Shadows in Paradise

Book Description

After years of hiding and surviving near-death in a concentration camp, Ross is finally safe. Now living in New York City among old friends, far from Europe's chilling atrocities, Ross soon meets Natasha, a beautiful model and fellow migre, a warm heart to help him forget his cold memories.

Yet even as the war draws to its violent close, Ross cannot find peace. Demons still pursue him. Whether they are ghosts from the past or the guilt of surviving, he does not know. For he is only beginning to understand that freedom is far from easy--and that paradise, however perfect, has a price. . . .

Customer Reviews:

A Beutiful Classic.......2007-08-05

A colourful description of after-war america, contrasted against europe, from the wondering mind of a german exile. Beutiful character development, insights and language. Very artistic, wery well written.

This is not an authorized version!.......2003-11-08

The reason why this book seems so dull and lifeless is that Remarque never intended to publish this version. Remarque was in the habit of completely rewriting his manuscripts several times over; this is how most of his books evolved. At his death several manuscript versions of "Shadows in Paradise" existed, but the last one was unfinished, ending halfway in chapter 21. His widow, Paulette Goddard-Remarque and the German publisher Droemer-Knaur tried to make a fast dollar and deliberately chose one of the older manuscript versions for publication.
Marc W. Kuester studied the manuscripts from the author's estate and was able to provide evidence that the published version had been discarded by Remarque and that he was rewriting the novel with a new concept when he died. The claim made by Goddard and executor Felix Guggenheim that the printed version was the ultimate one is a lie.

The story of World War II refugees in America.......2000-03-22

Remarque, best known for "All Quiet On the Western Front", tells the story of Ross (or Roger), a refugee from Germany who arrives in the United States to find a new life. Written in the first person, the story is primarily set in New York City during the final year of World War II.

Roger and his friends are plagued by memories of the atrocities that occurred. They recount stories of concentration camps, tortures and close calls. The refugees must also deal with friends and family who they had to leave behind. They also struggle to find work and must deal with the rapid changes their lives have undergone. The story also has a love affair between a refugee model Natasha and Roger. Remarque fans will find that Ravic, from "Arch of Triumph", is in the book, although his part is minor and is never officially acknowledged as belonging to the previous book (although the similarities exist).

Book Description

Begun in 1939, barely four months after the close of the Spanish Civil War, these poems by the Nobel Laureate poet Vicente Aleixandre were written during a period of hardship and despair. In spite of his surroundings Aleixandre created the splendor of the shadow of a lost paradise that consisted of memory, nostalgia, yearning and illusion. This is the first full English version. The original Spanish text is included.

Paradise Fever: Growing Up in the Shadow of the New Age

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Feel the Fever
Incredible Story
Hilarious, haunting, and crazily balanced
A great new-age bowel movement.
Amazingly funny and resonant

Paradise Fever: Growing Up in the Shadow of the New Age
Ptolemy Tompkins
Manufacturer: Quill
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Sociologists | Professionals & Academics | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | New Age | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0380790629

Amazon.com

An obsession with states of grace--lost and regained--does not assure a person of finding grace, or happiness. What was it like to grow up as a son of the very avatar of the New Age? Ptolemy Tompkins's father, Peter, author of cult bestseller, The Secret Life of Plants, believed fervently that the fulfillment of lost and magical conditions were within one's grasp.

In the first chapter of Paradise Fever, 13-year-old Ptolemy ponders life from the bottom of the family's swimming pool. His father has equipped him with scuba tank and regulator that may be of use on their upcoming expedition to the Caribbean to locate the lost continent of Atlantis. A naked woman appears above him. That would be Cheryl, a "changeling," one of many seekers of his father's wisdom.

"In resolving to live a fuller, more realized life than he had before," Ptolemy writes, "my father was acting in the service of the spirit of the time--and the spirit of that particular time was very much a communal one. From about 1972 onwards, the Barn (one of Peter's laboratories) became a way station for an extraordinary array of self-styled seekers, finders, and aspiring awakeners of the slumbering modern world. Yeti hunters, psychics, free-form visionaries, and reincarnated Atlantean alchemists--one after another they showed up at our door ... "You might think that, to a child, this would be paradise. But as Ptolemy looks back, a single, disruptive event defines his childhood. One night, Peter brings socialite Betty Vreeland home to dinner, announcing that she will become part of the family unit.

This is a fantastic and informative tour of the occult, the movements it sprang from and in turn inspired, and the shadows that darken paradise. Ptolemy Tompkins's memoir inevitably includes the carving of his father's grandiose dreams down to size.

Book Description

Ptolemy Tompkins is the son of Peter Tompkins, former W.W.II spy, co-author of the cult bestseller The Secret Life of Plants, and one of the most colorful gurus of the '70s' New Age movement. As a boy, Ptolemy was granted the kind of freedoms his schoolmates could only dream of, as he came of age in a home overrun by a bizarre assortment of orgiasts, Yeti-hunters, alchemists, spaceship communicants, and charlatans of every stripe. But paradise can also be hell, as Tompkins proves in these riveting, outrageous, and wildly funny remembrances of life with his chrismatic, over the-top father: an intrepid investigator of things occult and miraculous who invited all manner of weirdness into his household; who, unabashedly and without warning, introduced a second mate into the family circle; and who in 1974, moved to Bimini with Ptolemy in tow to search for the lost continent of Atlantis

Customer Reviews:

Feel the Fever.......2005-03-14

The Secret Life Of Plants author hs a lot to answer for. The movie version of Tompkins' book inspired a bizarre soundtrack by Stevie Wonder that completely derailed Stevie's career; and now come PARADISE FEVER, which describes what living with Peter Tompkins was like for a lonely, self-absorbed young boy at the dawn of the 1970s. Ptolemy Tompkins knows how to write, and he paints an affectionate portrait of his "stupid" mother--she called herself "stupid" seemingly to prevent anyone else from calling her that, but actually she was smarter than her husband in lots of ways. And even the father comes in for some sympathy. But mostly it was a case of too much, too soon. Peter Tompkins did some brave things in World War II, in Rome, as a spy in exile, and he specialized in garnering factoids from old libraries like the Vatican or the Library of Congress. Soon enough he was leading the complete gonzo lifestyle, investing heavily in new age philosophy and the boon of free love. Betty Vreeland moved in, Ptolemy's mom moved out--though not far, because she ws often needed. Mom and Dad called the little boy "Ptolly," which was bad enough.

Though the book has some interesting things to say about the 1970s, Tompkins lets it get away with him, when it comes to describing how in later life he became addicted to heroin and to booze. Then a great chasm of self-pity yawns, and so, ultimately, does the reader.

Incredible Story.......1999-12-21

My husband and I rarely like the same books, but we both loved this one--the most amazing story of a childhood like no other. Reading this book is a bit like watching a car wreck; you can't turn away. (That's a compliment, if you can't tell.)

Hilarious, haunting, and crazily balanced.......1999-03-03

By turns hilarious and haunting, this memoir about growing up on the furtherest fringes of the New Age achieves a crazy kind of balance--a tilt-a-whirl balance. It's not a simply an expose of New Age self-absorption and infantilism (though it certainly is that). It's written by someone trying to make sense of his own wacky childhood experience, and trying to capture what was wonderful and not-so-wonderful about his fantastical father. What comes through is the author's basic sanity. The elder Tompkins is completely at home in the subterranean, labyrinthine byways of the occult. The author isn't--for all his drug and alcohol abuse, his feet are planted in this world. What struck me was how his feelings and attitudes and speculations about his father seemed so universal. Improbably, I saw my own, completely average, un-New Age dad in the elder Tompkins. The author gets at the essential mysteriousness of our fathers.

A great new-age bowel movement........1998-03-06

There was something about the present new-age movement that always bothered me but I couldn't nail what it was; Ptolemy didn't have this problem and he articulates my sentiments perfectly. The final chapter was life-changing for me. eerie. real.

Amazingly funny and resonant.......1998-01-22

I hadn't heard about this book, but I saw it on a table at the store and liked the weird cover. Now I see by the reviews that other people know how sensational it is. No, sensational is the wrong word. It's an unsensational -- but sensationally funny -- book about a sensational time. It's a book for anyone who has thought, "Wouldn't it have been great to grow up on a commune among really progresive people?" Well, I still wish I had, but now I see how those good, utopian ideals can get all mixed up with self-interest and create something really screwy -- in this case the guy who wrote this book! I can't think of another book that's so affectionate, satirical, and bitter at the same time. Actually, the bitterness swamps the last section, where the guy is all messed up on alcohol and heroin. I'm not sure if I think this part is as successful -- it kind of takes the air out of the proceedings. That said, I think he WANTED to take the air out of the book, to rub your face in all the ugly consequences of "the New Age." I love this book in the way some people said they loved The Ice Storm; it's better than The Ice Storm.

Shadows in Paradise, 1971 (IN RUSSIAN LANGUAGE) (Teni v raju / Schatten im Paradies / )

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Shadows in Paradise, 1971 (IN RUSSIAN LANGUAGE) (Teni v raju / Schatten im Paradies / )
Remark E. M. , Erich Maria Remarque , Erich Paul Remark , and
Manufacturer: AST
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

All Russian Books | Russian | Foreign Language Books | Specialty Stores | Books
ASIN: 5170077300

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In the Shadow of the Paradise Tree
Sasha Moorsom
Manufacturer: Routledge
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Shadow of a Witch
Mary Paradise
Manufacturer: ACE BOOKS
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000UDG4KC

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Shadow of a Witch
Mary Paradise
Manufacturer: Ace
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0000CL9FG

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Shadow of Paradise
Vicente Aleixandre
Manufacturer: University of California Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000UW2NJE

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Shadow of Paradise.
Vincente. ALEIXANDRE
Manufacturer: Berkeley: University of California
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000UG56LM

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Shadows in Paradise

Manufacturer: Fawcett
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000GSNWQK

Amazon.com

Terry Brooks's new Shannara epic, The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara, kicks off its first volume, Ilse Witch, with the discovery of a mad elf drifting on wreckage miles out at sea with his tongue and eyes removed and a map secreted among his possessions. The elf is revealed to be a lost prince who set out decades earlier to find old magics on another continent. Walker Boh, the Druid we last saw in The Talismans of Shannara, persuades the Elf King that both vengeance and prudence dictate a second expedition and assembles the usual crew of talented misfits to travel by airship into unknown territory. The forces of evil are on their way as well--the shadowy figure known as the Ilse Witch and the lizard-like mercenaries forced on her by her untrustworthy ally, the Morgawr, are closing in, with acquisition and murder in their hearts.

Fans of Terry Brooks will know precisely what to expect from him: undemanding sword-and-sorcery adventure with touches of the gloomily mysterious and of more complex emotions. This is Brooks at his best and this novel is the least dependent on earlier models as it becomes clear that in this sequence the relationship between good and evil is more complicated than usual. --Roz Kaveney, Amazon.co.uk

Book Description

When a half-drowned elf is found floating in the seas of the Blue Divide, an old mystery resurfaces. Thirty years ago, an elven prince led an expedition in search of a legendary magic said to be more powerful than any in the world. Of all those who set out on that ill-fated voyage, not one has ever returned. Until now. The rescued elf carries a map covered with mysterious symbols–and Walker Boh, the last of the Druids, has the skill to decipher them. But someone else understands the map’s significance: the Ilse Witch, a ruthless young woman who wields a magic as potent as his own. She will stop at nothing to possess the map–and the magic it leads to.

Thus begins the first volume of a dazzling new adventure
in one of the most popular fantasy series of our time

Download Description

New York Times bestselling author and the master of epic fantasyTerry Brooks returns to the fantasy that launched his career -- thefantasy that remains closest to his heart, and to the hearts ofmillions of fans around the world. More than twenty years have passed sinceBrooks set the new standard for the genre with his astonishing firstnovel, The Sword of Shannara, the now-classic commencement of acenturies-spanning epic of good and evil. Now Brooks embarks on whatpromises to be his masterpiece -- Ilse Witch: Book One of TheVoyage of the Jerle Shannara.

When the mutilated body of a half-drowned elf is found floating in theseas of the Blue Divide, an old mystery resurfaces. Thirty years ago,the elven prince Kael Elessedil -- brother to the current king -- ledan expedition in search of a legendary magic said to be more ancient, morepowerful, than any in the world. Of all those who set out on thatill-fated voyage, not one ever returned....

Until now. For the rescued elf carries a map covered with mysterioussymbols only one man has the skill to decipher. That man is Walker Boh,the last of the Druids. But someone else understands the map'ssignificance, someone dark and ruthless: the Ilse Witch, a beautifulbut twisted young woman who wields a magic as potent as his own. She willstop at nothing to possess the map -- and the magic it leads to. Tostop her, Walker must find the magic first.

So begins the voyage of the Jerle Shannara. Aboard the sleek,swift airship are an elven prince; a Rover girl; a monstrous creaturepart man, part enigma; and a young man named Bek Rowe, who mayunknowingly hold the key to the success of the mission -- or to itscataclysmic failure. Now, as old secrets come to light, sowing seeds ofmistrust and suspicion among the crew, the Jerle Shannara fliesinto the face of unknown terrors while the Ilse Witch and her darkallies follow, waiting to strike....

Customer Reviews:

bibliokleptomaniac says:.......2007-02-01

LOVE IT! no kidding, i really do. in the Ilse Witch, follow a young boy in a quest to find a wealth of magic, find out his true identity, and find his heart. you will fall in love with the characters, just like me! if you don't read this book, you have been warned.....YOU R MISSING OUT!

A charge unfulfilled.......2006-09-21

Generations after his victory over the Shadowen, the `Dark Uncle' Walker Boh has still failed to establish a new order of Druid scholars and peace keepers. His suggestions and efforts have been met by all nations of the Four Lands with distrust. He is on the verge of giving up when fate throws him an opportunity, in the form of a castaway. A broken and presumed dead prince, bearing a map to an unknown countinent across the sea. A map which promises treasure in the form of "old world" magic. Walker is the only man who can undertake such a quest, and as such finds himself with the bargaining power to see all his goals fulfilled.
But the Ilse Witch, a girl who Walker once sought to make his apprentice, has learned of the map and treasure as well. She has already put her own plans into motion to make the treasure her own, and destroy Walker in the process.

This book and trilogy are exciting and entertaining. The ever changing world of the Four Lands is as amazing and fantastic as ever. Brooks' ability to create well rounded four dimensional characters with personal conflicts that people can relate to is something that is sorely lacking other fantasy/science fiction novels.
If you are new to Terry Brooks, or new to the `Shannara' novels I would recommend this book (and trilogy) as an excellent place to start. If you are familiar with the Shannara novels you might want to check out my full review of the trilogy under "Morgawr (Voyage of the Jerle Shannara Book 3)."

Formulaic structure...but not bad.......2006-04-24

Reading a Shannara series book is like going back to meet an old friend. You will have an enjoyable time rehashing old stories, reacquainting each other on family and friends with no surprises or expectations of being surprised. But this doesn't have to be a bad thing.

"The Ilse Witch" is like meeting an old friend. Brooks has steadily decreased his series ambition from the original Shannara series and the Heritage Series, which were outstanding reads in the field of heroic fantasy. Unfortunately he seems to mail it in for the Shannara voyage series and a constant reader will be able to guess future plot events pages before they occur.

A castaway is rescued in the blue divide by wing rider Hunter Predd and turns out to be one of the two sons of the ruling Queen Elessedil (at the time)who spearheaded a voyage into the divide to locate a potentially new form of magic that could aid the Westland/elvish nation in their new struggle against the Federation which is again making territorial moves against Callahorn and the Freeborn. Ominously, the castaway is found with his eyes and tongue removed and in possession of a map that can lead adventurers to the place of the magic.

Druid Walker Boh gets involved and recruits the customary characters of a dwarf, a few elves, rovers, some humans who may or may not be members of the Ohmsford Family (0f Shannara fame) as well as a shapeshifter, fortune teller/empath and a few surprises kept under wraps through Druid Magic. Instead of walking, these adventurers fly to their fates through an airship that uses ambient light as a means of fuel.

There are bad guys as well, a warlock named the Morgawr and a beautiful and thoroughly nasty young woman known as the Ilse Witch who possesses the wishsong (Ohmsford anyone?) and harbors a grudge against Walker Boh because she believes he killed her parents and brother. She wants the magic as well although her primary goal is getting Walker Boh's head on a stick.

The Ilse Witch is a thoroughly formulaic novel but Brooks is an entertaining writer and makes this interesting. Just because you can guess what is going to happen doesn't mean that you can't enjoy how Brooks leads us there. If you are a Shannara fan you will enjoy this book despite it's lack of surprises.

Fantastic.......2006-01-29

Excellent book. Great, heartpouding action, and as always, leaves you waiting for the next book to be written.

Brooks doesn't know when to stop.......2006-01-25

The original Shannara were good, Heritage was a nice read, but what is this? Not bad by itself, but read one of his older books and the entire book seems impossible and idiotic. Sorry, but does Brooks know how to not contradict himself?
I enjoyed this book, but only because I'm Shannara fan.

3 PBs by Terry Brooks: Voyage of the Jerle Shannara Morgawr & Ilse Witch, Running with the Demon

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3 PBs by Terry Brooks: Voyage of the Jerle Shannara Morgawr & Ilse Witch, Running with the Demon
Terry Brooks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000W3V432

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Paperbacks

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Well you have to admit, it makes a lot more sense than Santa

The Christmas Witch
Ilse Plume
Manufacturer: Hyperion (Juv)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1562820788

Customer Reviews:

Well you have to admit, it makes a lot more sense than Santa.......2004-04-10

At last! A story that combines the traditional Christmas tale of the birth of Christ with the modern day desire to give presents around that time of the year. The Italians are on the ball when it comes to tying such divergent activities together, and Ilse Plume's "The Christmas Witch", shows us how. No large North Pole dwelling elf for Italian children. They've their very own gift giving witch (complete with invisibility and magic powers too!).

In this classic story, we learn of Befana. Once this woman lived in the hills of Italy, healing the sick and telling fortunes. One day, while bringing in some wood, she came across the Three Wise Men. The Three told Befana of the birth of Christ and she begged to come along. Unfortunately, by the time she'd hauled her wood back to her home and returned to follow, the men were gone. Nonplussed, Befana locates a bag of toys she would give and treks off to find Christ herself. For years and years she traveled, never finding him until one day she was given the job of giving away presents to every child in whom the spirit of Christ lives. Batta bing batta boom, the yearly Christmas witch. Like Santa, she prefers to give coal to naughty children. Unlike Santa, there's a real connection between her penchant for gift giving, and the religious subtext of the season.

The book itself is fun. But while the story is great, the illustrations suffer. A bit flat, they contain a certain 2-dimensional cartoonish feel. Just the same, there's a lot to love in this story. I was particularly taken with how a religious figure like Befana can be a devout Christian and, at the same time, a witch. Take that Harry Potter haters! This would be a particularly good book to read to the kiddies around the Yuletide. It combines a known figure (the person who gives them mysterious X-mas goodies) with an unknown figure (Befana herself). A great read and an interesting story. Parents will find themselves learning just as much as their children, I'll warrant.

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Ilse Witch (The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara Ser.)
Terry Brooks
Manufacturer: Ballantine Publishing Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Shannara | Series | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000OD5H0Q

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Ilse Witch 1ST Edition Signed
Terry Brooks
Manufacturer: DEL REY BOOKS
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000TNGRQO

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A good start to a trilogy
The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara 1: Ilse Witch (The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara)
Terry Brooks
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster (Trade Division)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Brooks, Terry | ( B ) | Authors, A-Z | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
Hardcover | Brooks, Terry | ( B ) | Authors, A-Z | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
Shannara | Series | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Antrax (The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara, Book 2)

Morgawr (The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara, Book 3)

High Druid of Shannara: Tanequil (High Druid of Shannara)

First King of Shannara

Straken (High Druid of Shannara)

ASIN: 0743209516

Customer Reviews:

A good start to a trilogy.......2006-10-14

I have to say (as I am currently reading the 3rd book in this trilogy) that this is my favorite "series" by Terry Brooks. By far he has come a long way from his other Shannara books. The other series I read kind of out of lack for something better. However, book one of this series set me up, I plowed through book 2 and now I am stuffing my face with the third book. If you have read his other Shannara stuff and liked it you will be happy that he got even better. Also, if you have never read Shannara, this isn't the ideal place to start but it still stands alone as a great story.

The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara Ilse Witch

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The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara Ilse Witch
Terry Brooks
Manufacturer: Del Rey
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara, all 3 books: Morgawr + Antrax + Ilse Witch

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The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara, all 3 books: Morgawr + Antrax + Ilse Witch
Terry Brooks
Manufacturer: Del Rey
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

THE VOYAGE OF THE JERLE SHANNARA, BOOK 1 ILSE WITCH

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THE VOYAGE OF THE JERLE SHANNARA, BOOK 1 ILSE WITCH
TERRY BROOKS
Manufacturer: THE BALLANTINE
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara: Morgawr/Antrax/Ilse Witch

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The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara: Morgawr/Antrax/Ilse Witch
Terry Brooks
Manufacturer: Del Rey
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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