Too long
The Great American NovelThat tragedy was the death by his own hand of Larry's father, a man who was able to write a thousand plus page novel that is more of a lyric poem.
Yet, some reviewers lightly passed it over at the time, notably competing author Hamilton Basso, whose review probably revealed that he'd have cut his arm off to be able to achieve Lockridge's pinnacle of word-use that sweeps our minds away like a Pied Piper demanding we follow him.
I followed this Pied Piper gladly, into a nostalgic introduction to years and people now dead. My heart hurt over what was tragically gone never to return, the pathos of glowing images and old loves of appealing people that passed and will never return. At some places in Lockridge's monumental tribute to America, his words, unlike most - which someone described aptly as strange wild symbols of thought - in the hands of this genius, transcend words and, for me, almost bridged that gap, tugging me into a wonderful, tragi-comic trancelike dream world of America's heritage. Ross Lockridge, Larry's tragic and brilliant dad, undoubtedly fathered that elusive thing: - The Great American Novel.
I think his son's book reminds us it's time to take a second look and face the truth that we were granted a short stay among us of a literary angel, who bequeathed us a treasury of jewel-like words and images beyond price.
Ross's son also revealed to me in this loving remembrance, the sick mercenary process by which a demanding publishing world (that has only grown worse since) probably worked his father into a nervous breakdown from which he saw no escape, and to escape which he killed himself.
I had an entrancing several days reading Larry's remembrance of his father, which I could only do a stretch at a time as my time permitted. I kept wanting to rush back to this account of the life of a man who had been my literary hero since I first read him in Alaska when his book was first published.
From my perch in our patio on our isolated ranch, I occasionally looked up at the mountains and thought of Ross Lockridge and said: "Ross, what a hell of a shame you didn't live to write a saga of America's westward exodus." What a shame he simply didn't live to write whatever he pleased. Naturally, some jealous soul attributed Lockridge's suicide to doubts that he could repeat his first triumph. He had the Shakespearean touch and the bard repeated triumpth after triumph
Thank you Larry for a wonderful experience in meeting your Pa. And thanks again, Ross for the wonderful hours your granted me as I first read your book, and in the rereading from time to time.
When I have time I will add my review to those on Raintree County in these pages of Amazon's. Thank you too, Amazon for something wonderful. In any case, I want to record my discovery of the conundrum of the book, Raintree Country,a mysterious message in its maps that no one I have ever encountered had noticed.
Finally, I must say that the movie, like most, was the usual uncomprehending travesty. They had no more idea of what they had grandly muffed than a baby has of the consequence of throwing its bottle out of the crib.
Note that I live near Rodeo, NM. To roughly paraphrase Ross Lockridge in Raintree Country, "You will look for it on the map and it won't be there, for it is not the land of the perishable fact, but the land of the enduring fiction . . . ' and there the similarity stops. Glenn G. Boyer
This book made me cry with sadness and joy.
Great geneological resource
Genealogy of the settlers of Coahuila and Nuevo Leon in the
excellent source for N. Mexican families
needed more editing
WILLI UNSOELD...AKA PETER PAN...The author is a devoted admirer of Willi Unsoeld and does not question some of those moments in Willi's life which should be questioned or reflected upon. This is the one criticism of what is otherwise a very interesting, compelling book about a flawed individual who made mountaineering history. His amazing ascent up the West Ridge of Everest to the summit and his subsequent traverse and descent on the South face will live on forever in the annals of mountaineering lore.
Willi Unsoeld was a passionate man for whom mountaineering was life itself. He was positively joyous when atop his beloved mountains. It is something which is to be admired. Yet, Willi had a darker side, as well. It is this apparent dichotomy in Willi's life that makes the book such an interesting read.
One of the most tragic episodes in Willi's life involved his beautiful daughter, Nanda Devi, named after the mountain of the same name. She was taken by her father on an ill-fated expedition to that same mountain. It was there that she tragically died and was consigned to the mountain. The cause of her death is not made clear by the book, but what is clear to any discerning reader is that Willi bore some responsibility. He acted as no father or responsible expedition leader would have under the circumstances.
What made Nanda Devi's death more appalling is that Willi would later romanticize her death in innumerable lectures, exploiting what should have remained private. How he could bring himself to do this is beyond belief. It is no wonder that his wife blamed him for their daughter's death and that this tragedy caused a rift in their marriage.
This self-styled guru needed the constant worship of acolytes in order to thrive. As he aged, he sought the adoration of college students, spouting his parboiled life philosphy on the subject of risk taking. It was this self styled, sophomoric philosophy that drove him to take a group of students up Mount Ranier in the dead of winter, when other, more level heads, argued against it. Would that he had listened. He and the student who died in an avalanche with him might today be alive. Alas, it was not to be. Peter Pan finally went to Never-Never Land.
Lion Dance BombTwo amateur detectives give all their heart to solve the mystery of who was the bomber and the thief. The two detectives join forces with their original enemy, Kong and Lung. With the two forces united, the mystery can be solved. The solution will have you wondering how could the character betray their friends.
I liked the book. The book was dull in some parts, but overall it was a pretty good book. I liked the book because you could learn quite a bit about China town. The book gave you a somewhat good idea of what China town was like. I also learned how people from other cultures who speak different languages might feel about assimilation to America. I think the main point to this book is that it is important to not look down on people who are from different cultures because in the end they might become your best friend. I recommend that teenagers should read this book because you learn something while you are being entertained with the exciting mystery.
The Case of The Lion Dance
Cool topic, but as enjoyable as reading a phone book
It's Not a Drag!Scholars will mine the rich lode of material found in the text and the footnotes. Less exacting readers, including this reviewer, will find the book a curious admixture of fascinating, funny, and illuminating. I am still smiling at Senelick's description of the untimely passage of Bert Savoy, an entertainer with whom i was not familiar: "Rumour ran that he had exclaimed 'Mercy, ain't Miss God cutting up something awful!' just before he was struck by lightning.
The book is illustrated by numerous photographs which are equally interesting.
The Changing Room's greatest accomplishment is to synthesize many centuries of material in a manner which places our contemporary experience in perspective. I ordered the book to read about an entertainer who particularly intrigues me. I ended up spending the weekend reading the whole book. It is without any reservation that I heartily recommend The Changing Room to all readers.
Could have been a lot better.He therefore crams this book with filler such as a lengthy biography of Alistair Cooke.
I was extremely disappointed to see that this book did not live up to my expectations. It told me little that I did not already know, and that can be gotten from far more accessible sources. It is not badly written; it is interesting in places. But it is not a terribly informative book.
The politics behind Masterpeice Theater--George Griffith, Chadron State College
WRITTEN FROM THE POLITICAL RIGHTAfter reading both these works, I'm still waiting for a book that has some objectivity in its analysis of the life of Edward Doheny. However, due to Doheny having all his records destroyed after his death, any objective book may be about five pages long.
Leaves me looking for more personal information
dated definitions demean this dictionary
It's a dictionary for common usage, not a medical text
List price: $16.95 (that's 30% off!)
Interesting HypothesisWhile Jouvet is undoubtedly one of the pioneers in sleep research, this book is less than ground-breaking. Jouvet postulates that the function of REM sleep is to periodically reinforce genetic programs, in order to maintain the functional synaptic circuits responsible for our psychological heredity. Basically, he is saying this "genetic reprogramming" would restore our individuality and diversity within our species, despite a changing environment. The hypothesis presented is rarely acknowledged in current literature on the subject and Jouvet has little to support his hypthesis.
I was left with many more questions than I started with, but that could be good. The translation is mediocre but Jouvet throws in some kind of houty chuckles every once in a while that make it bearable.
If you want to read a very comprehensive, readable and informative book on sleep, I would recommend 'Sleep' by J.Allan Hobson.
A magnificent tour de force revealing the human psyche
Awful
Wonderful resource in the discussion of obligation & society