Book Description
A novel of acute psychological tension and unsettling questions of identity-the much-anticipated follow-up to Senna's groundbreaking debut, Caucasia.
Danzy Senna's tantalizing new novel centers on a college graduate, recently moved to New York City for what promises to be a dream job-a prestigious fellowship writing for a respected magazine. Displaced, though, and unsure of how she fits into the world around her, she becomes the object of an older woman's attention: both women share the same difficult-to-place skin color. As the older woman's interest turns to obsession, the narrator must figure out what their relationship means to her-while both of their lives seem to be spiraling out of control.
Senna's Caucasia was a highly acclaimed debut that went on to become a contemporary classic. In Symptomatic, she takes questions of identity a step further, in a beautifully written novel that is at once suspenseful, erotic, clever, and, as The New York Times wrote of Caucasia, "deeply intelligent."
Customer Reviews:
I Highly Recommend This Book.......2005-04-12
Symptomatic By Danzy Senna 213pp (2004)
In her follow up book to the highly acclaimed Caucaisa, Danzy Senna tell
the story of a nameless biracial California woman who leaves the west coast
following her college graduation to take a fellowship with a New York City
magazine.
At the magazine narrator is befriended by forty-something Greta Hicks who
helped the narrator find an apartment. The two share a common biracial
heritage and Greta begins an unhealthy obsession based on this shared
heritage that ends in tragedy.
Symptomatic did not get good reviews, but I really liked it. Senna's
writing is clear and direct and she does not use unnecessary details to
describe the narrator or her surroundings. Danzy Senna also did an
excellent job capturing the essence of a young biracial woman who does not
fit comfortably in either the black or white world. The character of Greta
Hicks also served as a disturbing example of a biracial woman who has not
been able to successfully navigate between both worlds. I was most
impressed with the way Ms. Senna effectively conveyed the loneliness of a
young woman in one of the biggest cities in the world.
Ms. Senna effectively incorporated the themes of loneliness and racial
belonging in a concise book that is accessible to all readers. I would
highly recommend this book.
reviewed by
misrich
Loved it! Just wish it had been longer!.......2005-03-16
This book was original, unpredictable and addictive. I was truly sorry to see it come to an end. Granted, there were a few minor flaws---for instance, I would have liked to have seen the main character address her "racial ambiguity" more directly and deeper character development would have helped the reader better understand why she tolerated the things she did. Nonetheless, I loved the writing and am anxiously looking forward to Ms. Senza's next work.
Single biracial female.......2005-03-10
Danzy Senna's novel "Symptomatic" is really two novels in one. The first describes a young, attractive biracial female who is fighting a losing battle in her search for identity while living and working in New York City. This is a struggle that many of us have faced at one time or another, and Senna does a fine job placing the reader into the psyche of the unnamed narrator who seems to be disconnected from the life that she is living.
The second part of the book is the narrator's relationship with another older biracial female, co-worker Greta Hicks, who takes an unnatural interest in the narrator's life, and becomes increasingly bizarre and downright psychopathic. Although this character adds tension to the novel's atmosphere, I believe that the author might have been more concerned at this point about writing a Hollywood script as opposed to a superior novel. That being said, I believe that Danzy Senna is a talented author, and I look forward to reading "Caucasia," as well as her future offerings.
SWF of a Different Color, But Just As Crazy.......2005-02-21
The two main characters of Danzy Senna's, Symptomatic, are both biracial like the author, but make no mistake: this book is a thriller. A lunatic of any race is still just as crazy. Greta Hicks is a psycho first and biracial second, so she isn't the stereotypical tragic mulatto. We wish she would quietly drink herself into oblivion and leave other folks alone, but no. This is the story of a psychotic's do-over, but this time she has a hostage.
The narrator is a recent college grad from Berkeley, California, her home town. She's moved to New York as the recipient of a prestigious journalism internship. When we first meet her (we never learn her name), she's living in an old women's boarding house but soon to move in with her boyfriend Andrew. One night at a party of Andrew's friends from Andover, our narrator is privy to the racist banter that can go on when people don't realize they're in mixed company. And she is mixed, racially mixed, that is, and light-skinned and straight-haired enough to pass for white. She sees a side of Andrew that she'd perhaps secretly feared was there, and when she does, she decides to leave him. Now all she has to do is find a place to live in Manhattan where she knows no one and has no connections. Enter Greta Hicks, a coworker, who knows of a sublet that's available.
We see a young woman who's bright enough to be a journalism fellowship winner but who's unsure of herself. It's this insecurity that allows Greta to get her hooks into the narrator. What begins as payment of gratitude evolves into an uneasy and somewhat forced friendship and spirals down from there.
Senna has a strong sense of the stark bleakness of New York in winter, the nothing sky and the bite of cold. I felt the storyteller's desperation when she says "what do you have to do to find a place to live in this town?"and I felt her despair when she finally finds a place to live (thanks to Greta) and how abysmal it turns out to be.
There are no ironic twists in this tale leading to great revelation or wisdom. No doubt, many readers will see what's coming. Symptomatic is a portrait of a modern woman gone insane, poisoned by her own bitterness and despair to the point of madness. If you've ever been stalked, if you're biracial, or if you have a nostalgic longing for New York in winter, you will be "all in" with Symptomatic. If you're not, it's no great loss. You can finish this book in a day. I give it a solid 3.5 stars.
A Compelling Read.......2005-02-15
The narrator is purposefully nameless throughout. Other characters call her by pet names and unwelcomed nicknames. It is her stunted sense of self-identity, as much if not more than the perils of being bi-racial, that make her so sympathetic.
Because she lacks true sense of self, she is vulnerable to those around her who resort to insinuating their own image of who she is in often very hurtful, self-serving ways. She allows it to happen, because she has become desensitized to common questions about her ambiguous racial identity, but moreover, she lacks the ability to confront those who insinuate their own hang-ups into her sphere. Her ex lovers, her new friend Greta seek to drag her into their own abyss of pain, and do so successfully. Her reactions to those that violate her smack of someone who is emotionally repressed. She laughs when she should cry. She hides when she should confront, she is silent when she should protest.
This novel was a compelling and tragic look at not only dual racism, but how free-spirited, structureless parenting can result in an adult who simply can't so no, and can't stand up for herself.
Like others, I read the book in a day. My only disappointment was the plot device used to close the story. In a story so rich with meaningful commentary, resorting to a popular mystery/thriller Hollywood ending was not really needed. Entertaining, I'll admit, but it left me scratching my head as to why the author, who took such care in presenting the perils of being bi-racial, resorted to it.
Average customer rating:
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Atypical Parkinsonian Disorders: Clinical and Research Aspects (Current Clinical Neurology)
Manufacturer: Humana Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 General
| Mental Health
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Parkinson's Disease
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ASIN: 1588293319 |
Book Description
A comprehensive review of what is known not only about the cause and treatment of atypical parksonian disorders, but also the issues that clinicians, researchers, patients, and caregivers face in dealing with them. The authors cover the basic science (history, epidemiology, genetics, pathology, nosology, computer modeling, and animal models), detailed clinical and laboratory assessments, and available diagnostic tools, including neuropsychiatric, neurologic, neuropsychologic, speech, electrophysiologic, and imaging evaluations. Current and future therapeutic approaches are also detailed, along with extensive discussions about future research directions. An accompanying DVD contains video segments that demonstrate how to examine patients with these disorders, how to differentiate them, and how to systematically use specific tests to better characterize them.
Book Description
In this thoroughly revised fourth edition of Palliative Medicine, Roger Woodruff draws on recent research and new developments in treatment to survey the principles of palliative care and related ethical issues. The primary focus is on the management and treatment of pain and other symptoms experienced by patients with advanced cancer. The author contributes to the delivery of better care to more patients with a terminal illness, through thorough analysis and application of methods of pain relief and treatment of other symptoms in the terminally ill patient. All the work is firmly grounded in an evidence based approach and is thoroughly referenced to the latest research in the area.
Customer Reviews:
Palliative Medicine 4th edition.......2005-02-02
The following reviews are reprinted from the International Association for Hospice and Palliative Care (IAHPC) website at www.hospicecare.com with the permission of the authors and the Association.
**
Roger Woodruff brings to his writing (for this book is entirely from his hand) a wealth of clinical experience, deep insight into what his readers are looking for and need, and an enviable ability to write comprehensively yet concisely, with authority yet without dogmatism, producing a book which fully merits its title. This is not a reference book primarily for the palliative medicine specialist or library shelf. We have one or two already. Nor it is yet another `recipe' book on pain and symptom management. We have dozens of them. This is a book where every fact and guideline, covering every problem likely to be encountered in palliative medicine, is based on 350 randomised clinical trials (RCTs), dozens of systematic reviews and 45 Cochrane reviews.
It goes without saying that it is up-to-date, rich with tables and figures; that it is comprehensive and insightful, full of practical wisdom; that it is beautifully printed and presented (as we expect from OUP); that it is a delight to handle and to read. I know of no better book for senior medical students, junior doctors and specialists in specialties other than palliative medicine, for all medical and nursing libraries. Never was it more truly said "This book is essential reading for all who care for the terminally ill, wherever they are."
Derek Doyle
Formerly Medical Director/Consultant in Palliative Medicine, St Columba's Hospice, Edinburgh, UK
Editor, The Oxford Textbook of Palliative Medicine
**
Roger Woodruff has just completed the 4th edition of his classic PALLIATIVE MEDICINE book. This new edition has major improvements and it is likely to remain as one of the most successful, single-authored palliative care books on the market.
The book has a total of 497 pages divided into 5 major sections and 35 chapters.
The initial section provides an excellent introduction to the history and principles of palliative care. This is followed by comprehensive sections on pain and other physical symptoms, a section on psychosocial aspects of care and a short section on complementary and alternative therapies.
This new edition has emphasized a more in depth review of existing evidence and an excellent use of tables and figures.
The book is a real pleasure to read. The great advantage of single-author books is the consistency in style. This book excels as an introduction to palliative care and will be of great usefulness to starting palliative care fellows and oncology residents. It is also an excellent reference book for internists, medical students, and other health care professionals. It has already been eleven years since the first edition of this book was published. For all these years PALLIATIVE MEDICINE has been, and continues to be, the book I recommend to all those health care professionals who are starting their serious reading in palliative care. All of us working in this area are very fortunate to have access to this excellent book.
Eduardo Bruera, MD
Professor and Chair of the Department of Palliative Care and Rehabilitation Medicine
University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas.
Chairman, International Association for Hospice and Palliative Care (IAHPC).
**
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acupuncture (Wong's A.P.P. Symptomatic Treatment Points)
Manufacturer: APP Technique Seminars
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Acupuncture & Acupressure
| Alternative Medicine
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Acupuncture
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Acupuncture
| Alternative Medicine
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ASIN: B000BQUS1E |
Book Description
Word count: 442.
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Guidelines for Management of Symptomatic GORD
Lars Lundell
Manufacturer: Science Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Diseases
| Medicine
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| AIDS & HIV
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ASIN: 1858731798 |
Amazon.com
Shards of a Broken Crown is the final installment in Feist's hugely popular Serpentwar Saga--the first three books are Shadow of a Dark Queen, Rise of a Merchant Prince, and Rage of a Demon King. Winter is breaking, and the Emerald Queen's defeated army, led by a treacherous villain, plan a horrific final battle against the realm. Favorite characters like Pug, Roo, Duko, and Miranda return in this tale of the devastation of war in a land of magic.
Book Description
The demon is no more. The enemy has been routed. But all is not well . . .
Winter's icy grasp is loosening on the world. The Emerald Queen's vanquished army has its broken back to the Bitter Sea. And treachery is its only recourse.
A lackey has declared himself Lord of the defeated, amassing the still fearsome remnants of a ruthless fighting force together for one final assault on a weakened, vulnerable realm.
For the warriors who remained steadfast against terrible numbers, for the courageous souls who barely survived a devastating onslaught upon their homeland, the time to rebuild and renew has not yet come. The war is not over in Midkemia. And Jimmy and Dash—two young noble brothers who stand at the center of a gathering storm—are impelled to action that could secure a tenuous peace . . . or turn triumph into catastrophe.
The demon is no more.
The enemy has been routed. But all is not well . . .
Customer Reviews:
Highly recommended!.......2006-04-13
In this sequel to Rage of a Demon King, author Raymond Feist takes us back to his magical world of Midkemia. With the defeat of the Demon King, it appeared to all that all that was left was to roll up the remnants of the foreign army. But, the world is now a changed place, and old threats are ready to reassert themselves. And worse, something dark is left over after the fall of the Demon King, and swords and daggers won't be enough to resist it.
Overall, I thought that this was a great book. Yes, it does not have the scale of the earlier books of the Serpentwar Saga, but it still has a lot of action and adventure, not to mention a really great part that pits the great magical powers of Midkemia against their greatest foe.
So, let me just say that if you are a fan of Raymond Feist, you will find this book to be another great addition to your Feist library. And, if you are a fan of great fantasy literature, then you will also love this book - just make sure you read the other books of the Saga first. I give this book my highest recommendations!
Conclusion of the Serpent War Saga.......2006-03-30
Shards of a Broken Crown is book 4, and the conclusion of The Serpent War Saga, by Raymond Feist. This book picks up right where Rage of a Demon King left off and finishes up the tale of the Kingdom putting itself back together after the war. Now, if you have not read any other book in this series do not read this one. In order for this book to make sense you need to read the first three book, actually, in order for everything in this book to make sense you really need to start with the Rift War Saga the first book of that is Magician: Apprentice. Then the entire story arc will make more sense and be much more satisfying to the reader.
Overall I have mixed reviews about this book. There are many aspects I like, while there are still a few things that didn't sit well with me. For fans of Feist this is a typical work of his. The plot moves along at a good pace and keeps the reader interested, and there is a fair amount of character development as well. I have read several reviews of people who were disappointed in this book and some that think this was a waste of a book. If you consider how much happens in this book it's not a waste at all. But, I think I understand why people are not `happy' with it too.
This book is first and foremost about plot. There are many plot elements that Feist needed to include in this book to be able to make the just to his next set of books, The Conclave of Shadows trilogy. There are quite a few plot lines within this book and I won't rehash all of them, plus one or two would be spoilers and I won't do that. Suffice it to say that this plot is engaging and well thought out and certainly accomplishes what Feist was planning. To say anymore than that would ruin parts of the story though.
The character development in this book is again where Feist shines. Although this book is about moving the plot, the characters shine through at times. The biggest areas of development are Jimmy and Dash, two fantastic characters that really come into their own in this book. Also, the character of Prince Patrick fleshes out nicely. Erik Von Darkmoor has a strong presence as well. Actually, I could probably keep listing character after character, as Feist did a good job of moving each of them along, which is quite the feat considering how many characters are in this book.
Overall, I was satisfied with this book. I thought it was a fun read and stayed true to the characters. However, the ending disappointed me a little. It almost seemed like Feist was running out of room and quickly tied up all the loose ends as quickly and succinctly as possible. It doesn't really take anything away from the book, but it just doesn't `feel' like a Feist ending to me.
Fans of Feist's earlier work will want to read this just to complete that part of this grand story. People who are looking for some new fantasy to read should really start with Magician: Apprentice and go from there. Feist writes wonderful fantasy that is sure to please a broad spectrum of readers. I can't recommend his work enough.
Liked it.......2006-02-26
The first time I read this, I didn't like it. It had it's moments but it didn't star my favorite characters much from the first three. Mainly just the borothers Dash and James. But after reading it seveal times, I grew to like them and there are definitely superb moments in this work to get the blood stirring. Great book!
**A book I would also recommend is The Unsuspecting Mage by Brian S. Pratt. This, the first installment of The Morcyth Saga is a great beginning for a new author. Battles, magic, gods, secret passages and intrigue, all the elements of a classic epic fantasy! Any fantasy reader will enjoy it
Doesn't have the good grace to lie down and die .......2004-09-24
This is one of those books where you sit and think to yourself "Gee if the author had just stopped at the previous book thing would have been cool."
No that would have been too easy instead this book stumbles along kinda half-baked while there are a few fun moments such as with Jimmy and Dash and their chocies in life this book is totally forgetable. Its a shame really..the chausm between the first and fourth book as a mile wide when you take into account like things like plot and charecter development.
Overall-if you thought this book was bad don'tgo any further Feist only compounds his errors in the next two books.
This the saga has ended just in time.......2004-07-27
The last book of the Serpent war is maybe not the best, but it is a satisfactory ending to the story, albeit a bit off balance if you compare it to the to-the-pointness of the earlier three. Feist should not have steered the plot into deeper and deeper evil to be vanquished, and the part of the battle with the final evil is downright poorly written. The unimpressed way the heroes deal with that cannot bring up any suspense at all.
Not that I think he will read it, but still a word of advice to Mr Feist: beware of the automatic pilot! Either end the story, or open up new threads that are worth developing, but don't introduce subplots that only last for 30 or so pages just to throw in yet another demon. not in a 2000 page saga anyway.
Product Description
Hardbacks
Product Description
paperbacks
Average customer rating:
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SHARDS OF A BROKEN CROWN
Raymond E. Feist
Manufacturer: Harper Collins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books | Alternate History | Anthologies | Arthurian | Contemporary | Epic | General | Historical | History & Criticism | Magic & Wizards | Series
ASIN: 0002246554 |
Average customer rating:
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Shards of a broken crown.
Raymond E. Feist
Manufacturer: Voyager
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books | Alternate History | Anthologies | Arthurian | Contemporary | Epic | General | Historical | History & Criticism | Magic & Wizards | Series
ASIN: 0002246546 |
Product Description
4 paperbacks. Book 1 thru 4 in The Serpentwar Saga - Shadow of a Dark Queen - Rise of a Merchant Prince - Rage of a Demon King - Shards of a Broken Crown
Books:
- Tales of Galicia
- Tempest Rising: A Novel
- Terra Nostra (Latin American Literature Series)
- The Absent City
- The Company She Keeps
- The Complete Tales of Peter Rabbit and Other Favorite Stories
- The Crystal Frontier
- The Five Lost Aunts of Harriet Bean
- The Fractal Murders (Pepper Keane Mysteries)
- The Gospel of Judas : A Novel
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Caucasia: A Novel
From Caucasia, with Love
ERASURE
Half and Half: Writers on Growing Up Biracial and Bicultural
William Trevor: The Collected Stories
