The Hills at Home: A Novel

Average customer rating:

Pretty boring

Hear those thought rhythms flying

Entertaining...with a caveat

A good story gone bad.

A slice of life

The Hills at Home: A Novel
Nancy Clark
Manufacturer: Anchor
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 140003096X
Release Date: 2004-06-08

Book Description

While always well-stocked with clean sheets, Lily Hill is not expecting visitors. At least not in the numbers that descend upon her genteely dilapidated New England ancestral home in the summer of ’89. Brother Harvey arrives first, thrice-widowed and eager for company; then perennially self-dramatizing niece Ginger and her teenaged daughter Betsy; then Alden, just laid-off from Wall Street, with his wife Becky, and their rowdy brood of four . . .

As summer fades into fall, it becomes clear that no one intends to leave. But just as Lily’s industrious hospitality gives way to a somewhat strained domestic routine, the Hill clan must face new challenges together. Brimming with wit and a compendium of Yankee curiosities, The Hills at Home is an irresistible modern take on an old-fashioned comedy of manners.

Customer Reviews:

Pretty boring.......2006-08-25

I am a patient reader and don't need a lot to keep my attention. Unfortunately, this book just didn't cut it. I would disagree with those who said the characters were well developed. Although each character had a memorable quirk, the author seemed to focus on quantity vs. quality... I kept waiting for the book to get better and it never did! With so many books out there, I'd recommend taking a rain check on this one.

Hear those thought rhythms flying.......2005-09-23

I loved the language rhythms in the book and the allusions to literary masterpieces we loved and studied. I thought the misspellings were actually puns running through the characters' minds. I have clear images of the house layout and the characters, and I also laughed out loud a lot. Having two characters named Becky was vaguely confusing, but it helps us empathize with Little Becky; and she resolves her problem in Clark's next novel.

Entertaining...with a caveat.......2005-06-24

I picked up this book in May of 2004 and only got about 100 pages into it before I put it down. I originally found it very slow-going, with nothing much to hold my attention. For some reason, I took it back off of the shelf two days ago, and plowed through the remaining 300+ pages in no time. I was able to remember the characters from over a year ago with no difficulty (a feat for me...obviously there are some well-written roles here!) and found the book very entertaining. The best part of the novel is definitely the depth with which Clark describes things...from people to places, you feel ingrained in the book, making it a pleasure to become lost within its covers.

All of that being said, as many prior reviewers have noted, the editing in this book is DEPLORABLE. I don't normally wish ill thoughts on others, but I do hope that whomever was responsible for the editing of this book is no longer in publishing. Really. It's that bad. And to those reviewers who weren't able to finish the book out of disdain for the editing, I fear it gets no better further in to the depths of the book.

So, if you're looking for a good story with evocative descriptions and an entertaining plot, I would recommend this book whole-heartedly. However, if you are a stickler for proper spelling and editing, and expect a book to be professionally reviewed prior to its publication, I would steer clear of this novel. I myself fall somewhere in the middle...Clark's new book has just come out, and I am ambivalent about reading it for fear of encountering the same editing debacle. Maybe I'll wait a few months until the irritation I still clearly feel about this book's shoddy proofing wears off a bit.

A good story gone bad........2004-09-30

I had looked forward to reading this book after hearing such great reviews. After plodding along through the story thinking many times "it must get better" I finally turned the last page disappointed I had wasted so much time on it. The editing is just not good - as others have mentioned the spelling and research is lacking throughout the book (they are Canada Geese - not Canadian). You never learn enough about the many, many characters to care about them. A disappointment because this could have been a great book had a better editor gotten a hold of it.

A slice of life.......2004-08-20

The Hills live in a big house on the North Shore of Massachusetts. Lily Hill is the somewhat unwilling hostess to her scattered and self-absorbed family as they come home to deal with their problems. At first she does not mind putting fresh flowers in their rooms, but after the welcome wears away, she begins to hoard all the good furniture and puts it away in her room.

This book is a great read. Yes, the sentences are long. Yes there are non sequitars. Yes, there is not a big plot. But that's what life is. Little dramas play out everyday but life isn't a Tom Clancy novel (or whomever writes good plots these days!).

Living in New England all my life and sharing a cottage on Cape Cod with my extended family brought this book home to me. It can be difficult sharing a house with one bathroom, but everyone was there because they wanted to be. The Hills are no exception. The characters are real - from the quiet, well-mannered Lily to the chatterbox Little Becky to the plotting Ginger, everyone had their stories, secrets and desires. Coming home to Towne they found a place to take a break from life and regroup.

The book ends happily and there are 2 more books about the Hills in the works. I will look forward to them.

Out to Pasture: But Not over the Hill (But Not Over the Hill)

Average customer rating:

A joy to read.
Loved this book!
I loved this book!
Great book about a forgotten generation
Excellent Reading ! You will enjoy it.

Out to Pasture: But Not over the Hill (But Not Over the Hill)
Effie Leland Wilder
Manufacturer: Peachtree Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1561451010

Book Description

HATTIE MCNAIR MAY be retired, but she certainly hasn't retired from life. In journals and letters to a friend, Hattie tells the stories of her fellow residents at a retirement home and of the immeasurable gifts and burdens of aging. Through the histories, hopes, and hijinks of Hattie's friends and foes, we come to know the Fair Acres folks and to share their triumphs and losses. When they join forces to help an illiterate young handyman, Hattie and company change their lives as well as those of young Arthur Priest and his family. By the time we finish Out to Pasture, we know the pride found in a life lived long and well, and the impact that we can have, no matter our age, on the people--and the world--around us.

Customer Reviews:

A joy to read........2002-05-06

Cute, funny, poignant, sad, etc.--all the adjectives you would expect to describe a book like this. Effie Wilder takes us on a tour of the retirement home and introduces us to her friends and acquaintences. Being able to take people's stories and use them to make people smile is what makes books such as this so endearing and special to read.

Loved this book!.......2002-04-01

Baby boomers should read what's in store for us when we, too go to "prison" in an old folks home. Hopefully, we'll have a neighbor there just like Hattie. Written with humor and insight, it rang all too true to the characters I met while visiting my mother when she was an "inmate." Lot of truth to it.
Wilder's also an inspiration to fledgling authors who say they're too old to write that book they've put away time and again. Not so. Go Effie go!

I loved this book!.......2001-08-26

I am no where near "Out To Pasture" but I found this novel to be delightful. This book has the oddest group of senior citizens you will ever run across. Filled with both serious and light situations this book will make you cry and then laugh. Effie Wilder teaches us that just because you are older your life is still full and the possibilities are endless. Way to go Effie!!

Great book about a forgotten generation.......2000-07-18

Mrs. Wilder has given all generations a delightful and easy to swallow book about aging. The main character, Hattie, is into everyone's business, but in a kindhearted way. Through her eyes the reader can see much of the pain and joy of being older. Leaving your home and moving into a retirement home is never an easy choice, but I think Hattie shows us that if done with grace, it can work out to be a fairly good life. The book is a joy to read, offers lots of laughs, a few tears, and some good hard lessons about life. I look forward to sharing this book with my "adopted" eighty-four-year-old grandmother.

Excellent Reading ! You will enjoy it........2000-07-16

This humorous short novel rates the "best" reading of the season with me. It goes to show that "you are never too old or too young to learn something new". Effie Leland Wilder says that she was well suited for being a wife and mother. I'm sure she was great, but I wonder what exceptionally delightful literary works she might have written if she would have started her writing career a little earlier. Written in a journal format that is easy to read and understand, this book will keep

Book Description

The key characters in Graham Greene's fiction are often footloose wanderers and his work is replete with journeys and searches. Professor Hill seeks to crystallize current research and develops a theory of dwelling and loss in this modern master's work.

Average customer rating:

Stunning and beautifully-crafted novel

Home from the hill (Permabooks)
William Humphrey
Manufacturer: Permabooks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Domestic Life | Women's Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: B0007H9E26

Customer Reviews:

Stunning and beautifully-crafted novel.......2007-02-17

Humphrey's book is remarkable -- a tour de force on any number of levels. The story is brilliantly evocative of East Texas in the 1950s; the writing is masterful throughout; but more than anything "Home From the Hill" is a beautiful and shattering story about a young man and his father. A book-jacket note compares William Humphrey to William Faulkner; read this novel and you will understand that the comparison is not hyperbole.

Mark Twain: Jackass Hill and the Jumping Frog

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The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County

Mark Twain: Jackass Hill and the Jumping Frog
George Williams
Manufacturer: Tree By the River Pub
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

United States | Short Stories | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Customer Reviews:

The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County.......2000-12-13

This is a great book once you get used to Mark Twain's diolect. From the very beging to when they fill the prize frog with Buck Shot so he couldn't jump as high. Anouther A+ short story by Mark Twain

A Paper House: Horace Walpole at Strawberry Hill

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A Paper House: Horace Walpole at Strawberry Hill
Anna Chalcraft
Manufacturer: Highgate Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Classics | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

This Hill, This Valley (American Land Classics)

Average customer rating:

A Must Read

This Hill, This Valley (American Land Classics)
Hal Borland
Manufacturer: The Johns Hopkins University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Conservation | Environment | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

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Reference | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

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Natural History | Nature & Ecology | Science | Subjects | Books

Beyond Your Doorstep: A Handbook to the Country

ASIN: 0801840201

Book Description

In one of the true classics of American nature writing (first published in 1957), Borland recounts the cycle of a year on his hill-country farm in northwestern Connecticut.

Customer Reviews:

A Must Read.......2007-01-31

I found this book to be another of Hal Borland's masterful descriptions of the nature around us. When Hal describes a brook to fish in, or a hill loaded with color in the fall, an animal's tracks in the snow,a weathered fence line falling down, the sound of geese far overhead on a cold clear night.....You can feel, hear, and see in your mind's eye... exactly what he was describing. You might have even experienced these things, yourself, at some point in your busy life, but never thought any more about it until you opened the pages of this and all others by Hal Borland. This book is not only a MUST read....It's a GREAT read. Enjoy

[...]

York Notes on Susan Hill's "I'm the King of the Castle" (York Notes)

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York Notes on Susan Hill's "I'm the King of the Castle" (York Notes)
Hana Sambrook
Manufacturer: Longman
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Literary Criticism & Collections | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0582096421

Average customer rating:

The best description of Southern society and culture.
Classic, you don't know Faulkner until you've read this book

My Brother Bill (Hill Street Classics)
John Faulkner
Manufacturer: Hill Street Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Authors | Arts & Literature | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

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Rich & Famous | Leaders & Notable People | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Customer Reviews:

The best description of Southern society and culture........2003-06-06

John Faulkner succeeded capturing the South better than any author I have read. I grew up near his location and in a family with the same moral and cultural values of his. His family could have been mine. If you want to travel to the South that used to be, that our families helped build after the Civil War and before Korea this is the best way I know to do it. His frugal use of words and his short sentences only add to the authenticity of his descriptions. For those of us from there he brings to life,as none other, what used to be and is to never be again.

Classic, you don't know Faulkner until you've read this book.......2000-03-20

A wonderful stylist, John tells the intimate story of the Faulkner family that no biographer or academic could. You simply don't know Faulkner until you've read this book.

Amazon.com

The Real Story is a short but intense tale set in a future in which humans travel between the stars using "gap drives," controllable brain implants are punishable by death, and a private company called the United Mining Company runs law enforcement for all of known space. Ensign Morn Hyland lives aboard a police ship with most of her family, chasing down pirates and other illegals who prey on the weak or smuggle goods into forbidden space.

Through a strange turn of events, one particularly nasty perpetrator ends up with Morn as his companion--or at least that's the way it appears to the folks at the space station's bar. Why would a young, strong, beautiful police officer associate with a crusty, murdering pirate? People watch with interest as Morn appears to fall in lust with another racy illegal, Captain Nick Succorso. Morn and Nick must have plotted together to frame Angus and escape together, right? But the real story was quite different.

Book Description

Author of The Chronicles Of Thomas Covenant, one of the most acclaimed fantasy series of all time, master storyteller Stephen R. Donaldson retums with this exciting and long-awaited new series that takes us into a stunningly imagined future to tell a timeless story of adventure and the implacable conflict of good and evil within each of us.

Angus Thermopyle was an ore pirate and a murderer; even the most disreputable asteroid pilots of Delta Sector stayed locked out of his way. Those who didn't ended up in the lockup--or dead. But when Thermopyle arrived at Mallory's Bar & Sleep with a gorgeous woman by his side the regulars had to take notice. Her name was Morn Hyland, and she had been a police officer--until she met up with Thermopyle.

But one person in Mallorys Bar wasn't intimidated. Nick Succorso had his own reputation as a bold pirate and he had a sleek frigate fitted for deep space. Everyone knew that Thermopyle and Succorso were on a collision course. What nobody expected was how quickly it would be over--or how devastating victory would be. It was common enough example of rivalry and revenge--or so everyone thought. The REAL story was something entirely different.

In The Real Story, Stephen R. Donaldson takes us to a remarkably detailed world of faster-than-light travel, politics, betrayal, and a shadowy presence just outside our view to tell the fiercest, most profound story he has ever written.

Customer Reviews:

short, violent and juicy.......2007-09-06

Ah, a kind of book which perks my interest - short, violent and juicy.

The story writing is original, taking the reader from the simplistic setting of a story on through all the details (nitty-gritty at times) and takes the reader to the same conclusion as was in the short, simplistic version.

The characters are very distasteful , drawing me into the story. I like to have characters with flaws, big gapping flaws which are probed painfully again and again. Perfect, happy characters bite. The Real Story, while short, won't let a reader down if you're interested in the above.

A brutal beginning to a grand epic..........2006-02-27

'The Real Story' is simple and short - you will glean this much, at least, from the other reviews. And indeed, as a stand-alone novel, this book is lacking is depth, character development (with the exception of one character, and though we come to understand his decisions, his motives are largely unrevealed) and a satisfying conclusion, there are two points that are vital to note. These two points are apparently contradictory, but I'll attempt to explain:

1) This was written as a short novella. It wasn't intended to be the first in a series, and as such it doesn't bear many of the traits usually associated with the first book in a series, such as hints of larger plots or other elements designed to draw the reader back for book 2. As a stand-alone novel, Donaldson kept this in a drawer, unpublished, for some years. Only as part of a larger series does it work, yet it doesn't read like the beginning of a series. Once you understand this, the flaws are less glaring.

2) In apparent contradiction of point 1, above, please understand that it IS the first in a series. The series itself is probably the best science fiction I've ever read, but it really doesn't get going until mid-way through book 2. Again, once you accept that most of the "good stuff" comes after 'The Real Story, it's easier to bear to flaws.

Though I don't seek to excuse any form of weakness here (after all, whatever it was intended to be and however great the rest of the series, the first book should still be complete and engaging), I do seek to prevent people being deterred by the lukewarm reviews of this first installment. It's not bad by any means, merely incomplete. I would issue a couple of warnings though: Firstly, this book is grim and brutal; be prepared. And secondly, Donaldson tells character-based stories in fantastic settings - if you're looking for detailed high technology and hard science, this might not be your scene.

Good but troubling.......2006-02-20

I read the First Chronicles and Thomas Covenant on the advice of a friend, and loved them. Contrary to some of the reader comments on those books, I understood the rape in the first book was setting up the plot for the later books. Thomas Covenant is the prototypical unsympathetic protagonist. He's a complex and masterfully composed character.

Donaldson's writing in those books was a bit over the top. I got the impression at times that he was flaunting his obvious talent. His use of vocabulary seemed gratuitious. But, I also understand that this was his first series, and I figured he would grow into his craft. I was right.

So, what does this all have to do with the Gap Series?

Well, an interesting transformation occurred in this series. The rape theme that was "necessary" to the Covenant series story-line, has become "gratuitous." And the vocabulary that was "gratuitous," has toned down to become "necessary."

While his writing style has improved, the content has degraded.

Don't misunderstand. The Real Story is an excellent book, in that it hooks the reader to want to press on with the rest of the series. In fact, I went out and bought the entire remainder of the series after finishing it. I am now almost finished the second, and almost regretting that I did buy them all. The content takes a darker turn and the profanities ratchet up the dialog to an uncomfortable level.

Its interesting to read a writer's early work, and then come back and read their latest work and compare them. While the style has improved, the substance has markedly declined.

I'm not giving up on Donaldson. There's plenty of room between these two extremes, and I'm sure some of his other books will be well worth the effort.

Prequel.......2005-12-13

This book should be considered as the first 272 pages of a 2004-page epic. A bit wordy for a preface, it doesn't fare well on its own (see other reviews). But both the Second Chronicles and the Mordant's Need series were the same way -- not really intended to be read as independent books.

If you don't mind spoilers, look at the reviews of the other 3 books -- standard Donaldson stuff (some people dislike his style, some prefer his fantasy work, etc.)

I am a fan of *both* sci-fi and fantasy. While I like good writing, a good story pleases me more (which is why I can enjoy Asimov).

Another reviewer compared the Gap series to the Babylon 5 TV series. I see these commonalities:
- a single main plot across the whole series
- humans are both the "good guys" and the "bad guys"
- the "good guys" aren't always that good

It's dark. It's full of violence. It's not for the squeamish.

If you have read Donaldson's second book of short stories (Reave the Just) and were put off by the violence and depravity there, you should probably skip this series. Otherwise, buy the set and read them straight through.

don't judge the series by the intro.............2005-11-23

i have had all five GAP books sitting on my shelf for a few years, awaiting the time when i could launch into them. i finally did. i sailed through book one in an evening, and thought "hmmmm, this is perty easy for a donaldson read!", having read the covenant and mirror books.... i should have known. donaldson was just hooking me with the start of his tale. having completed them all in three weeks, i just shake my head at this guy's amazing ability to weave a tale. as a lord of the rings fan from way back, i tend to compare writers with tolkein's brilliance at story telling. donaldson is right up there with tolkein. the bitchy reviews i have seen here about how "the real story" doesn't do this and isn't that, bla bla bla, is just lame tripe by reviewers who haven't had the ballz or time to slog through all five books. and a worthy slog it is. and no, they aren't 'five books' --- it is one book just broken up into five volumes, duh. and as far as the very "raw" stuff, get over it. he's not afraid for his characters to be real, fully human, warts and all. at least his use of the 'raw' isn't the gratuitous kind of junk that fills the tv screen your average evening. it is just one of the things that makes his books so compelling to read. i am delighted to see that donaldson is now in the process of adding three more books to the 'covenant' series.

Average customer rating:

The Gap Into Conflict: The Real Story

Manufacturer: Bantam
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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Average customer rating:

The Gap into Conflict : The Real Story
Stephen R. Donaldson
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The Gap Into Conflict The Real Story
Stephen Donaldson
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GAP INTO CONFLICT: THE REAL STORY

Manufacturer: Bantam
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000I8XBD2

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The Gap Into Conflict: The Real Story
Stephen R. Donaldson
Manufacturer: Bantam Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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The Gap Into Conflict: The Real Story -
Stephen R. Donaldson -
Manufacturer: Bantam Publishing -
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Binding: Hardcover
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Real Story Gap Into Conflict :Gap 1
Stephen R Donaldson
Manufacturer: UNSPECIFIED VENDOR
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Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000VW6WB8

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Real Story the Gap Into Conflict Signed
Stephen R Donaldson
Manufacturer: BANTAM BOOKS
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000U0AAL4

Average customer rating:

Real Story the Gap Into Conflict Signed
Stephen R Donaldson
Manufacturer: BANTAM BOOKS
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