Average customer rating:
- Not one of Anne Tyler's better books
- The whole was less than the sum of its parts
- Early signs of genius
- Not as great as one would have hoped.
- Early Tyler Still Glows
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The Tin Can Tree: A Novel (1st Ballantine Books Trade ed)
Anne Tyler
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
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Binding: Paperback
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If Morning Ever Comes
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Clock Winder (1st Ballantine Books Trade ed)
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Earthly Possessions
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Morgan's Passing
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A Slipping-Down Life
ASIN: 0449911896
Release Date: 1996-08-27 |
Book Description
In the small town of Larksville, the Pike family is hopelessly out of step with the daily rhythms of life after the tragic, accidental death of six-year-old Janie Rose. Mrs. Pike seldom speaks, blaming herself, while Mr. Pike is forced to come out of his long, comfortable silence. Then there is ten-year-old Simon, who is suddenly without a baby sister -- and without understanding why she's gone.
Those closest to this shattered family must learn to comfort them -- and confront their own private shadows of hidden grief. If time cannot draw them out of the dark, then love may be their only hope....
Customer Reviews:
Not one of Anne Tyler's better books.......2006-11-26
I am a big fan of Anne Tyler and have read most of her books and liked every one of them EXCEPT for "The Tin Can Tree". It was boring. Plain and simple.
The whole was less than the sum of its parts.......2001-04-15
I am a huge Anne Tyler fan, so I was disappointed that Tin Can Tree wasn't up the the caliber of Accidental Tourist (my favorite Tyler novel) or Breathing Lessons. But it one of her first, and the signs of her ability are there. The story of Janie Rose and how her parents cope with her death is compelling, but the problem is the treatment of it is somehow superficial. The author is so intent on showing me life in small town America that she leaves the novel's core family, the Pike's inaccessible. All the relationships were superficial. The characters of James, and Ansell in particular, took up far too much space, especially since their story never went anywhere. In short, this book had alot of great elements that did not up to a novel worthy of Tyler's talent
Early signs of genius.......1999-08-24
My expectations for this book were very low, which might be why I found it so good. I had heard that this was her worst novel. but having read 12 of the other 13, I had to read this one. It lacks the complexities of plot and character of her later novels, but the simplicity is not a weakness. It is a gentle story of unexceptional people in a sleepy little town where nothing ever happens - apart from the odd accidental death - but Tyler pulls the reader in through the front doors and makes us care. Joan and James are probably too similar to several other early Tyler characters, but the author keeps our interest up. These people might be dull to the outside world, but Tyler shows us the spark of rebellion flickering deep inside - hinting at the one big decisive act of their lives (this usually involves running away from a big famlily - it happens in almost all of Tyler's books!). If you are not a big Tyler fan you won't like this book, but if you are, ignore the critics and treat yourself!
Not as great as one would have hoped........1998-12-14
As an avid reader of Anne Tyler's works, I found The Tin Can Tree to be a surprising letdown. Over the past year I've read eight of the fourteen books Tyler's written and had greatly enjoyed every other one. However, I had to force myself to finish The Tin Can Tree and was sadly disappointed as to how much I didn't love it. If you are a fan of Anne Tyler, read it; maybe you will enjoy it more than I did. If you have yet to read Anne Tyler, don't form your opinion on this book. I suggest reading Celestial Navigation or Ladder of Years, two of my favorite novels of Anne Tyler's mastery.
Early Tyler Still Glows.......1998-08-15
While a smaller, almost novella sized novel about characters familiar to those in Tyler's audience, it is simply amazing how this book, written in her early 20's, still manages to captivate and amuse. The prone, home-bound brother is a truly original creation. I came to this after finishing most of this author's earlier work and was worried I would find her early novels reflecting what one would expect to hear from a first time, very young novelist in the sixties. But the book is timeless and her style already cemented. Slower paced, but a fine read.
Average customer rating:
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The Tin Can Tree
Anne Tyler
Manufacturer: NY: Bantam, 1966
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Tyler, Anne
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ASIN: B000H90Z0O |
Product Description
A Radiant, Haunting New Novel by the Astonishing Author of the Surprise Bestseller "If Morning Ever Comes".
Book Description
It's an Easter Egg-stravaganza!
Lucille is having an Easter Egg Hunt at her rich expensive mansion! And guess what? The winner gets a play date to swim in Lucille's heated indoor swimming pool! Only, here is the problem. How did Junie B. get stuck wearing a big dumb bunny suit? And how can she possibly find eggs when she keeps tripping over her huge big rabbit feet? Being a dumb bunny is definitely not as easy as it looks. Will Junie B. end up with egg on her face? Or will the day deliver some very uneggspected results?
From the Hardcover edition.
Customer Reviews:
Gracie's review of Junie B. Jones - Dumb Bunny.......2007-09-19
Junie B., First Grader: Dumb Bunny (A Stepping Stone Book(TM))
I love all of Barbara Parks books about Junie B. Jones. I think they should make a movie of this book. I think this is the funniest of all the Junie B.books. If you have a little girl who loves to read or be read to, I cannot recommend all of the Junie B. books enough.
Would make a great addition to any Easter basket! This book is a little better than cheater pants!
Yes to Junie B........2007-07-24
My daughter has the whole collection she love keeping up with Junie B. I have not read a book in it's entire but from what I've read she is a very curious, funny little girl. I recommend this book and all the others also. My daughter was hooked after the 1st Barbara Parks books and althought she is older now she still cracks up laughing when reading. Totaling entertaining!
A very loquacious first grader with a vocabulary far beyond her age .......2007-06-05
After more than 25 books, Barbara Park's series about a very loquacious first grader with a vocabulary far beyond her age (and the writing ability to go with it) is still going strong. So I suspended my disbelief and read JUNIE B., FIRST GRADER: DUMB BUNNY to my six-year-old.
In this adventure, the rich girl in class, Lucille, invites everyone over to her mansion to participate in an over-the-top Easter Egg Hunt that will result in a play date in Lucille's heated indoor swimming pool. Lucille wants her boyfriend Sheldon to win, but Junie B. and her arch-nemesis May (the original "dumb bunny" in the title until Junie B. gets something of a comeuppance later on) are ready to pounce, pound and scrabble their opponents in order to get a dip in that grand pool.
There is a lot of falling down and Batman-type expletives (WHOOSH! SMASH!), and the kids are none too nice to each other until Junie B., in a sudden acknowledgment of good judgment, makes a quick and well-appreciated sacrifice to save the day. We laughed at some of the pratfalls, and Lucille's annoyed Nanna character was amusing as well. Junie B. shares the stage with a lot of different people, but she is clearly the star of the show, the story told from her point of view.
Whether humiliated in a pink bunny suit or gloating over her lack of selfishness, Junie B. thinks in capital letters with lots of exclamation points and writes in her journal about what she has learned. The journal entries are cute and engaging, and spell out the moral of the story without being too pointed, which we appreciated.
If this is your first Junie B. foray, it might be helpful to go back and read some of the earlier books first to relax into her strange environment. Otherwise, DUMB BUNNY certainly will offer fans of the series more of what they have come to expect from this little girl and her friends.
--- Reviewed by Jana Siciliano
Kids Love Junie B........2007-05-14
My daughter love this series. It's a little hard for me to read due to the poor grammar and name calling. Let's face it though most first graders have poor grammar. There are worse things that she could be reading. We have all of these books and they are well loved.
Hilarious tale.......2007-04-14
Barbara Park's JUNIE B. FIRST GRADER: DUMB BUNNY provides another excellent first grader tale: this taking place at Easter and telling of an Easter egg hunt with an unusual prize. But Junie B. gets stuck wearing an impossible costume and a series of mishaps might prevent her from her goals in this hilarious tale for grades 4-6.
Average customer rating:
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Stone men of Malekula,
J Layard
Manufacturer: Chatto & Windus
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
Australia & Oceania | History | Subjects | Books | Australia | Fiji | General | Marshall Islands | New Zealand | Papua New Guinea | Polar Regions
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ASIN: B0007IUFC8 |
Book Description
John Ruskin, Victorian England's greatest writer on art and literature, believed himself to be an adopted son of Venice, and his feelings for this beautiful, melancholy city are nowhere better expressed than in The Stones of Venice, a collection of essays first published between 1851 and 1853. This abridged edition, which contains Ruskin's famous essay "The Nature of Gothic," captures the essence of his masterpiece, offering readers a marvelously descriptive and discursive tour of the glorious city of Venice before it was transformed by postwar restoration. As Ruskin wrote on his second visit to Venice in 1841, "Thank God I am here, it is a Paradise of Cities."
Customer Reviews:
This is only a VERY SHORT EXCERPT!!!!.......2007-01-12
This is misleading...not even 5% of the Ruskin masterwork is printed in this book.
Dover 3 Vol. edition is UNABRIDGED.......2006-08-19
Amazon frequently mixes reader reviews of various editions of a given classic work. Such is the case here. Be advised that if you are now veiwing the Dover 3 vol. edition of Ruskin's The Stones of Venice, it is the UNABRIDGED edition of this work. Not a single word is missing. As such, this is the ultimate edition to own.
A Needed Clarification.......2005-12-17
Hey, guys! A lot of the reviews of this book are complaining that the text is abridged. No! This book is the first of THREE VOLUMES which, together, make up the entire "Stones of Venice." To get the whole thing, you need to buy Volumes 10 and 11 as well, not just Volume 9. (N.B., "The Nature of Gothic," the best-known part, is in Volume 10.) It's all there. You just weren't looking in the right place.
That having been said, it's a shame that one has to spend about $300 to get the complete text in a nice, hardbound format. But it's still a worthy investment.
Material Left Out.......2005-09-24
As much as I appreciate and respect the work of the editor, I was distresed to find that passages in which Ruskin addressed labor reform were left out. This was in Chapter 6. In the original, Ruskin argued for preserving the integrity of individual workers. I found that this edition left out pages that concerned labor reform, making the work appear to concern architecture alone. If you are interested in Ruskin's views on society, then, be cautious of this. For my part, I ended up resorting to the Norton Anthology of Literature for the text I needed.
In the "Gothic" passage of SoV Ruskin wrote quite forcefully in defense of labor. He emphasized how important it is for buildings to show the work of individual workers. Signs of their work are an essential part of the architecture, he contended. Much of this argument does not appear in this edition.
It remains a wonderful work for those who are interested in the architecture alone.
an architecture page turner.......2001-06-12
This is an abridged version of the original 3 volumes, but a delightful book -- both for the opinions expressed and the wonderful pomposity with which they are presented. It's impossible not to learn about art and architecture from this book, but it also (perhaps not intentionally) makes Woody Allen's or Steve Martin's New Yorker pieces seem like downers. The man has no humility and there is no opinion other than his, yet somehow the clarity and vitality of his description allows you to continue reading. I was fortunate enough to pick this up in Venice, so I was able to search out his examples of the 5 worst buildings in Venice, and similar Ruskinisms.
Average customer rating:
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The Stones of Venice - Part 2 (The Complete Works of John Ruskin - Volume 10)
John Ruskin
Manufacturer: Classic Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding
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Ruskin, John | ( R ) | Authors, A-Z | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1582013500 |
Book Description
Merlin the Magician will not eat or sleep or speak to anyone in Camelot. What can be done? The enchantress Morgan knows who to ask
for help: young Jack and Annie of Frog Creek, Pennsylvania! The brother-and-sister team quickly head off in the magic tree house on another magical and historical adventure.
Their mission: discover one of the four secrets of happiness.
Their journey: to a land of fierce samurai and great beauty, the capital city of Edo (now the city of Tokyo), in ancient Japan in the 1600s.
Their tools: a research book to guide them and a magic wand with three special rules.
In Dragon of the Red Dawn, Mary Pope Osborne transports readers back to the splendor, rich culture, and magic of traditional Japan.
From the Hardcover edition.
Customer Reviews:
Dragon Of The Red Dawn.......2007-10-09
I liked this book because it s'
like I'm in the book.Also
it captures my attention.This book is about Jack and Annie going to
Japan and to doing something.
Magic Tree House 37 Merlin Misson Dragon of the Red Dawn.......2007-10-09
I like this book because it has great words and the author it good at writing. This book was about them go to Tokyo . I give this book 5 stars.
great book!.......2007-09-01
This book I loved when I was reading the pages, and how it gives you a little passport in the back of the book like it was actually a real passport. The books description of the garden when they first get out of the tree house in Japan just gives me a picture of what it looks like in real life. This book had a bit of humor and that adds coolness to the book. Buy this book!!!!!!!! I'm 11.
Mary Pope Osborne: Never A Disappointment........2007-07-23
Osborne forever captures history, folklore and imagination into the minds of many young and old alike. Her books are ever a delight to read to my son (even though he's able to read by himself) and more, a delight to hear when they come out on audiocassette!
I recommend this book.......2007-06-10
I liked it because Jack and Annie travel to Japan which is a really cool place and I think more people should read this book. It is better than any other book because it is the newest of the series.
Average customer rating:
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In an iridescent time
Ruth Stone
Manufacturer: Harcourt, Brace
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
United States | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books | 18th Century | 19th Century | 20th Century | African American | Asian American | Classics | Collections & Readers | Drama | General | Hispanic | History & Criticism | Humor | Jewish American | Letters & Correspondence | Native American | Poetry | Short Stories | Women Writers
ASIN: B0007DWS0U |
Customer Reviews:
From prophecy to the headlines.......2006-02-28
I have read several of Dr. Stone's books and I must say that this is his best work yet. This book was written a few years ago (even before the current Iraq war) and in this book Stone details his beliefs concerning a war with Iraq, Saddam being taken captive, and a future conflict concerning Iran. Again I must say that it is so amazing to discover a book in which each chapter becomes the headlines of future media. Stone also details his proposal concerning the identity of the Antichrist. He connects the biblical antichrist with the Islamic messiah or Mahdi (again a term now being propagated via Iran). It seems Stone's beliefs are dead on. The book is exciting and includes much insider-info. I highly recommend it!
Book Description
imagine a mythic kingdom in England of wizards and witches, fire-breathing dragons, and dreadful giants. Who can rule this magical land? Who can overcome the powers of evil? It is the destiny of King Arthur and his noble knights, who protect and serve the people of Camelot. A perfect introduction to the Arthurian legends.
Customer Reviews:
Kid tested, mother approved.......2005-06-30
This book was one of three Bullseye Classics we bought for my son's second grade English class. He picked this one up as soon as the box arrived and had it read within an hour. He loved the stories and was able to re-tell them to his little sister. I hadn't heard the stories about "Big Hands" or "What do women want?" This collection really got his imagination going and he wants to read more about King Arthur.
To tell you the truth, I didn't notice the problems with sentence structure, etc...I was enjoying the stories too much.
Awful writing, terrible grammar, bad for children.......2003-10-01
In addition to the ham-handed telling of the story, the writing in these Bullseye books is just terrible. Half-sentences. Written like this. Or this. Part of the value of such books is that young readers will learn to read "chapter books." But the English and grammar in these books is so abysmal as to render them useless for this task. I was very disappointed.
Perfect for reading to a younger child.......2003-02-03
I agree that this is not the finest book written on King Arthur, but it is one that can be read aloud, and easily enhanced by a grandmother anxious to read these legends to a second grader---- finding something appropriate for a young listener has not been easy!
Textbook example of how NOT to write sentences.......2002-08-20
It is hard to believe a book this poorly written could make past the editors! There were so many run-on and incomplete sentences I had trouble reading it to my daughter. I can only imagine what my second grade daughter went through reading on her own. We will keep this book if only to serve as an example of how NOT to construct sentences. There is a year's worth of grammar exercises in this book.
Knights of the round Table.......2001-11-02
I think this is a very good story because its placed in history. I like when the giant takes off his head. You should get this book for your child.
Book Description
The first book in a series of dark tales and high adventure in the
Eberron™ campaign setting. The Binding Stone features the brand new races that were created specifically for the Eberron campaign setting. It's also the first
Eberron novel to takes its readers on an exploration of many uncharted territories in the setting.
Customer Reviews:
Best Eberron Series.......2006-11-21
...by far. If you must read one Eberron book or series, read this one. If you intend to read them all, read these last, or you won't enjoy the other series as much, as they pale in comparison.
I want more!
FANTASTIC !!.......2006-07-25
I just finished reading The Binding Stone, the first of Don Bassingthwaithe's books I have read. Wow, it was really good.
This story had you hooked from the very beginning and by the end you just couldn't walk away from it ... everything stopped until I finished the book ! You can't say better than that !
The only thing I was disappointed with was the character Adolan who was so likeable was killed off so early - I was gutted ! However, the other character's were so well defined and different from each other and the plot so exciting one was forced to move on ! Author Bassingthwaite does a great job not letting out too much information, just drip feeding it through so even by the end the characters still have their mysteries. Plus the villians are so convincing.
I am looking forward to reading the next in the series ...
A surprisingly good read.......2006-04-16
I am very reluctant to buy books based on RPG worlds, movies and the like since the books themselves have a sort of mass produced cookie cutter feel, with bland characters who are nothing more than representations of their character class and/or if you know the rules of the game, you spend the whole book trying to figure out what spell is being used, what class skill let's them do that? Not so with this book.
I picked up on a lark as I'd been out of D & D for years, right when Forgetten Realms started, due to lack of interest. Eberron's setting was interesting to me so I gave this book a shot. First, the author's writing style is praiseworthy. The descriptives are good, his vocabulary excellent and sentence style varied. I mention this to show the writer isn't some mass production hack. Second, the book involves three characters whose backgrounds are all Eberron specific, so you get a flavor for how these races and classes work in this universe. Third, the book does an excellent job giving a sense of tension as the heroes are chased relentlessly and are forced to escape rather than win every battle. Fourth, the heroes screw up and don't perform every task with perfection. Fifth, the villain(s) are well written, complex and you actually dislike them rather than being ambivalent about the outcome.
My only quibble is that two of the characters in the party hate each other from an event that happened years before during a war that shaped the current Eberron setting. I think they become allies a tad too easily, in spite of the circumstances, to really seem proper. If you've had a 7 year desire to exact revenge, I think it would be hard to put it aside so easily. I'd have liked a little more conflict between the characters from that standpoint.
Other than that, I think this book is well worth the read.
Wow.......2006-03-15
Just finished The Binding Stone and let me tell you, this is one great book. I like adventure stories like this one and it didn't let me down. The action is great and the characters are ones you want to root for. Great Job!!
If you like this book, might I suggest another I've recently come arcoss. The Unsuspecting Mage by Brian S. Pratt. It's another fantasy adventure sure to please. I highly reccomend it.
Best Eberron novel to date!.......2005-08-31
Well I would not listen to the first review here, as this has been the best Eberron novel to be released so far.
When I say that, I am not knocking the previous novels, as I loved Matt Forbeck's 'Marked for Death', and I thought that Keith Bakers novel 'City of Towers' was an okay novel (especially for a first time novelist).
But here we have been given something different, something a little edgier, something a little darker.
It may not be noir (on which the Eberron setting was sold to us by Wizards of the Coast upon its launch) but it is definitely good solid fantasy, and that is what Don Bassingthwaite excels at.
Don has crafted a book that is very character driven. When I say that I mean that he doesn't just give you a bunch of adventurers and run with a story. He builds each one up carefully, so that you learn to care about each ones fate. Don does not reveal the full details of each character, but also trickles the information out over the course of the story, and even by the end we are left wanting to know more.
Don also knows how to pack a punch with his action scenes, and he will make you keep turning those pages. He is also a master at pacing out his novels, and by the time you get to the end of the novel you will find you are flipping those pages like crazy.
Unlike the other reviewer, I will tell you to avoid The Crimson Talisman, as that is the worst novel in the series. Do read the others however have they have been fun to read, but for a fine tale in the Eberron setting, you will not find anything better (yet) than this!
I would also recommend that you check out some of the other Don Bassingthwaite novels, in particular the ones set in Forgotten Realms (The Yellow Silk (Fantastic), Mistress of the Night(Excellent)).
Can't wait for the next one in the series.
Books:
- The Trolley: A Novel
- The Unwritten Rules of Social Relationships: Decoding Social Mysteries Through the Unique Perspectives of Autism
- The Usual Rules: A Novel
- Theros Ironfeld (Dragonlance Warriors, Vol. 4)
- This Rock: A Novel
- Those Bones Are Not My Child: A novel
- Tomato Red
- Turkey--Bright Sun, Strong Tea: On the Road with a Travel Writer
- Watercolor: The Complete Course
- We Shared The Peeled Orange: The Letters of "Papa Louis" from the Thai-Cambodian Border Refugee Camps 1981-1993
Books Index
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