Novels Books

First off, I have a great appreciation for the no-holds-barred nature of this work. Also, the artwork has a wonderfully dynamic energy, but manages to be very approachable, a balance not easily communicated. That said, I guess I've been spoiled on Doug TenNapel's works. By comparison (to say, Earthboy Jacobus), Chumble Spuzz pulls no real emotional weight, nor addresses any broader messages in any meaningful way. It's just bizzare, crazy, over-the-top (and more than a little offensive) violent humor that leaves you thrilling with adrenaline, but ultimately empty. For mindless humor, it is quite a glorious accomplishment. I was disappointed by how offensive most of it was, because I wish I could recommend it to more people. Fortunately, it didn't stray into crude sexual humor, which is always a cop-out for actual cleverness. I will say I incredibly enjoyed the Prologue: "Salmonella" much more than the main story.

The Weevil was Ethan Nicolle's first foray into the highlands of small press country. A good book, a big book, and beautiful, definitely, but not a critical darling, nor a thing that forced industry pros to stand and take note. The Weevil , for all intents and purposes, was a commercial fragment grenade, and could have sent the poor artist into navel-gazing recovery ad infinitum, but instead (thank God), it simply sent him into "&*$ this" mode, which fueled the generation of a gargantuan second graphic novel, a thing crafted with complete devil-may-care abandon, a commensurate pouring out of the hodgepodge that passes for Nicolle's (seriously twisted) mind, unfettered onto paper. The result, then, is this: the funniest comic book material I have ever read, bar not one past none.

Funnier than Boneyard, funnier than the early issues of Bone; similar to, yes, but funnier still than Ren & Stimpy or South Park; funnier than the latest Will Ferrell or Steve Carell flick; it's funnier than anything I can think of, actually. Funnier than The Simpsons. Funnier than Family Guy, Futurama, King of the Hill. How am I gauging this? Number of times I laughed, literally, out loud--and I was at work when I read this, supposedly slaving and not reading, and therefore trying very, very hard not to laugh. But I laughed, again and again, having to duck my head and pretend I was suffering from whooping cough disease, or something. Honestly, I wasn't paying that much attention to the fate of my career. I was enjoying myself far too much.

Chumble Spuzz is the title of this irresistible job-killing treat, a nonsense phrase Nicolle culled from a Calvin and Hobbes strip, and which he puts to wondrous use here. Starring two bizarre little redneck creatures named Gunther and Klem, oh they of the Sam Kieth bucked-tooth grill, the main story begins when the two hicksters win a blue ribbon pig at their local country fair, only to discover that said pig is possessed by the dark lord Satan himself. Horrified, they recruit the passion-filled (read: crazed) Revered Mofo (a cross between a Blaxploitation action hero and a televangelist) along with a gung-ho two-man army corps (no, you read that right, only two) to enter Hell itself and...KILL THE DEVIL! Chumble kicks right off, then, without hesitation, into extraordinarily hysterical waters. It doesn't so much "poke fun at" as it stabs red hot lances through religious zealotry, unjustifiable biases, the odder parts of middle-American mentality, eating disorders, blood drives, greed, fear of disease, gluttony, the list goes on, and on, and on. The breadth and depth of Chumble Spuzz 's subject matter is comparable only to the very best of modern humorists, measuring in flavor and approach beyond the heights of absolutely anything and everything ever seen on Comedy Central or the Cartoon Network. Can't quite buy that? Check out the 30-page free preview at http://www.slgbiz.com/Chumble_spuzz_1E.pdf

See what I mean?

The rhythm from the get-go is smooth and arguably faultless, the humor hitting again and again at a speed astonishing to experience, especially as it never grows stale. Nicolle's instincts as a humorist are spot on, and "Kill the Devil" moves with all the natural grace of a live stand-up show, its energy and the placement of the entertainer's elements coming and going as they should, seemingly with the flow of the audience's own.

Visually, Nicolle owes a lot to mainstream animation, both Disney-style and the more popular cutting-edge stuff, a little Genndy Tartakovsky and John K., as well as Matt Groening and Doug TenNapel. It's such a perfect commingling of well-loved aesthetics that the humor turns infallible, allowing for a recognizable array of expression and over-the-top scenarios. And yet the pages of Chumble Spuzz make fun of the very arena they sit so snugly within, the animation and the potty humor, the sarcasm and the punch lines, the classic send-ups, set-ups, and droll or dry witticisms--they're all here, and they're exquisitely executed, flawlessly timed, meticulously rendered, and they're wonderfully self-aware of their own limitations, tawdriness, and yuk-yuk shtick-i-ness. Which magically elevates the entire work to something rare: a funny thing funny for being a funny thing, or, in other words, it's funny and so sublimely so, that it's practically art.

Even after the unforgettable "Kill the Devil" storyline concludes, Nicolle treats fans to a slightly smaller (though still giant-sized) second round, that, not surprisingly, as it was drafted after the completion of KtD, surpasses the lead story in every way--no small feat if everything I'm raving about is true (and it is). "Salmonella" is comic infinity-K (that's karat, or grand, I suppose, either-or, as it's infinite, and therefore equal). A quick fairy-tale prologue with a guest-appearance by the Keebler Elf and the Cookie Monster (who both suffer wry, dead-on commentary under Nicolle's pen) and the we're off for the wrongest, coolest, and, in my opinion, until someone proves otherwise, un-toppable and most unstoppable comedic tale I've ever laid my eyes and grey matter to rest upon (wait'll you see the "chug, chicken, chug" scene--it's not what you think it is, but what it is, is damn funny).

Chumble Spuzz, ultimately, is...is...what's a word that means "bestest thing ever and ever and ever?" I'd settle for a word that meant "Sweet Mary Jay-zuz, but Imma in love ." Since I got nothin' for either of those, I'll have to settle for "unparalleled". Man...that word seems so small now. I've never actually used that word in a review before, but next to the actual book of Chumble Spuzz, it seems so...piddling. Chumble Spuzz is amazing. I don't think anyone who's read it has walked away believing otherwise. That makes it "unanimous" to boot. This is one sweet comic sent from the pearly gates above, to show us all how to kick Satan's a$$ and laugh the whole while doing it.

Ethan Nicolle has gotta be one of the freshest comic book artists and writers of the past few years..

get a copy now!

I won't drone on, but I am a huge fan of comic books and watched a iPod review for this book and decided to pick it up. Glad as hell I did. Ethan Nicolle is a great talent as both an illustrator and a writer who knows humor! If you like Ren & Stimpy... this is for you!

Seriously people, if you want to read a story with incredible art work and an equally amazing story, than Chumble Spuzz is for you. It's story lines are completely original!

Ethan Nicolle is going to be famous someday, i recommend getting your hands on his original stuff now before they cost more than your wallet can hold!

A great western novel.
The gold rush.
The economic boom.
A story of revenge. What stories! A psychological profile of the murderer remarkably painted by Louis L'Amour. In further action on more than 400 pages.
A great western. One of the best.

This was my first L. L'Amour book and I loved it. It was relatively easy reading but very enjoyable. Mr. L'Amour is excellent at developing the characters and weaving them into the story. I had a hard time putting this book down at night before going to bed..
I have already purchased several more of his books and am planning on collecting the entire set.
You will definitely enjoy this book and this writer.

Comstock Lode is classic Louis L'amour. This book is extremely enjoyable and fast-paced. If you are just starting out on Louis, this book will not steer you wrong, it is a perfect example of his genius.

I just finished reading Comstock last week, when I happened to be up in the California gold country myself. I'm a garden writer, author of 5 published books, and I was in Placer County, speaking to the Auburn Garden Club. The town of Auburn, which sits in the middle of the gold rush's richest territory, is a neat place, one to visit if you get the chance. I noticed too that there is still a very busy mining supply store right on one of Auburn's main streets. There's still gold and silver being found up there!
But I digress: All of us who read Louis L'Amour's Westerns have probably noticed that while all of them are fun to read, some are certainly better than others. I thought that Comstock was darn good, and certainly one of the best of his books set in California. If you enjoy a fast-paced, action packed Western, I expect you'll like Comstock. I recommend it!

Louis L'Amour's Comstock Lode is a brilliant, fictional novel based on real events that will suck you in as soon as you start reading. I'm not one for westerns at ALL, but I was recommended this book and told myself, Why not? It sounds alright, nothing really better to read as of right now. I'll admit, the first few chapters started off a little dull, but then, you get deeper and deeper into the story and you can't put the book down. I recommend this book to anyone who likes adventure novels or Louis L'Amour in general.
Val Trevallion was a son of Tom Trevallion and his wife Mary, who lived in England until finding a large amount of gold and, moves to the States. While in Louisiana, Val's mother and the mother of another girl named Grita Redaway are brutally murdered by a group of shadowy characters, one of which Val will never forget the eyes of. Val and his father set out for the Wild West, but on the way there, his father gets murdered as well. A name on a gun gives Val a clue as to the identity of one man from the group of men that murdered his father and possibly his mother. Val goes to the Comstock where he is known as the toughest, most feared man around. While there, he will remeet Grita, a beautiful, budding actress and the memories come rushing back. His main mission: to kill those who killed his parents. But not everyone seems to be who they are, and Val has to come face-to-face with the man whose eyes haunted him years earlier in this edge-of-your-seat thriller.

I liked this book, at first it was very confusing and weird. But CC goes deeply into the dynamic characters. The two situations in the book are very realistic and lifelike making the reader either love or hate the story.

Today I just started reading the first story .For most people it would probably make them feel sad but it made me feel confused .It makes you think of life and afterdeath.And you kinda feel for her friend Asparagus because every gets teased and it can make you go insane.

Confidential Confessions is one of the greatest manga of all time because it deals with real issues. You wont find any magic, superheroes, or bishounen in this series. Instead you will read about girls who have to deal with tough issues such as bullying, rape, sexual harassment, drugs, prostitution, stalking, and suicide. I recommend that every teen read Confidential Confessions.

Vol. 1
A strong beginning to an amazing series. The first story in this volume deals with bulling, suicide, while the second story deals with prostitution.

Vol. 2
This entire volume deals sexual harassment and is an awesome follow up the first volume.

Vol. 3
The first story in this volume is great because it explores drugs and some of the reasons why kids take them, however the second story is forgettable and is overshadowed by its predecessors.

Vol. 4
The story in this volume deals with prostitution again but instead of having a protagonist go into prostitution because of bad circumstances, this girl goes into prostitution because she is very materialistic and wants money to buy brand name items. The next story revisits the issue of bullying but in more depth. Both of the stories are remarkable but the next story is (for lack of better terms) lame. It deals with lesbianism but the impact is not hard hitting because the main character seems like a stalker rather than someone who is hiding her true feelings for the same sex.

Vol. 5
This volume treads on the tender issues of rape and AIDS. This volume is magnificent and I believe it should have been the last because of the bittersweet ending.

Vol. 6
This is the weakest of all 6 volumes and is a pathetic and disappointing end to a great yet disturbing series. The first story is about stalking and the second story involves a girl who is transformed from a victim to a bully.

There you have it, the complete mini-guide to Confidential Confessions. Like I said before this is a great manga and should be read by all teens. My only complaint is that this story was meant for the Japanese and so some of the main characters actions wont make sense to Americans (you might say, "what the hell is the matter with them, why don't they speak up for themselves!?)" because the Japanese are much more reserved people who don't like to make trouble for their family of school.

The Confidential Confessions Series is something that every girl or woman should read, manga reader or hater alike. Reiko Momochi has really captured the emotions and degree of each crisis for each character in the series, from dealing with drugs to escape problems, to dealing with sexual harassment from a teacher.

You feel for the each girl in each story, weather its anger for what you feel is a stupid solution for the situation, to sadness because nothing can be done. And with each situation comes a change in the characters involved, it being good or bad depending on what they hold dear. The atmosphere my be a bit dark, but it adds to the seriousness of the situation. But with the darkness is light, in some form or another.

I highly recommend this manga to anyone who wants to read something that can hit close to home.

I would reccomend any book in this series... it delivers a good slice of the shoujo we love in an extremely realistic way with very real problems we all deal with today. Even people who aren't interested in anime would want to take a look at one of these. You don't have to collect them in any particular order becuase the series itself is a collection of short stories. There's a story for everyone... I know that in this particular book I was dumbstruck to see that the story "Forbidden Kiss" hit very close to home... I broke down crying while reading it. The stories seem to have been spread out over a period of time (the art quality fluctuates over stories) but any changes are overlooked as each story captivates and motivates you to make the world right. A must read, pick one up immediately.

This particular volume deals with catalouge prostitution (if anyone knows a proper term for this, tell me. As far as I know it's a strictly Japanese thing), corporal punishment, "hazing" and torment by other students, and a teenage girl in love with her (female) best friend.

So many reviews have been written on the actual stories collected in THE CONTRACT WITH GOD TRILOGY: LIFE ON DROPSIE AVENUE that I'll focus instead on the edition itself. I initially had all three of these graphic novels in softcover format, but seeing them in this edition, I pulled a switcheroo. All stories are set around an approximate 100-year time span on Eisner's Dropsie Avenue, and this is the perfect way to own them. At 544 pages for $29.95, and in hardcover, it's an excellent deal. The pages are thick and feature the same sepia tones that give Eisner's art its signature look. As a bonus, this edition includes quite a few new illustrations by Eisner, completed just before his death in 2005. More of his works are collected in this format, under the titles NEW YORK: LIFE IN THE BIG CITY and LIFE, IN PICTURES: AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL STORIES. I now have them all on my bookshelf, and they look superb. Will, your greatness lives on!

I'm a relatively new reader of the genre, so admittedly there are probably many other writers who may be acclaimed as the founder. But for my money, Eisner is the master of the graphic novel. This trilogy is a must.

I'm a relative latecomer to the world of the graphic novel, though I did read my share of comic books as a kid. But a year or so ago, I read Will Eisner's "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion" and have been talking about it ever since. Time, I thought, to see what else Eisner might have written.

"What else Eisner might have written" is answered in part by this wonderful reminiscence of the Bronx of days gone by. The tales revolve around the history and residents of a tenement block on 55 Dropsie Avenue in the Bronx. To Eisner, it was always a neighborhood - greater than the sum of its parts and capable of moving callous men to teary nostalgia.

The book starts of with "A Contract with God," a relatively short and focused story about Frimm Hersch, a young Jewish boy who escapes Russian anti-Semitic pogroms, makes a contract with a just God, and loses his faith when his beloved daughter dies. Eisner tells us in the introduction that this story is one of the ways he dealt with his own daughter's death, a blow so severe that he plunged it deep into his psyche. What is so intriguing about Eisner's tale is that the reader never quite finds out what was in the contract. But one finds out a little about God and a bit about humanity's willingness to continue to struggle with this Witness to human misery and loneliness.
"A Contract with God" continues with other New York tales drawn from Eisner's memory - a tale about a lonely former opera diva who befriends a penniless street singer; a bitter tenement "super" infatuated with a young girl; a summer "cookalein" or cook-your-own boarding house at an upstate farm where city moms take their kids for a summer in the out-of-doors. Eisner is at his most frank here, not shying away from the pressures and temptations that entice people living in such close proximity to each other. The tales are sexy, brash, violent and always real.

The second story, "A Life Force," is a meditation on the unseen drive of all living things to remain alive and to reproduce. An out-of-work Depression-era carpenter finds a lesson in a cockroach's struggle to survive. His path crosses that of an ancient "rebbe" needs a room built for whose wife, who suffers from dementia. Soon, the story draws in a ne'er-do-well former playboy boy, young socialists, Sicilians gangsters and a woman from Nazi Germany (an old acquaintance of the carpenter) trying to extract her family from the growing turmoil back home. Eisner's depiction of the ever-triumphant "life force" comes alive in a myriad ways that look surprisingly like ordinary living.

The final section deals with the history of the parcel that became Dropsie Avenue. Eisner takes us on a kaleidoscopic tour from its days as Dutch farmland through its many incarnations as a residential neighborhood, vibrant gathering place for immigrant families, rat hole and locale for single-family homes. His tale is populated with crooked real estate developers, local politicians, druggies, thieves, ethnic priests, ineffectual cops and a variety of local characters. Eisner is at his best as he shows how greed and bad housing laws can strip the poor of housing, enrich the unscrupulous and reduce once-proud neighborhoods to rubble. I learned more about the roots of urban blight from Eisner's pictures than from any "serious" book.

Eisner's work is not disposable, like the comics of my youth. His stories have a depth of humanity that makes them fascinating and re-readable. His art exaggerates enough to telegraph his characters' inner feelings, but subtle enough to keep them rooted in reality. A wonderful experience.

Esta novela gráfica es simplemente sublime, las historias son maravillosas así como la presentación del libro que es de una calidad tan alta, pocas veces vista pero que definitivamente un trabajo tan bien logrado se merece. Cualquier otra cosa que te pueda decir, estaría de mas, si no conoces la maravillosa narrativa, dibujo e inventiva del maestro Will Eisner, este es un claro ejemplo de su maravillosa calidad como artista, ahora que si eres un seguidor, es un libro que debes tener en tu colección. Pero ya sea una razón o la otra, es una compra de la cual definitivamente no te vas a arrepentir.

Comic and cartoon artists are finally getting the respect they have deserved since the Yellow Kid wore his one piece pajama. Artists like Charles Burns and Frank Miller; Seth and Tony Millionaire, all work in a medium whose fan base is basically adult, literate and mainstream. In reading current book reviews of works like "Jimmy Corrigan, The Smartest Kid On Earth" by Chris Ware or "Blankets" by Craig Thompson, it is clear that the Graphic Novel as an art form no longer requires an asterisk.

All these artists and cartoonists owe this new environment of respect in no small part to the work of Will Eisner, specifically the work contained in this volume. While Eisner was not the first artist to tell a story with pictures, he without question hammered out a stylistic language that others could learn and understand. I don't think it is an exaggeration to say that he brought the concept of the graphic novel home and gave it a firm structure and a future. Also important was Eisner's unyielding believe in the graphic novel as a form of fine art, as legitimate a tool for storytelling as any of the traditional oral or written forms. All current artists working in comics owe Eisner in the same way that all Afro-American ballplayers owe a debt of gratitude to Jackie Robinson. Like Robinson, Eisner completely believed in what he was doing and refused to accept anything less than respect for his work, all done in a day when respect didn't come easily or automatically for them.

Now, about the work itself - what can one say? No one will ever replace or improve on Eisner's innate ability to tell a story with pictures. His work was absolutely gorgeous and fluid, the line and brushwork immaculate and dense without every looking fussy. He forged a unique and instantly recognizable style that is the true mark of a virtuoso in any artistic medium, and he was a very gifted storyteller into the bargain. There are certain panels in his best work, like "A Life Force" or "Droopsie Avenue," that are just jaw dropping in their beauty and absolutely unforgettable.

To this day his work is unmatched in its depth and sophistication of theme. Norton deserves much praise for reissueing these trailblazing works in a well bound and attractive hardcover. Recommended highly. -Mykal Banta

Best one! Gave to me hubby..and he loves this book. He reads it over and over.

Another great compilation of Pearls humor. I especially enjoyed Stephan Pastis' comments that are included with many of the strips. It is very interesting to read what prompted a particular strip or the types of responses he has received. This book includes my favorite strips, featuring Pig's enemy, Annie Mae, the sea anemone, and Rat's attempt at being a counselor.

Pastis' work just gets better and better. He is one of the wittiest cartoonists working today. His three comprehensive anthologies, "Lions, Tigers and Crocs, Oh My!" "Sgt. Piggys Lonely Hearts Club Comic," and "The Crass Menagerie," in that order, demonstrate the progressive growth of his command of the form and his inreasingly sure tragi/comic vision. He ranks up there with Walt Kelley and Charles Schultz. Now, if I could only get him to read my novel, "The Cold Dark Heart of the World."

---Wilson Roberts

Anyone who needs a lot of humor in their lives is in dire need of the work coming out of the disturbed mind of Stephan Pastis. The Crass Menagerie, the third treasury collection of the comic strip Pearls Before Swine, continues the daily "moral" lessons of Rat, Pig, Goat and Zebra ably supported by the ravenous but incompetent crocs, the loyal Guard Duck and a secondary cast of characters who have escaped the mind of Rat as he writes books with questionable life lessons. If you are unfamiliar with PBS, run to Amazon's order form and get all three of these treasuries. The previous treasuries are named "Sgt. Piggy's Lonely Hearts Club Comic" and "Lions and Tigers and Crocs Oh MY!" Pearls Before Swine is THE comic strip for the twenty first century.

Being a big PbS fan, I snapped this one up without reading the fine print: it's actually a reprint of strips already reprinted in two other books (Brudderhood of Zeeba Eeta Eeta and Sopratos). Pastis has added some funny comments on some of the strips, which prevents the book from being a total rip-off, but if you've already got the other ones, you don't need this one.

Excellent selection of fine writing about crime and vice - another winner provided us by the LOA. It's early era merely extends it's charm into a time past that's as vibrant as if it were set in the last decade, allowing us a nostalgic glimpse into our own literary birthright.

One, entitled "The Big Clock", is about the highly sophisticated and competitive world of big city publishing and involves a murder committed by it's top executive who is losing his ability to cope; a uniquely arranged set of chapters detailing the thoughts and actions of each player through their own individual eyes and each written in the "first person" which adds another layer of intrigue and dimension to it. An innocent man, fearing he will be the prime suspect, becomes enmeshed in an incredibly intricate plot trying to keep himself out of it, wading in deeper and deeper even though he has had nothing to do with the actual murder, but definitely has knowledge of certain of the events that will bring his family - that means his wife - into it which must be avoided at all costs.

In "Thieves Like Us", a gang of bank robbers is on the run through the Oklahoma countryside, living by their wits and for the day because tomorrow may never come; the doomed rampage is prolonged by the lack of law enforcement technology of the era. The visual image projected into the mind of the reader is vivid; of 1930's automobiles, dust and sweat, of desperate, reckless men who have nothing more to lose except their lives, which have never been good anyway - to them, for them or because of them. The old phrase of "Honor among the Thieves" becomes duly recognizable for a few chapters, as does the necessary bonding, and uneasy, false friendship that was tantamount to survival. This, due to it's very nature begins to unravel just when dependence upon one another is needed most; and the loser's urge to "do just one more job" to compensate for the money that seems to run through their fingers like sand through an hourglass overrides any thought process any of them may have had. It has it's anti-hero in one man who seems straight enough to maybe make it if he can just manage to split from his bad seed influences; but nothing can alter his headlong rush down the lonely path to perdition, taking the one lonely person who actually cares about him down with him. He has known nothing else; he has never been nurtured, never been taught the good lessons of life to offset the problems of it; he simply reacts to stimulus; the once child of clay has hardened to brittle nothingness.

Highly recommended for anyone enjoying mystery and suspense in it's finest form.

Before reading this handsome, well-made volume of six crime novels, I tended to consider 'noir' a movement, one of both style and period. I now know that noir is also and more generally an atmosphere and pertains to a wide variety of literary styles, characters, plots, motivations -- but all informed by a dark and often depressing overall mood. Ultimately, these six novels are character studies and although they are offhandedly described as 'pulp novels', their qualities of description, dialogue, and even basic construction techniques such as gradual disclosure and story arc far exceed most recent crime novels I've read. And although classic noir undoubtedly exposed the dark recesses in the minds and hearts of its contemporary audiences, these stories today confirm that there is very little that can shock us; the beauty and longevity of these novels is in their exposition and description of characters and surroundings and the significance of a single, seemingly insignificant event building to an inexorable, devastating climax.

Rather than recount each novel's plot and characters, I will only add that again, each of the representatives of the noir genre present in this edition illustrate a wide variety of settings and styles, places and characters. From what most of us probably consider classic noir represented by Cain's classic "The Postman Always Rings Twice" with its classic highway settings and passion, to the suave, biting, and sardonic wit of Fearing's "The Big Clock" reflecting the unusual structure of multiple first-person narration around a single, main protagonist in an urban, corporate setting, to the Oklahoman grit of a group study in gang crime via serial bankrobbers in Anderson's "Thieves Like Us", to the more explicitly horrifying, psychologically penetrating and depraved "Nightmare Alley" of Gresham, this edition is like a menu of various aspects and directions noir can and did take.

As other reviewers have stated, there is not a weak novel here. I found "The Big Clock" the most singular in structure, setting, and style and in certain aspects, it defies categorization as 'noir' except perhaps only in mood. In fact, it is the novel that for me most broadened the definition of the genre. I found "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?" the most depressing because it appears to be the least fanciful, most truthful and thus the most devastating of the set. In this sense, "...Horses..." comes closest to rivalling truly great literature not so much for its details, but for its overall impact. In my opinion, Woolrich's "I Married a Dead Man" is the least successful because its exploration of mistaken identity (first mistaken, then deliberate) is somewhat banal and after finishing it, I wished Woolrich might have explored the contrast of genteel facade and grasping desperation a bit more explicitly. It is in many ways the most subtle and emotional of the set as well as the most modern (it is chronologically the last), but suffers a bit from the repetitive description of Helen/Patrice and the strain of her external and internal duality.

Several reviewers have found Anderson's "Thieves Like Us" the weakest of the set, but I disagree. The description of a gang is necessarily different and unlike the other novels, Anderson manages to accomplish what the other authors are unable to do (save perhaps McCoy): Describe the criminal as a legitimate, objective individual who deserves our sympathy and even our allegiance. Bowie, the central character, is described as taking a far more relaxed view of his own criminal activity and isn't portrayed in dark, tortured terms. In this light, Bowie has either the weakest conscience or the strongest depending upon how you choose to read him and in either sense, he and together with his cohorts provide and excellent example of the Anti-Hero.

"Nightmare Alley" is the longest and the most absorbing of the set. It is also the most violently and sexually explicit, has the largest cast of important and varied characters, and best succeeds in addressing the big questions concerning truth, faith, relationships, society, etc. Who are the real freaks -- carnival oddities and tricksters, or respectable society members seeking spirituality? Those with mere physical abnormalities or those who deliberately develop intentional differences? What is deception, particularly self-deception? "All the world's a carnival" might be a nihilistic worldview, but Gresham's portrait of an intelligent young carnival magician's development from a sensitive, impressionable boy into a full-blown 'spiritualist medium' whose only desire to trick the vulnerable out of their money (and who ultimately is tricked by one who lacks his ultimate weakness -- his conscience) is devastating. Although I predicted the ending, this truly nightmarish journey down Stanton Carlisle's alley is the point of the book. The true ending is, in fact, never reached and is a brilliant literary stroke.

I highly recommend this set of novels.

This collection of novels from the 30s and 40s was terrific fun and an outstanding introduction to the genre. You can debate whether they're all noir (at least what I expected noir to be); but nonetheless they each convey a distinct impression and view of the time. Without getting into lengthy reviews, I enjoyed Woolrich's "I Married a Dead Man" the most--from his eloquent style to the actual story-line. You know you're reading a master story-teller. Second was Gresham's "Nightmare Alley;" although sometimes I thought he could have expanded on some aspects of the story and shortened other passages (i.e., a little bit of editing would help). But each novel was distinct and enjoyable. Highly recommended.

First of all, the Library Of America collection provides the reader with some of the most beautiful hardcover editions available today. That said, the selections chosesn for this edition are all first class; for someone just getting into hard-boiled fiction, this is the ideal place to start. If you're like me and have been reading this genre for many years, this is a perfect volume to add to one's collection.

Noir emerged in the early 20th-Century from Pulp paperbacks published for mass consumption. Highlighting in gritty and sensationalistic detail the sordid undercurrents of Western society, Noir became an artistic force that became the medium for the representation of the down and out segment of the populace. Whether set in the impersonal grime of urban reality or at the deceptive simplicity of rural picturesqueness, Noir in Film and Literature revealed the odyssey and travails of lost souls whose misguided characters bore too much of the weight of their selves and their pasts to break from the shackles of their present.

"Crime Novels: American Noir of the 1930's and 40's" is the American equivalent in prose of the influential and enduring genre. The grim and unforgiving tales of the dejected cast of mid 20th-Century American life are openly depicted ("The Postman Always Rings Twice"; "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?"; "Thieves Like Us"; "Nightmare Alley"); vicissitudes of fate ("The Big Clock"; "I Married a Dead Man"). Whether set in scenic California, the vast and open Midwest, or a high-rise office in Manhattan, these novels uniformly render a panorama of blighted dreams, twisted turns of fate, and the sad recurrence of misfortune in desperate individuals doomed to tragedy.

None too substantial in content but highly readable, this edition is the first of a handsome 2-Volume anthology on American Noir fiction published by the venerable Library of America. Edited by Robert Polito (Poet, writer, anthologist on Noir Lit. and author of a biography on Jim Thompson), these stories enduring relevance are seen in various forms of contemporary society: from the writings of James Ellroy, Brett Easton Ellis, Lawrence Block, and Robert Bloch; in films like "Scarface", "Pulp Fiction", "Fight Club"; and in everyday life.

Milan Kundera gives us a new insite on what makes a novel a different type of literature. He is widely read, witty and light. At the same time his opinions are thought provoking and the breadth and appropriateness of his quotations a joy to read. I must say that I read the book in one rainy weekend sitting and that it has been a long time since I have enjoyed so much following an author's thought process.

The Curtain is Kundera's third work of literary criticism/theory and it is, in my view, the best. It is more focused than Art of the Novel and less bitter than Testaments Betrayed. Here Kundera presents extremely readable and pointed analyses of several works and, more importantly, provides a larger argument about the role of the novel in the world and its moral capabilities. He provides insights into several well known writers such as Cervantes and Kafka, but he has also alerted me to many writers with whom I was previously unfamiliar. It is one of those books that, after you finish, will make you want to go and read a dozen other books. And I think that is a good thing.

In The Curtain, which in fact is a series of separate pieces, each of which are further divided into component pieces, Kundera presents the novel and novelists in a tableau of history, politics, and culture. His manner is discursive. Among his shaggy dog elements: the novel as psychological exploration of character or as existential analysis; phenomenological observations on the workings of memory; Rabelais, Cervantes, and Hermann Broch (The Sleepwalkers) as stand-alone contributors to the nonlinear history of the novel, along with Sterne, Flaubert, Kafka, Carlos Fuentes, and more; the influence of national culture on art (the difference between French "vulgarity" and Central European "kitsch"); the innards of a novel's process, and the workings of prosai-comi-epic imagination ...

It occurred to me, as I began to scribble notes on this or that observation, put so succinctly and well, that I hadn't felt the need to do that in a while, since reading E.M. Cioran's observations on life, in fact, and before that the aesthetic takes on visual art of Andre Malraux in Anti-Memoirs) and the comments on writing by Sartre in Why I Write. You can reread such books, as I expect I'll reread this one as well.I Think, Therefore Who Am I?

It is unfortunate many readers of serious fiction will never read this book. Milan Kundera (1929) is a Czech-born writer who writes mostly in French these days. He is best known for his novel, The Unbearable Lightness of Being: A Novel (Perennial Classics) (1984), a profound exploration of the fragile nature of the life of an individual. Following The Art of the Novel (1985) and Testaments Betrayed (1992), his seven-part essay, The Curtain, is part three in a trilogy of essays on the European novel. Translated by Linda Asher, it was originally published as "Le Rideau," in French in April 2005 by Gallimard. It should be considered required reading for anyone interested in knowing what the novel is all about.

Kundera believes that reading novels, from Cervantes, Dostoyevsky, and Tolstoy, to Kafka, Garcia Marquez, and Rushdie, offers a way of thinking that is essential to understanding human nature and our own lives. Reading allows us to tear down "the curtain" of pre-interpreted assumptions ingrained in our psyche, enabling us to have an unobstructed vision of the world we inhabit: "A magic curtain, woven of legends, hung before the world. Cervantes sent Don Quixote journeying and tore through the curtain. The world opened before the knight errant in all the comical nakedness of its prose" (p.92). For Kundera, "a novel that fails to reveal some unknown bit of existence is immoral" (p.61); its objective should be to reach into "the soul of things'" and the '"enigmas of existence." Understanding human life--that is "the raison d'etre of the art of the novel" (p.10). Anything less than that is mere "babble."

Although Kundera's subject is erudite, his writing is easy to follow--like sitting in a Paris cafe with a 78-year-old scholar, discussing why reading serious European literature matters.

G. Merritt

Kundera's book about the novel is not exactly as billed. These are not seven
essays. What we have is a set of notes, some speculations and assertions about
the past and future of the novel and its place in the world of literature and art.

Since these happen to be the spectulations of one of the most radically unsentimental
writers of our time, they are very valuable indeed. As the thoughts of a writer
whose work inspires other novelists (well, okay, this novelist) to keep writing,
they're especially precious.

Kundera urges us to see the novel in the context of its history. He suggests that its
reason for being is that the novel can tell a particular kind of truth, that it can
get to the heart of things and tear back the curtain of interpretation that veils
our realities.

The specifics of this arguement are as enlightening as the arguement itself:Cervantes'
humor as a reprise of what grownups know about the world, Rabelais' coinage of
a word for the humorless, Musil's irony, Stifter's prescience. Read Kundera to enlarge
your circle of acquaintance and turn literary acquaintances into teachers.

For all the inspiration that Kundera's work affords writers, this is a very pessimistic
book. With the death of historical awareness and appreciation for the moment comes
the death of the novel. Without 'the history of various arts, there's not much left
to works of art'. It's the pessimism of the true conservative-one whose heritage and
nation have vanished and being now incapable of growth can only be shored up
against the inevitable ravages of the new.

This perspective encourages-I think-an appreciation for the everyday, a Gestalt
shrink's awareness of the here and now. It's the kind of appreciation that rubs off on
the reader. If the reader is also a writer, this is the stuff that keeps you going.


--Lynn Hoffman, author of New Short Course in Wine,The and
the extremely charismatic bang BANG: A Novel ISBN 9781601640005

This is an exciting story that really makes you feel like a part of the adventure. I couldn't put the book down once I got to the last 100 pages. I was particularly fascinated by the detailed descriptions of the surroundings and the complexity of bigfoot. I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys a thriller.

I very much enjoyed this novel. I've read up quite a bit on the legend of sasquatch and bigfoot over the years. The author uses quite a bit of actual reported "bigfoot signs and occurences" to illustrate the adventure of his characters.

This is a very quick-read and fast-paced, definitely not a heavy, lose-yourself-in-the-storyline novel.

It is what it is: an enjoyable 1 or 2 sitting read, about a man and his desire to come to terms with something terrible and nearly mythical that happened to him in the woods as a child. He definitely finds the answers he is looking for, but probably not in the way he expected.

When I received this book, I started reading and finished it the next day. It was truly a book full of suspense and the reason I read suspense novels. It was very well written, and I could see the events in my mind playing out. I was scared out of my wits and terrified for the people who survived and those who didn't make it out of the woods. This book would make a great movie.

I like it when I can form imaginative images of the scenes in a book as I am reading it. I did this for Bergeron's "The Devil's Ridge." This story, especially the concluding scene, would lend itself very well to the screen. Although the characters of Brad and Jesse are on stage most of the time, it is the silverback waiting for his entrance who dominates not only the two main characters, but also the reader. It is the silverback who engenders in the characters the fear of something that has not been faced, which often becomes more frightening because it has not been confronted. Bergeron's characters resolve this problem in different ways when they have to ultimately face their fear.

Wow! This novel is a real page turner, the type of novel you read too late into the night because you just can't put it down. Mr. Bergeron has given us a novel filled with details of the hunt and with a new twist on the Bigfoot legend. Definitely not the book to bring along on your next camping trip if you expect to get any sleep! The final scene with Brad is the most unsettling scene I've read in a long time; truly frightening on so many levels. A great story so give it a try and enjoy!

"Diary of a Mad Housewife" is one of my favorite books of all time. I often think of the classic Thanksgiving dinner scene, which basically says it all.

I bought this book because I was attracted by its title, but I was a little bit afraid it would turn out a heavy feminist type of book. It was a pleasant surprise instead. The main character, Bettina,is well characterised and with all the problems that anybody, any woman sooner or later in her life might experience. But it's not just about identification. The style is dazzling, and it flows impeccably right to the end of the novel as if you were drinking fresh water, full of irony and witticism, with no flaws or standstills. I will suggest this reading to any one of my friends!

It's a classic for a reason, folks. Extremely amusing and spot-on accurate. A very humorous account of the universal quest for meaning that has surely depressed the mess out of us all at some point or other. Style so good you forget to be jealous and just enjoy.

A short review is not an insult. I strongly suggest that you find out about this book from one of those professional reviewer sorts. If you do that, you'll buy it. Alternately, just check your local library, get it if they have it, and prepare to get sucked right into reading this as quickly as you possibly can because it's just that damn good.

This is a fabu book...all young women can learn from this book...this is the man NOT to marry...

I recently saw this on my bookshelf and decided to read it again after a hiatus of many years. Well, time has not diminished the power of this book to engage the reader. Humorous and thought provoking, it allows the reader a glimpse into the mind of Bettina Balser, an upper middle class woman, living in Manhattan somewhere in the late nineteen sixties, who feels that she is losing her mind. Consequently, she begins to keep a diary, because she finds it cathartic. Through her diary, the reader sees a dawning awareness of self, a self that she has long repressed.

Bettina married her husband Jonathan, when he was an idealistic up and coming Assistant District Attorney. When his political aspirations did not bear fruit, he left public service and became an insufferable, materialistic, social climbing corporate attorney. He is also a total control freak, planning every aspect of their lives and disparaging his wife at every opportunity. The sad thing is that he is totally unaware of what he is doing to his wife, so self-absorbed is he. They have two equally insufferable little girls, who seem to emulate their father at every turn. It is no wonder that Bettina feels that she is sinking into an abyss. It is as if she were a displaced person with no place to go, no place to run, no place to hide. Where has her self gone?

The author takes the reader into the inner workings of Bettina's mind. The reader sees how she copes with her struggle to find the woman within the shell she has become. In its time, this book was viewed as being feminist in nature. What else would one call it, when the book is clearly about a woman's struggle with the hand that fate has dealt her simply by virtue of her gender? Although some of the references seem a little dated, such as the cost of certain things or the fact that everyone seemed to smoke cigarettes, it is simply reflective of its time and quite fitting. Full of humor, wit, and discreet social commentary, this is a book that has become a modern day classic.

This is truly one of the cult pieces of literature, right up there with Tropic of Cancer and even Fight Club. The writing is beautiful and erotic, and Nin comes across as a mature individual with special needs and insights. While every woman should read this book, guys will enjoy seeing things from the "other side."

I recomend reading Anais Nin's diary. The book is such poetic prose. Some sentences really took my breath away, the way she can captivate something so beautiful and human in simple words. Since it is a diary, its main focus is her life, but its not selfish, infact she mentions herself very little. The main focus is Henry (Miller) and June, his wife. When Ananis Nin falls inlove with someone, so does the reader. Her descriptive skills gave me goosebumps, you really can see it in your minds eye, hear the music or feel the softness of skin. I highly recomend this to anyone thinking about reading this book, you will come away with a slice of life from 1930's France.

...with "Tropic of Cancer." For newbies, read the synopsis of Anais Nin and Henry Miller at "wikipedia." Then start reading Volume 1 of Anais Nin's diaries (1931 - 1934). After a while, maybe 30 - 40 pages you will want to take a break. So, pick up "Tropic of Cancer" and read the first couple of chapters. Anais had Henry read her journals; Anais and Henry helped each other with each others works. The preface to "Tropic of Cancer" was written by Anais Nin (at least it was signed by her; legend has it that Henry actually wrote it). "Tropic of Cancer" was published (and immediately banned in the United States) in 1934. (By the way, off topic, Henry Miller reminds me a lot of Hunter S. Thompson, at least "Tropic of Cancer" and "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.")

A bit long and occasionally dense, but overall, a worthwhile and insightful glimpse into the life of a remarkable, thoughtful writer in 1930s France.

This is one of the most profound works of literature I have ever read. Nin leads you directly into her life, the nature of the people around her, her feelings and internal conflicts. She writes delicately and powerfully and womanly. Everyone should have a chance to read this.