Morvern Callar

Amazon.com

Alan Warner's Morvern Callar may be the first novel that deserves its own soundtrack. The music Warner's title character listens to as she drifts aimlessly through her sterile life may be the most worthwhile part of this depressing novel. Following in the footsteps of Trainspotting, another Scottish tale of anomie in the Highlands, Morvern Callar chronicles Morvern's dead-end existence--a joyless round of sex and raves punctuated by the music playing through her portable stereo.

Warner tells this dreary story from Morvern's point of view in a voice that is flat and affectless, as if the girl's soul had died years before though her body continues to function. Morvern Callar is a strange mix of shocking and banal, a mélange with appeal for a very specialized audience.

Book Description

Morvern Callar, a low-paid employee in the local supermarket in a desolate and beautiful port town in the west of Scotland, wakes one morning in late December to find her strange boyfriend has committed suicide and is dead on the kitchen floor. Morvern's reaction is both intriguing and immoral. What she does next is even more appalling. Moving across a blurred European landscape-from rural poverty and drunken mayhem of the port to the Mediterranean rave scene-we experience everything from Morvern's stark, unflinching perspective.

Morvern is utterly hypnotizing from her very first sentence to her last. She rarely goes anywhere without the Walkman left behind as a Christmas present by her dead boyfriend, and as she narrates this strange story, she takes care to tell the reader exactly what music she is listening to, giving the stunning effect of a sound track running behind her voice.

In much the same way that Patrick McCabe managed to tell an incredibly rich and haunting story through the eyes of an emotionally disturbed boy in The Butcher Boy, Alan Warner probes the vast internal emptiness of a generation by using the cool, haunting voice of a female narrator lost in the profound anomie of the ecstasy generation. Morvern is a brilliant creation, not so much memorable as utterly unforgettable."

Customer Reviews:

Engaging in its strangeness.......2007-04-20

Late one night I came upon the movie _Morvern Callar_ and wondered why it might be called Morvern the Silent. I watched the movie, stunned, but unable and unwilling to change the station even when I could barely understand the dialogue. The characters, aside from Morvern, were so like the ghetto people I've lived with much of my life. At the end of the film, I learned the movie was based on a book, and hurriedly ordered it thinking I would be able to understand the language better if I could read it.

I love the dialect...and Morvern. Many reviewers complain that we aren't privy to what is going on in her head. Truth is, there isn't much going on in there. She is not sophisticated enough to mull over her actions. She isn't educated, isn't well read or travelled. She simply acts accompanied by a soundtrack. She isn't overencumbered with religious guilt. In fact, she doesn't seem to be hampered by guilt of any kind. It is such a wasteful emotion and Morvern has better things to do with the squeezed emotions she does possess.

Morvy's got an eye for detail and an appreciation of nature that, for me, more than makes up for her "raving" behavior. The flatness of the dialogue, her affect, and the repetitive nature of her entire life, right up to the end of the novel when Morvern's life takes a turn, accurately depicts what life is like for anyone living in a small town, or a ghetto, with little hope of having a better life because of the lack of opportunities and the lack of self-preparation for anything better. Him seemed to have possessed abilities, education, financial resources, but he took his life by slitting his own throat and attempting to cut off one of his hands. What did his death tell Morvern about life when one is supposedly ready?

I thought what she did with is body was a tribute to him and her love of nature, but I may change my mind after thinking about this story a while longer. That is one of the great things about this book; it makes you reflect on the mechanical ways we usually respond to life and opens the door to living more innovatively.

I've always wanted to visit Scotland and because of Morvern's description of the countryside, I'll likely go, but I'll stay away from the pubs!

Too strange to put down.......2006-08-05

I bought Morvern Caller in order to read a book with the flavor of the countryside I was to visit. I was hoping to get a feel for the people of the west coast of Scotland while I was enjoying its scenery. Instead, I found myself reading a book about troubled people, characters I could not imagine meeting in the real world. Morvern Caller is well written and very disturbing. It's difficult to "enjoy" the lives of its characters since they suffer from more than ordinary problems. It's also difficult to put the book down without finishing it. For enjoyment level, I wanted to give this book a one or two; for interest level, I had to rate it higher. And, then, I was compelled to read its sequel! You want to know what happens, all the while wishing you were reading something else!!

Maybe you should just see the movie.......2003-10-10

The following is a synopsis of one of the scenes in _Morvern Callar_. It doesn't involve major characters and it doesn't reveal a plot point, but it does give something of the book's tone.

It's Hogmanay. The narrator and her social circle have gathered in a local hotel. Midnight passes, then closing time, so the police come to make them leave. One man buys several whiskies and wants to take them with him but the police won't let him, so he pours the whiskies down the throat of his fish, takes the fish outside, and drinks the whiskies out of the fish's mouth.

If that baffled you, you should probably skip the book entirely. In short, it's so Scottish it probably won't travel well.

A lame attempt.......2003-09-25

It's a weak attempt at writing something that would be a mix between Albert Camus' "Outsider" and Irvine welsh's "Trainspotting". I kept on reading hoping that it might get better but it didn't. There is no storyline, there are just clipped futile descriptions of nature and party scenes... The lack of proper dialogue makes this even more distant. I was left with no feelings of sympathy towards the protagonist whatsoever. I completely agree with the other reviewer who said: 'A bloke can't do a woman', it's just lame. And amazon.com should be careful about tossing recommendations based on earlier readings and ratings. This is nothing compared to Irvine Welsh's Trainspotting.

Hero ? What Hero?.......2002-06-13

Novels compose a literary category which is supposed to tell stories not untold them. If the main topic of the novel is focused in the character it fails badly get into her mind and explain its workings. We never know which are the causes or reasons for her behaviour. Such detached reaction to the suicide of a steady boyfriend at least needs some background. Now, if the main topics is how the plot evolves, the author also gets a big "F minus". The rave scene is barely depicted, nor what was the purpose of having the suicide boyfriend writing a novel to be posthumously plagiarized by her, or what about her bizarre friendships, just to name a few of the carelessly untied knots.

Book Description

This is part of a new series of guides to contemporary novels. The aim of the series is to give readers accessible and informative introductions to some of the most popular, most acclaimed and most influential novels of recent years - from `The Remains of the Day' to `White Teeth'. A team of contemporary fiction scholars from both sides of the Atlantic has been assembled to provide a thorough and readable analysis of each of the novels in question.

Customer Reviews:

Totally worth reading.......2002-12-17

This is worth reading just for the extended interview with Alan Warner alone - one of the most interesting and revealing discussions with a novelist I've read in ages. He's incredibly forthright about his own thoughts on the novel, like this: 'I see her boyfriend as a sort of existential figure, who was well travelled. Although he came from the middle classes, I don't think he was bourgeois. He was leading something of a double life - she didn't know how much money he had and so on, I suppose it was a dishonest relationship in that sense, but I think it was happy nevertheless.' If you're into this novel at all, or the movie (which is AWESOME), then try to track down a copy of this book. Don't be put off by the ... phrase 'reader's guide' on the front cover, it's much much better than that.

Average customer rating:

Morvern Callar
Alan Warner
Manufacturer: Vintage Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OHO6EA

Average customer rating:

Morvern Callar
Alan Warner
Manufacturer: J. Cape
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OPF7GI

Book Description

From the New York Times bestselling author-a classic love story that has become one of her most beloved and acclaimed historical romances...

Customer Reviews:

Homophobic? Racist? How insulting to imply that!.......2007-06-02

I wasn't going to write a review, because this book's rating is appropriate in my opinion (I would give it a 4 1/2, but a 5 is more appropriate than a 4). When I read the reviewer that accused this book of being homophobic and racist, however, I had to put in my two cents to clarify this for anyone who might decide not to purchase Silk and Shadows based on those statements. I'm going to address the racist part first.

This author has written several other books that I have read where there is "interracial" relationships: Thunder & Roses, Angel Rogue, The China Bride, and The Wild Child (secondary character). Yes, the "ethnic" characters were "mixed", but there was a very reasonable explanation for that -- Ms. Putney had to explain why they were in England! Why would Nicholas have been with an English Earl instead of the Rom if he were fully Rom? Why would Maxie have come to England rather than stay in America with her Mowhawk tribe if she weren't half english? In this book it seemed obvious to me that the reason wasn't in regards to why Mikahl would come to England, but more as to why he was willing to stay. If he had been Kafi in truth, he would have felt torn (given his personality) in staying, despite Sara being english. In fact, he felt a pull to England because it had been his birthplace, where he'd spent his "formative years", and where he found solace in home and family. His origins were a relatively important literary device as to how he developed a connection to the villain as well. Had he not been english, there would have been no reason for Weldon's *initial* actions to make sense. (And please note I said initial. What happens later is obviously not related to his nationality.) Which also brings me to my final thought on this, which is that Sara married Mikahl believing he was Kafi. She was completely willing to accept him as foreign, and was surprised by his nationality (not race, by the way, but nationality). She even is accepting of his "rank" and his ancestry! To turn a reasonable literary device into an accusation of racism is confusing and unfair to a very eloquent author.

As to homophobia, this claim makes even less sense. The villain was not homosexual! He was a PEDOPHILE! To imply that his villainy lay in any form of homosexuality is vastly insulting, as it implies that homosexuals are somehow pedophiles! In fact, Weldon is an opportunistic pedophile who actually PREFERS girls (specifically very young virgins), but is willing to accept a boy instead. That would indicate that he likes gender neutral appearances (given that Jenny could be mistaken for an 11 year old, that should be obvious), and was originally attracted to a boy because he was "...a pretty lad, though [he] could certainly use a good scrubbing." On that note, there is also the statement that Mikahl somehow believes that abuse of a boy is somehow worse than the abuse of a girl. That statement strikes me as odd given that "He was struck by a sudden image of Jenny as she might have looked her first night in the brothel; her childlike face mirrored everything he himself had felt..." Where does that indicate that he believed that her suffering was not as severe as a boy's might have been? Then his following feelings were that "...finally he understood why Sara was so profoundly upset." Despite his belief that attempting to free as many of Weldon's victims as possible as opposed to focusing on vengeance would be an exercise in futility, he recognized the point that Sara was trying to make. That doesn't strike me as believing that one crime was somehow worse than the other.

One other point to address is the believability of the villain. While there is nothing wrong with bondage/domination or sado-masochism when practiced between consenting adults (as far as *I* am concerned), you have a man who derives sexual satisfaction from abusing children -- it would be reasonable (and common, unfortunately) for that person to enjoy pain infliction and domination of them as well. When a person is willing or amoral/immoral enough to do horrendous acts on one front, he (or she) may, and in fact is likely to, be willing to do horrendous acts on many fronts. I am pleased to see that so many people have never been exposed to people so vile that they are eerily reminiscent of this particular villain. I've seen those like Weldon first hand in my career, and I can attest to at least some of the accuracy of his vileness.

Ms. Putney, as always, does an excellent job of addressing a very dramatic and emotionally charged subject. She also manages to do so touchingly and (as mentioned before) eloquently. I leave with one of my favorite quotes:

"...most of all, I want to be the man that I am only when I am with you." What a guy!

While Mikahl's not my favorite of her heroes (that privilege goes to Robin from Petals in the Storm and Angel Rogue), he is more real than almost every other hero in every other romance novel I have read.

Loved it, loved it, loved it!!!.......2006-08-03

I just finished "silk and shadows" and I am very pleased. The book just started great. I like the fact that this man, although he is very mysterious, knows what he likes...and sometimes he likes it before he realizes that he likes it. This woman has strength she doesn't know she has but is willing to stand alone for her beliefs. Why aren't more books this engaging. Some of my favorite authors have gone to contemporary mysteries, but they don't take you where historical romances go...in my opinion. While this book isn't for everyone, it is the kind of book that I relish. We need more of these type of romances where it is about the personal beliefs and convictions of the hero and the heroine. The book is very intuitive in the fact that, if this is the kind of book you like to read,it does not disappoint. It gives you all the sex, intrigue, dangerous plots and twists that you never see coming. Not for everyone, but definitely for me.

Revenge is a dish best served cold.......2005-01-28

Ooooohhhh!!!! This is a good one by Mary Jo Putney! Historical romance readers who love damaged heroes and angsty romance will adore "Silk and Shadows".

Mikahl Khanauri has been coldly plotting his revenge against Charles Weldon for 25 years and it is finally within his grasp. A wealthy, exotic and mysterious man who goes by the name of Prince Peregrine of Kafiristan, Mikahl arrives in Victorian England from Asia and sets in motion his plan to destroy his enemy--financially, socially and physically. Part of the plan involves separating Weldon from his wealthy, high-born fiancee, Lady Sara St. James. Peregrine sets out to charm and compromise the lovely Lady Sara, and finds himself unexpectedly drawn to her honesty and quiet strength. Sara is dangerously attracted to the exciting and mysterious Peregrine....but who is he really and why is he out for vengeance against Weldon???

The characters of the hero and heroine, Mikahl and Sara, are *very* well drawn and complement each other so very well. Mikahl is a complex, multi-layered and wonderfully *flawed* hero (my favorite type!) Sara is an excellent heroine--mature, intelligent, kind-hearted, passionate and true to her ideals. The villain of the piece, Weldon, is perhaps a bit too outrageously villainous (a seriously bad man and cold-hearted hypocrite with really *no* redeeming qualities except for his affection for his daughter.) There are a host of well-drawn secondary characters and even a touching secondary romance.

Typically for a Mary Jo Putney book, some of the issues dealt with in the story (child prostitution, slavery and rape--to name a few) are *very* serious stuff and will not please readers who are looking for a light, fluffy romance. But for those who like their heroes dark and damaged (and in need of redemption), this is an excellent read--well-written, well-plotted with memorable characters.

Highly recommended!

A Great Book !.......2004-08-21

This book is about a mysterious man named Peregrine on a quest for revenge who instead finds romance. What's not to love about that? The characters are very well developed in this book (including the secondary characters). I liked many other aspects of this books including:
1. The heroine, while not old (27) is older than many historical romance heroines.
2. Prostitution is treated in a more serious light than many novels of this genre.
3. The hero actually had a good reason for acting the way he did

A Keeper.......2004-08-16

I really loved this book. It's close to perfect, even though or perhaps because it included some gritty detail. The only real problem I had was Peregrine and Sara's consummation scene - not very believable. But, still, best romance I've read in a long time.

Shadow And Silk (Zebra Romantic Suspense)

Average customer rating:

A hair-raising roller coaster ride
Good, but a reprint
Romantic suspense as it should be done
well researched, but emotionally flat
Perfect setup, unsatisfying conclusion

Shadow And Silk (Zebra Romantic Suspense)
Ann Maxwell
Manufacturer: Zebra
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0821773119

Amazon.com

The ever talented Ann Maxwell (who also writes as Elizabeth Lowell and A. E. Maxwell--the E is for her husband, Evan, a co-author) always provides satisfying romance. In this thrilling contemporary, Dani Warren is a textile expert who is such a dilettante she will chase a rare and mythical piece of antique silk to the most remote corners of the world. In Lhasa, Tibet, Dani is almost killed for a fragment of cloth and finds herself smuggled out of the country to safety by Shane Crowe, an ex-mercenary employed by a mysterious private enterprise. Forced to work together to catch a ring of international criminals, the two reluctantly share their expertise despite their growing attraction to one another.

Customer Reviews:

A hair-raising roller coaster ride.......2006-11-18

Danielle Warren, a professor of Archaeology, is in pursuit of a rare piece of silk for sale on the black market. She agrees to meet with the seller in a secluded place, but before their transaction is completed, all hell breaks loose when the Chinese army moves in to arrest her and an assassin murders the seller before her eyes. But before she is captured, Shane Crowe, an ex-mercenary and current member of Risk Limited, swoops in and rescues her.

Shane's mission was to recover the silk for the rightful owners, but given the choice between the silk and Danielle's life, he chose to save her instead. Shane and Danielle flee for their lives with the Chinese army on their heels and successfully make it out of Tibet. What follows is a hair-raising, nail-biting adventure that pits Shane's skills against a ruthless enemy.

Shadow and Silk is a thoroughly entertaining story. The pace is a bit slow in the beginning because the author takes time to sketch out each character and set up the storyline. However, this really pays off when the pace picks up because what you have is an intricate storyline with complex and enigmatic characters. You also get a good glimpse of, for example, the twisted relationship between Katya and Kasatonin and how they came to be that way, or the dynamics in Shane's life that leads him to abandon his mission and rescue Danielle.

The strength and weakness of Shadow and Silk are the larger-than-life characters. The protagonists are almost too perfect, too good but with dark shadows in their past that they struggle to overcome. The antagonists are just as perfect but on the other end of the spectrum. They are thoroughly evil, pursuing their selfish and deadly ambitions, and whatever good they may have had in their lives has long been stamped out by the traumatic events in their past.

Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.

Good, but a reprint.......2006-10-12

For new Maxwell readers, this will be a treat. For other Maxwell readers, be aware that this is a reprint of an earlier publication date.

Romantic suspense as it should be done.......2006-09-19

I quite liked Shadow and Silk. In fact, it reminded me a bit of my favourite Lowell, Tell Me No Lies. It had interesting characters, an intriguing suspense element and a nice (if a bit underdeveloped) romance.

In S&S Lowell introduces Risk Limited, a seeming precursor to that other organization, Rarities Unlimited, which she wrote about in Moving Target, Running Scared and Die in Plain Sight. While Rarities had Dana and Niall, Risk Limited has a similarly intriguing and well-rounded couple at its helm: former high-ranking diplomat Cassandra Redpath and her lover, Gillie, a British former military man.

But while these two are a strong presence in the book, they are not the hero and heroine. That place belongs to two characters that were just as intriguing, the textiles scholar Danielle Warren and Shane Crowe, a man whose history includes a stint with the CIA, a period as a hermit, in which he considered becoming a Buddhist monk, and work for a UN charity digging up and disarming live land mines. It's interesting: S&S's from 1997, so it's not very old, but it's a whole other world. I don't think any author today would have a hero having spent years working with the muhajedeen in Afghanistan, against the Soviets. How things change!

Anyway, Dani and Shane meet in Tibet, when she's approached by a Chinese dealer trying to sell her a priceless old textile. Shane, whose mission for Risk Limited is to recover this same fabric, the Buddah's robe, stolen from the monastery of the Azure sect, saves Dani's life when it becomes clear that it was all a setup. Forced to make a split-second decision between saving Dani and recovering the fabric, Shane chooses the former, and then helps her get out of the country.

Back in Washington DC, Dani's approached by Risk Limited for help in recovering the fabric. Seems it was stolen by the Harmony, a shadowy secret organization grouping some of the most dangerous criminal associations in the world, and they mean to use it as a gift to draw in a reluctant Japanese yakuza boss and make themselves even more powerful.

Shane would prefer to keep Dani out of danger, but his bosses overrule him and insist on allowing Dani to choose whether she wants to risk it or not. Dani, feeling she owes both Shane and his organization for her rescue (and feeling she owes it to the world to keep a treasure such as the fabric from disappearing), decides she wants to, so she and Shane thus begin a mission that will take them to Aruba, Seattle and the islands off Vancouver.

On the whole, I really enjoyed the story, even though every element I enjoyed had its flaws. For instance, I really, really liked Shane and Dani and their relationship. Each were interesting in their own right, and Lowell created a wonderfully steamy sexual tension between them. However, I would have liked this even better if I'd had more of it. They just didn't have enough time together, and though I liked the idea of Shane's chastity vow (seeing him wish it was over already was fun), it did mean that the payoff for all that lovely sexual tension took a bit too long.

Same thing with the suspense subplot. I liked it, but... I enjoyed all the stuff about the ancient textiles, but I just don't think Lowell really succeeded in impressing in me why it was so necessary to recover the robe, why it would be so disastrous if they failed to do so. And this created a distinct lack of urgency. It seemed to me it was more important to destroy the Harmony, but they seemed to regard this as more of a secondary aim.

Katya Pilenkova and Ilya Kostanin were more interesting villains that I'm used to from Lowell. I did think we spent a bit too much time with the Harmony (especially considering I was wishing for more time with Shane and Dani), but unlike in her newer books (like Running Scared, for instance, where it was the main thing I disliked), these villains are at least interesting people.

The writing style was one I mostly liked, though there were certain things there (too) that I wasn't too crazy about. I do like how Lowell writes banter between her protagonists, but she makes the mistake of having them constantly congratulate each other on how witty, quick and brilliant their comments are, rather than let them stand alone and allow us readers to judge whether they are, in fact, so witty and brilliant.

On the whole, though, the positives much exceeded the negatives, and I really enjoyed myself reading this.

well researched, but emotionally flat.......2006-04-26

The best thing about this book is the research involved. Maxwell did a great job adding lots of little details that give the book a fine edge.

The plot was fair. Some plot holes and some other nice twists so it was overall a mixed bag.

However, the romance was just blah to me. I've dated an ex-military man with the scars to prove it and Shane Crowe was a pale imitation of the real thing. Throughout the whole book, I kept thinking of people I have known in real life and how flat these fictional characters seemed.

Although there are well written short erotic scenes, I just couldn't get into this book at an emotional level because I didn't believe in the characters.

As a fan of Maxwell's unfinished pulp science-fiction/fantasy series "Fire Dancer", I hope I can find more of her books that resonate with me. This one wasn't it.

Perfect setup, unsatisfying conclusion.......2005-06-11

Ok, I loved the vast majority of this book. The sexual tension sizzled, the characters were fascinating (and unusual--how often do you read about a monk/mercenary and an academic?), and the plot twists were exciting and fresh. I don't know when I've been more excited by popular fiction.

I tore through the book eager for the ending that would satisfy such an extreme amount of tension. And I was left hanging!

The mini sex scenes peppered throughout the book (during Shane's Celibacy) are scorchingly hot, despite (or perhaps in part because of) the lack of total fulfillment. As I neared the end I was more and more desperate to read the, ahem, climax. I knew it would be epic But as twenty remaining pages dwindled to ten, then five, I began to realize that I might not get it. And I didn't!

I read the book in less than a day, a wicked grin on my face the entire time. When I read the last words, I threw the book against the wall and screamed. This would have been the ideal romance, but the ending just did not deliver.

Average customer rating:

Wonderful, magical travel story
The Woven Wind
shadow of the silk road
One of the Best Travel Books
This guy has his feet on the ground

Shadow of the Silk Road
Colin Thubron
Manufacturer: HarperCollins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 006123172X
Release Date: 2007-07-03

Book Description

Shadow of the Silk Road records a journey along the greatest land route on earth. Out of the heart of China into the mountains of Central Asia, across northern Afghanistan and the plains of Iran and into Kurdish Turkey, Colin Thubron covers some seven thousand miles in eight months. Making his way by local bus, truck, car, donkey cart and camel, he travels from the tomb of the Yellow Emperor, the mythic progenitor of the Chinese people, to the ancient port of Antioch—in perhaps the most difficult and ambitious journey he has undertaken in forty years of travel.

The Silk Road is a huge network of arteries splitting and converging across the breadth of Asia. To travel it is to trace the passage not only of trade and armies but also of ideas, religions and inventions. But alongside this rich and astonishing past, Shadow of the Silk Road is also about Asia today: a continent of upheaval.

One of the trademarks of Colin Thubron's travel writing is the beauty of his prose; another is his gift for talking to people and getting them to talk to him. Shadow of the Silk Road encounters Islamic countries in many forms. It is about changes in China, transformed since the Cultural Revolution. It is about false nationalisms and the world's discontented margins, where the true boundaries are not political borders but the frontiers of tribe, ethnicity, language and religion. It is a magnificent and important account of an ancient world in modern ferment.

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful, magical travel story.......2007-09-02

I didn't want to put this down. Places that I've wanted to see if I had the opportunity and courage come alive in the book. Thubron describes legends and historical events over millennia, but they all fit together along with the people he meets and the landscapes he travels through. He describes with sensitivity and humanity what has been lost with time but also what is there now, often the generosity of the people he meets and their way of life. Wonderful!

The Woven Wind.......2007-08-30

Will be liked by those who enjoy reading about hard-travel experiences. Colin Thubron has a keen ear for dialogue and an expressive pen. Informative on a number of issues from the art of silk making to China's on-going eastern movements.

I do think the author's writing sometimes strays into overly ornate descriptions of the scenery on his lengthy journey across China to Antioch. An example: "Where the Jumgal valley met the massif of Sussmayer, a painted wall of mountain rose. The cliffs were torn with symmetrical scars, as if by some monstrous animal, and fell to the track in violent slabs of black and apricot. Sometimes its scree was pure coal." Also, the author has an odd writer's tic, in that he uses the word "mist" in some form at least fifteen times (...the villages were misted in pear blossom/...the horizon leveled to a dove-grey mist, etc.)

A person of the rational Enlightenment will find depressing the darkness of mind still prevalent in much of the Arab/Persian part of the ancient Silk Road, where living in the far past seems to be the unfortunate standard.

shadow of the silk road.......2007-08-26

I haven't actually read it yet, but plan to. Someone else is reading it and says it is very good and an interesting account of travel through what is mostly a mysterious area to many.

One of the Best Travel Books.......2007-08-25

This is one of the best travel books I read so far. I noticed some reviewer comparing him with Bill Bryson. I enjoyed Bryson's book too. Thubron is less humurous, but with more depth. I am very impressed with his knowledge of the central Asia. Being from China myself, I was shocked to read his account of lost Roman legion and the early Christian relics in the heart of China. This book keeps you wonder about the world away. I was also touched by the warmth of the people he encountered during his travel. Those people have suffered enough through history, yet they welcomed a foreign traveller like their family members. What a generous and handsome group of people---be it Afghans, Uzbeks, Tajks, or others. The book is beautifully written.
It is by chance I picked up this book and I'm glad I did. I am going to check out some other books he wrote.

This guy has his feet on the ground.......2007-08-24

Once again, Colin Thubron gets down to the local, the personal, the down and dirty level to tell about the countries he goes through. This guy lives his travels. Fascinating. Unvarnished. Up close. Real. No gloss, no glitter. From China all the way to the Mediterranean. Wow.

Average customer rating:

Zero Stars
emphasis on the fantastical
An excellent, enjoyable read.

Silk Roads and Shadows
Susan Shwartz
Manufacturer: Tor Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0812554116

Customer Reviews:

Zero Stars.......2006-03-27

Unreadable. Susan Shwartz must have been on drugs when she wrote this. I know I felt like I was on drugs after the first 40 or so pages. I could not go on. This is the first book I have ever burned.

emphasis on the fantastical.......2001-08-14

Given the title, the natural question for fans of Silk Road history and geography will be whether the book has anything to offer for their tastes. Regrettably the answer must be mostly in the negative. Although the author seems to have made some attempts at research, the results seem rather cursory as there is relative little historical and geographical information and some of it incorrect, even beyond the errors admitted in the introductory note. No year or name of the the Chinese emperor is ever given, but it is probably intended to be set in the reign of Tang emperor Wuzong (ruled 840-6), one of the late rulers of the dynasty. But as by this time silk had long since left China for places like Khotan and points east, the premise of traveling all the way to Chang An to acquire silkworks makes little sense, as does the idea that the worms were kept only in the palace. It is doubtful that worms could be transported as described either -- eggs would be a much more likely proposition. But these are minor matters for the historical reader when constantly the caravan party is being attacked by magical, fantastical beings with no basis in reality. It could have been quite interesting if the tale was a mostly historical one with occasional magic to move the plot along, but here clearly the author's interest is almost totally on monsters and magic. At least there is a mostly correct map of the region from Constantinople to Chang An and some of the sites visited along the way are described with a bit of detail.

An excellent, enjoyable read........1998-08-06

I put off reading this book for a long time after I purchased it. I regret that a lot. This book had a very fast moving and in depth storyline. But most interesting of all was the similarities between many different religions of ancient Earth. i.e. A Buddhist sect that has a belief in a Valhalla like place. If you are an aspiring theologist, this is a must read for those reasons alone. If you are anyone else, read it for the story. I loved this book, I can almost guarantee you will too.

4 Titles By Michaels - Shattered Silk - The Walker in Shadows - Into the Darkness - Houses of Stone

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4 Titles By Michaels - Shattered Silk - The Walker in Shadows - Into the Darkness - Houses of Stone
Elizabeth Peters writing as Barbara Michaels
Manufacturer: various
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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4 massmarket paperback Titles By Michaels - Shattered Silk - The Walker in Shadows - Into the Darkness - Houses of Stone

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Bears and Other Shadows
Martine Silk
Manufacturer: Mellen Poetry Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Poetry | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Besos De Seda / Silk and Shadows (Cisne)

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Besos De Seda / Silk and Shadows (Cisne)
Mary Jo Putney
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Romantic Suspense | Romance | Subjects | Books

Spanish | Foreign Language Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Suspenso Romántico | Romance | Libros en español | Formats | Books
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ASIN: 8497936159

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Silk And Shadow
Vandergriff
Manufacturer: Warner Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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Aula Vandergrift
Manufacturer: Warner Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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Silk and Shadow

Manufacturer: Warner Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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