Portrait of a Priestess: Women and Ritual in Ancient Greece

Book Description

In this sumptuously illustrated book, Joan Breton Connelly gives us the first comprehensive cultural history of priestesses in the ancient Greek world. Connelly presents the fullest and most vivid picture yet of how priestesses lived and worked, from the most famous and sacred of them--the Delphic Oracle and the priestess of Athena Polias--to basket bearers and handmaidens. Along the way, she challenges long-held beliefs to show that priestesses played far more significant public roles in ancient Greece than previously acknowledged.

Connelly builds this history through a pioneering examination of archaeological evidence in the broader context of literary sources, inscriptions, sculpture, and vase painting. Ranging from southern Italy to Asia Minor, and from the late Bronze Age to the fifth century A.D., she brings the priestesses to life--their social origins, how they progressed through many sacred roles on the path to priesthood, and even how they dressed. She sheds light on the rituals they performed, the political power they wielded, their systems of patronage and compensation, and how they were honored, including in death. Connelly shows that understanding the complexity of priestesses' lives requires us to look past the simple lines we draw today between public and private, sacred and secular.

The remarkable picture that emerges reveals that women in religious office were not as secluded and marginalized as we have thought--that religious office was one arena in ancient Greece where women enjoyed privileges and authority comparable to that of men. Connelly concludes by examining women's roles in early Christianity, taking on the larger issue of the exclusion of women from the Christian priesthood.

Customer Reviews:

Equal opportunity temples.......2007-08-07

The status of women in the ancient world has long been a controversial issue. The traditional view of male historians has been that it was always a male-dominated world. Some feminists have countered this with arguing, on rather fragile evidence, in favor of prehistoric matriarchy and mother goddesses and so forth. Ancient Greece, in particular, has always been a kind of blank screen on which thinkers project their own image of what it was like. Most of the written evidence has suggested that women in ancient Greece were subordinate and secluded. Against this has been the fact that some powerful Greek gods were female and served by female priests. What these priestesses did,, and what their place was in society, has been somewhat mysterious because what we got from the historians and poets and playwrights was scanty. Connelly supplements this by a careful and scholarly (perhaps too scholarly for the general reader) examination of epigraphs and images.
The text is pretty hard going for the non-specialist but the pictures are great and it will make a handsome addition to a feminist coffee table although it will be a shame if it stays there. I think the large format is justified on more than esthetic grounds because Connolly's argument depends on her ability to bring to bear on the subject her abilities as an art historian and therefore adequate illustrations are needed. These are more than adequate; they are magnificent. It would be presumptuous to pronounce on the strength of her case without more expert knowledge than mine. No doubt other academics will be on the attack and it will be fun to see the fur fly in the Times Literary Supplement etc.
At the risk of quibbling I must break a lance in my ongoing battle against publishers who transcribe Greek inscriptions into lower case. Greek lower case was unknown before the Byzantines. I noticed that she does not mention the triple bronze serpent in the Hippodrome at Istanbul in her discussion of the Pythian oracle at Delphi. Is it authentic?

Portrait of a Priestess, scholarly merits and popular appeal.......2007-05-07

Portrait of a Priestess: Women and Ritual in Ancient Greece is a book I'd recommend to scholars. It is well researched and well composed. However, the topic is also of interest to those who enjoy exploring the ancient world and a woman's place in it. Women's lives in this historical period are difficult to access but Connelly has done so in a way that is both useful to those who work in the field and accessible to those who have a general interest and curiosity about the women who acted in and acted out the roles of priestess. An impressive collection of images is of interest to both groups of readers. RD Anderson

Average customer rating:

Madness and Religion
Exploring different forms of love
Wow
Cursed Family
Action Packed

Fall On Your Knees (Oprah's Book Club)
Ann-Marie MacDonald
Manufacturer: Touchstone
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0743237188
Release Date: 2002-01-24

Amazon.com Reviews

A sprawling saga about five generations of a family from Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Fall on Your Knees is the impressive first fiction from Canadian playwright and actor Ann-Marie MacDonald. This epic tale of family history, family secrets, and music centers on four sisters and their relationships with each other and with their father. Set in the coal-mining communities of Nova Scotia in the early part of this century, the story also shifts to the battlefields of World War I and the jazz scene of New York City in the 1920s.

Book Description

The Piper family is steeped in secrets, lies, and unspoken truths. At the eye of the storm is one secret that threatens to shake their lives -- even destroy them.

Set on stormy Cape Breton Island off Nova Scotia, Fall on Your Knees is an internationally acclaimed multigenerational saga that chronicles the lives of four unforgettable sisters. Theirs is a world filled with driving ambition, inescapable family bonds, and forbidden love.

Compellingly written, by turns menacingly dark and hilariously funny, this is an epic tale of five generations of sin, guilt, and redemption.

Customer Reviews:

Madness and Religion.......2007-09-11

Intriguing family saga of the impact of mental illness and spiritualism gone wrong. The dept of emotion within each character - parents and siblings - brings understanding to their seemingly irrational behavior. Strong characters draw you into their thinking and justification of their actions. MacDonald does a fine job of weaving the plot around historial events that lend added dimension to the complex relationships and the story overall. An excellent read.

Exploring different forms of love.......2007-09-02

This was Ms MacDonald's debut novel It is black and bleak and full of secrets. Peopled by flawed yet believable characters, this was one of the most amazing novels I read in 2003.

While the story starts on Cape Breton Island with James Piper (a poor Scots piano tuner) and Materia Mahmoud (the dauhter of a wealthy Lebanese family) and their relationship and elopement, the main story is of their daughters.

The childhood of the Piper sisters - Kathleen, Mercedes, Frances and Lily - is insightfully written and breathes life into the characters. Their lives on Cape Breton Island and then later in New York is an epic tale of love, pain and death, which also contains joy and triumph.

This novel is so rich in themes and in its development of characters it is hard to try to categorise it. So I won't. Instead, I'll recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good well written story but is also willing to explore some of the darker aspects of humanity.

Highly recommended.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

Wow.......2007-05-03

This is not my normal book. It is quite dark (Gothic may be accurate) but a page turner, not in the thriller sense but much deeper. The book starts out with a snapshot of a family then goes on to unfold the story of how that family got to be that way. The snapshot makes you keep reading to find out each characters situation. As I read, I kept turning back to it as each piece of the plot unfolded. I finished this 2 days ago and can't get it out of my mind, it was so twisted and multilayered. I keep thinking about the Piper characters and putting them into modern context or comparing them to people I know. While the story covers many issues (poverty, race, prohibition, children taking on adult responsibility, coping with death, incest, small town life, relgion, homosexuality, and the list goes on) it interveaves the topics so well that it is still one elegant, continuous story.

I rarely review a book, but decided to since this book hasn't left me even though I'm halfway through the next. I believe everybody is accurate when they say that they cannot really find the right words to describe this book. All I can come up with is Wow, like when you hear some completely unexpected news about someone that goes against what you thought of them and you just can't put it into context or even categorize it in your brain, yet all you can do is keep thinking about it.

Cursed Family.......2007-04-17

James is an eighteen-year-old piano tuner who has recently lost his mother and whose abusive father has been gone for years. He falls desperately in love with Materia, the twelve-year-old daughter of one of his clients. They elope and Materia's family disowns and curses her and her children.

Within a year the couple has their first child, Kathleen, and the romance has gone from their relationship. James wonders if Materia was always so fat, so unpleasant, so utterly stupid. Materia misses her family and deeply regrets her marriage. To James, though, his daughter Kathleen is an angel. He adores her and brings her everywhere. She is beautiful and sweet and at eighteen months old begins to show signs of an impressive musical talent. James decides she will be an opera singer, and he is determined to give her every opportunity possible.

When Kathleen is twelve, James begins having incestuous thoughts about her. Materia notices, and in an attempt to save her daughter she begins seducing her husband, producing two more daughters, Mercedes and Frances. James recognizes his weakness, though, and decides to join the army and go fight in World War I. As soon as he returns home, he sends Kathleen to New York to study opera. It is not long before Kathleen is home again, though, and scandalously pregnant.

When several tragedies strike the family in quick succession, permanent roles are set for Mercedes and Frances. Mercedes is the responsible and deeply religious one who will hold the family together. Frances is the bad one, the troublemaker who will tear the family apart. Despite their differences, both girls have terrible secrets that will continue to affect their family through the next generation.

This book was very well written, with vivid characters. I especially liked Frances, who was willing to take any punishment necessary to protect her family and to create a safe haven for her little sister.

Parts of this book were awkward, though. The first few pages, describing the Piper home, didn't make any sense until much later in the book. I was left very confused and had to flip back later to place it in a time frame. I didn't like that Kathleen's story was eventually told long after the fact in the form of a diary. I feel this is an overused device and is a cop-out for an author who is unable to figure out how to integrate a person's narrative into the larger story. It was likely supposed to be a shocking revelation, but, really, how many people hadn't figured out the secret of Lily's birth by then? Kathleen had been out of the story for so long by then that I was no longer interested in the details of her life in New York.

Action Packed.......2007-04-07

For the most part this story is delightfully action packed - full of surprises - unexpected turns and twists that keep the reader open mouthed. It is the story of a highly dysfunctional family in New Waterford, Cape Breton Island.
The author's writing style is different, yet very effective. The way Catholicism is worked in here is quite interesting, as is the predicament Lebanese find themselves in. Please don't call them coloured or Arab. They would like to be considered European.
I am still not sure about the character Rose. What exactly is the author saying here?
Also Lily driving,then walking down to New York to meet Rose...what was the point here?
I have to admit that at times I was left with an unpleasant taste in my mouth.

Average customer rating:

More of what a romantic suspense book should be
Final Exit
Entertaining Suspense
great beach read!
Great book!

Final Exit
Laurie Breton
Manufacturer: Mira
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 155166660X

Book Description

Introducing an incredible new voice in romantic suspense.

Ten years ago tragedy tore them apart . . .

But when FBI special agent Carolyn Monahan walks back into the life of homicide lieutenant Conor Rafferty, the sizzle is undeniable. They are back together, albeit reluctantly, to find the serial killer who is terrorizing Boston.

Caro has made a successful career of putting homicidal maniacs behind bars, and Rafferty is a good cop who's been handed the case of a lifetime. Amid bureaucratic red tape and a mounting body count, they uncover evidence that points to a decade-old unsolved homicide. The tension escalates when the killer develops a psychotic preoccupation with Caro herself.

As the pressure builds to solve the murders, so does the attraction between Caro and Rafferty. But the question remains: Who will get to Caro first, the killer or the cop?

Customer Reviews:

More of what a romantic suspense book should be.......2005-06-19

This was my first Laurie Breton book. I have to say it was very good. It had a couple decent twists and even a surprise ending. My only problem with the book was her excessive wordiness to constantly interrupt dialogue with actions as if it were a screen play and we needed to know the blow by blow of what the characters did with their hands.
The book was about a serial killer, yet we only had one actual look at how the killer worked and only one victim's body. Therefore it lacked a little of the intensity and fear that a serial thriller may have. Nevertheless, the attraction between the two characters was not immediate in the sense that the reader could feel the emotion, but built quickly and only got intense from there.
All in all, I think the author has potential and I hope to read more of her books.

Final Exit.......2004-06-19

This book was incredible. The characters were real, the heroine had depth. It was a great thriller, with just enough romance. I love this author and after I read this book I went on line to find anything else she had written.

Entertaining Suspense.......2003-12-27

Laurie Breton's first work of romantic suspense successfully emphasizes the suspense of the story, providing an engaging serial killer chiller.
FBI agent Carolyn Monahan heads up a task force to catch a serial killer terrorizing Boston, sometimes called Mr. X. However the lead detective on the case Lietenant Conor Rafferty shares a steamy past with Monahan. Putting their attraction aside, they work together to find and apprehend the killer.
The suspense builds when the team discovers the killer is targeting Carolyn specifically. She and Rafferty's torrid relationship while trying to dodge a killer does provide some entertainment. However, the steamy scenes slow down and detract from the story as a whole.
A wonderful first novel. I look forward to reading more from Ms. Breton.

great beach read!.......2003-06-10

i picked up this book to read on the beach this summer and was surprised with how much i enjoyed it! its a great summertime book and was easy to read- the pace of the book moved right along and kept my attention.

the heroine is carolyn, an fbi profiler, who has her own past tragedy when her sister was murdered. carolyn has always felt guilty about her sister's death and broke up with her then boyfriend conor to run away to boston. She returns years later to help the local police catch a serial killer- and Conor is in charge of the police investigation. Of course both are drawn to each other again. in the midst of the investigation, it is discovered that the killer has a personal connection with carolyn.

The book has a great ending and the subplot of the love story between the two characters is interesting and makes the novel fun to read. A++

Great book!.......2003-05-22

Excellent suspense and plot development. The relationship between Caro and Conor was heartbreaking at times and heart pumping at others. This is a wonderful first book and I will definitely be looking for more from this writer!

Average customer rating:

should have been better
Don't waste your money!
DRAWING from the MODERN

Drawing From The Modern
Andre Breton , Paul Gauguin , Georges Bataille , Jodi Hauptman , Hans Bellmer , Constantin Brancusi , Paul Cezanne , Marc Chagall , Giorgio De Chirico , Robert Delaunay , Andre Derain , Arthur Dove , Alexandra Alexandrovna Exter , Arshile Gorky , Juan Gris , Gustav Klimt , Wilfredo Lam , Filippo Marinetti , and Joan Miro
Manufacturer: The Museum of Modern Art, New York
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0870706632
Release Date: 2004-11-02

Book Description

Many of the key achievements in art of the last 125 years have been worked out on paper. From pictorial investigations that expanded the possibilities of vision to the invention of entirely new kinds of media, drawing has been the perfect laboratory for avant-garde experimentation. Drawing from the Modern traces such groundbreaking innovation through the unparalleled holdings of the drawings collection of The Museum of Modern Art. Drawing has historically been understood as a mark or line on paper--the record of a bodily gesture, an inscription of the action of the hand, an expression of the mind. Since the 1880s, however, artists have sought to interrupt these seemingly unbreakable links between mark, hand, and imagination. Defying long-held definitions of drawing and rejecting traditional materials, modern artists invented a host of practices, altering not only the field of drawing but artmaking in general. Examining masterworks from the Museum's collection of nearly 7,000 works on paper in three chronological volumes beginning in the 1880s and continuing through today, Drawing from the Modern reconsider artists' repudiation of traditional drafting methods, assault on the use of the single sheet of paper, and introduction of new materials. Going to the heart of avant-garde innovation, all three volumes showcase new formal strategies, including collage, abstraction, chance, and the integration of text and image, as well as new subject matter, including the urban experience, the body, and identity. Volume I, presented here, spans the period from 1880 to 1940, and includes work by such artists as Jean Arp, Hans Bellmer, Paul Cazanne, Arshile Gorky, Georgia O'Keeffe, Odilon Redon, and Kurt Schwitters. Volume II, available in Spring 2005, will cover 1940 to 1975, and Volume III, available in Fall 2005, will bring us from 1975 to the present day.

Customer Reviews:

should have been better.......2007-09-13

I purchased book 1 & 2 from Amazon. The illustrations are far too small to be a professionally represented art book from MOMA I've decided to save my money rather than pay out for the 3rd edition. It sounds a good buy from its description but I don't consider this trilogy to be very satisfactory.

Don't waste your money!.......2007-08-09

This is not a good artbook. The images are way too small to be satisfying. This book could have been great, but falls way short of its potential. Don't buy it, you will be disappointed.

DRAWING from the MODERN.......2006-12-27

DRAWING from the MODERN is the first of a three part series published by MOMA as catalogue to accompany the chronologically arranged exhibitions of their drawing collection; in part, celebration of the seventy fifth anniversary of the founding of the Museum.

This first book looks at the late nineteenth century through the beginning of the twentieth. Care and preservation of these drawings dictate that they are displayed infrequently, paper being a delicate medium, subject to fading, discoloration and brittleness. The publication of this series then allows us to have at hand a history of drawings seldom seen, and a visual education demonstrating how problems of that era both evolved and worked themselves out.

The introduction by Jodi Hauptman is broad and well worth reading. Aside from her entertaining "end of art" stories, she addresses artists and process leading to the dissolution of prevalent notions: relationship of "mark" to "ground", took new form; spatial notions of an orderly page, questioned; the element of chance, explored as process; the ego relationship of an artist to work, dissolving. New imagery happened: collage, abstraction, grids, enhanced emotions, metaphors of feeling, the sublime re-imaged. New subjects explored brutalities of war, notions of "city", identity, the spiritual, and the abstract.

As perhaps with all process of art, the uncertainty of change brought forth much that is new. The 139 plates of drawings both demonstrate and give testimony by leading artists of the time to new era in process. Drawing as subject matter is fascinating. To be expected, the book is well printed. Of course, what is book one without book two and three?

Nancy Gutrich

Atlas of the Languages and Ethnic Communities of South Asia

Average customer rating:

A complex and valuable resource

Atlas of the Languages and Ethnic Communities of South Asia
Roland J-L Breton
Manufacturer: Sage Publications Pvt. Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0803993676

Book Description

This geographical atlas constitutes the first systematic presentation of the spatial and quantitative characteristics of the distribution of languages in the seven countries of South Asia. This atlas enables readers to actually see the geographical location, extension, and linguistic affinities of any of the numerous languages spoken in South Asia by combining and comparing language data from various national censuses. Part I introduces the reader to the relationship between language and the complex ethnocultural structure of the subcontinent. Professor J. L. Breton stresses both the importance of and difficulties in analyzing the vitality of South Asian language groups and examines the similarities and differences in language use and various ethnic traits among similar population groups. The second part-which comprises 60 plates along with supporting text-is devoted to graphically analyzing various aspects including regional distribution of language and ethnic communities; the relationship between language and race, tribe, caste, and religion; the main linguistic minorities; and ethno-political factors. Atlas of the Languages and Ethnic Communities of South Asia, Second Edition will be an indispensable reference and resource tool to academics, students, and researchers interested in linguistics, geography, cultural studies, reference, anthropology, ethnology, and political science.

Customer Reviews:

A complex and valuable resource.......2001-10-20

In "Atlas of the Languages and Ethnic Communities of South Asia," Roland J.L. Breton has created an unusual, very helpful reference source. By "South Asia," the author (and, evidently, scholarly consensus) refers to the region including Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Nepan, Bhutan, and the borders of Tibet and Nepal. (Considering that it is the autumn of 2001, I am probably not remiss in pointing out that chapter 6 includes some useful material on the region's hotspots, and "hot" languages and ethnicities, including the Pushtun, Kashmiri, and Urdu-speaking peoples.)

The Atlas is divided into two main sections, followed by a series of tables, charts, and bibliographies. The first section is a generalized presentation of the languages and ethnic communities of south Asia. This section has no maps or tables, but seeks to prepare the reader for what follows with a series of essays. The essays concern, for example, the subcontinent's linguistic potpourri as being a fascinating sociological laboratory for viewing the collision, and collusion, of a multiplicity of tongues and folkways. Other essays include a survey of the historical and pre-historical background behind this hodgepodge of tongues, and a series of linked essays connecting language to race, tribe, caste, and religion.

The second section includes the actual maps, which are not in color. There are sixty of them. This section opens with two brief chapters of further introoductory material, and then the maps begin with chapter 6. From chapter 6 through chapter 10, the region is divided into 5 geographical sub-regions, each of which is tackled in turn with a combination of maps and explicatory essays. To take chapter 6 as a representative example -- this chapter opens with a map dealing with a region we are only too familiar with today, the Pakistani-Afghan border. The accompanying texxt to this map helps us to understand the local tongues as being either Indo-European, in the case of Baluchi and Pushto (AKA Pashto, or Pushtun), or as being the more ancient, indigenous Dravidian tongue Brahui. Brahui, in an interesting sidenote, is mentioned as one of the stronger candidates for being the descendant language of the language spoken by the Indus Valley civilization, of pre-historic times. The speakers are discussed in terms of their ethnic, religious, and geographic background... Next, also in chapter 6, there are 3 more maps of regions in and around Pakistan and Kashmir, with accompanying text that performs a similar function to the text with the first map.

After the various regions of the subcontinent have been gone into in great detail, we are presented with 4 more chapters which deal with, respectively, non-regional languages such as English or other lingua franca; the impact of the media and of modern cities; ethno-linguistic political issues germane to the subcontinent; and finally a chapter drawing upon a 1990s census to make sense of much of the data presented. The book closes with a selection of helpful tables and charts, and an outstanding bibliography.

Book Description

Everyone assumes that successful Boston Realtor Kaye Winslow has it all. Until the day she goes out to show an expensive new listing and vanishes into thin air, leaving behind her credit cards, her BlackBerry and an unidentified male corpse.

None of this makes sense—not to her husband, not to her business partner and not to the Boston P.D. But as the investigation ratchets up, homicide detectives Doug Policzki and Lorna Abrams discover the beautiful blond Realtor has an interesting dark side sh's kept carefully hidden.

Turns out a lot of people don't like Kaye, and many of them have a beef with her. But until the not-so-lovely Kaye Winslow is located, people close to her are just a little bit twitchy—because any one of them could be accused of murder.

Customer Reviews:

Good!.......2007-05-22

The mystery was good and kept me guessing until the end. It's rare when I can't figure out what's happening, but Ms. Breton fooled me - good for her! There was romance in the story, but it wasn't over the top as with most Mira novels. I look forward to reading another of her books.

4 stars.......2007-04-01

A high-powered, lady realtor whose star is on the rise disappears and a John Doe's body is found in the last place she was seen, along with her personal possessions. To the cops investigating, none of the scant clues add up in any way that makes sense. Where did she go? Who is the body? Where does her husband fit in? Complicating matters is the fact that one of the detectives finds himself attracted to the vanished woman's sister-in-law, jeopardizing their investigation with a conflict of interest. None of them could have foreseen how complicated everything would become though.

**** Ms. Breton without fail brings her readers intense character driven stories that draw you in from the outset and don't let you go. Her words paint a vivid portrait that comes alive, like a movie for the mind. You will not be able to guess the outcome of this mystery, no matter how clever you are. ****

action-packed police procedural .......2007-03-10

Boston realtor Kaye Winslow is meeting a potential buyer of the 6.5 million dollar Worthington House. However, when the client Philip Armentrout arrives he finds a male corpse and no Kaye. Police detectives Doug Policzi and Lorna Adams head the inquiry into the John Doe homicide and the missing realtor.

The cops interview Kaye's spouse Sam, a college professor up for tenure, and his sister Mia Delucca, Kaye's business partner. Soon evidence begins to appear that Sam may have killed Kaye, his second wife, but the detectives wonder why someone is going out of their way to hang him by sending them evidence that includes hints that he killed his first wife too.

POINT OF DEPARTURE is an action-packed police procedural with a series of mysteries such as who is the dead John Doe, where is Kate, why does she have no history prior to five years ago, and what is Sam hiding from his sister and the cops. No question that Sam is the prime suspect as he has no alibi and his rosy description of his marriage is destroyed by the divorce papers he receives. Only the doubts of Mia and the two cops especially Doug seeing a too perfect frame keep Sam from being arrested. Filled with twists and unexpected turns mystery fans will enjoy this strong thriller that keeps the romantic sublot in the background.

Harriet Klausner

Average customer rating:

Breton's Surrealist love story
It sure isn't an Arnold Bennett story...
3 = do you have what it takes?
bright beauty
artists and words

Nadja
Andre Breton
Manufacturer: Grove Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0802150268

Book Description

Nadja, originally published in France in 1928, is the first and perhaps best Surrealist romance ever written, a book which defined that movement's attitude toward everyday life.The principal narrative is an account of the author's relationship with a girl in the city of Paris, the story of an obsessional presence haunting his life. The first-person narrative is supplemented by forty-four photographs which form an integral part of the work--pictures of various 'surreal' people, places, and objects which the author visits or is haunted by in Nadja's presence and which inspire him to meditate on their reality or lack of it.

Customer Reviews:

Breton's Surrealist love story.......2006-08-23

Andre Breton, Surrealism's self-appointed Pope, here gives us the Surrealist, deconstructed version of a romance narrative. As much a love letter to Surrealist Paris as to Nadja, this book captures the now-vanished life of Paris between the wars, when the city Harold Rosenberg called "the laboratory of the twentieth century" was still the place where artists went to do basic R&D work on the human imagination. That Paris--the city of Breton and Picasso and Man Ray--no longer exists, but perhaps in the works of these artists we can recapture a piece, a glowing shard, of that spirit and breathe it back to fiery life.

It sure isn't an Arnold Bennett story..........2005-03-18

I read this book in English 210. It is difficult, and I had to read it twice in order to understand it. Once I finally waded through the confusing text, it was incredible, even enlightening. I would recommend it if you're willing to put in the work, but if you're looking for a casual read, pick up some T.S. Eliot... perhaps Ulysses. (That's a joke... it's another increadible read, but good luck.)

3 = do you have what it takes?.......2005-03-17

i wasn't sure what i expected when i purhased this book, but i assumed it could be read for pleasure. i am not an "art" person, i do not research for fun, but i do enjoy mildly challenging reads and surrealism in general. i have to admit, i found the first half of this book to be rather difficult, and it is only after i have read these other reviews that i understand what breton was doing. the second half did hold my interest much more, but still...it is not written like any novel i have ever read before. think "crime and punishment" or, you know, older writings in general, where you have to read every sentence carefully or you might miss something (like, what, she's a prostitute?!)
any misgivings i had, however, were made up for by the last 30 or so pages, when surrealist bizness is made a bit more clear, and i could actually relate to rantings of mr. breton.

so, if you have the lowdown on the 1920s and surrealist novels and artistic movements, you should give this a go. otherwise you might want to hold back a while and do a little...research.

bright beauty.......2005-01-19

Andre Breton was a cruel and stupid man. He was irresponsible in the fullest and truest sense of the term. If you ever decided to look up the word "selfish" in the dictionary you should not bother to be surprized when you see Breton's photograph.
But even Breton - like all of us - was capable of stumbling across a masterpiece.
Nadja is a star. Nadja is exactly the kind of girl that you would not like to bring home to mom - but you find yourself craving and loving her anyways.
Nadja is a grotesque negative print - the kind of print that drives photographers mad. She is as wild as wild gets.
Some time ago the diagnosis of "hysteria" meant something. That was back in the good old cruel days when mentally ill people were either celebrated or cursed. Nadja is worth both celebration and cursing. She is the Marilyn Monroe of surrealist objects.
She is deranged, tormented when it does not matter, full of the heat of love.

artists and words.......2003-07-23

That Breton was an innovative designer and artist and poet is well appreciated but this book shows him to have been a fine writer as well. It also shows how a member of a radical group of artists can be driven by the same passions that probably afflict all of us during our lives. This passion of Breton's is extraordinary in its own way but I suspect we all have these seemingly unusual encounters in our lives. It takes a creative artist such as Breton to bring it to life. But in some ways he only brings it half to life. While he does have a fascination with 'Nadja' - the name being the first part of the Russian word for hope - his wife remains firmly in the background and not withheld, and yet her involvement is completely untold, even unspeculated on. What type of relationship Breton and his wife had we can only speculate about. In the end this is quite a sad story, but then I suspect most of the passions we all feel for the 'extras' in our own lives are inevitably tinged with sadness and unfulfilment. So for me, Breton has captured something here that is quite magical.

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McLeod does it again.
Perhaps the best written book I've ever read
Great Canadian Read
Ridiculously Overrated
Rubbish

No Great Mischief: A Novel
Alistair Macleod
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0375726659
Release Date: 2001-04-03

Amazon.com

For the MacDonalds, the past is not a foreign country. This Cape Breton clan may have lived in the New World since 1779, when Calum Ruadh ("the red Calum") and his wife, 12 children, and dog landed. Scotland, however, remains their true home. So profound is their connection to their lost land that on brief visits they find themselves welcomed by strangers. When one descendent tells a Scotswoman that she's from Canada, she is offered a gentle rejoinder: "That may be.... But you are really from here. You have just been away for a while." In some ways this is unsurprising, since the MacDonalds either have deep black hair or their ancestor's coloring. And those with the latter have "eyes that were so dark as to be beyond brown and almost in the region of glowing black. Such individuals would manifest themselves as strikingly unfamiliar to some, and as eerily familiar to others." Another sport of nature? Many are fraternal twins, including Alistair MacLeod's narrator, Alexander, and his sister.

But No Great Mischief is far more than the straightforward saga of one family over the generations. Instead the author has created a painfully beautiful myth in which the long-ago is in many ways more present than modern existence. Even in the last decades of the 20th century, the MacDonalds fall into Gaelic--its inflections, rhythms, and song--with deep nostalgia. This is a family that is used to composing itself in the face of disaster. They often assure one another, "My hope is constant in thee," and in the light of their many losses, the clan must cling to its motto.

No Great Mischief begins with Alexander's visit to Toronto, where his eldest brother now subsists on a diet of drink and memories. The narrator, a successful orthodontist, doesn't have much to do with the former but is unable (or unwilling) to escape the latter. As the novel proceeds, Alexander fills in his family history, including such key episodes as his great-great-grandfather's self-exile from Scotland. Though Calum Ruadh had intended to leave his dog behind, it broke away and tried to catch up with him. MacLeod piercingly captures the animal's struggle as her master first tries to make her head for shore and then--realizing she won't desert him--spurs her on. Throughout No Great Mischief various people recall this incident, an emblem of intensity, hope, and dependence. A descendant of the bitch is also on hand when Alexander's parents and one of his brothers disappear under the ice on a cold spring night. She persists in searching for her people and tries to protect their lighthouse from the new keeper, receiving in return "four bullets into her loyal waiting heart." When Alexander's grandfather hears of her death, he uses a phrase that becomes one of the book's litanies, "It was in those dogs to care too much and to try too hard."

This is a MacDonald characteristic as well. A good deal of No Great Mischief's strength stems from scenes of longing and despair--for those who die for a lost cause, whether in 1692 when one leader is killed ("the redness of his hair dyed forever brighter by the crimson of his blood") or in an Ontario uranium mine where one brother is decapitated. MacLeod evokes his clan, and the elemental beauty of their landscape, in quiet, precise language that gains power with each repetition. (A sentence such as "All of us are better when we're loved" comes to acquire a near proverbial ring.) If he occasionally tips his hand too much, pressing home his point that present-day prosperity isn't all it's cracked up to be, no matter. I doubt that this inspired and elegiac novel will ever leave those who are lucky enough to read it--proving after all the persistence of the clann Chalum Ruaidh. --Kerry Fried

Book Description

Alistair MacLeod musters all of the skill and grace that have won him an international following to give us No Great Mischief, the story of a fiercely loyal family and the tradition that drives it.

Generations after their forebears went into exile, the MacDonalds still face seemingly unmitigated hardships and cruelties of life. Alexander, orphaned as a child by a horrific tragedy, has nevertheless gained some success in the world. Even his older brother, Calum, a nearly destitute alcoholic living on Toronto's skid row, has been scarred by another tragedy. But, like all his clansman, Alexander is sustained by a family history that seems to run through his veins. And through these lovingly recounted stories-wildly comic or heartbreakingly tragic-we discover the hope against hope upon which every family must sometimes rely.

Customer Reviews:

McLeod does it again........2007-08-23

I picked up Alistair MacLeod's No Great Mischief on the advice of one of my reading buddies (and you can never have enough of those!). I have never heard of MacLeod and when looking for more of his work, I was surprised to find that this Canadian is one of his country's most distinguished writers, although he has only two collections of short stories to his credit.

Weaving the past and the present, No Great Mischief is a tale of family. There are three plot lines in this intricate, yet highly readable novel. In current day, Alexander MacDonald is a successful orthodontist who often has trouble with why people pay him so much to make them pretty. He is trying to care for his oldest brother, Calum, a dying alcoholic who fascinates and repels him.

The second plot line is about Alexander's childhood. Taking place in Cape Breton, Alexander and his twin sister are raised by their paternal grandparents when their parents and one of their older brothers, Colin, falls through the ice as they make their way from the Cape to the lighthouse island where they live. Their three older brothers, now on their own, become loggers and miners in places around the world. They always go together and work side-by-side until one of them is sent to jail for murder.

And the predominate, yet most subtle, plot line is the coming of the MacDonalds to Canada. From the Scottish Highlands, the Calum Rudah (the red-haired clan) weathers a nasty and ill-fated trip across the ocean.

The story is almost, but miraculously not, confusing as different generations of MacDonalds are named "Alexander." However, that is one of the strengths of MacLeod's writing. It has the ability to weave in and out and flash back and forth, all the while never losing the reader.

At the heart of this novel, is family and loyalty. When the Calum Rudah leave Scotland, they try to leave their dog behind, but the dogs swims behind them until they can no longer risk her drowning and pull her into the boat. That image ignites the heart of the novel, as one of the dog's descendants waits for Alexander's parents to return to the lighthouse island in a show of loyalty.

Armchair Interview says: A 5-star offering from Alistair MacLeod.

Perhaps the best written book I've ever read.......2007-08-11

Alastair MacLeod's book is an stunningly well crafted and beautiful novel.

For me, the book that starts out confusing--why the characters are doing what they are today? and ends with a deep comprehension of bonds that form during a life.

This is definitely not a book for someone wanting a breezy travelogue about the pretty vacationland on Canada's East Coast. MacLeod's novel has nothing to do with the tourist experience. Instead, it is about a harsh and demanding land that shapes the characters and their relationships much as the waves carve the shore.

I'm not from Cape Breton, although I have been there 9 times and grown to love the place. The locals see MacLeod's writing as being very true to their heritage, and treasure it. His stories are often dark and quite sad. In particular his short stories (see "The Island") often leave me in tears.
This is the story of some lives, tough lives in remarkable places from Cape Breton to western Canadian mines. In the end, if you are like me (and several of my friends), you will understand the brothers' bond, and applaud the extraordinary skill and beauty with which the author has told this story.

Great Canadian Read.......2006-12-09

Canadian fiction usually has at least one of two themes--harsh conditions of some kind, and family. This has both. This book takes harsh conditions to mean a few things: the terrain, the sadness of true life, and the things we must face everyday. It is an interesting story about a family who has not had the easiest life, and it continues to be difficult for everyone. It is a story about how a tragedy can bring a family together and tear them apart. It is full of courage, hope, and love for your family. It makes you think what you would do if this happened to you. This is a story that dates back to the narrator's ancestors and how the events and tragedies that happened to the ancestors and the actions of distant relatives affect the narrator and his family today. It is a deep and interesting tale, good for anyone to read.

Ridiculously Overrated.......2006-07-13

I've had this book on my radar for quite a long time. Ever since it won the IMPAC award really. I've never been much for Canadian literature, to be honest, and recently I've started to feel that was a shame so I've been making an effort to find some good Canuck authors. This book, unfortunately, was a misstep.

The story revolves around an Orthodontist called Alexander MacDonald. While on a trip to visit his decaying, alcoholic brother in Toronto, MacDonald recalls the story of the first half of his life in Cape Breton, and the story of how his family came to Canada in the 19th century.

There actually is some good writing in here, but you have to wade through a great sea of mediocrity to get to it. The narrator's grandfathers are probably the best developed characters, and the description of his parents' death and visits to his older brothers' house are highlights, but I don't think they alone are enough to recommend it.

One of the first things you'll notice is that MacLeod has a tin ear for dialogue. The only way the dialogue between the narrator and his twin sister could have actually been delivered is if they were both stoned and one had nodded off while the other prattled on, or possibly if there was a hypnotist in the room, mesmerizing each in turn. The parts of the book that stuck most in my craw, however, were the descriptions of trips to Scotland.

These descriptions, given by the sister and by the narrator, really come across as the pathetic wet dreams of an ex-pat. Just try not to roll your eyes as misty-eyed locals, seemingly equally as mesmerized as the main characters, approach any visiting foreign MacDonalds they happen across (recognizing them, apparently, because they have black or red hair and dark eyes), and instantly "know" them and accept them back into the fold. Welcoming them "home." This book really should come with an Enya CD.

Anyway, if you like that sort of mystical clan nonsense, and can look past the dialogue, you might get something out of it. I am still stunned that this won the world's richest literary prize. Perhaps all of the judges had red hair, dark eyes, and haunted, far off stares?

Rubbish.......2006-06-19

I agree entirely with B. Walsh of San Francisco. The dialogue in this novel is wretched. The only reason we're given to care about the characters is their omnipresent Cape Bretonness -- and that's just not enough. How the book managed to pick up the Impac Dublin award is beyond me.

The Automatic Message, the Magnetic Fields, the Immaculate Conception (Atlas Anti-Classics)

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Inside Out

The Automatic Message, the Magnetic Fields, the Immaculate Conception (Atlas Anti-Classics)
Andre Breton , Philippe Soupault , and Paul Eluard
Manufacturer: Atlas Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0947757996

Book Description

This book collects together the two most vital "automatic" texts of Surrealism. Breton's prefatory essay The Automatic Message relates this technique to the underlying concepts and aesthetic of the Surrealist movement.

The Magnetic Fields (1919) was the first work of literary Surrealism and is thus one of the foundations of modern European thought and writing. This authorised translation is by the poet David Gascoyne, himself a member of the group and a friend of both authors.

The Immaculate Conception (1930) traces the interior and exterior life of man from Conception and Intra-Uterine Life to Death and The Original Judgement. The central section is a celebrated series of "simulations" of various types of mental instability.

Maurice Nadeau (in The History of Surrealism) described the book as "An astonishing series of poems in prose, more brilliant than those of either Breton or Eluard on his own . . . if all that remained of the Surrealist movement were the pages of The Immaculate Conception, man, alerted, could not turn away from the astounding mystery of his condition."

Customer Reviews:

Inside Out.......2000-06-20

In terms of finding a wild, uninhibited introduction to the radical and mindspinning worlds of Breton and friends I can assure you that this is a challenging but rewarding read. However, take note that those who feel prose must have structure and communicate linear thought, please leave your textbook at the door. This is work that burrows deep into the subconcious and festers like a tick.

User Guide To The Gf / Cf Diet For Autism, Asperger Syndrome And Ad/hd

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understanding gluten/cf diet and autism
Thorough but overenthusiastic
A brilliant, informative book
Hearing child's perspective was a great help

User Guide To The Gf / Cf Diet For Autism, Asperger Syndrome And Ad/hd
Luke Jackson
Manufacturer: JESSICA KINGSLEY PUBLISHERS
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Health o Meter HDC100-01 "Grow with Me" Teddy Bear Scale for Babies and Toddlers

ASIN: 184310055X

Book Description

What is the glueten and casein free diet? Does it work? What's it like to go on it? Luke Jackson, who is 12 years old and has Asperger Syndrome, tells you everything you need to know - both good and bad. He offers encouragement and practical advice on what to expect when beginning the diet, how to alleviate any initial discomfort, and how to live with the diet. Appendices by Luke's mother provide some of the family's favorite recipes, extensive lists of useful addresses, a food diary for an average week, and suggestions for packed lunches, making the book a really practical source of information.

Customer Reviews:

understanding gluten/cf diet and autism.......2007-09-16

I found this book very informative and as I also have Luke Jackson's other book freaks geeks and aspergers which I also found great. Both books have given me a much better understanding of my son's High Functioning Autism and how he feels and how I may be able to help him.... I recommend it thoroughly.

Thorough but overenthusiastic.......2004-03-14

In this book, Luke Jackson explores the effect of the gluten free/casein free (GF/CF) diet on himself and his family and gives practical advice for how to apply it in everyday life. The long appendices (they take up half the book) by his mother, Jacqui Jackson, describe GF/CF recipes, parental notes on implementing the diet, and other resources related to the diet.

The only problem with the book is the enthusiasm with which the diet is presented for all autistic people, and the assumption that it will not harm people to try it so therefore everyone should. This is a diet that only works for people, whether autistic or not, who have specific digestive problems or allergies. If they don't have these problems, they won't need the diet, and the diet can be harmful (physically or financially) to people on it. The author's enthusiasm, given the diet's success for him and his family, is understandable, but it extends slightly too far.

For people who need the diet, though, this is a good book to read for a thorough introduction to how it works and how it can better the lives of people with those specific digestive problems, whether they are autistic or not.

A brilliant, informative book.......2003-02-15

I am the grandmother of a wonderful 6-year-old boy who has been diagnosed autistic, and I've read both Luke Jackson's books (written at ages 12 and 13) in order to get a more complete understanding of the condition from a "kids eye view". I can only hope that Luke keeps writing for the masses.

This particular book is a treasure. The reader is treated to Luke's keen powers of observation and unflagging sense of humor, as always. We also get a couple of chapters written by his exceptional mother, Jacqui, who modestly denies being a "superwoman." (I beg to differ.) It's Jacqui who convinced me that if a woman in charge of a household of eight persons can master the art of gluten-free cooking, then the rest of us just might be equal to the task, as well. Last but not least, recipes, menus, and tips on acquiring and organizing necessary equipment are provided in thorough, easy-to-understand detail.

Perhaps all that might not sound exciting to the average person, but I can assure you that this is one of the most interesting and absorbing books ever to address the titled topics. Witness: in the middle of a work week, I began reading the book at about 11:30 p.m. and read it straight through. I couldn't put it down until I finished at nearly 3:00 a.m.

Inspired by Luke's work, I have gone on line to look up more information about gluten-free diets and related topics and have found a wealth of valuable information. However, the language I used to talk my grandson's family into attempting this new lifestyle came straight from the book reviewed here.

An invaluable resource. A "must" read for anyone dealing with a person who on "the autism scale." Thank you and bravo, Luke, Jacqui and Marilyn Le Breton. You have made a very necessary contribution with this publication.

Hearing child's perspective was a great help.......2002-08-29

My son, 6-yr-old with autism, has been on this diet for over 2 years, and I just read this book. It was very interesting reading the perspective of a child on the diet. I am now even more motivated to keep my son on the GF/CF diet. If you're thinking of starting it, this book will settle some of your concerns about implementing it, such as how your child will adjust, whether they really will start eating what you cook, what to do when other family members are not on the diet, etc. The author is also not the only child in his family who is GF/CF; he has two brothers on the diet as well and describes their experiences with it.
Luke and family are in the UK, so the appendices written by his mother will be more helpful for UK than US readers, but there is also lots of information that applies in the US. She provides some sample menus and recipes - there really are plenty of things to eat after eliminating gluten and casein. They have also included a list of sources for products, both for the UK and US.

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