get a plan and make it happen! ~ Give thanks in all situations ~ Continue
Customer Reviews:
Very inspiring!!.......2007-10-08
This is a wonderful book. It inspires me to meet any challange with my head held high and to be grateful for all I have. With God, all things are possible.
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- Our Nig: or, Sketches from the Life of a Free Black
- Pears on a Willow Tree
- Perfect Spy: The Incredible Double Life of Pham Xuan An Time Magazine Reporter and Vietnamese Communist Agent
- Politics of Modernism: Against the New Conformists (Radical Thinkers)
- Prologos De La Biblioteca De Babel/ Introduction to the Library of Babel (Biblioteca De Autor / Author Library)
- Quakers in the founding of Anne Arundel County, Maryland
- Rad Decision: A Novel of Nuclear Power
- Reaching Back
- Sabbath's Theater
- Saints and Villains (Ballantine Reader's Circle)
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
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- A Book of Books
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Contemporary
| General
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
The Book of Illusions: A Novel
The Brooklyn Follies: A Novel
The New York Trilogy (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)
Moon Palace (Contemporary American Fiction)
Leviathan (Contemporary American Fiction)
