The poetry of James Tipton collected in Letters From A Stranger is unique, engaging, splendidly crafted, and enduringly memorable. A Stray God, Or A Thump In The Night: A stray God, or a thump in the night,/or a cathedral bell far off/begins its steady prayer,/coming closer and closer until/I wake on this damp hill and realize/the bell that woke me/is this very heart,/a prodigal sound come home.//Putting consciousness together, I do/simple things: "two and five make four,/and then ten"; still nothing, nothing but/the mother of breathing/beneath me, nothing but the fragrance/of hill, the head of stars in the cool night,/nothing but the rivers inside pulled awake/by the Pope on the moon, by the mist/at the edge of a woman in another galaxy.

James Tipton's Letters From a Stranger is a dense and delicious book of poetry in which the reader joins the author on a journey that rambles, yet closely examines the essences of what constitute life, loving, and belief. It is a work of contradictions, searching yet grounded; hungry yet consumed; concerned with metaphysical matters yet held to time and place with a crafted and careful naming of those things that are Tipton's life. We are invited to join in a dance of bees, high desert sage, Colorado canyon landscape, Peruvian tourism, longing, loneliness, and loving.

Tipton's restlessness is a discomfort and an example of one seeking and finding a connection through the stuff of the world, a world that is chocked full like a vivid dream, unfettered and embracing. These Letters are ones of love for they expose the author inside and out, a challenge to what we are willing to give away to strangers. The language of Letters From a Stranger is ecstatic and surreal with images of love and the landscape interspersed with pieces of personal information.

In It Is True That I Lack Focus, we find a man examining his strengths and weaknesses outloud. He confesses, "It is true that I remain clumsy...", but knows what is good in himself and for him. As honest and local as one can be in Those Evenings When All of God's Conundrums he admits,

"...what I lack in purity of spiritual intention I compensate for in purity of desperation; and some compensation, unexpected, sets in, like the subdued pain in the ring finger from the bite of the Black Widow six weeks ago;"

Again Tipton looks to find how his happiness might be made in Being Stubborn,

"Being stubborn is the only thing that ever brought me is this place I have come to, where caught in God's own curfew I wander through this late house, realizing longing is the hardest wing of the gossamer child?" from-- What Is This Place I Have Come To?

Here is the tale of a man who has abandoned the comforts of one life or several, to find that which is dear and true about life, love, and his inner being. It is informative that we are told Tipton has a dog, named Ananda, a cat, named Gosi, and lives in Glade Park, Colorado on top of a mesa. It is through how we are told these things that the craft of poetry lives and opens to us like the flower to Tipton's beloved bees. His abstract as those words are, these poems are immediate, emotional, and full to the top of loving and life. These Letters are missives sent out without need of recompense. They make the world a richer place for us all

His poems made me laugh and cry and remember what poets are supposed to do. Tipton is among the best because he writes for all of us. His poetry arises from the longing that makes us human beyond the labels, the money, the education or profession. Having nothing to do with poetic vanity, intellectual games or self-indulgence, it is accessible to everyone. Whether you are a lover of poetry or one who has never found it appealing, I hope you will treat yourself to this rare and wonderful book.

I picked this up after seeing an exhibit of Borges work at a gallery in San Diego. The images in this book capture the essence of his work in that they express the dignity of people in various cultural and geographic settings simply and beautifully . Wonderful Book to return to again and again. Very uplifting.

Borges' work is stunning to behold, but if you can't make it to a gallery showing of his work, this nicely laid out book is the next best thing. His original technique of selective sepia toning, applied only to the flesh, beautifully complements his compositional style of pulling his subjects clearly out in front of their surroundings. The final effect is to concentrate the viewer's attention onto the person as an individual -- the often-exotic setting provides context and a deeper understanding, but does not distract. The dignity of Borges' subjects shines through, and the fact that this work is connected with Amnesty International is an added bonus.

I have not seen the book, but rather gone to a art show that has the same pictures as the book. It is a wonderful exploration of people we may never get to meet unless through Phil's work. A beautiful set of artwork and stories on the people he has captured through the lens. I love his work. He has a fan in me!

Listening to this tape is like sitting across the table having tea with these three wise and wonderful women. They bring their insights into life from different cultures, and yet show how much we all share. You will absolutely love this tape. Listening to any one of these women is a fabulous experience, and here that is compounded.

One does not have to be Alice Walker's, Isabel Allende's or Jean Bolan's admirer to listen to this tape. The language, sincerity and humor are simply irresistable. I would recommend this tape to everyone - not only women. Men can learn a lot from these three wonderful writers.

Yo he leido casi todo lo que Isabel Allende a publicado. Te puedo decir que si te gustaron otros libros como La Casa de los Espiritus, Eva Luna, o Hija de la Fortuna este libro te va a gustar tambien. Es como un extracto de todos los otros con un toque mas personal, haria una buena introduccion para los otros libros que ha escrito. Yo lo lei en español primero, y luego me di cuenta que debia regalarselo a todos esos "gringos" que escuchan mis historias de Chile (que son parecidas a muchas de otros paises de Latino America), que por supuesto parecen exajeradas o absurdas pero que ahora tengo a la misma Isabel Allende para confirmar. Primero se lo di a mi ex-jefa, a la cual le encanto. Y mi amiga se lo va a regular a su esposo, un Norte Americano de prototipo.
Este libro describe tan bien lo que yo senti cuando deje mi pais que mas e una vez se me ha caido una lagrima en mi viaje a casa desde New York City. Se lo recomeindo a cualquiera que haya dejado su patria.
Me gusta leer a Allende porque sus personajes femeninos son siempre mujeres luchadoras, las cuales me han dado inspiracion al igual que la vida de la autora.
Gracias Isabel por todos los buenos momentos que me haz dado a travez de los años, cuando en muchos momentos agrios un libro tuyo me ayudo a salir del paso. Realmente impagable.
Una joven compatriota.

Me encantó este libro. Su lectura es fascinante. La autora es sincera, irreverente y graciosa al suministrar detalles su vida y de la vida en Chile. Algo que me gustó es que uno conoce detalles de otros libros escritos por ella en este libro. Se lo recomiendo a todos los amantes de la buena lectura.

If you are captivated by Allende's novels and moved by her memoir then you will be equally enthralled with this work. Conversations with Isabel Allende is a collection of thirty-four interviews covering the life, work and assessment of Allende as a writer. The interviews are divided into three periods. The first begins in the mid-80's and is predominated by literary interviews given by academics and scholars of Latin American Literature. The second period (late 80's to 1991) consists of interviews that are biographical and focus on the relationship of her works with her life. The third set of interviews (1991-1994) deal with her relationship with her daughter, the impact of the Latin American Boom Writers on her work and how her move to the United States has impacted on her writing.

I was fascinated with this vast array of material which contains something for everyone. Allende deals with the probing questions of critics and academics regarding her style, structure and influences on her work. Her answers are most surprising in that she doesn't see herself as falling into any particular writing tradition. In fact she confesses her ignorance about those in the literary field who analyze and take apart her works for greater understanding.

Another part of the interviews that are intriguing is her sharing with us her life story, anecdotes, and challenges. You see an intimate portrait of her as a mother, journalist, feminist and novelist. Allendes warts as well as her beauty shines through. Her responses to the questions are a story unto themselves and you wonder if they are indeed true.

What is most important about this work is that you see the progression of growth of one of Latin America's most significant female writers. Allende's works are put in a particular context and you as a reader are able to engage her in viewing how she writes, why she writes and the significance it has for women and Latin America. Conversations is a "must have" text in doing any literary or biographical research on this great writer.

Grammar is always a difficult and arid subject when somebody is not a lover of grammar. And they are really few. This book is a beatiful solution to teach spanish as a foreingn language or simply as a self-study book. Allende is always fresh in her writing. As a chilean woman and a citizen of the world she knows how to translate her feelings, thoughts and her own experience into words. In addition to her beautiful style is another important matter. The fact that the readers of this book are going to learn a rich spanish that blows between the Pacific Ocean and the Mountains. A spanish that have american motivations, which are, by the way, very well undestood by Isabel Allende. "Un cuento de Isabel Allende es un cuento con olor a fruta". "A story from Isabel Allende is a story that smell like fruits". The evil and the angels of the chilean culture. She knows them well. People who want to learn a good spanish do it because they want to read our writers. Neruda, Mistral, Allende, they live already in the hearts of books lovers. So, we should not separate spanish grammar from spanish literature.

As new fan of Isabel Allende, buying this book has helped me to understand the woman behind those fascinating books that kept me up all night and whose characters haunted me during thed day. The collection of family photos is most amazing, connecting strings will magically flow between Isabel's loved ones and her most remembered characters. After reading it you are under the impression that Isabel is actually the woman in every woman !

This book focused on the stories of Eva Luna (which is the book that chronicles the life of the narrator of this book). I found it even more interesting than Eva Luna. The stories are richly told. Isabel Allende did an excellent job writing this book. The stories are bout characters frpm the book of Eva Luna, some made up stories and others about her lover. A great book.

Although a few of the earlier stories in this book didn't quite catch my interest, most of the following ones did. In a big way.

This book is a collection of short stories told in the style of "Sheherazade in 1001 nights". Each story has a little bit of magic in it, as is often the case with latin american literature, and interesting characters.

I fell in love with this book, and wished for more. You'll enjoy it.

I am reading Cuentos de Eva Luna in spanish and would very much like to read the same book in english to compare the two. That is, if it is published in english. I think it would be very helpful if the reviews you post more clearly indicated whether they are reviews of a book written in spanish or written (translated) into english. Just a thought. BTW, the spanish version is excellent.

Retrato en Sepia cierra el círculo de aquella saga que involucra a varias familias cuyas generaciones se entrelazan deliciosamente develando incógnitas que habrían quedado flotando en Hija de la Fortuna y dando origen -aunque irónicamente ya existían- a personajes de La Casa de los Espíritus. No nos extrañe entonces ser invitados presenciales del nacimiento de Rosa, la bella, y de Clara, clarividente.

Esta vez la encargada de conducir la narración es Aurora del Valle quien, entre historias e imágenes fotográficas en blanco y negro, retrocede en el tiempo para revelar sus primeros cinco años de vida borrados de su mente tras la muerte de su abuelo materno, Tao Chi'en. Entonces era una niña de sólo 5 años y aquel suceso le causaría tal impacto que desde ese momento su pasado le sería difuminoso. Una promesa evitaría que Aurora tenga acceso a información que le permitiera relacionar esa parte extraviada de su vida con las extrañas pesadillas en la que veía niños vestidos con piyamas oscuras que la visitaban ciertas noches, cubriéndola de una soledad inexplicable y lejana pero, al fin y al cabo, real y dolorosa.

Por otro lado, importante mencionar la forma como la autora de La Casa de los Espíritus toca de manera sútil y diplomática un punto álgido entre Perú y Chile, la guerra del Pacífico. En cada una de sus palabras Isabel no se muestra ni chilena ni peruana sino, más bien, como una observadora que deplora, en cada frase expresada por Severo del Valle, los abusos cometidos por ambos bandos so pretexto de aquel enfrentamiento bélico.

Finalmente, quienes hayan leído La Casa de los Espíritus e Hija de la Fortuna coincidirán conmigo en establecer que el último capítulo de Retrato en Sepia es una especie de compendio literario de esas dos. Si aún no logro convencer al lector recordemos la soledad y afinidad por la libertad de Aurora del Valle, no nos trae a la mente a Elisa Sommers?. Ahora bien, el asilo de perseguidos políticos en casa de Paulina del Valle no se asemeja a la que más tarde -cronológicamente hablando- ocurriría en casa de Esteban Trueba?. De esta manera, Isabel Allende, consigue un engranaje perfecto llevándo al lector de la mano - refiriéndome a su trilogía- en un tour histórico con escala en Chile, Perú y los EEUU a través de los siglos XVIII y XIX. Tal vez la pregunta lógica que se nos ocurre en este preciso instante es: habrá anclado su embarcación, o aún nos depara un recorrido por el siglo XX? .... quizás en esa oportunidad la guía turística será la hija de Alba. Usted que cree?

Realmente es un libro que nos hace disfrutar a todos. Primero que nada sus personajes, como Elisa Sommers y Tao'Chien de su libro Hija de la Fortuna y como marca el antecedente de los personajes de Rosa la Bella y Clara Calrividente de su obra La Casa de los Espíritus. Para personas que nos gusta ver como las mujeres desafían los cánones sociales esta es una novela para ellas donde se encontrará con una Aurora del Valle dispuesta a hacerlo. Realmente es encantador ver la fuerza y actitud hacia la vida de Aurora del Valle Esta novela no lleva mucho del realismo mágico que otras de sus obras contienen, Sin embargo si se nota solamente en la descripción del personaje Frederick Williams, un Inglés sin edad Sin lugar a dudas es una novela encantadora...

Isabel Allende presenta nuevamente una novela tan encantadora como sus personajes femeninos. Esta vez Aurora del Valle, que esta conectada con la Hija de la Fortuna (Eliza Sommers) y La casa de los Espiritus (Familia del Valle). Sus personajes femeninos siempre la caracterizan por esas ganas de vivir, y un mundo magico y encantador alrededor de eventos historicos en Chile y latinoamerica. Tuve la suerte de leer sus tres novelas juntas, y gracias a su delicado estilo que entretejen sus personajes creo que la trilogia: La casa de los Espititus - La Hija de la Fortuna - Retrato en Sepia se convierten en una sola obra indispensable para los que han leido cualquiera de estas novelas aisladamente.

J.D.'s brother Tom, the Great Brain himself, does not appear at all in this particular book. This one takes place after Tom has left for the Catholic Academy and is mostly about J.D. trying to follow in the Great Brain's footsteps, a task that J.D. doesn't fulfill until the last chapter, which makes this one a pretty tedious read. Tom's absence leaves a gaping hole. Try to imagine if J.K. Rowling were to write another book about Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and Harry Potter is not in it. That's how boring 'Me and My Little Brain' is without Tom. But readers of the Great Brain series still shouldn't skip this one. It explains the adoption of a youngest son named Frankie, who will be mentioned in the fourth book, 'The Great Brain at the Academy.'

John Dennis Fitzgerald intended to chronicle his youth in Utah for adults, not children. His publisher thought otherwise and the result are these gems. I don't even call them children's lit gems because I find them just as enjoyable as an adult. Before I go on, you should know that Fitzgerald wrote one book about his youth that is for adults, called "Papa Married a Mormon". It is one of the most amazing books on the American west that I have ever read. Sadly, it is out of print, and you may, like me, have to pay an exorbitant sum to get a copy. Trust me, save up and do it. Now back to this book. Every single Great Brain book in the series is pure gold, and the entire set can be had cheaply, so I say buy them all at once. I "put my money where my mouth is" as Tom the Great Brain would say, and bought the lot.

John Dennis Fitzgerald intended to chronicle his youth in Utah for adults, not children. His publisher thought otherwise and the result are these gems. I don't even call them children's lit gems because I find them just as enjoyable as an adult. Before I go on, you should know that Fitzgerald wrote one book about his youth that is for adults, called "Papa Married a Mormon". It is one of the most amazing books on the American west that I have ever read. Sadly, it is out of print, and you may, like me, have to pay an exorbitant sum to get a copy. Trust me, save up and do it. Now back to this book. Every single Great Brain book in the series is pure gold, and the entire set can be had cheaply, so I say buy them all at once. I "put my money where my mouth is" as Tom the Great Brain would say, and bought the lot.