Book Description
This superbly factual account of the life and death of Austria's Prince Rudolph reads like a fast-paced thriller. The colorful and controversial Prince--the last and most talented of the Hapsburg line--was discovered dead on January 30, 1889, in the royal hunting lodge at Mayerling. Beside him, also dead, lay his mistress, the beautiful young Baroness Mary Vetsera. What happened that day remains a mystery that has evoked endless speculation and countless dramatic re-creations--none more engrossing and entertaining than Barkeley's vivid telling.
Customer Reviews:
A story retold in a refreshing way........2006-07-27
The tragedy of Mayerling continues to intrigue us. I didn't learn anything startling in this book that I had not read in other books, but it was easy ready and the drama is as fresh today as it was a hundred years ago. We still don't know what was in Rudolph's mind when he killed Mary, and we cannot comprehend anyone agreeing to die at the brink of her adulthood for a dubious love to say the least. The intrigues that went on before the Great War, are still echoing in Europe today. How little the world changes.
The Road To Mayerling.......2003-05-14
If you are looking for a bit of fluff about this period of the Holy Roman Empire, this is not the book for you. It is instead a factual reporting of the history of these royal figures. This is a favorite period of history for me and having studied in Vienna there are many pleasant memories of the places mentioned in the book. There is no converation in this book. It really is a history book but a history book that holds your attention. A lot of research went into the formulation of this book and the author is to be praised. Enjoy!!!
Product Description
Biography of Crown Prince Rudolph of Austria nd the events leading to the commencement of World War I
Amazon.com
The author of Inside Edge updates the behind-the-scenes saga of professional figure skating to include the results of the 1998 Olympics in Nagano, Japan. Beginning with the 1997 U.S. championships in Nashville, Brennan chronicles the ambitions, achievements, frustrations, and personal hurdles for the American skaters in a pivotal year that culminated with the Olympics. The year's drama is palpable, including highlights such as the competition between the two top-rated women, Michelle Kwan and Tara Lipinski, along with the ever-increasing athleticism of the men. Along the way Brennan makes detours to check up on recent favorites from the past such as Tonya Harding, Nancy Kerrigan, Oksana Baiul, Brian Boitano, and Scott Hamilton. And always rinkside are the stories of coaches, choreographers, parents, and fans who have transformed figure skating into one of the world's fastest-growing professional sports.
Book Description
* Updated with the latest on Tara, Michelle, and many other skaters-including the intriguing months following the 1998 Olympics
Respected sports journalist Christine Brennan tells the riveting tales of the world's best figure skaters during the most intense year of their young lives. The story opens with the 1997 U.S. national championships, when Michelle Kwan, the overwhelming favorite for the 1998 Olympic gold medal, leaves the rink in tears. Enter Tara Lipinski, a seventy-five-pound jumping machine--soon to become the youngest world skating champion.
Chronicling the year leading up to and including the 1998 Olympic Games, Edge of Glory offers portraits of the famous and infamous, the hopefuls and has-beens-Nancy Kerrigan, Oksana Baiul, Tonya Harding, Elvis Stojko, Todd Eldredge, Ilia Kulik, and many more. Edge of Glory also takes the reader behind the scenes of the sport: the aggressive sports agents, the career-fostering coaches, the eager reporters, the choreographers, and the attentive, stern judges. Ultimately, Edge of Glory is about the athletes themselves. What drives these skaters to a profession that promises retirement at such a young age? How do they survive in a sport where one fall decides it all? What do they fear? And, most importantly, who will win, and who will lose?
Customer Reviews:
Fine book.......2006-08-22
This is book is a nice book, but it seemed to focus on Tara Lipinski and Michelle Kwan, along with the Tara-Michelle thing a little too much. Skaters listed in the front are supposed to be the ones the book focuses on, although some of these skaters get only one paragraph of writing about them. In the final part, "The Olympics", the whole thing was basically about Tara's win and Michelle's silver. There was a little bit about the mens' event, but I found it confusing.
My other complaint about the Olympic section is that it mentions nothing about Elena coming back from 'Skate in the Head', or Artur/Anton (I forget which one) becoming the first man to win two Olympic gold medals with two different partners. I am not a big ice dancing fan, but not a single ice dancing couple was mentioned, which annoys me. Overall, it's a great read that could be even better.
Olympic Gold or Living Forever.......2004-02-29
Christine Brennan wrote in Edge of Glory that Tonya Harding has more raw jumping talent then anyother female ice skater in US history. For all practical purposes, Brennan is calling Harding the most talented female ice skater to ever live.
Brennan also recounted how Harding used CPR to save an old man's life.
If I had to choose between an Olympic Gold Medal and Brennan's description of Harding, the medal wouldn't have a chance! Gold medalists are a dime a dozen. Some of them go on to big careers in fast food places.
When a world class journalist like Brennan spends such words on a genetic parasite like Harding, the earth momentarily stops spinning on its axis. Harding would live forever even if the assault on Kerrigan never took place.
Most of the book is excellent but some of the trivia about Kwan's career bored me to tears. I also wish Brennan had given more details about Nicole Bobek's reasons for breaking and entering.
my thoughts.......2004-02-12
although i found this book engaging and enjoyed reading about the lives of these skaters, i personally felt that the anti-taraism was uncalled for. Having had the opportunity to have met both Tara and Michelle, I know that Tara did have her ways of coming off as arrogant, but so did Michelle. She is not as sweet and even tempered as christine made her out to be. It's a wonder why she doesnt mention the reason to why her past dress maker [Marie Talbot] stopped making her dresses. Her comment about her scores in the kiss and cry area [apparently she felt that she deserved a higher score regardless of her mistakes] . Dont bash on one skater and make the other skater come off as the nice one, they all have their ways of being arrogant.
A great tale from behind the scenes in skating.......2003-07-18
Did you know that Tara Lipinski's mom got in constant battles with her daugher at the rinks?
Did you know that Tara would go on "frenzies" and do unbeliveable amounts of triple triple combinations at her practice rink until she got them right? (this is what caused her hip surgery).
And did you know that Nicole Bobek was a chain smoking teen at one point?
Well you will know all of this after reading this book. I would have to say that this is one of the many views from behind the scenes, but one of the best. Christine B. gives a detailed look at how it all happens on the road to the Olympics.
Different skaters are profiled in this book as we learn about the skaters, coaches, endorsements, and many other things. Most of all we learn about americas 2 leading ladies (at the time) Michelle Kwan, and Tara Lipinski.
This author will tell it like it is so be prepared...and shocked.
The Good the Bad and the Ugly.......2002-11-13
I am a huge fan of the sport of figure skating, so when this book came out, I had to read it. I found that it was very interesting and read the whole book in a few hours. While some people do not care for the format of the book (Brennan jumps around from chapter to chapter writing about various skaters), I did not find it confusing. Brennan does a very good job of brining insight about what goes on "behind the scenes" where the cameras and lights do not shine so bright. I thought that Brennan was not biased with her writing, rather she did not attempt to "cover anything up" or fluff up reality. She told the stories and facts like they are, whether or not they gave a favorable impression on the skater. I also enjoyed how she focused on many different skaters and covered a broad range. Some of the major highlights include Tara Lipinski, Michelle Kwan, Nicole Bobek, Elvis Stojko, Michael Weiss, Rudy Galindo, Ilia Kulik, Todd Eldredge, Alexei Yagudin, Evgeny Plushenko, Alexei Urmanov and Lu Chen. Brennan did a good job of blending both the past and the present. She told of how the skaters got where they are today, as well as writing about the current competitions and issues surrounding the skating world during 97-98 season. I had hoped for a better quality photo section in the book. The hardcover edition has a small black/white section of photos. This is my only true complain. This book is a must have for any skating fanatic.
Amazon.com
Figure skating is emerging as a major force in worldwide professional sports. Get the inside edge on the events and personalities of the professional figure-skating circuit. Profiles on stars such as Nancy Kerrigan, Peggy Fleming, Scott Hamilton, and Oksana Baiul are interspersed with the author's impressions and research from a year on the tour, including analysis of the major competitions, the judging process, and the emotional and physical toll the sport takes on young athletes.
Book Description
Figure skating is the most beautiful and mysterious of all sports. When the skaters are on the ice, every twitch of a muscle and every slip of a skate blade is visible for the world to see. In Inside Edge, Christine Brennan chronicles--for the first time--a season on the skating circuit, intimately portraying the lives, on and off the ice, of the sport's current and upcoming stars. Woven into the narrative are stories of figure skating luminaries past, present, and future--including Peggy Fleming, Katarina Witt, Brian Boitano, Scott Hamilton, Kristi Yamaguchi, Nancy Kerrigan, Oksana Baiul, Michelle Kwan, Rudy Galindo, and Tara Lipinski. Revealing the backstage conflicts high-profile figure skaters face, and the ambition that drives them, Brennan also tells the stories of their families, of improbable rises to the top, and of wasted talents.
If skaters are perfect, they can become international heroes. But if they fall, if they miss a three-revolution jump on a quarter-inch blade of steel, the despair is theirs alone. This is their life on the edge, where decades of training culminate in little more than four crucial minutes on the ice. There is no other sport like it. There is no other story like theirs.
The figure skaters gathered slowly in the mahogany-paneled lobby of the majestic Mirror Lake Inn in Lake Placid, New York, flashing no smiles, barely saying a word. The collection of gregarious entertainers had been reduced to silent, wide-eyed stares. The crackling wood in the fireplace made the room's only noise.
They had met in hotel lobbies in fancy street clothes hundreds of times in the past, but never for an event as devastating as this. On a cold night in late November 1995, they were to travel through snowswept Adirondack mountain roads to a nearby funeral home for a private wake for Sergei Grinkov, their colleague and friend who died of a massive heart attack during a skating practice the day before.
Customer Reviews:
Wonderful book!.......2006-08-30
My daughter, a figure skating coach, and I are on our 3rd copy: people keep borrowing this book and keeping it!
Brennan does a fine job debunking the "pretty girls in pink" myth about skaters, while still showing respect for the amount of effort and athleticism necessary to succeed in this sport. It's been said that Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did - only backwards and in high heels. Well, figure skaters do everything other elite athletes do, backwards/forwards and in the air while maintaining an illusion of fragility. Brennan recognizes that dichotomy, which is why this is such a good book.
If you know skating from the inside, elite or simply local, you will recognize much of what she talks of. If you enjoy politics, read this for incredibly sharp double dealing and backstabbing. But always, read it for the beauty she evokes.
The Beauty on Ice doesn't exist off the ice!.......2006-07-27
I have to say I was surprised by Christine Brennan's take on Tonya Harding. Tonya Harding is now a pariah in the world of American figure skating even though she helped many of today's figure skating athletes to become household names and wealthy as well. Tonya doesn't see any of it. It's ironic that Tonya Harding can't skate professionally while convicted rapist Mike Tyson is allowed to box but that's figure skating. Between the 1992 and 1994 Olympic Winter Games, the infamous incident by Nancy's clubbing by one of Tonya's hired goons caught everybody off guard. Poor Tonya, she was the girl from blue collar upbringing, divorced parents, and quite a dysfunctional childhood. I think if this was played out in Hollywood. Nancy and Tonya would have made up before the 1994 Winter Olympics and let it go down in history. No, the FBI was brought in. In the 1992 games, too much attention was paid on Nancy Kerrigan and the plight of her legally blind mother who later claimed that her daughter deserved the gold medal. In 1992, everybody including myself who watched the Olympic games knew about Nancy's poor mother. Nancy got more attention than Tonya and Kristi Yamaguchi who went to win the First Olympic Gold Medal for Ladies' Figure Skating since Dorothy Hamill. Still, she was shadowed by Nancy's blind mother. Since 1994, I became disillusioned when I saw figure skaters past judgment on Tonya Harding. I haven't lost respect for Jayne Torvill because she was actually quite ladylike in all retrospect. Sadly, Tonya was never the graceful skater but an excellent jumper who was the first American woman to land a triple axel. Tonya's happiness was short-lived by an abusive marriage and a US Figure Skating Association that cared more about maintaining a facade of a happy family. I didn't know that Nancy was not well-liked. YOu could have sure fooled me. Even now, Nancy is still the victim of a dumb plot. Had she had any sense, she would have forgiven Tonya and let it go but no it became a nightmare and a dream for the tabloids of the time. My respect for figure skating is gone. I am not surprised by the homosexuality in figure skating because it's so obvious but I wish they would just admit it rather than cover it up now. Even now, you just wonder why some aren't married or dating anybody. Anyway, the sport has changed for the worse in my opinion. It's become corrupted by greed, jealousy, and envy.
The grit behind the glamor.......2004-12-02
Journalist Christine Brennan takes fans of this sport behind the scenes for a brutal but truthful look at a sport known as much for its glitter as its athleticism. Brennan exposes it all, from the pressure of competition to the facades perpetuated by an antiquated skating federation. Using real interviews with the figure skating's top athletes, Brennan covers tragedy and triumph with unbiased professionalism. Highly recommend for skaters and fans of figure skating
"Harding Had It All".......2004-01-07
Christine Brennan put her Nothwestearn Journalism School education to good use. I was especially moved by the following passage:
"Tonya Harding possessed more raw jumping talent than almost any of them. More than Kerrigan, Oksana Baiul, Michelle Kwan, Nicole Bobek, Peggy Fleming, Dorothy Hamill, Kristi Yamaguchi, {or} Sonja Henie. Harding had it all."
I never heard such words applied to Tonya Harding before this book. I also didn't know before this book that Nancy Kerrigan wasn't well liked.
This book clearly shows that talent even unusual talent or skill doesn't compensate for hard work. If Tanya Harding had practiced and stayed in shape, she could have been famous instead of infamous!
She tells it like it is..........2003-07-18
See the starts of Michelle Kwan. Become aware of AIDS and the skating community. Go behind the scenes with Nancy Kerrigan. Learn how the skater's season begins and ends in this fabulous book.
Any skating fan will love this book. Brennan writes this book and does not show favortisim to any of the characters as she tell s it like it is.
Get a new look at figureskating, and learn what the hype is all about.
Amazon.com
Brian Boitano was a "daredevil roller skater" in Sunnyvale, California, before his mother took him to an ice show at age 8. After that he laced up figure skates instead, and as any of the sport's growing legion of fans know, his dream to win an Olympic medal came true in Calgary in 1988. Boitano's Edge is an insider's look at competitive figure skating. Filled with photographs and reminiscences spanning the gold-medalist's career, it also includes a glossary of skating terms; information on training, choreography, and the judging process; and even a program diagram.
Book Description
This large format, full-color photo essay is the ultimate skating book for fans ages 8 and up. In an accessable and conversational tone Brian Boitano reveals what it is like to move up through the sport and compete at an international level. Brian Boitano's personal stories and anecdotes as well as his lively personal commentary illuminate the sport for young readers and skating fans of all ages. Here's everything you'll ever want to know about figure skating -- with Brian Boitano serving as the expert host.
Customer Reviews:
Great look inside the sport from one of its legends.......2006-06-05
Brian Boitano pushed himself AND his chief competitor, Brian Orser, in his quest for Olympic gold, and in doing so, both of them elevated the level of the entire sport.
Brian gives us a look back at his Olympic triumph and a valuable insider's perspective on the politics of figure skating as well as its technical aspects.
Skaters, skating fans, and anyone interested in this sport will be entertained by Boitano's book. A nice retrospective of this champion's career as well
Brian Boitnano's book on skating.......2005-10-01
A nicely written book, describing his experiences learning his craft, as well as good insight into the sport. It would be improved if there were more pictures of the skaters setting up and completeing their moves. Recommended reading for young skaters, as well as their parents.
Boitano Tells it Like it Is!.......2002-03-01
Brian Boitano has always been my favorite figure skater. When I heard that he had written a book, I quickly rushed to get it. I am so glad that I took the time to read this book because it is a masterpiece.
He begins his book with a forward written by Peggy Fleming and then goes on to tell what it was like being at the Winter Olympics in Calgary, Canada, in 1988. That was the year Brian Boitano would come home with an Olympic Gold Medalist around his neck. Brian has dedicated pages to skating terms, slang, and how to judge a skating performance. He also talks about costumes, choreography, and on most pages of his book he has a first in skating history (first person to skate to music, for example). Katarina Witt also takes the time to add to Boitano's book. "A Tour Scrapbook" is towards the back with pictures from some of the shows Brian has been in. The back of his book contains the past Olympic and World Champions since the competitions began. In short, "Boitano's Edge" is THE book for the skating fan in your family.
I don't really know.......2001-02-01
I am a big Brian Boitano fan. I took this book out of the library hoping for a little more on his personal life. I wasn't too disappointed, but I would prefer if he had mentioned more about his family. There was a lot about his skating in it, though, which is what I love about him. He talks a lot about Calgary, which can get annoying because it happened almost 13 years ago! Don't get me wrong--I loved reading about it, but I've already read a lot about it. My favorite part was the tour scrapbook. That was neat to see. I also liked very much that people wrote their own commentary on Brian and about different things. You can read this book for an enjoyable read, but don't expect too much on skating.
My students love this book!.......2000-06-20
I teach 4th grade, and this book is in my classroom library. My students love this book as it gives them an insight into this sport. The negative reviews about this book totally shocked me, but then I realized that they were just thinly disguised opportunities for those "reviewers" to take a swipe at Brian Boitano and nothing more. This book was not meant to be a "tell-all". Its main focus group was children, but it's a lovely book for all ages--provided you're not looking for "dirt". What I have gotten out of this book is that Brian Boitano is a dear young man of integrity, honesty and morals who loves to skate more than anything else in the world. He is the epitome of what a role model should be. The sporting world needs more people like him.
Customer Reviews:
Fair and unbiased account of this talented athlete.......2004-08-13
Unlike other purported "bios" of Tonya and Nancy, these writers obviously took the time to interview those close to the skaters rather than depending on news stories for their material. Their attention to detail and the interesting details of backstage life in the fast-paced world of international figure skating make this an interesting read.
Interesting but Quick Read about the Tonya/Nancy Debacle.......2001-07-11
This book was hastily churned out at the height of the Tonya/Nancy knee-whacking incident as a quick money maker for the author and publisher. The problem with this book is that it is not a well-rounded biography of Tonya; the emphasis is too much on the knee-whacking incident and shortly thereafter, stopping just before the '94 Winter Games. It is an interesting collectible for Tonya-philes, but does not give a full portrait of the talented, complex, troubled young woman. Hopefully a more comprehensive biography of Ms. Harding will be available in the future.
Average customer rating:
- A book for a skating fans
- Subjective and very BIG waste of money!
- Don't Waste Your Money!
- Great pictures, terrible writing
- The pictures are beautiful, the author is biased
|
Inside Figure Skating
Alina Sivorinovsky
Manufacturer: MetroBooks (NY)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 Ice Skating & Figure Skating
| Winter Sports
| Sports
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Sports
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 1586630059 |
Customer Reviews:
A book for a skating fans.......2002-03-02
Technical Merit 5.5/5.4/5.6/5.5/5.7/5.6/5.6/5.4/5.5
Artistic Merit 5.9/6.0/5.9/5.9/5.9/6.0/5.9/6.0/5.9
Great photography!!! But it for that alone! The writing is decent. I would imagine Kwan fans will not like the treatment she gets in the Nagano section. Alina covers a lot ground in the book. She keps the pace moving. A decent short history of recent skating without the tabloid style of a Christine Brennan. A good addition to the library of any skating fan.
Subjective and very BIG waste of money!.......2001-03-02
I bought this book because of the beautiful photo of Ms. Kwan on the cover, and I wish I had saved my money. The book is dreadful. Any educated skating fan will be bored beyond belief at the subjective ramblings in its pages. Unless you are interested in an extremely biased book interspersed often with unsubstantiated arguments for and against certain skaters, I would heartily recommend you pass this one by.
Don't Waste Your Money!.......2000-11-20
Sure, the book is filled with some nice photographs, but the photos do not make this book worth it. I found many errors. I felt like I knew more about figure skating than the author and could have done a better job. Don't waste your money!
Great pictures, terrible writing.......2000-11-14
It's a shame that such beautiful pictures are wasted on this book. The author is very unprofessional in displaying her dislikes of certain skaters, especially Paul Wylie. I should note that while I am not a fan of some of the skaters she seem to disfavor, I am very surprised at the poor writing skills and the research she tried to pass off as facts and the disrespectful biases she choose to present as journalism. Very shody work and hopefully the editor will pay more attention next time. Alina Sivorinovsky makes Christine Brennen look legit!
Because of the pictures I agonized whether or not to buy the book and after spending four lunch hours at B. Dalton reading the book, I ultimately decided not to. My score is 5 stars for the pictures and 10 black holes for the text.
The pictures are beautiful, the author is biased.......2000-08-03
The pictures in this book are gloriously rich and beautiful. The cover shot of Michelle Kwan is breathtaking...however, I find it funny how the author uses this lyrical, mesmerizing skater on the cover of this book, and inside uses it's pages to bash her, for some unknown reason. I find this author biased and totally out of the real world in terms of her inferring things about skaters, like how they feel, what they think, etc. This book also contains several factual errors , and mis identified skaters with photos. Very poor detective work on this book. I rate it highly for the pictures. This book would have been a much better picture book, than an informative book. The author's biases and the numerous errors make it a joke as an informative resource. Buy only for the pictures, and then,only on the discount rack.
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Mayerling (1968)
