An alternative title for this novel could be Amayer's rut.
For that is the situation that the main protagonist in this novel finds himself in. Almayer is a European trader living in a
trading post somewhere in Indonesia or Malaysia with his daughter,a product of mixed marriage.
Almayer dreams of escaping to Europe after making himself wealthy and bringing his daughter with him also.
But as time drags on it becomes obvious that he is going nowhere with his life. He is not getting richer nor is he getting any younger. His own daughter ends up deserting him by eloping with a native who takes her to his own village.
Not being a pure European by blood she realizes that she would never be accepted as an equal among Europeans or the whites.
For this reason she chooses instead to live with the natives.
As for Almayer he remains as he was.
He is an example that one can find everywhere in the world.
Someone stuck in a situation going nowhere but always dreaming of getting out and changing his life.

Almayer's folly is a powerful beginning to Conrad's second profession, writing. Since the story was written so close to Conrad's adventurous youth (the spring for his most powerful works), it provides the rawest expression of Conrad's views. Almayer, the prototype of Tuan Jim, takes the "leap" when he marries the Malay captive for promised wealth. This transgression drops his character into contact with the cold truths of nature; truths which dispel any artificial illusions or meanings. For Almayer, these illusions entailed sucess and fame in Europe, a place that he had never visited but only heard about from his mother. Superficially, this journey towards inner truth involves a journey into the wilds of Borneo, but,like in future Conrad works, we quickly realize that the journey is inward into the pysche of Almayer. Overall, an excellent introduction to Conrad.

Loosely based on the life of a Dutch merchant, setting up a trading post along a river in the interior of Borneo, Conrad's novel 'Almayer's Folly' is actually about man's alienation from his environment and eventually himself.

Written during the heyday of western imperialism, when the great powers of Europe subjected the tropics to their rule, the tale of Almayer explores how the tropics actually devoured the individual westerner.

The main character of the book is a man obsessed. Chasing a dream, he completely loses touch with reality. Although on the surface it may seem that he is a white man gone native, Almayer hasn't got a clue what he is dealing with. He is blind to the schemings of his Malay wife and equally oblivious to the fact that his daughter is drifting away from him.

Admittedly, the book has 'orientalist' overtones but, then, Joseph Conrad is both a man of his time and a master of poweful prose, not a politically-correct scholar. The stereotypical mystique of Asia and the inscrutable oriental are exploited as a literary means to descend into the deeper levels of man's psyche. Just like the 'true heart' of Borneo and its inhabitants is hidden under layer upon layer of deceiving images, so is the core of each and every individual. The scariest place to travel is not the interior of an Indonesian Island, but the inner reaches of our own soul.

Almayer's Folly is one of the best novels ever written. Not only because of the author's masterful portrayals of character, but also due his astounding command of English. It is hard to believe that Conrad's first and second language were Polish and French: he only learned English as an adult. It is this combination of psychological understanding and extraordinary use of language that make him into a literary genius.

If you're a thinking baseball fan you need to read this book. It covers every player you've heard of, and most of those you haven't. After reading this book, your next step is to go to their website ... on a daily basis for more of their top notch writing and analysis.

Their team articles are insightful, witty, biting and entertaining. I find myself grabbing one of my three copies from my shelf and enjoying them, even if I pick the one that's three years old. How many other baseball annuals can you say that about?

Thanks guys...keep up the good work.

Baseball Prospectus opens up a new world for the uninitiated and continues to inform those of us who've studied the game. Just put it on your springtime shopping list each year, kind of like grass seed.

After years of withdrawal symptoms from missing my annual dose of Bill James, I have at last found a substitute. These guys are not always on the nose -- their obsession with positions is a bit limiting to my mind, for one thing -- but they're right a helluva lot more often than they're wrong, and they've already proven themselves prophetic in many instances (for example, the White Sox's migrating back to the middle of the pack and the Mets' collapse). Plus, they're good writers -- not only are their analyses far more cogent than most sportswriters (admittedly, not a difficult task, since most sportswriters, not to mention analysts, can't tell their rear ends from their elbows), but those analyses are great fun to read for aesthetic reasons.

Anybody who really cares about the game will love this book.

I found McBride's book to be a good time-killer for a movie buff (maybe to read while waiting in the doctor's office, or in-flight), yet definitely not a "must-read." My criticisms stem from what seemed to me as the author's constant tub-thumping of his own accomplishments throughout the book (that he knew Orson Welles, that he wrote a controversial review about "Patriot Games," that he was a screenwriter, etc.) and his repeated mention of different facts concerning the making and premiere of "Won Ton Ton, the Dog That Saved Hollywood," a film not even well-known enough to be considered a cult movie. That said, I found his opinions to be quite controversial and in some cases refreshing (after what we were subjected to in the '90's, I somewhat identify with his frustration concerning "Star Wars"). The cynicism with which he attacks some popular films may serve to distance him from the reader. But if you're an open-minded film lover looking for a pleasant diversion and can't locate anything by Danny Peary, I suggest you give it a try.

This book was a joy to read. Loved it, and read it in one sitting. Anyone who loves movies and wants something different would love this book/. The lists were definitely offbeat, but that's what I liked about them. It was something different and very informative.

I thought this book was very original. It provided movie lists that were unique and offered something different from every other book on movies that I have read. It was a fun read.

The fitz wreck happened 1 day after my 10th birthday and because of gordon lightfoot's tribute song i have alwayshad a strong interest about this ship.I have seen lots of documentaries and have books about it. This so far seems to be the most informative. This book gives a pretty good description of the Great Lakes especially Lake Superior background information on the crew and the investigation. The only thing I did not really like was some of the description of the feelings and the things the crew were going thru I felt there may have been a little to much speculation on ths part.But all in all are great book. The one part that always seems to really stay with me that maybe kind of haunting is the phrase from Gordon's song that says does anyone know where the love of god goes when the waves turn the minutes t hours

I am an avid student of the "Edmund Fitzgerald", Great Lakes shipwrecks and Great Lakes lighthouses. I have studied the "Edmund Fitzgerald" for several years and have attended ceremonies, held each year on the anniversary of the sinking of the "Edmund Fitzgerald", at the Split Rock Lighthouse in Minnesota. I have read several books about the shipwrecks in the Great Lakes, as well as many books about the sinking of the 'Edmund Fitzgerald'. Also, I have visited exhibitions in Duluth, MN and White Fish Point, Michigan. The 'Edmund Fitzgerald' is a passion of mine and I strongly & wholeheartedly recommend "Fitzgerald's Storm...The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald' by Dr. Joseph MacInnis. This book will not bore you with endless and insignificant details, but will enthrall you. Dr. MacInnis has written a book suitable for both the casual armchair reader and the serious student. When you read this book you can understand the nightmarish hell that the 'Fitz' and crew went through on that last voyage. You will be able to comprehend the fury of the storm, feel the helplessness of the doomed sailors and experience the grief and emotions of the families the crew left behind. If there is only one book that you will read, about the 'Edmund Fitzgerald', READ THIS ONE! Then, go to White Fish Point, Michigan and visit The Shipwreck Museum. I would rate this book higher than five stars if I could. It is just a good book, that will hold your interest and rivet your attention. Read it!

It was 7:30 PM on November 10, 1975. While we were watching Monday Night Football from the comfort of our homes, 29 sailors were fighting for their lives in a storm on Lake Superior. They were the crew of the ore-carrier S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald and they would eventually lose the battle. Dr. Joseph MacInnis led a 1994 expedition to the wreck and produced a television documentary on the subject. His book is the account of the wreck exploration and also a history of the ship. He tells the complete story from the ship's launching in 1957 to the sinking in 1975 and the search for answers in the 1990s. The primary question was how could a ship sink in the era of modern navigational technology and weather forecasting? This question and many others are examined throughout the book. The ship and crew have been immortalized in a 1976 song by Gordon Lightfoot. Dr. MacInnis uses his book to show the importance of learning from the disaster and keeping the memory alive.

I believe some of the things she said are too extreme. How can a piano teacher ever say that slow practic is no use?! Gee! Without slow practice, one cannot even find the keys right. Even world-renowned pianists practice slowly to start with. The only difference is that more talented players manage to spend considerably less time playing slow before they play fast. But they would never skip it.

THe book only contains anaysis of 4 etudes, instead of 24. And they are not the etudes one would attempt to play when first playing the etudes. THey are the more difficult ones. So consider twice before you buy it. THe 4 etudes are No. 7 in the first set (muscially this is not ond of the most thrilling ones), No. 10 to 12 in the second set. No. 10 is the octaves etude. Technically it is one of the most difficult, but musically I abhor this etude and can never bear to hear this piece from the beginning to the end. No. 11 is the winter wind one, one of the most exciting etudes ann technically probably the most difficult one to play in the entire set. No. 12 is the occean etude, I don't think her analysis is very brilliant on this one.

I'm a concert pianist. I've played all over the world. I had already won several important competitions when I came in contact with Indispensibles. It revolutionized my approach to practice, learning, teaching and the effects were evident in my playing immediately. (A month after reading it and applying it, I went to London and won my most important competition. I'd never had such confidence that my music making was right and natural).
As other reviewers have mentioned, she's verbose (too excited about her subject) and her ideas are radical. Like all evangelists for a new cause, she had to overstate her case in many respects. (There certainly is a place for slow practice, deciding fingering is not always evil, etc.)But, her most important, basic contribution (ongoing rhythm, how that is felt in the body first, smaller levels become extensions of the rhythmic impulse, and how this can be tied in to practice and learning music)is truly genius. The movement of the music through time is the basis. Always practice that movement and internalize it. What good is playing all the notes of that vision and movement is killed in the process of learning? Whiteside helps you keep your eye on the goal and strengthen your concept of that goal in each practice session.
(One word of caution; students I've heard who only use doctrinaire Whiteside approach generally have wonderful sweep in their playing, but often lack definition technically. With that in mind, don't bar yourself from the huge benefits of Whiteside's thinking!)

I would like to urge all pianists with a serious interest in piano technique to read this book CAREFULLY and SLOWLY. It is not "light reading" but it will, with patience, reveal amazing things about playing the piano. Try following Ms. Whiteside's recipes as literally as possible and you will find that they work. I agree with some of the other reviews that her style is less felicitous than it might be, but give the lady a break! She is attempting to describe in words some very complex physical sensations. I first read this book in the summer of 1998 and have returned to it again and again for the details and the inspiration it consistantly provides.

Very nice displays of guns and accoutrements, but the text suffers. Accounts are often presented in isolation, and the book seems to only follow a loose chronological order. Probably worth the photos, but the book is far from resembling any kind of scholarly undertaking.

It is true that should you buy this book, you will be referring to it again and again for its wonderful pictures of 19th century American firearms which it presents in beautiful plates. All the pictures come from the Gene Autry Western Heritage Museum in Los Angeles (for Colt firearms) or the Cody Firearms Museum in Wyoming (for all others).

You will not be referring to its text by Joseph Rosa, the author most famous for his biography of Wild Bill Hickok. His writing style is surprisingly and infuriatingly cumbersome. He is difficult to read, and he seems incapable of consistently putting together sentences that flow. I found myself saying over and over, "this would have been a lot clearer if he had put a comma here, or taken this one out, or broken this long sentence into two, or re-phrased this differently." One has to re-read his paragraphs two or three times very often to follow his narrative. His Hickok biography has the same problem.

One additional problem is that this is really two separate books. One is Rosa's narrative, and the other is the firearms pictures. The index deals with the narrative only. The excellent firearms pictures are not indexed, a handicap when one uses this book as a reference.

Although there may be minor flubs in the narrative this is still a great book. For firearms afficionados or Cowboy Shooters like myself the really stocked displays of firearms photos are a great way to study the evolution of 19th century firearms as well as see the wide variations as well as pieces owned by notably figures. The text is a nice introduction to the era of the gunfighter. It's a book that you'll pick up over and over to look at and enjoy.

This is a basic book which covers a small bit about growing cannabis. It is not a very detailed book and the methods are limited. I got this book expecting better There does not seem to be much more said for the book other than it covers simple indoor growing techniques but does not cover anything else more than that. There was much more room for development and I think this book was finished quickly. I could recommend better books than this. I was expected something new and just got a rehash of stuff I have read before.

"How to" books should guide a novice through the process of doing something in a very detailed step-by-step process. This book doesn't. It is sometimes vague and leaves the reader asking many questions. I guess you could use this manual to gain some general info, but you may be disappointed in its lack of specific "how to" instruction. The photographs are very nice.

i have been growing for many years and i have been trying various methods,all are diffrent from each other,this book is a good book for growing,first time growers,will have a little trouble at first but they will get the hang of it. every one must keep on growing and fight for the write to leagilize marijuana.

peace

If you're interested in supply chain management issues or e-business, you won't find much here. It's mostly a rehash of the other Mercer Consulting Book, The Profit Zone. Very general in nature, there's not much new material here. Read The Profit Zone and leave this one in the bin.

Merits: A systematic framework to understand how digital supply chain can apply to businesses. Good comparison with traditional supply chain (systematic vs. sequential). A few cases are detailed and insightful. For a fan of Mercer's Business Designs, it will be delightful to see how the authors fit the two together.

This book will be more readable if contents are cut by half. Many contents are repetitive. "The Profit Zone" is full of new ideas, "Value Nets" is filled with consultants' empty statements. Some cases only talk about what happened, but not why it happened and how.

I gave "The Profit Zone" five stars, "Value Nets" deserves only three.

Value Nets is an intriguing look at businesses that have revolutionized the way the do business by revolutionizing their supply chain. What is a Value Net? According to the author a value net "is a business design that uses digital supply chain concepts to achieve both superior customer satisfaction and company profitability". One of the main concepts of a value net is that it operates in parallel manner rather then a rigid sequential chain.

Value Nets have the following five main characteristics:

Customer-alignment
Collaborative and systemic
Agile and scalable
Fast flow
Digital

Value Nets builds on the work of The Profit Zone, which define five elements of a value-creating business design. These five elements are defined as follows:

Value proposition - a company's value proposition consists of products and services that add value to customers.
Scope - what activities are required to deliver the company's value proposition and who delivers them (internal or partner).
Profit capture - mechanisms that capture profit from the value proposition
Strategic control - elements that protect profits over time
Execution - operational excellence

Value Nets take the five characteristics of the value net and show case studies of how companies implemented value nets within the context of the five elements of business design listed above.

The models that this book lays out are quite useful for considering how a product or service is delivered. The case studies and example in this book are quite useful and cover several industries. Most of the examples relate to product companies, but the concepts can be applied to services companies as well.

This book is a interesting and useful read for business consider how to interact with partners, competitors, suppliers and customers in the digital age. I would recommend reading the Appendix Value Net Self-Diagnostic first because is a great intro to the book. If this book resonates well with you might also like How Digital Is Your Business and The Profit Zone (also from Mercer Consulting).

Good Lord. This was a very consise and insightful book. It's also very often wrong. Too often.

I am preparing for the CCNA exam, I read this book first of all. It gives you a basic understanding of many topics in the exam objectives. But it's lack of in-depth concepts make it a bad single choice to prepare for the exam.

Excellent book! It has saved me lots of time on preparation the exam.

This is a heart-rending book to read. Although you may not get to know the characters Paul & Laura very well, you feel like you can know their struggle. Although it is interesting that throughout the book, there is usually one experience that is horrible for the couple, and then success, or something good happens. There was just something pollyanna-ish about the entire novel. That's not to say that it wasn't a good read, just be prepared.

I think that there were things that good have been handled better. For instance, Vicki's story is boiled down into one small paragraph with little build up. Dialogue could have been better--not as stilted.

All in all, I think this is a good book that deserves to be read by people trying to understand couples battling with infertility.

I enjoyed this novel. I read it from start to finish in one day because I wanted and needed to know how it ended. Knowing this story parallels Dr. Bentz and his wife's struggle with infertility made it even more compelling. Paul and Laura's feelings during the adoption process with Maggie and Max are so real! I suggest this book to every Christian fiction reader.

This is the unfolding drama of a couple desiring to become parents. You enter the lives of Laura and Paul as you turn each page. Their despair and pain is expressed through the everyday trials as they struggle through the different avenues of infertility. Through the maze of tests and paperwork, timing and emotional upheavels you will feel the agony as they exhaust every resource to have a baby. The adoption process takes its toll on them. The long ordeal has many twists and turns.

Each step along the way, Paul and Laura give this over to God.But not without pain and questions. He shows them that He has had a plan all along. You will find that you will not be able to put this book down. It will stay with you long after you are finished reading it. I highly recommend it to those with fertility issues, losses and for family and friends who desire to be supportive.

--- reviewed by Susan for Christian Bookshelf