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But (unlike Dante) Erofeev never seems to arrive. As he downs more and more hooch, the story becomes progressively more blotched and incoherent. It culminates in the Passion of Erofeev, in which our poor hero is driven up against the wall of the Kremlin (though whether its the Kremlin in Moscow or Petushki is unclear) and left screwed.
This is a story about mercy. Read it. It is easily one of the best books I've read in the past year. Then pass the word along, because it deserves to be better known.
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It turned out to be a riveting read and I lost count of the number of times I thought "Hey, that's happened to me!"
The Shadow Negotiation teaches by example, and delves into the psychological and social intracacies of negotiation. This book has enriched my understanding of the layers of negotiations that occur long before arriving at the table.
This book is for both sexes, and applies to all sorts of negotiations that pop up in everyday life. As a consultant, I have applied it to my salary negotiations, and find that I can manage my business relationships with much greater confidence. A wonderful gift to all of your working friends and family!
Williams asks all the questions you would want to ask, and arranges the responses so you can easily flip through and make comparisons for like topics. It's not a book you have to read all at once - each interview is like a short story that you can revisit whenever you get the urge for some inspiration, management advice, or whatever. Each individual has something different to offer.
Because it's straight-from-the-horses' mouths, so to speak, it avoids any the preachiness of other 'success' books.
It's well-structured, reader-focussed and filled with thoughtful little touches like facts pages and useful quotes.
An excellent read, great to keep by your desk or bed for ever-refreshing insights into work and success.
I was impressed by the lay-out of the book, the fact that it was not highly technical and looked easy and interesting reading for my flight home so I purchased it.
Although, of course, being a visitor to Australia, I was not familiar with the names of the CEOs, I was very aware of the status of the company each represented. The book proved to be much more than "success in IT" - it was certainly success in every one of life's endeavours and proved that the companies selected have the "cream of the crop" to lead them to success.
The chapters are in the form of personal interviews conducted by Robert Williams and the success he has achieved in eliciting the many ways these people have led their companies with integrity and vision is clearly established.
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How close did I come to solving it? Not nearly as close as I would have liked--as an American, I have very little knowledge of England's geography (mandatory to solving the puzzle, despite the previous disclaimers). I did have part of the solution correct; I knew the letters that bordered each painting spelled out locations, but the method was not as simple as the author pretended. Needless to say, I feel much better now that I know this.
That having been said, let me conclude by stating that the story of Jack Hare's journey is enjoyable, the paintings are absolutely exquisite and the mystery is still intriguing, whether the jewel is still in the ground or not. I recommend it to anyone who loves puzzles--just be prepared to work hard at the solution; it's not easy!
Which is too bad, because Williams' lush paintings deserve to be seen in a large hardcover version, not the tiny paperback available now. Not only are the illustrations beautiful to look at, but they are filled with details that invite the eye to search for clues. The text is also filled with riddles that are fun to solve too. This is a book you'll want to read again and again, even if you can't solve the main riddle.
One last point--the recent book "The Merlin Mystery" tries to duplicate Masquerade's feat, but the illustrator is no Kit Williams. If you want to read other puzzle books like "Masquerade", I recommend "The Egyptian Jukebox" by Nick Bartcock and "The Eleventh Hour" by Graeme Base. Neither of these books, I should warn, hide any treasure however.
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Reading the book again also reminded me of a childhood memory. My father, Michael, was a batboy for the Washington Senators during the 1940s. He knew Mr. Williams, along with Mr. DiMaggio and other stars of that era. I used to ask my father about both of them. "DiMaggio was a complete all-around player, but Williams was the better hitter. He used to stay for hours in the clubhouse after the game. Weighing his bats. Sanding them down. They both were very quiet men, but Williams was even more taciturn. But writers of the day used to goad him on, and he would take their bait. That's how he got his tempermental reputation."
When I was a child, I attended the Ted Williams Baseball Camp in Lakeville, MA. It was run with military precision, and even as a child, you were treated as an adult. Coaches never berated you in front of your teammates as was customary in the Little Leagues or Boy's Clubs. The whole atmosphere and environment were conducive to promoting your best efforts. The presence of Mr. Williams was felt everywhere. On rainy days, we used to watch countless films about the science of hitting.
This book is an excellent story, and for many of us, will take us back to our youth. But young baseball fans also can benefit from this tale of one of our greatest athletes and patriots.
Thank you for the opportunity to review this book.
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The author says that this approach is very successful, but it seems to me more than a little formulaic. But if it works, that's great!
I think the idea of having the seeker read the Scripture passages himself is a good one. Although I certainly wouldn't even think of putting a limit on what God can do through the reading of His Word, I wonder what a person would think about the Bible passages if they put no stock in the Bible as the Word of God. There are people who won't be convinced by what the Bible says about itself, and those people might possibly be persuaded by outside sources such as the writings of Josephus and the Dead Sea Scrolls.
Mr. Fay does a good job of telling you what people's objections to the Christian faith might be and how to answer them. He clearly outlines the Scriptures that you should share with those you're sharing your faith with. The appendices are very helpful and William Fay's testimony is fascinating, to say the least....
Moscow to the End of the Line was written in 1970. During this time, Erofeev, himself, was traveling around the Soviet Union working as a telephone cable layer. Erofeev's friends have said the author made the story up in order to entertain his fellow workers as they traveled, and that many of these fellow workers were later incorporated as characters in the book.
The text of the novel began to be circulated in samizdat within the Soviet Union and then it was smuggled to the West where it was eventually translated into English. The official Russian language publication took place in Paris in 1977. With glasnost, Moscow to the End of the Line was able to be circulated freely within Russia, but, rather than stick to the original form, the novel was abridged in the government pamphlet Sobriety and Culture, ostensibly as a campaign against alcoholism. Finally, in 1995, it was officially published, together with all the formerly edited obscenities and without censorship.
Although he is an alcoholic, Venichka never comes across to the reader as despicable. Venichka is not a man who drinks because he wants to drink; he drinks to escape a reality that has gone beyond miserable and veered off into the absurd. He is not a stupid or pitiable character, but rather one who has no outlet for his considerable intelligence. That Venichka is very educated is obvious; he makes intelligent and well-read references to both literature and religion. However, in the restrictive Soviet Union of his time, there was no outlet for this kind of intelligent creativity; Venichka is forced to channel his creative instincts into bizarre drink recipes and visions of sphinxes, angels and devils.
Although many will see Moscow to the End of the Line as satire, it really is not. Instead, it is Erofeev's anguished and heartfelt cry, a cry that demanded change. Venichka is not a hopeless character, however, the situation in which he is living is a hopeless one.
A semi-autobiographical work, Moscow to the End of the Line was never meant as a denunciation of alcoholism but rather an explanation of why alcohol was so tragically necessary in the day-to-day life of citizens living under Soviet rule.
Moscow to the End of the Line is a highly entertaining book and it is a book that is very important in understanding the Russia of both yesterday and today as well. This book is really a classic of world literature and it is a shame that more people do not read Moscow to the End of the Line rather than relying on the standard "bestseller." This book deserves to be more widely read and appreciated.