Average customer rating:
- "Of or relating to a genre of usually satiric prose fiction"
- Witty and sarcastic!
- Delightful!!
- Very important piece of literature
- Absolutely one of the best books I've ever read
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The Year of the Hare
Arto Paasilinna
Manufacturer: Peter Owen Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 Contemporary
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ASIN: 0720612772 |
Customer Reviews:
"Of or relating to a genre of usually satiric prose fiction".......2005-06-02
The cover of the book says that The Year of the Hare is "a picaresque novel with an ecological theme". I had a general idea what picaresque means, but to be on the safe side, I decided to look the word up.
According to the Google definition service, "Picaresque" means 1) "Of or involving clever rogues or adventurers". or 2)"Of or relating to a genre of usually satiric prose fiction originating in Spain and depicting in realistic, often humorous detail the adventures of a roguish hero of low social degree living by his or her wits in a corrupt society."
I think that the definition indeed sums the book up nicely, although I think that you could argue that Vatanen is not really of low social degree-- although he does become that for the sake of his hare.
In places, the Year of the Hare can become a little bit difficult to read. The Finnish politics went straight over my head as did (I suspect) much of the subtlety relating to Finnish life. Particularly at the beginning it is difficult to see where the book is going.
It is a measure of how-written the book is that despite the missing pieces I really enjoyed the read. Some absurdities are not at all cultural-specific and Paasilinna hits them quite nicely with his man and the hare.
Fans of the aforementioned Picaresque novels should like this little adventure. It has flavors of early Vonnegut and a little bit of Ionesco. Recommended for anyone with a taste for the gently absurd.
Witty and sarcastic!.......2003-09-23
If you like Vonnegut, read this book. Paasilinna's humor and sarcasm are very similar to Vonnegut's. However, it is unique in that it has a distinctly Finnish touch to it. Although I have not read it in it's original Finnish text, I believe the translator, Herbert Lomas, must have done a wonderful job. I was laughing out loud in during many parts of this book.
Delightful!!.......2001-09-02
"The year of the hare", by finnish writer Arto Paasilinna, is a finger-licking good book, period! It's about a journalist who unintentionally runs over a young hare while being on an assignment. He gets out of the car to help the wounded animal, venturing into the surrounding forest and... well, doesn't come back. While attending the animal something happens in his mind and he suddenly realizes that he can't cope anymore with his life, his wife, the rhythms of modern society, his boss and everything. He therefore forswears everything in favour of a new life, with the hare as his sole companion through the small adventures he's about to experience. From a certain point of view he becomes a revolutionary because he proves that one can live happily outside society, in fact happier than ever before...
I don't necessairly share his point of view but the tale is so imbued with happy feelings and lightness that one can's help but feel touched! As for the writing, Arto Paasilinna's is extremely minimalistic, without many frills and that adds to the impression that what you're reading is in fact a modern fable :-)
Very important piece of literature.......2000-03-31
The worst sides of the western society have been revealed. And, what makes it even more ovbious: almost 20 years before the stressful and hypercommercial way of life really took off! The Year Of The Hare is a story about escape. It is allso a very truthful description of Finland, and it's people. Being one of the politically most "incorrect" books, it plays around with the posibility of revolution, wich made it forbidden in some socialist countries ( as far as I know...). Ther it is, the western way of life, summed up, pretty completely.
Absolutely one of the best books I've ever read.......1999-04-03
This book is so hilarious and I recomend this book to everybody, who wants to have a good laughs and likes good literature
Customer Reviews:
Interesting, if repetitive.......2004-07-28
Fr. Winters is a former professor of mine and a large part of his course was devoted to this book (which I read in its entireity later on). So maybe it's just a bit of burnout from hearing the same message over and over again, but I found Year of the Hare to be tedious at times but well worth reading. I wasn't terribly impressed with the writing style, which can get a little overblown, or the opening part of the book that goes through the timeline of events leading up to Diem's overthow. But it definitely picks up steam in the second part where each of the major characters is analyzed and Winters essentially assigns blame to the various actors. This part, I thought, was fascinating both in its conclusions and the information that it presents about how each person/group viewed the situation in the framework of their world views. Unfortunately, Fr. Winters is prone to moralizing and the same kind of viewpoint rigidity that he criticizes in the book, so it lapses back into repetition in the conclusion, which is pretty preachy. But on the whole, it was an enjoyable and quick read, and I think its main point, that Vietnam was Kennedy's unfortunate and avoidable reaction to the horrors of nuclear war in Europe, is convincing and novel enough to be given a look. Any of the more negative parts of the book are well-balanced by its short length and the really interesting middle section.
A monumental work from an American scholar.......1999-07-13
Francis X. Winters has written what the Vietnamese both in Viet Nam and the overseas have been saying for decades. The only differences between the Vietnamese version versus Winters' is that he had unearth rare documents and conducted fascinating interviews to support his claim. There are many books about Viet Nam; however, "The Year of the Hare" stands alone from 1963-1964.
This book heads to the wrong direction........1999-01-13
In a "letter to the Editor" published in National Review Magazine of 3/24/89, I've already pointed out the blattant errors made by Mr. Winters in his article "They Shoot Allies, Don't They?" published by the same magazine in its 11/25/88. Factual errors that he had to recognize like: Ho Chi Minh was born in Hue, Thich Tri Quang was a successful lawer, The HCM Trail was started in 1962, ... This book is a development of that article and consequently the errors are even bigger. Let's look at the book's most important question: Why did President Kennedy wanted to replace President Diem, an ally of 9 years? To answer this question correctly and completly, we have to look beyond Kennedy's political ambition, beyond the election of 1964. To fully answer to this question, Mr. Winters must also think of other questions: Why did the U.S. support then stop the support to the Shah of Iran, Somoza, Noriega, Marcos, ...? Beside other factors, the most important one is "THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE" of Iran, of Nicaragua, of the Phillippines, of Vietnam. This factor is totally absent from Mr. Winters' book. The only shadow of the author's interest in the "people" is in the title of his book. And I agree with the previous comentator that even "the year of the hare" is, unknown to Mr. Winters, unapplicable to the Vietnamese. * A Vietnamese in Sacramento, California.
Not particularly insighful.......1997-09-24
This book did not set off any light bulb in my mind. Those readers who have read other accounts of the 1963 coup in Vietnam (e.g., by Bernard Fall, or the Pentagon Papers) will not gain any new insight from this one. About the cleverest part of the book is its title. Unfortunately, even that effort failed: The author did not realize that, for a year that the Chinese consider the year of the hare, the Vietnamese call it the year of the cat.
Average customer rating:
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The Hare Krishna Movement: Forty Years of Chant and Change
Manufacturer: I. B. Tauris
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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Hare Krishna Transformed (The New and Alternative Religions Series)
ASIN: 1845114078
Release Date: 2007-08-07 |
Book Description
The Hare Krishna Movement is popularly associated with groups of chanting, saffron-robed followers, whose colourful appearance on the streets of western cities became increasingly commonplace after the Movement's emergence in 1965. But there is much more to the Krishna phenomenon than simply its bands of singing and dancing adherents. This groundbreaking book focuses for the first time on what is currently taking place inside the Hare Krishna Movement, and examines the changes and developments that have shaped it over the past forty years. The essays offer an unparalleled overview of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), and explore a wide range of topical issues and themes. These include: the politics and history of the Movement; membership patterns; recruitment strategies; pedagogical and social factors; the importance of dreams and ritual; and ISKCON's articulation of traditional theology in the context of the Movement's evolution. The result is a book that will be essential reading for scholars and students of religion in the modern world, and which explains in full how this fascinating Hindu devotional tradition continues to flourish in the land of its origin - India - as well as in the West.
Customer Reviews:
A Must Reference.......2005-09-28
Any Bugs Bunny collector/enthusiast must have this book. The filmography alone at the end of the book is worth the price as a reference. I can compare it to my videos and Golden Collection DVDs and see what was covered. Great insights and sketches, big full color photos... you will not be disappointed.
YOU OUGHT TO LOVE BUGS.......2003-06-08
Bugs Bunny is the greatest cartoon character of all time. I really love that rabbit ever since I got a Bugs Bunny stuffed animal.
I think with _Bugs Bunny 50 Years and Only One Grey Hare_, people will understand everyone's favorite rabbit, who has entertained Americans and people around the world.
Bugs Bunny's wit and wisdom has made him an icon for all ages. Bugs, a clever beast with long ears who always makes the wrong turn at Alberquerque, has become a hero of many. This rabbit has become a hero for me, like it has been for many.
I think with the book, we will understand that Bugs' wit and wisdom has made him an icon for all ages, especially for all rabbit lovers.
ýThat Rascally Rabbit!ý.......2001-06-29
Joe Adamson does a fine job of bringing Bugs Bunny to "life" in this well-researched book. With a look at the evolution of the character, a breakdown of how the cartoons were received, and an admittedly subjective criticism of the author's 16 favorite Bugs Bunny shorts; the book has everything a Bugs' fan could hope for. Full of storyboards and clips from the cartoons this book is for any fan of animation and a must for the Bugs Bunny fanatic.
The Ultimate Tribute to the "Wascally Wabbit".......2001-06-06
Quick quiz--who is the only cartoon character with a service record in the United States Marine Corps?
If you said "Bugs Bunny", you're right on target. Such was the "scwewy wabbit's" impact during the years of World War II, the Marines insisted that he "enlist," giving him dog tags and ID papers complete with paw prints. At the end of the war, he was honorably discharged as a master sergeant!
Such gestures are hardly surprising, according to Joe Adamson. Bugs' debut in 1940 marked the convergence of a rebellious spirit and a dire period in our history when just such an attitude was sorely needed. We needed to see Bugs nonchalantly thumb his nose at his adversaries when we were facing our most frightening adversaries of all--namely Germany and Japan.
He did not spring to life fully formed, however. Bugs, in seminal form, appeared in a number of cartoons in the late thirties, but was not the wabbit we know him to be. Crazy, out of control, and posessing a Goofy-like voice, he seemed more at home in Bob Clampett's Wackyland than facing the business end of Elmer Fudd's shotgun. Adamson takes us through these early incarnations of Bugs, and gives us a quick history of the Leon Schlesinger studio that spawned him. Schlesinger's outfit had been a decidedly low-rent operation producing second-rate imitations of Disney cartoons when the great "Tex" Avery arrived--and promptly stood the industry on its ear. To Avery, "cute" was out--and a manic, self-aware approach was in. Some two years after the first proto-Bugs cartoons, Avery restyled the embryonic rabbit to fit the new studio philosophy. When faced with a gun-toting hunter, Bugs did not scream or run away, but responded with a smart-alecky "What's up, Doc?"--and immediately shocked and delighted audiences.
Even at the height of his success, Adamson says, the rabbit continued to change and grow, most notably at the hands of his self-styled "analyist," Chuck Jones. Bugs under Jones became a thinking character, fighting only when provoked (and uttering the immortal words "Of course you realize this means war.") This Bugs was a winner, someone who seemed to know something his adversaries Elmer Fudd and Daffy Duck did not. And audiences loved him all the more for it.
Inevitably, as with all stars, Bugs underwent a period of decline, and Adamson takes us through this era as well. The long run on television, the ill-conceived specials and compilation movies are discussed (Chuck Jones' "Carnival Of The Animals" musical feature was the low point). Significant in its absence is Bugs' big-screen re-emergence in "Space Jam"--understandable since this book was first published in 1990 (the best possible excuse for an updated edition, Mr. Adamson.) A detailed background of Bugs and his various opponents takes up the back section of the book, and is quite interesting. There aren't as many behind-the-scenes stories as in Jones' "Chuck Amuck", but it also spares us the endless self-congratulation of Chuck's tome.
This book is a must read for anyone wanting to know the right way to run an animation studio--namely, leave the animators alone (free from interference from networks and parents' groups) and let the magic happen. Leon Schlesinger, who rarely supervised the animators' work if he could help it, unwittingly had the right approach all along.
I loved it!.......1999-10-14
Joe Adamson really hit the spot. I'm the world's biggest Bugs Bunny fan and I was thrilled to discover that somebody cared enough about this true American hero and his life to write a book about him! Even though it was pretty long, it held my attention to the end (when I nearly cried). Few people that are my age really know how important Bugs was to our country - after all, he gave us hope for victory during WWII. I'm really glad Adamson decided to write this book from the views of Chuck Jones, Friz Freleng, and Mel Blanc - it was really good! The photos and paintings really added to it, too. Throughout the whole thing, I learned a ton about this "wascally wabbit". I now know I can confidently answer any question in the world about Bugs Bunny!
Average customer rating:
- Truth stranger than fiction
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The Year of the Ghouls: The Complete History of Burke and Hare
Brian Bailey
Manufacturer: Mainstream Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Criminology
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Burke & Hare: Crime Archive
ASIN: 1840185759
Release Date: 2005-08-02 |
Book Description
One of the world's most gruesome and notorious criminal partnerships ran its horrific course in Edinburgh during the year 1828. Many myths surround the case of Burke and Hare, and several important questions remain unanswered. In this re-investigation the author seeks to set the record straight and present a complete and accurate account of the activities of the two ruthless serial killers and their culpable associates. What were the circumstances which allowed Burke and Hare to carry out their rupulsive trade undetected for so long and at the cost of so many innocent lives? What were the roles of their common-law wives and the medical students who aided and abetted them? Above all, what should be the final judgement on Dr. Robert Knox, the distinguished teacher of anatomy whose dissecting table was the final resting place of many victims. As the sordid tale unfolds, we discover the truth about a uniquely abhorrent climate of unprincipled arrogance in high society and fiendish predatoriness in low life, each dependent on the other.
Customer Reviews:
Truth stranger than fiction.......2003-08-19
1828 and Edinburgh is one of the leading places for studying medicine, which requires dead bodies. But the only bodies legally allowed to used were dead criminals, so the story of Burke and Hare is a story of two enterprising men who saw a profit opportunity. The book spins facts into a great story: The horrific conditions of poverty are as startling as the gruesome crimes of murder, placed against a backdrop of ethical questions. Well done, a ripping good read.
Average customer rating:
- The Tortoise and the Hare
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The Hare and the Tortoise (An Oxford Classic Fable)
Brian Wildsmith
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
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Binding: Paperback
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A Tree Is Nice
ASIN: 0192723987 |
Book Description
The race is on--the race, quick as lightning, against the tortoise, who not only moves slowly but carries his entire house on his back. Off they go. In a flash, the hare is yards away, flying over the grass. The tortoise has barely moved. Does he have any chance of winning?
(paperback reissue of ISBN 0-19-272126-7)
Customer Reviews:
The Tortoise and the Hare.......2001-02-28
The book The Tortoise and the Hare is a great book for children to read. Most books for children this age are non colorful and are not that illustrated. This book has bright, colorful pages, and i enjoyed reading it alot. I would recomend this book for preschool and older just because the words are small and some are hard to pronounce. The Tortoise and the Hare tells that you can never judge someone by what they look like or haow slow they are. The tortoise one because he was confident in what he was doing, he was determined to win the race and he did. The hare was upset but he fell asleep. that was his fault. He learned his lesson.
Average customer rating:
- The classic comedy of Bugs Bunny
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Bugs Bunny: Fifty Years and Only One Grey Hare
Joe Adamson
Manufacturer: Henry Holt & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0805018557 |
Customer Reviews:
The classic comedy of Bugs Bunny.......1998-02-19
This book captures the history behind Bugs Bunny and all of the other Warner Bros. characters. It provides interesting information on how and why these horrorshow cartoons were made. A few in-depth sections may bore the average reader, but for the most part, the book is filled with intersting tales of car wax.
Average customer rating:
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Nick Fury Vs S.H.I.E.L.D. (Marvel comics)
Bob Harras
Manufacturer: Marvel Enterprises
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General | Instructional & How-To | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 087135554X |
Customer Reviews:
Slippery Nick.......2006-09-13
The NICK FURY VS. SHIELD tpb collects the 6-issue prestige format miniseries that turned twenty years of SHIELD stories upside down. The premise is pretty satisfying, as it focuses on one of those subjects that is often ignored in comics: the fact that characters never age in real-time. When this story was written, the Howlin' Commandos and other SHIELD agents had not aged at all from World War II up through the `80s. Of course, the Infinity Formula in Nick Fury's veins slows his aging considerably, but the other characters don't have it. In this story, it seems that some agents, such as Jimmy Woo, have found a way around that little problem - just transfer your consciousness to a highly advanced form of life-model decoy (LMD). The problem is that these LMDs don't last forever; however, the life-preserving properties of Fury's blood may be just the solution they're looking for. With Fury and a few loyal SHIELD agents on the run, it is slowly revealed that everyone's favorite espionage division is not quite what it appears to be, and some startling information is provided that tie both Hydra and AIM into the mess.
The plot by Bob Harras is interesting, as it throws some major wrenches in 20 years of continuity; however, the story itself is horribly drawn out, and quite confusing. In fact, the set-up is downright illogical - if you want to capture someone, why give them a heads-up? How about just sneaking up from behind and grabbing them? Also, Harras dives in head-first, providing little background information for new readers. If you are not familiar with the original Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD series, you could be at a serious disadvantage here, as this is one of the most character-heavy and convoluted plots I have ever come across, apparently only serving to pad the story. But worst of all is the tired religious theme that runs throughout the story: see, Fury is viewed as the "messiah" by the bioengineer drones who are endowing the agents with eternal life, and they go so far as to wear monks' robes and install Fury on a crucifix to extract the Infnity Formula. Yes, it's quite over the top. Thumbs-up go to artist Paul Neary, who does a standout job through the whole story. His work is something of a cross between Walt Simonson and Jim Steranko, even incorporating Steranko's crazy kaleidoscopic effects from the original series. A couple of things that do bug me about the art: first, too many characters look alike... good grief, how many blond anglos work at SHIELD? In addition, is it standard for a male SHIELD agent to wear a woman's one-piece swimsuit underneath their uniform? Looks like combat may have affected Nick Fury more than he's willing to admit.
This is some fun tinkering with Marvel continuity, and a cheese-fest to boot. Overall, a fun, if somewhat confusing, read.
Product Description
Squarebound prestige format comic book. Features Nick Fury battling rogue LMDs (Life Model Decoys) within the S.H.I.E.L.D. organization. Book 4 of 6.
Product Description
Squarebound prestige format comic book. Features Nick Fury battling rogue LMDs (Life Model Decoys) within the S.H.I.E.L.D. organization. Book 1 of 6.
Product Description
Squarebound prestige format comic book. Features Nick Fury battling rogue LMDs (Life Model Decoys) within the S.H.I.E.L.D. organization. Book 6 of 6.
Product Description
Squarebound prestige format comic book. Features Nick Fury battling rogue LMDs (Life Model Decoys) within the S.H.I.E.L.D. organization. Book 3 of 6.
Product Description
Squarebound prestige format comic book. Features Nick Fury battling rogue LMDs (Life Model Decoys) within the S.H.I.E.L.D. organization. Book 2 of 6.
Product Description
Squarebound prestige format comic book. Features Nick Fury battling rogue LMDs (Life Model Decoys) within the S.H.I.E.L.D. organization. Book 5 of 6.
Books:
- Thirteen Moons on Turtle's Back
- Three Great Novels: Hard Times; A Tale of Two Cities; Great Expectations
- Variational and Potential Methods in the Theory of Bending of Plates with Transverse Shear Deformation (Chapman and Hall /Crc Monographs and Surveys in Pure and Applied Mathematics)
- West of Rehoboth: A Novel
- Who Is the Beast?
- Wide Sargasso Sea: A Novel (Norton Paperback Fiction)
- Wild Colonial Girl: Essays on Edna O'Brien (Irish Studies in Literature and Culture)
- Wolf Boy: A Novel
- Young Turk: A Novel
- A Carnivore's Inquiry: A Novel
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