Product Description
Five CD's, 6 hours
Read by tk

Henry Shaw, a high-school senior, is as comfortable with his family as any seventten-year-old can be. His father, Kevin, teaches history with a decidedly socialist tinge at the Chicago private school Henry and his sister attend. His mother, Beth, who plays the piano in a group specializing in antique music, is a loving, attentive wife and parent. Henry even accepts the offbeat behavior of his thirteen-year-old sister, Elvira, who is obsessed with Civil War reenactments and insists on dressing in handmade Union uniforms at all times.

When he stumbles on his mother's e-mail account, however, Henry realizes that everything is not quite as it seems. There, under the name Liza38, a name which Henry innocently established for her, is undeniable evidence that his mother is having an affair with one Richard Polloco, a violin maker with a very appealing way with words and a romantic spirit, that in Henry's estimation, his own father woefully lacks.

Henry's observations, set down ten years after that fateful year, are much more than the "old story" of adultery his mother deemed her affair to be. With her inimitable grace and compassion, Jane Hamilton has created in DISOBEDIENCE a novel of gentle humor and rich insights into the nature of love and the deep, mysterious bonds that hold families together.
Amazon.com Review
A wayward wife, an Oedipally obsessed e-mail snoop, a pint-sized Civil War reenactor (oops, make that living historian), and a cheerfully oblivious cuckold comprise the Shaws of Chicago, the decidedly quirky characters of Jane Hamilton's fourth novel, Disobedience. An unlikely family to fall prey to the vagaries of modern life, the Shaws are consumed with clog dancing, early music, and the War Between the States. But they do possess a computer, and when 17-year-old Henry stumbles into his mother's e-mail account and epistolary evidence of her affair with a Ukrainian violinist, he becomes consumed with this glimpse into her life as a woman, not simply a mother.

To picture my mother a lover, I had at first to break her in my mind's eye, hold her over my knee, like a stick, bust her in two. When that was done, when I had changed her like that, I could see her in a different way. I could put her through the motions like a jointed puppet, all dancy in the limbs, loose, nothing to hold her up but me.

Ironically (and not completely convincingly) narrated by an adult Henry, Disobedience has a rollicking tone somewhat at odds with the somber prospects that loom for this family. A very worldly teenager in some ways, despite the hippie wholesomeness of his family, Henry tells his tale in abundant, almost flowery prose, imagining his mother's private life with elegiac fervor. As in her earlier A Map of the World, Jane Hamilton writes with affection and insight about the darker side of apparently ordinary Midwestern folks. --Victoria Jenkins ... Read more

Customer Reviews (96)

Disobedience is civil
Just charming.

A very young man, Henry,going through his own growing pains and being a member of a very unusual family anyway, has to deal with his suspicions that his mother is committing adultery.

Such a sweet and sometimes hilarious story. Disobedience avoids the rutted path of adultery stories by focusing on the importance and acceptance of family members by each other.

Beautifully written, the reader can feel so much of Henry's confusion and trials. The family's varying forms of rebelling and disobedience is so civil that the understatedness of that seems to add to the intensity.

disfuntional family
This book was boring, I couldn't become interested in it, the characters, the story and everything else about it.I liked the 'Book of Ruth' and 'Map of the World', but this was just uninteresting.The characters were unlikable, the bossy mother-in-law who held her money over the family, the incompetent father who was ineffective with his family, his high school students and with life in general.Then there was the wife and mother who had an affair and her nosy son who found about it when working on her computer.There was Elvira who hated being a girl and bonded with her father as both liked Civil War Enactments.I struggled through the book and finished it though it was difficult.

Powerful story that combines family dynamics and coming of age
Jane Hamilton has created a powerful story that explores the dynamics of a family that is in crisis from the view point of the family's 17 year old son. Henry, the son, discoveres his mother is having an affair that the same time that he is making his own tentative steps into a teenage affair with a girl he met at music camp.

The characters are well-drawn and vivid; the 13 year old daughter who is a Civil War enacter, the father so absorbed in his passion for history that he seems unaware of the crisis that is threatening to destory his marriage, and the mother who seems to have developed a new persona for her musician lover.

The writing is flawless, the voices authentic, and the story is compelling. Hamilton captures that feeling of a teenager that their family is a cohesive unit, bonded together, at the time in his life when he is also wanting to separate himself from them.

I listened to this book on CD during a trip to Kansas. The narrator's voice was perfect, capturing that teenager's attitude with each nuance. I was so entranced wit the book that I came home and bought a hardback copy. One of the best books that I have read in a long time.

For fans of rich character development
Jane Hamilton has a way with words, with etching characters who seem as real as your friends and neighbors, and for moving a minimalist plot along at a pleasing pace courtesy of splendid first person narration. Disobedience was a pleasure to read and I would not hesitate for an instant to pick up another of her books. What more need a novel accomplish than that?

Family dynamics (3.75 *s)
This is a book about marriage, its strengths and shortcomings; passion, its hunger and excesses; infidelity, its exhilaration and complications; and about achieving some understanding of it all. The story focuses on the seemingly fairly normal Shaw family, seen primarily from the perspective of 17-year-old Henry, a geeky high school senior of long hair and wire-rim glasses. Father Kevin is preoccupied by history, as a teacher and aficionado; 13-year-old daughter Elvira is uncomfortable with her femaleness and insists on participating in Civil War reenactments as Elviron, a drummer boy; and Beth, the mother, is a musician, book club host, excellent cook, etc.

Family stability is undermined when Beth finds herself immensely attracted to violinist Richard Pollico at a family wedding. Her obsession with Richard comes to fruition a year later when she begins an affair. Early on, the story takes a dramatic turn when Henry inadvertently discovers Beth's emails to Richard and her friends concerning the affair. Henry's narrative primarily consists of his attempt to understand his mother's actions and trying to decide what, if anything, he should do about it. His inside knowledge produces strained behavior with his family, although it is never clear as to who knows what about the affair.

Complicating Henry's life is his own fixation on Lily, a girl who he came to know at an out-of-state summer camp. Being the daughter of family friends, she stays with the Shaw's in Chicago while visiting potential colleges to attend. Although later Henry is convinced that his mother orchestrated the entire scenario, he and Lily experience a very intense night of passion.

Unfortunately for both Beth and Henry there are no clear answers for their predicaments, no clear directions to take. Beth's family is her foundation, yet Richard brings seldom-experienced excitement. Interestingly, Beth's musical enthusiasm seems to wane as her affair with Richard progresses. Henry comes to a realization that physical passion is fleeting and may be insufficient for a relationship.

The book is perhaps not without its shortcomings. In a way, Henry remains a bit obscure despite his narrative role. His voice seems overly mature at times despite his profound teenage angst. The Elvira/Elviron saga gets too much attention, including a rather bizarre concluding scene that helps to clarify the Shaw's situation. However, the book is an interesting look at the complexities of family dynamics and personal relationships.
... Read more

Product Description

What we know of that unique period in American history labeled the Jazz Age has been defined by F. Scott Fitzgerald's piercing fiction.

His short stories brilliantlyrealize an era both exploding with opportunity and seething with decadence. His prose captures the melancholy lacquered over with merriment, the corruption interlaced with the glamour, all refracted through a spectrum of human lives.

Here, Caedmon has assembled an extraordinary cast of stage and screen stars to bring Fitzgerald's early work to resonant life. His characters (some passionate, some comic, some tragic) take on an extra dimension when interpreted aloud by these fine actors.

This collection both honors and enhances Fitzgerald's already irreplaceable position in American letters. Each return listening will bring even more emotional impact to each story.

Customer Reviews (4)

Listened many times
Superb fiction, superbly read. Even though this isn't available on CD or download, it's still a great choice. Transfer it to the media of your choice. Fitzgerald is a master, and these stories range from the fantasy of "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" and "A Diamond as Big as the Ritz" to the difficulty of "May Day." The cast of narrators includes some of the best US actors around: Blythe Danner, Parker Posey, Martha Plimpton, Robert Sean Leonard, Campbell Scott, Peter Gallagher, Bill Irwin, Dylan Baker. Each seems to truly enjoy the story being read.

I love this man's work!
I first became acquainted and fell in love with the work of F.Scott Fitzgerald when I read a hardback copy of The Great Gatsby in my early 20s. Since then, I have read Tender Is The Night and This Side of Paradise, so when I discovered this collection of stories by my literary hero, I floated up to the cieling. My favorites include The Diamond As Big As The Ritz and Bernice Bobs Her Hair, and anyone who has not already been introduced to Fitzgerald, either in English class at school or whilebrowsing in a local bookstore, it's not too late to change yourmind, and it is my sincere hope that you will love this man's work as much as I do!

I could listen to this over and over
I was delighted to find out that not only were F. Scott Fitzgerald's short stories being narrated on audio cassette, but that one of the performers was none other than Robert Sean Leonard.Scottie is by far one of my favorite American authors.It takes an incredible talent to condemn the life you live in your literature, and when I think how he strived for excellence but fell victim to society, I can't help but pity him.His writing is so delicious to read as well.He has such wonderful similies and metaphors, and is so descriptive I can taste the wine, feel the rain and see the stars.The Jazz Age is one of my favorite time periods and F. Scott Fitzgerald captures it perfectly.You see the glittering side but then the glitter gets tarnished as it must. What is even better about this audio is that one of the narrators is none other than my favorite actor, Robert Sean Leonard (better known as Neal in Dead Poets Society and Claudio in Much Ado About Nothing among other films).His voice is wonderful to listen to, even if you're not a fan of his acting.It's perfectly clear and flowing and it reminds you of listening to your parents reading you a bedtime story. The tape itself leaves you feeling as if you've been on an emotional rollercoaster.There's a nice beginning, then it peaks with conflict, the resolution, and then the end finishes as calmly as it started.Yet you've gained something from it.Fitzgerald has some incredibly phenomenal themes in his work. The odd part is that I usually don't like getting audio books, but I certainly reccomend this audio of The Stories of F. Scott Fitzgerald"It's worth every penny.

AN EXEMPLARY COLLECTION SUPERBLY READ
Surely an icon in the annals of American literature, F. Scott Fitzgerald produced a body of work which epitomized the Roaring Twenties.It has been said that his dominant influences were "aspiration, literature, Princeton, Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald, and alcohol."Nonetheless, his writing possesses an urgency, a bite, unrivaled by his peers.

Collected in this superb audio are nine of his early stories performed by accomplished actors.Broadway/film actress Blythe Danner reads "Bernice Bobs Her Hair," a narrative inspired by a lengthy letter Fitzgerald wrote to his younger sister, Annabel, in which he offered advice on how she could become popular with boys.

"The Jelly-Bean," read by Dylan Baker, takes place in Georgia.Fitzgerald credits his wife for her expertise in helping him write a portion of this tale involving crap shooting, saying "as a Southern girl" she was an expert at this endeavor.

The talented Peter Gallagher reads "Head and Shoulders," the first of Fitzgerald's story to appear in The Saturday Evening Post.

Also found in the collection are "The Diamond As Big As The Ritz," "Dalyrimple Goes Wrong," "The Ice Palace," "Benediction," "The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button," and "May Day."

This is an exemplary combination of memorable prose and oral presentation, a remarkable listening experience. ... Read more

Product Description
The bestselling author of "Generation X" brings listeners the story of a pretty, 17-year-old Vancouver girl who lapses into a coma one December night in 1979, and leaves a group of friends confused by her loss. When she awakens 18 years later, they all experience terrifying changes. Simultaneous hardcover release from ReganBooks. April 1998 publication date.2 cassettes. .Amazon.com Review
In this latest novel from the poet laureate of Gen X--who ishimself now a dangerously mature 36--boy does indeed meet girl. Theyear is 1979, and the lovers get right down to business in a veryCouplandian bit of plein air intercourse: "Karen and Ideflowered each other atop Grouse Mountain, among the cedars beside aski slope, atop crystal snow shards beneath penlight stars. It was aDecember night so cold and clear that the air felt like the air of theMoon--lung-burning; mentholated and pure; hint of ozone, zinc, skiwax, and Karen's strawberry shampoo." Are we in for an archetypal'80s romance, played out against a pop-cultural backdrop? Nope. Onlyhours after losing her virginity, Karen loses consciousness aswell--for almost two decades. The narrator and his circle soldier on,making the slow progression from debauched Vancouver youths tosemiresponsible adults. Several end up working on a television seriesthat bears a suspicious resemblance to The X-Files (surely aself-referential wink on the author's part). And then ... Karen wakesup. Her astonishment--which suggests a 20th-century, substance-abusingRip Van Winkle--dominates the second half of the novel, and givesCoupland free reign to muse about time, identity, and the meaning (ifany) of the impending millennium. Alas, he also slaps a concludingapocalypse onto the novel. As sleeping sickness overwhelms thepopulace, the world ends with neither a bang nor a whimper, but auniversal yawn--which doesn't, fortunately, outweigh the sweetness,oddity, and ironic smarts of everything that has preceded it. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (179)

It wasn't THAT bad.
Girlfriend in a Coma.... not something I'd usually pick up, but the title and description intrigued me, so I picked it up randomly one day.

The book starts off interesting and really grabs you but half way through the book when you fast forward to the "present" time, it starts to slow down... drag on even. And okay yes, it could probably put you to sleep.

The book is for the most part, narrated by Jared, a mutual friend of their group of friends who has already passed on. He seems to play a part in telling them "where to go from here". Karen falls into a coma after she loses her virginity to Richard. Way to make your boyfriend feel like he did something right! Karen ends up pregnant and having a child while still in a coma. Making Richard a pretty much, single father. The book fast forwards and updates you on what the circle of friends are up to, what Richard is up to and what their daughter (who's name I have completely forgotten) is up to.

One day, Karen comes back and suddenly, she can tell the future. The future that no one believes she's telling the truth about. Would you believe a girl who just woke up for a coma saying this and that is going to happen... soon? I think not! But Karen was right and all but her group of friends survive. Kinda odd, right?

I'm glad I stuck it out and forced myself to finish this book. The ending was well worth the slow and dragging half way point. The ending was both shocking and heartbreaking. And it provokes thinking! I enjoyed this book!

Someone... please... help!!!!!
This has got to be the worst book I have ever read!!! OK I will admit me wasting my money was my fault because of the interesting cover (white with the barcode and title on each cover). But uuughh, if this isn't the worst book ever. It started off very well with the first 46 pages, then the book got stupider and stupider. The plot sounded interesting with the idea of a girl being in a coma for 18 years, but as the book went on, it became the reader that's in a coma. This is the first, and probably the last Coupland book I will ever read. Avoid.

Possibly the worst book I have ever read
I read this for a book club and I am embarrassed to say I finished it.The writing is plain, too obvious, and juvenile.Even if I had been able to enjoy the plot, the writing made the reading experience painful.I do not recommend this book.

odd little book
This book starts with a 17 year old girl (Karen) going into an unexplained coma the night that she loses her virginity to Richard in 1979.However, the night she goes into a coma she confides to Richard visons or dreams of the future that she doesn't believe she should be seeing.Just weeks after entering into the coma it's learned that she is pregnant.After giving birth while still in the coma to a healty baby girl, the narratation goes into the lives of Richard and his friends who seem to drift through their 20s.Karen awakes 20 years later to a world she doesn't really know how to react to and can't help getting the feeling that the end of the world is near (I won't give anymore away).The book is interesting enough, but doesn't always keep me reading, because I don't always care about the characters.The ending of the book was also a disappointment.Overall, the book is a quick read and does have its oddly funny moments and version of the appocalypse that makes you wonder.

So close, and yet...
I really, really wanted to like this book...and it came so close to winning me over.Unfortuantely, the last quarter of the book falls apart so quickly and so badly, that it ruins whatever good experience I had with the first three quarters.

The story is really interesting, and a quick read, throughout most of the book.Then, once the Supernatural Twist occurs, it just goes downhill.From there, Coupland spends FOREVER getting to the end, and he just rambles for several chapters until he gets to the letdown that is the ending.That letdown could've come about five chapters earlier, too, since one of the characters actually warns of it...again and again and again."I've got something to tell these people", is what he essentially says, then spends five chapters getting around to saying it.

...And, when this "bombshell" is dropped, it's boring.Plenty of people on this site have given the ending away, so I won't do that.Suffice to say, it's simplistic, it's preachy, and it isn't remotely groundbreaking.In fact, it isn't even interesting.It's just pretentious, which is a shame because so much of the book was so interesting.

I really wanted to like this book, but it just spirals out of control near the end.It seemed thrown together, and ruined a book that would've easily gotten three or four stars from me had it not lost itself in the final act. ... Read more

Product Description
A fifteen-year-old white boy raised by the Lenni Lenape Indians is returned to his people under the terms of a treaty and faces difficult choices about his identity and personal loyalty. Book available. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (188)

I only wanted 1 copy.
Less than 2 minutes ago I ordered this book.I only needed one copy.I noticed 2 copies were orderd, so I changed the quantity and hit update, then ordered another item.I placed the order, while reviewing it, the page refreshed.I get an email saying I ordered two copies of this paper back.It will cost just as much as it is worth to return it, so I immediately hit recent orders and ask to change it.Not even 1 minutehas gone by and Amazon say it is already shipped and cannot be changed.
Phooey.I do not need 2 copies of a book my school is forcing my child to read.This sucks!!And its such a waste of energy all around.Why not put an edit quantities button in the preview menu?Then I wouldn't have been messed over by software.
I would say double , triple check everything, but I did that and it still happenned.Like Amazon, hate the lottery feel of the ordering process.

A boy adrift between two worlds
A wonderful timeless story.Set in the period when Pennsylvania was still at the frontier bordering "Indian" country, this short novel is about a 15 year old white boy that was captured at age 4 and raised by Indians (Native Americans if you prefer) as an Indian.Happily I might add.The twist arises when soldiers show up at the Indian village to take back white captives.

A short novel that was a pleasure to read, I note two salient aspects:

The story of the boy True Son (white name, Johnny).His fears, conflicts, victories, etc.

And -- the extremely educational aspect of the novel regarding the Indian perspective to the encroachment and behavior of the whites.Author Conrad Richter obviously invested much research and contemplation into the matter.To put it in a phrase, "the reader is exposed to and will probably sympathize with the Indian point of view".Conversely, it is clear that the Indians did not completely grasp the White Man's whole perspective.

Not what I call a feel good ending, but a logical one in context.Well worth the quick read for a student of the Native American ways, early American history, or simply a student of people and their interactions.

Two incompatible ways of life symbolized by one yound man
Some books stand the test of time, so do not. "The Light in the Forest" is 57 years old and still holds true, both historically and as a story.

Based in Pennsylvania during the years preceding the French and Indian War, the story revolves around True Son, a young man who had been kidnapped from his family by Lenni Lenape Indians at age four. True Son is adopted by an honorable, respected man named Cuyolga to replace a son who died from disease.Over time, True Son forgets his white parents and becomes a full Lenni Lenape.

However, a treaty is signed that requires that the white "captives" be returned to their white families. True Son is returned and the bulk of the book concerns itself with True Son's reactions to the white society he was forced to leave more than a decade earlier. Eventually, True Son escapes back to his adopted family and settles back into his comfortable way of life.

Up until the last few pages, the reader is left with the impression that the conflict between the settlers and the Indians was primarily a war of brutality on the part of the settlers, but True Son discovers, to his horror, that warriors from his own family group massacred a family and even scalped the children - an accusation that he angrily denied when settlers threw it in his face while he was forced to live with them.

Richter leaves the reader with an unconventional ending, but one that feels right, nonetheless.

Makes a great companion to longer, more detailed (but less conflicted) books by James Alexander Thom such as Follow the River and The Red Heart.

Two incompatible ways of life, symbolized by one young man
Some books stand the test of time, so do not. "The Light in the Forest" is 57 years old and still holds true, both historically and as a story.

Based in Pennsylvania during the years preceding the French and Indian War, the story revolves around True Son, a young man who had been kidnapped from his family by Lenni Lenape Indians at age four. True Son is adopted by an honorable, respected man named Cuyolga to replace a son who died from disease.Over time, True Son forgets his white parents and becomes a full Lenni Lenape.

However, a treaty is signed that requires that the white "captives" be returned to their white families. True Son is returned and the bulk of the book concerns itself with True Son's reactions to the white society he was forced to leave more than a decade earlier. Eventually, True Son escapes back to his adopted family and settles back into his comfortable way of life.

Up until the last few pages, the reader is left with the impression that the conflict between the settlers and the Indians was primarily a war of brutality on the part of the settlers, but True Son discovers, to his horror, that warriors from his own family group massacred a family and even scalped the children - an accusation that he angrily denied when settlers threw it in his face while he was forced to live with them.

Richter leaves the reader with an unconventional ending, but one that feels right, nonetheless.

Makes a great companion to longer, more detailed (but less conflicted) books by James Alexander Thom such as Follow the River and The Red Heart.

Two incompatible ways of life, symbolized by one young man
Some books stand the test of time, so do not. "The Light in the Forest" is 57 years old and still holds true, both historically and as a story.

Based in Pennsylvania during the years preceding the French and Indian War, the story revolves around True Son, a young man who had been kidnapped from his family by Lenni Lenape Indians at age four. True Son is adopted by an honorable, respected man named Cuyolga to replace a son who died from disease.Over time, True Son forgets his white parents and becomes a full Lenni Lenape.

However, a treaty is signed that requires that the white "captives" be returned to their white families. True Son is returned and the bulk of the book concerns itself with True Son's reactions to the white society he was forced to leave more than a decade earlier. Eventually, True Son escapes back to his adopted family and settles back into his comfortable way of life.

Up until the last few pages, the reader is left with the impression that the conflict between the settlers and the Indians was primarily a war of brutality on the part of the settlers, but True Son discovers, to his horror, that warriors from his own family group massacred a family and even scalped the children - an accusation that he angrily denied when settlers threw it in his face while he was forced to live with them.

Richter leaves the reader with an unconventional ending, but one that feels right, nonetheless.

Makes a great companion to longer, more detailed (but less conflicted) books by James Alexander Thom such as Follow the River and The Red Heart. ... Read more

Product Description

In the Nevada desert, an experiment has gone horribly wrong. A cloud of nanoparticles -- micro-robots -- has escaped from the laboratory. This cloud is self-sustaining and self-reproducing. It is intelligent and learns from experience. For all practical purposes, it is alive.

The monsters may be smaller in this book, but Crichton's skill for suspense has grown, making Prey a scary read that's hard to set aside, though not without its minor flaws. The science in this novel requires more explanation than did the cloning of dinosaurs, leading to lengthy and sometimes dry academic lessons. And while the coincidence of Xymos's new technology running on the same program Jack created at his previous job keeps the plot moving, it may be more than some readers can swallow. But, thanks in part to a sobering foreword in which Crichton warns of the real dangers of technology that continues to evolve more quickly than common sense, Prey succeeds in gripping readers with a tense and frightening tale of scientific suspense. --Benjamin Reese ... Read more

Customer Reviews (845)

Ordinary
People are taken over by nanobots.Then it's up to the hero to outwit the nanobots (which shouldn't be difficult since they blow away in a stiff breeze).And that's about it, folks.The plot of Prey is recycled from the endless "people are taken over by aliens" stories that have been around forever.The characters are stock: Crichton doesn't bring them alive, and if they were alive, you wouldn't want to know them because they're so dull.A couple of action scenes -- characters battling swarms of nanobots -- are lively, but the rest of the prose is flat.Crichton had enough interesting ideas about nanobots to warrant three stars, but lacked the originality to do sufficiently interesting things with them to merit more than three.The novel is okay -- just okay -- as a fast beach read, but there are better options.

Enjoyable summer vacation read
I read this book this past summer on vacation. I liked it. The content is pure Crichton in it's detailed description of the science and technology behind the story. I found it to be a "page turner". It was a fast read, I finished it in about a week, and it made for great summer vacation reading.

Very Good
"Prey" tells a story of nanotechnology run amuck.It is wildly entertaining but not quite as good as "Jurassic Park" in my humble opinion.

Creepy & cool
Prey is science fiction in a much more pure form than what most science fiction writers put out.Michael Crichton was always brilliant about that.He did the same thing for Dinosaurs in Jurassic Park, and for many other subjects in his books.Crichton takes a real idea with real science behind it and takes it to the logical (extreme) conclusions.What would be the logical conclusion (taken to the extreme) if we figured out how to get Dinosaur DNA and started cloning them? What would happen if we put Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) into nanobots and that intelligence got smarter than we meant it to?

That is the story behind Prey.The scientists are trying to figure out how to program nano-technology to perform tasks as a group.The story involves what happens when that technology gets out of the control the scientists thought they had over it.There is also a human side-story of a married couple and suspicion of betrayal which is weaved beautifully into the tale.It is heart-wrenching, but necessary, and it lends the story the kick it needs to grab you emotionally.

It is a gripping tale, and a cautionary tale.Crichton was a visionary, and the world is lesser for losing him.At least we have the finished works he did publish, as his legacy.

Read Prey.If you like a good story, you will like it.If you like a good story, and you are interested in: science, technology, nanotech, A.I., etc. then you will LOVE it.

Prey
An excellent sci-fi that holds your attention. I wonder why this book hasn't been made into a movie... ... Read more

Product Description

Will anyone take on Jake Semple?

Jake Semple is notorious. Rumor has it he burned down his old school and got kicked out of every school in his home state.

Only one place will take him now, and that's a home school run by the Applewhites, a chaotic and hilarious family of artists. The only one who doesn't fit the Applewhite mold is E.D. -- a smart, sensible girl who immediately clashes with the unruly Jake.

Jake thinks surviving this one will be a breeze ... but is he really as tough or as bad as he seems?

Customer Reviews (122)

Good, but did I miss the climax?
I read this book as a young student and then recently reread it for a college course.I enjoyed it both times and felt it to be an easy read.I loved the characters! I also felt like I was there with Jake experiencing the Applewhites.My only complaint is that there is no climax to the story. It seems like the story is building to something that never happens...Other than that- great story with valuable lessons.

Good Ending
This is a review my son, Shawn Scampoli (Age 10) completed for a school assignment.

I liked the book, but at times there was too much description of events and unneeded topics.There was a lot going on that just didn't need to be in the book.It seems to me that the story should have stayed focused on the two main characters, E.D. Applewhite and Jake Semple.

The story is mainly about a boy named Jake Semple. Jake does not behave.He smokes, curses and is disrespectful to teachers.

Jake is sent to North Carolina because all of the schools in Rhode Island don't want him because of his behavior and because he burnt his old school down.In North Carolina, Jake lives with his grandfather and goes to a new school called the Applewhite's Art Academy.

Jake feels that he doesn't fit in at his new school and neither does another student named E.D. Applewhite whose parents run the school.The Art Academy decides to put on a play called the Sound of Music and Jake takes a part in the play.The theater they will use kicks them out because of a minor fire that they blame on Jake.

E.D. has an idea that they could use the barn at the Applewhite's Art Academy to be their new theatre.After a lot of work putting the theatre together, the play is a success.E.D organizes the whole production.E.D now feels needed because she saved the play from failing and Jake finds his talent in acting.

Jake is a bad boy...
Jake Semple is considered a "bad boy" because he smokes, he burned down his old school, he has piercing, and his parents are in jail and more. He is only 13. He had to go live with the Applewhites because no other foster homes want him and no other schools will accept him.

The Applewhites have a school at home and each one of them is special in there own way; Hal the older brother (15) is in his room all day sculpting and painting, the Applewhite children's mother is an author in the mist of writing her book, the Applewhites grandfather is craftsman, the Applewhite children's father is a play director and writer, Cordellia writes and choreographs her own dances and Destiny the youngest at age five is just plain messy, with paint in his hair and all his talking. Jake is supposed to work with E.D the only Applewhite who doesn't have a "talent" or so she thinks.

E.D doesn't like Jake. Jake doesn't like E.D either. Jake and E.D have to learn to overcome their problems and become friends. This is hard because E.D is stubborn and ever since her friend Melissa told her about bad things about Jake she didn't like him or she didn't want to like him.

This book is about personal growth and the blooming friendship between Jake and E.D; you might even feel bad for Jake because he has to live with the crazy Applewhites! I like how Tolan let you know what was going to happen but not how it would happen.
If you want a book about personal growth, that's funny and that leaves you on a cliff at the end of each chapter and you just cant put down then Surviving the Applewhites is your book!

Two and a half stars!
I guess I could say that I like the book, The Applewhites, but it still had its faults, and started off a bit slow.Jake is a very naughty boy.He smokes and curses, not to mention he burned down the school.His parents were arrested for selling drugs to an off-duty police officer and now he's been sent to the Applewhites.I must admit the Applewhites are an odd family.At first Jake does not like the Applewhites, but he eventually is gets used to them.In the meantime Jake finds he has a great singing talent.The Applewhites enthusiastically encourage his great potential and sign him up for an upcoming play.Jake is very excited the play until in one of the rehearsals, Destiny, the youngest of the Applewhites, sets fire to the stage pretending to be Jake burning down his school.Even worse, one of the actors gets hurt and the play is called off.Very frustrated, Jakes searches for a solution to the play.Could it be cancelled for good?
I like this book for its experiences with personal growth and showing how much one can change.I think this book is a good quick read and I suppose I would recommend this to someone who enjoys the growth of characters.

Pretty Good..
Jake Semple was a bad boy who supposedly burned down one of the couple hundred schools he was kicked out of. Jake's parents are in jail, and thanks to their "amazing" parenting, Jake got a Mohawk, loves to make people mad, smokes, curses and does a ton of other bad things. Jake thought that he had been kicked out of every single school around, when he found out that there was one school left. He is forced to go to the Apple White's Art Academy at Whit's End.While he is at Apple White's Academy Jake faces many struggles like not being accepted by the other students, who are put off by his reputation and appearance. He also struggles with not knowing what he wants to make of himself.He doesn't know what to focus on or study in school when everyone else seems to know what they're doing and what to study. The main conflict in the book is will Jake get kicked out of the Apple White's Art Academy and go to juvenile hall just like his parents were put in jail, or will the "Apple Whites" help Jake reform?
The author tells the story by switching perspectives between the two main characters, Jake and E.D. (short for Edith).These two characters have very different perspective.E.D., who is the daughter of the family that runs the school, is neat, organized and a hyper-dedicated student.She is critical of herself and feels like she's not good enough because she is not artistic like the kids at Apple Whites are supposed to be. Jake and E.D. would seem to have nothing in the world in common.The reader gets to understand what these two very different characters are thinking and feeling from the inside.
I would recommend this book to someone who likes some humor and watching the characters grow throughout the book.If that is you, then this is the book for you!
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Product Description
4 cassettes / 4 hours
Read by Robert Sean Leonard

"Jane Hamilton has removed all doubt that she belongs among the major writers of our time."
--San Francisco Chronicle

Set in Jane Hamilton's signature Midwest, The Short History of a Prince is the story of Walter McCloud and his ambition to become a great ballet dancer. With compassion and humor, and alternating between Walter's adolescent and adult voices, the novel tells of Walter's heartbreak as he realizes that his passion cannot make up for the innate talent that he lacks.

Introduced as a child to the genius of Balanchine and the lyricism of Tchaikovsky by his stern but cultured aunt Sue Rawson, Walter has dreamed of growing up to shine in the role of the Prince in The Nutcracker. But as Walter struggles with the limits of his own talent and faces the knowledge that Mitch and Susan, his more gifted friends, have already surpassed him, Daniel, his older brother, awakens one morning with a strange lump on his neck that leads to fearful consequences--and to Walter's realization that a happy family, and a son's place in it, can tragically change overnight. The year that follows will in fact transform the lives not only of the McClouds but also of Susan, who becomes deeply involved with the sick Daniel, and Mitch, the handsome and supremely talented dancer with whom Walter is desperately in love. Into this absorbing narrative Hamilton weaves a place of almost mythical healing, the family's summer home at Lake Margaret, Wisconsin, where for generations the clan has gathered on both happy and unhappy occasions.

Only a writer of Jane Hamilton's sensitivity and humanity could do justice to this moving story of the torments of sexuality and the redemptive power of family and friendship. This book confirms her place as a preeminent novelist of our time.Amazon.com Review
Robert Sean Leonard (Much Ado AboutNothing, Dead Poet's Society) brings a dramaticdimension to the bittersweet story of Walter McCloud, who has highhopes of becoming a ballet dancer. Leonard's flexible voice capturesthe thoughts and feelings of Walter both as a teenager and as athirty-something high school teacher. The story begins with the star,an aspiring adolescent ballet dancer, coming to terms with his lack oftalent when he is chosen to be the Prince in a third-rate productionof the Nutcracker, while his friends dance lead roles inChicago. The same winter, Walter has his first homosexual experienceand his older brother becomes terminally ill. These profound eventswill haunt Walter for 20 years as he focuses on his coming to termswith his past tragedies and present shortcomings--making for a movingand often funny tale of forgiveness and understanding. Curiously, itis not his love of Balanchine, music and other refined aesthetics thatrestore a floundering Walter. The anchor he finds is a place, thefamily summer home on a lake in Wisconsin. It is Hamilton's ability tojuxtapose the remarkable against the unremarkable that gives this workits poignancy and grace. --Anne Depue (Running Time: 4 Hours;Four Cassettes) ... Read more

Customer Reviews (71)

Disappointing
I couldn't stand the characters.There wasn't enough plot.I kept hoping the book would get better, but it never did.I despised the main character.He and all of the other characters lacked depth.Yuck!Waste of my time.

A Lengthy History of a Boring Man
My first Jane Hamilton book, and from the reviews of Hamilton's other books, regretfully so.I don't have a problem with characters I don't particularly like, but I could barely stand Walter McCloud and his painfully bland and whiny disposition.

It's clear Hamilton lacks a true connection with her character as the book drones on as she dwells on Mark's homosexuality and takes his desperation over his brother's death and beats the book into the ground.The plot has very little direction as the character flashes between adulthood and adolescence.All in all, very disappointing. I want to give Jane Hamilton's other books a read, but it may be awhile before I am able to get over the wasted time I spent on A Short History of a Prince.

Ghastly
For a work of literary fiction from a much-published author, this is a disaster. Hamilton--like Sinclair Lewis at the end of his career--seems not to grasp that simply fabulating fictional life-stories is not all there is to a novel. Writers of a different calibre (but, like her, devoted to the realist narrative) find moments of insight or tranformation, even if their resolutions are tragic or sorrowful. Hamilton has a knack for finding all the *other* moments--the moments that reveal nothing. No felicitious sentences; no particular hand with dialogue (her characters do not have really distinct voices). Worse yet, she seems committed to subjecting her protagonist to a series of little humiliations and disappointments--not, I think, because she hates him, but because that's the way it came out. She can almost guess what happens between two men in bed, but seems to have no idea, emotionally or psychologically, how they get there, or how such a relationship might operate. At the novel's conclusion, certain plot elements have shifted, but the protagonist, it seems, will keep bumping along, unchanged.
Not every literary novelist need adhere to the essentially 19th-c. model of catharsis and change--look, after all, at Nathalie Sarraute or Claude Simon--but this *is* Hamilton's chosen mode, and this is a very poor exemplar of it.

More Accessible Than Ruth
Without question, Jane Hamilton is one of my favorite authors (who could not be moved by "The Book of Ruth"?), but in "A Short History of a Prince", Hamilton rises to a new level of exquisite characterization. Hamilton's graceful lyricism is present as always, rendering the book a charming read whether or not you enjoy the plot - but it is nearly impossible not to do so. Anyone who has every participated in the arts, or at least coddled an impossible dream, can relate to the plight of Walter. In a world in which, tawdry, but uplifting "feel good" books crowd the shelves it is refreshing to read of one who struggles with a dream, fails to achieve it in the physical sense, and yet triumphs internally. Hamilton gently reminds us that true grace lies in humanity and true achievement in how we deal with others. It is a novel about subjects far deeper than dance and far more human than death. It is a novel about life.
Hamilton is a master of characterization. Ruth Grey and Matt (of "The Book of Ruth") are prime examples. But it is the character of Walter that stands out in my mind. He is one of the most fulfilling gay characters I've encountered in literature, proving once and for all, that literature with a gay central character need not be solely concerned with sex and relationships. Instead, Walter is a complex, lovable and slightly pathetic (in a good way, mind you) man who must deal with the real life tragedies of death in the family and unfulfilled dreams.
I enjoyed "A Short History of a Prince" far more than "The Book of Ruth" for several reasons. Partly because it was slightly easier to digest in its general lack of violence and dismal poverty, but mostly because I found Walter to be a character closer to my heart and self. I am not a gay man, but I felt more kinship with Walter than with Ruth. He is less specific than Ruth, more middle class, artistic and introspective. In short, he is me.

It wasa short history for me!
I couldn't get past page 68.I read the first chapter (1972), and found it OK, but once the second one got going (1995), I started getting very irritated.Walter came across as a malcontent whiny guy, and the characters so far had been less than enticing (Susan seemed slightly egotistical, and Lucy was way too perfect to be real).Another thing that bothered me is the excruciating descriptions that the author goes through about the most minute details.I could tolerate that level of detail when the story carries my interest (We Were The Mulvaneys by Joyce Carol Oates is a great example), but in this case I just had to glaze over whole paragraphs describing suburbian neighborhoods.I hate it when I don't finish a book, so I decided to check Amazon reviews and see what other people had said.I'm not so disappointed now.To the author's credit, I didn't see the fact that Walter is gay right away.However, the parallelisms between lesbian aunt Sue Rawson mentoring Walter in his ballet, and then Walter mentoring his niece on hers were too melodramatic.The ending, which I only know about through other people's comments, makes me wonder if Jane Hamilton perhaps wrote this book with Oprah in mind.I really enjoyed The Book of Ruth.It was difficult to go through, but there was something true and compelling about the story and the characters.In this case, though, I wasn't able to find any empathy for anyone or get driven to the story. ... Read more

Product Description
James Evan Wilson, M.D., is a fictional character on theFox medical drama House. He is played by Robert SeanLeonard. The character first appears in the show's pilotepisode when he introduces a medical case to Dr. GregoryHouse, the protagonist of the show. Wilson is Dr. House'sonly true friend, and frequently provides him withconsultations and aid. Wilson is the head of the Departmentof Oncology at Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital.During the show's run, the characters of Dr. House and Dr.Wilson have been compared to Sherlock Holmes and DoctorWatson. Wilson's portrayer, Robert Sean Leonard, has statedthat his character and Dr. House were originally supposedto play these roles, but Dr. House's diagnostic team hastaken over Dr. Wilson's part since the show's premiere.Leonard also read the script of the pilot episode of CBS'Numb3rs and was planning to audition for the part, butauditioned for House because he felt he would more enjoyplaying the character that House went to for help andbecause he liked the "Odd Couple" dynamic of therelationship. The character was positively received. ... Read more

Product Description

Jess Aarons' greatest ambition is to be the fastest runner in his grade. He's been practicing all summer and can't wait to see his classmates' faces when he beats them all. But on the first day of school, a new girl boldly crosses over to the boys' side and outruns everyone.

Despite their superficial differences, it's clear that Jess and Leslie are soul mates. The two create a secret kingdom in the woods named Terabithia, where the only way to get into the castle is by swinging out over a gully on an enchanted rope. Here they reign as king and queen, fighting off imaginary giants and the walking dead, sharing stories and dreams, and plotting against the schoolmates who tease them. Jess and Leslie find solace in the sanctuary of Terabithia until a tragedy strikes and the two are separated forever. In a style that is both plain and powerful, Katherine Paterson's characters will stir your heart and put a lump in your throat. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (815)

Life is About Changes
This is considered a banned book because of "anti-religion, language, and discussion of death."

*** READER BEWARE: THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS***

This book was about a lonely boy named Jesse Aarons, with no real friends or purpose in life other than being the fastest kid in the fourth and fifth grades. Jess then meets his soon-to-be best friend, Leslie Burke, when her family moves into the nearby farmhouse. She enlightens him, so to speak, and the story evolves as Jess begins to grow and change from this friendship. They create a make-believe land in the woods called Terabithia. After it rains for days on end in the early spring, the creek near Terabithia is overflowing with a swift, dangerous, icey current. Jess is dreading going to Terabithia that morning and ends up going to a museum instead with his favorite teacher and when he returns from "the best day of his life" he finds that Leslie had tried to cross the creek and drowned.

This story went from being about Jess and Leslie growing in their friendship to the abrupt end of it with no explanation and no chance to say good-bye and how Jess dealt with that. It did briefly talk about religion, but nothing in my opinion was controversial about it - it merely stated the fact that some children go to church and believe in God and some are taught that you will burn in hell if you do not believe in God/Jesus and die, while other children/families do not believe this. To me, this is a fact of life, because not everyone holds the same belief system and children will run into this during their lives. I did not see anything anti-religious about it, in fact I agreed when Jess was worried about Leslie's afterlife and Jess's dad said, "God isn't going to let a little girl burn in hell." And yes, the book discusses death, but death is also a fact of life and children will experience death in their lives at some point, but it is always up to the parent to review the book first and make sure it is appropriate for their own child because a parent should know what their child can and cannot emotionally handle. This book can be a great tool for discussing some of these issues with the child reading it and to discuss family values and morals that may or may not align with the book's.

Young readers don't like being preached to anymore than you or I do
This is a book with a mission, and with an agenda to accomplish.I did not like this book one bit when I was made to read it, and I always loved books.I was the kid you couldn't get to play a video game with you because I was probably reading a book 4 grade levels above me. I sympathize with the young reviewers who say they didn't like it either.

It *is* a boring book, for kids.Young reviewers are not being petulant or exercising undeveloped literary judgment when they say so.Adults may be compelled by interior drama and socio-economic details.I was merely confused and bored.The class/wealth issues with the families were completely lost on me. And when the climax of the book occurred, I remember being really *really* pissed.I was enough of a reader to know what the writer did there, and transparently why: to "teach" me about something I "needed" to know about the unfairness of life.No, really?

It's heavy handed, and any honest child knows that, and resents being tricked.

This is still a worthwhile book for young readers.A number of kids will always love it every year.But if some young people tell you they don't like the book, it isn't because it "breaks all the childhood rules" of living in a death-denying fantasy world.It's because it's a transparent, heavy-handed, didactic tome and kids don't like being tricked or preached to anymore than you or I do.

Awesome book
Paterson's book becomes an exciting and dramatic book. Jess Aarons is happy to start fifth grade. He's been practicing his running all summer, determined to become the fastest runner at school. All seems to be right, until the new girl in class Leslie shows up. She leaves all the boys in the dust, including Jess. After this frustrating race, Jess and Leslie soon become friends. Together, they create an imaginary, secret world in the woods called Terabitha that can be reached only by swinging across a creek on a rope. But one morning a accident happens Leslie as she ventures alone to Terabithia, and Jess's life is changed forever. I would place this book under the category of realistic fiction, and I would recommend it for kids, and adults who love fantasy and realistic fiction!

BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA:Children's Classic
I read this book with my little brother.I chose it because it is read extensively throughout Australia and England, and studied in many schools.The book is not read so much in the US where oddly, the story takes place.I think it was a great book and forced you to really think and to get inside the head of another person very different from yourself.A different but similar read would be A DAY NO PIGS WOULD DIE (Robert Newton Peck).I highly recommend reading this book.Good for 7th grade through High School.http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0060734019/ref=cm_cr_rev_prod_title

liked it but...
i honestly liked this book. the problem was kindle didn't have patterson's other books... what's wrong with you knidle? upgrade yourself already! ... Read more

Product Description
"Powerful...Enthrallling...A ferociously well-paced entertainment."
THE NEW YORK TIMES
Richard Papen arrived at Hampden College in New England and was quickly seduced by an elite group of five students, all Greek scholars, all worldly, self-assured, and, at first glance, all highly unapproachable. As Richard is drawn into their inner circle, he learns a terrifying secret that binds them to one another...a secret about an incident in the woods in the dead of night where an ancient rite was brought to brutal life...and led to a gruesome death. And that was just the beginning....
"A smart, craftsman-like, viscerally compelling novel."
TIME
Selected by the Book-of-the-Month Club
A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK


From the Paperback edition. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (571)

Oh, poo!
Some (not all!) of these reviews read like joyous opportunities for people to seem "smart" for having chosen and read it, whether they damn the book to hell, or praise it as the finest collection of words ever put together (especially the CLASSIC GREEK!).

I'm not up to sounding smart in my analysis of The Secret History. I doubt if I will read it five times, as one fellow says he did. I don't understand Greek. I don't WANT to understand Greek. I loved the novel!

Now see, because of all you empty-except-for-the-egg-heads, I am tongue tied. My five stars will have to speak for me.

Just do not believe that pretentious review from Publishers Weekly. Right off the bat, the reviewer calls it a "much bruited" novel. What IS that? Yes the plot is TOO plausible, and yes the protagonist (Richard) is TOO accepted into the group believably! YES to everything that review says NO to. The Secret History is suspenseful and thrilling from beginning to end.

I couldn't put it down. I'm still thinking about it, and all the characters, wondering things about them, and the story, and their motives, and the outcome. So. Does that count?

Like a thrilling movie, carried around in your bag!
This is the most enjoyable book I've ever read, bar none. It's long and doesn't get off and running until a few dozen pages in, but once it's on, it's really on. It's been a long time since I've really desperately wanted to get back to my book (don't get me wrong - I'm a voracious reader, but there are very few books that make me skip all my meals just because I literally can't stop reading!)

It's very well written for what it is, the plot is genius, and the characters are so well constructed that it's very difficult to read without immediately casting the movie of the book; that said, if it's made into a movie, it needs to be a damn good movie, otherwise I will throw a fit.

Anyway! Point is, reading this is a most enjoyable experience, and even though it's not exactly Nabokov, the literary references are prominent and Donna Tartt is clearly very well-read and hyper-intellectual. Very good stuff.

Timelessness
I see somereaders of TSH seem to dislike or be disconcerted by not being able to place the books actual time frame .For me this was one of its triumphs , making it timeless in a new and strange way . This effect was betterdescribed by a previous reviewer, using the following quote
"The rain slanted in the lights, which were angled to cast long, dramatic shadows. The effect was fashionable, post- nuclear but ancient, too, like some pumice-strewn courtyard from Pompeii."

But then I'm a TSH devotee, in factI think I;ll go and start a re-read this minute!

I hated it
I had heard about this book for years, and finally ordered it. What a load of pretentious crap. First of all, the characters were so poorly fleshed out that I truly could not keep them straight. And they spoke in this antiquated, affected style, like something out of a 1940's drawing room play. The whole Greek and Latin aspect of the book may be interesting to some people, but it wasn't to me. I kept waiting for it to get good. THe acknowledgements include a big thank you to literary agent Binky Urban who was (is still?) a big deal in the literary world. I kept wondering if Ms. Urban caused all of the fuss over this book and reviewers just bought the load of goods. The book is 557 pages long, and I got to 468 and could not continue. It was BORING! I hated the narrator and didn't believe that A)it was a male...the voice didn't feel male at all to me and B) didn't believe anything about his story. It seemed so contrived.

Oh, Sisyphus!
The prologue, and, arguably, the first chapter -- a masterpiece of literature, of stage-setting, of baiting the hook. A work of art. I was HOOKED.

But then came the rest .... and I read Every. Single. Page .... pretentious, precious, elitist. And yes, throw pedantic onto the pile. I very quickly tired of Julian, Charles and Camilla, Francis, Bunny, and the poor-Plano-plebe-looking-in-from-the-outside Richard. I thought the supporting evidence for Richard's infatuation with these Paris-Hilton cohorts would emerge eventually, but they never did. I didn't understand how these characters stood out for Julian's elite picks. Nor did I ever find Julian to be anything other than the self-absorbed individual that he turned out to be.

About halfway through, I prayed for the end. I silently pled to the author: Do whatever it is you intend to do with these ridiculous human beings and be done with it. Just release me, oh gods, from this cursed book.



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Product Description
This digital document is an article from Childhood Education, published by Association for Childhood Education International on January 1, 2009. The length of the article is 1351 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Video reviews.(God Grew Tired of Us)(Dead Poets Society)(Marley and Me)(Video recording review)
Author: Carole S. Campbell
Publication: Childhood Education (Magazine/Journal)
Date: January 1, 2009
Publisher: Association for Childhood Education International
Volume: 85Issue: 5Page: 335(2)

Article Type: Video recording review

Distributed by Gale, a part of Cengage Learning ... Read more