Realism Books

This excerpt from "The Silence of Trees" draws the reader into the world of Nadya and keeps you wanting to learn more about what her future will bring. The writing is impeccable and makes you feel as if you are walking right next to her as she travels through the woods to find the gypsy camp.

I can't wait to read the remainder of the novel to see how Nadya's encounter with the voroshka impacts her life and those around her.

...this book to anyone who likes well-written literature. This powerful story would be interesting for readers of any age, upbringing or nationality. Can not wait to read the whole book, those first 14 pages are very impressive. Thank you.

A refreshing story that isn't often told. Great to see a Ukrainian story told from the eyes of a woman about a time that some of us don't know enough about. Will be waiting for the full book!

Just like a dream - I can fully live it myself. Can't wait for the rest....

Thank you!

The subtle beauty of this story pulls the reader in with whispers of magic and fairy tales. We meet our heroine, 16-year-old Nadya, who always has her head in the clouds. She is only vaguely aware of the tension in Ukraine, distant talk of war, and is concerned by more mundane things. Her wish is to steal over to the Gypsy camp and have a "voroshka" tell her fortune. Many of her friends have heard wonderful tales from the fortune teller, but Nadya's mother forbids her to go. Headstrong Nadya decides to go anyway, stealing into the dark night when her family is sleeping. The seduction of the Gypsy camp turns sinister when Nadya meets the voroshka, bruised and bloodied from a brutal encounter with Russian soldiers. The excerpt ends here, but we know there is more sorrow to come.

The writing in this piece is masterful, resonant, and haunting. It has an element of magic that makes it seem like a whimsical fairy tale, but whimsy is soon overcome with the dark words of war and brutality. It's a multi-layered story that drew me in with the powerful writing. Action is not at all lacking in this excerpt - I read eagerly to find out what happened to Nadya. My heart is actually still pounding from Nadya's adventures - if this book was available at Borders, I would be there right now buying it.

Please say this review is helpful to you. They told me that if I post another unhelpful review they're going to kill my ferret.

It was obvious to anyone who has known Peyser that something like this was bound to happen. I refer, of course, to Peyser's bout of aphasia during his freshman year at the College. Clearly this mysterious illness has returned in book-length, perhaps even a global, form. We may never really know what Peyser is up to in this book. Oh, for some Young and Champollion to decode this, the Rosetta Stone of post-modernism!

I don't usually tolerate so-called theory, but this was fun!

Don't let the title fool you--this is a down-to-earth, engaging work that deserves to be read by a much larger audience than the academic field it's probably relegated to.

This is a powerful, bleak book. None of the writers Peyser deals with is particularly optimistic. The possible exception is Howells but there is a dark undertow even to his work which Peyser makes sure we see. So a book about utopia is also a strangely, depressing read. 40 years or so after Brooke Farm, who would have thought things would have gotten so sad? Of course it was the turn the century and the best of the Western thinkers were thinking sad and pessimistic thoughts. And now here we are at the turn of another century and we have this powerful, bleak book. Have we come all that far after this century of bloodthirsty carnage? Is Utopia even further away than it was 100 years ago? Read Peyser's powerful, bleak book and see if you can answer some of these sad questions yourself. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

You know, this is not the sort of book I would normally read. But there it was, suddenly, on the coffee table one night. How it got there I have no idea. Just curious, I began to leaf through the pages, and the words began to resonate with me. Unable to sleep, I read it through in one sitting by candlelight. The next morning, I began to look at things around me differently. First, I removed several unessential appliances from the house in an effort to simplify my existence. Then it became time to de-clutter and I threw out several items I realized I had no more use for. Then, and this all seemed so logical in light of the things I'd read, I divorced the wife and sent her on her why. Sure, she cried a bit, but I knew I was doing the right thing. And I've never regretted it. This is, indeed, one of the best books I've read all year.

I subscribe to Ann's newsletter, and have purchased just about all her informational material she offers,and the good news is, Ms. Kullbert has plans to self-publish this title later this year or in 2009. That means we won't have to pay the outrageous prices this book is being offered at. We are artists, and "starving" maybe not, however, I prefer to purchase art materials with my extra bucks. Also, she offers a companion CD to this book with video clips on technique and printable line drawings from which to practice. Third, my fellow artists, she is just about finished her 3rd book...so watch for it!!!

This is a wonderful guide to rendering all the little details that can make a colored pencil painting special. There's a CD (available separately) of short movies of the author working on the projects in this book, and the CD and book together are an unbeatable combination. It's almost as good as private lessons from a master artist. I learned a great deal from this book.

It is not only a pretty book but very interesting and helpful.

This book is beautiful, full of great step by step information, color recipe information, and tips for beginners to advanced. A keeper!

I really like a lot of her techniques. They are easy to follow and very basic. Her books are good starting books. I have found others to show more techniques too that are great. It's just good to have a variety, since many artists have varying approaches. I basically will go with colored pencil artists whose work is excellent. I will not buy a book by an artist who does crappy art work, even if the techniques are great according to other readers. To me if the techniques are great, so would be the artwork.

Great book with lots of top notch art work. With all the good reviews on this book any one can see it appeals to a lot of people.
I would love to see Henry Yan in real life doing his thing, drawing from life.
I got a big kick out of the one artist who was disappointed in all the life drawing and no drawings from imagination, I believe good fantasy and imagined art can be based on solid foundation of good life drawing and I really think Henry Yan is throwing in plenty of his own style / imagination based on what he sees and what he feels.
If I were to pick one book out of my art library that showed me how to draw from life this is the one.

The front cover tells it all. This is a book of sketches drawn from five- to twenty-minute poses. All the beauty of the human form (male and female), and all the power that comes from years of drawing are apparent in each sketch. The amount of written instruction is less than a how-to book, which is fine, because the sketches speak for themselves. The basics of sharpening and handling different types of charcoal are illustrated, and techniques to achieve controlled lines and shading are emphasized. One of the best aspects for me is to see what painterly results are available from using charcoal. A masterful book, and a visual treat.

Henry Yan was my professor for two semesters a couple of years ago, and watching him draw was like getting to watch the old masters at work- and then he'd turn around and tell us "that's all you have to do." My favorite part of the class was watching the demos and watching him flip through his drawing pad searching for a clean page, because we got to catch glimpses of all his other demos, which were equally amazing. I always thought that there needed to be a book about him, or by him, because I have simply never seen a better figure artist. I was always disappointed when I would find drawing books for figure drawing where the author tried to teach realism, which they were rarely good at anyways. If you want the most inspiring, amazing figure drawing book there is, you should get this book. When I heard he had made it, I ran down to the illustration office and got my copy as soon as class was over. This, and Barbara Bradley's Drawing People are pretty much the best pieces in my art instruction library (sadly I never got to take a class with Barbara, since she recently retired from teaching).

For everybody whos looking a book about figure drawing, or at least anybody who wants to feast your eyes, This book is truly for you. I know many books on figure drawing are published out there, but when it comes to technique and look this what we, fellow artist, will say are superb in terms of technique and Deep Knowledge, very deep. The books features many beautiful artwork done by Master Yan, from short poses, long poses and also shows lots of approach and style. But this book is not for Somebody who has not any background of figure drawing. This book is for advanced people who already be able to draw figure, so they can look up onto something new and challenging. Because most of the drawing are so intuitive and spontaneous as result of Long long long Experience in mastering Figure drawing. The result may look awkward for beginner, but nevertheless, it's One of the best book you can get. Why I'm telling this? Because I had a chance to be his student and experience it myself, so I can share my experience when I was astonished and paralized to see his drawing in the first time...

If you are a fan of the works of Harley Brown, Ramon Kelly, or even Anthony Ryder you will enjoy this book. The book shows you how to approach the undertaking of life drawing. The most important aspect of the work is the life that is captured in the drawing. That which is presented is that which is important, and everything else fades into the background. If you are looking for highly detailed, everything in the picture in crisp focus, then this book might not be for you. This is more in the realm of the foundation work for a pastel or oil painting. The beauty of it is that the work can stand alone without going any further. It is somewhat impressionistic in the approach.

This book is a treasure by a true master draftsman. It is not an understatement to say that it is brilliant. Henry Yan is a ridiculously talented soul who teaches out of San Francisco. He paints, he draws. He also does one other thing (that I know of) really well; he is responsive to his customers and mails out the product extremely fast.

Thank you for a wonderful tome, Mr. Yan!!

The Human Comedy is a saga of 92 novels that Balzac said was written by French society. Legend described him as the night-shirted social recorder working until dawn fueled by liters of coffee. Lost Illusions (1837-1843) is considered to be one of the best of the novels in the series in scope and structure. From the frenetic world of writers and booksellers in Paris to the grueling life of hard work and boredom in villages, Balzac traced the systematic destruction of illusions in his characters. No one could be trusted (friends, foes, or family) when the creative or inventive characters attempted to reach a goal. The flicker of hope and joy related to an artistic or business accomplishment was extinguished within days or hours. The enduring artists and producers were those who lived almost without hope, guided by a strict code of ethics protected only by their ability to keep their accomplishments secret. Ultimately, some of these survivors reached their goals. But by then, they no longer placed high value in them, much of the luster lost with their illusions. Lost Illusions set the standard for many of the wonderful French novels of the subsequent years of the 19th Century. The reader is immersed in French culture in a manner similar to the later writing of Gustav Flaubert.

Lost Illusions by Balzac is one of the most famous novels out of the ninety two he wrote in his lifetime and maybe also among a million his admirers have written in 175 years since his first novel was published.

Balzac choses Lucien as a romantic, good-looking dreamy poet. We are first thrust into his provincial life, with details about his ordinary life and extraordinary ambitions that he has no means of realizing. Except patronage by an older woman! She leads him to Paris, only to abandon him to fight his way into the high society. How Lucien rises and falls in the glamorous, amorous, corrupt and vicious life as a journalist in Paris is picturized through a narrative that is bathed in realism, and yet proceeds through both suspense and wit, in the spirit of the pace at which Balzac could conjure up such novels.

In the provinces, Lucien has a friend, David, who likewise is somewhat lacking in social and economic acumen, and is a hard working inventor. David own father ruins him by extracting an unreasonable price for the printing press that he leaves or sells to his own son. Crafty competitors take advantage of David's credulous character. David endures both provincial small mindedness and economic setbacks suffered to keep Lucien afloat. Balzac displays his knowledge of these disparate characters with remarkable attention to detail. He weaves an undercurrent, of what could have passes as a dissertation, on the art and science of paper making.

Balzac creates in his one book, a saga that unravels friendship, love, jealousy, lust, ambition, vanity, greed and absurdity that lurk in our beings and in our relationships. By using two main pillars, Lucien and David, Balzac erects a bridge into the two worlds of poetry and science. He shuns hint of any romance of either worlds, and shows how much character, how many hardships and set-backs, how much devotion and labor are required for a man to become a known poet or a scientist.

I am quoting an example from this translation (carried out by Katharine Prescott Wormeley):

"No one can be a great man cheaply," said d'Arthez in his gentle voice. "Genius waters her work with tears.Talent is a moral being which, like all other beings, is subject to the maladies of childhood. Society rejects undeveloped talent just as nature removes her feeble or deformed creations. Whoever wishes to rise above his fellows must be prepared to struggle, and not recoil at difficulty. A great writer is a martyr who does not die - that's the whole of it!"

Besides the two pillars, the book has an interesting array of characters. Actresses, society women, editors and publishers, lawyers, struggling writers, dandies - all appear with their human failings and foibles as part of a drama that unfolds with an enrapturing narrative. Be it history, economics, alchemy, or psychology, or any topic under the sun, Balzac ushers in his great knowledge, suspending and supporting the story with able and apt pointers, tresses and metaphors.

Balzac's Lost Illusions is undoubtedly a classic everyone can enjoy and must read at some point in their lives. Highly recommended.

I read this book during my latest visit to my favorite middle east country. I must admit that I didn't enjoy this book as much as others. I felt like it was slow to come around and I thought there was too much detail on (seemingly) unimportant things at times. I'm just a regular person, so that said if you are an accomplished reader you may love this, for neophytes such as myself, other titles are more likely to be properly enjoyed (see my reviews)...and keep me updated!

This is one of the best novels by Balzac, which is to say much, since he is still one of the best writers that have ever lived. Here, as in the rest of his work, the reader can appreciate Balzac's knowledge of worldly life, and especially the world of business, so alien to other writers. In this book he elaborates on the printing business as well as on journalism -vastly so-, back when it first began as a mercantilist activity. He contrasts the small life and intrigues of the province with the -no less petty but more gandiose- life and intrigues of the big city, Paris, and in particular of the faubourg Saint-Germain, the paradise of the Parisian jet-set.

David Sechard is a young man who inherits, at great cost, his cold and greedy father's printing business. Lucien Chardon (later "de Rubempre", after taking his impoversihed mother's more aristocratic last name) is his best friend. Both of them share a love for poetry, but it is Lucien who comes to shine as the young genius of province, the promise for whom it is worth it to sacrifice it all. Lucien gets the love of one Louise de Bargeton, the "queen of Angouleme", the most cultivated and refined woman in town. Louise promises to take Lucien to Paris, introduce him into the great society, and make him triumph as a poet. His family gives him all they can to get him started, and off he goes to Paris. But he happens to be arrogant, proud, and insecure, and soon he suffers the despise and insolence of aristocrats and other rich people. After what he believes to be an offense from Louise, he rejects her, earning her eternal hatred.

In the meantime, Lucien has been spending time with two very different circles of friends. The first is composed of a group of young intellectuals, hardworking guys sacrificing money and fun for the sake of science, art, and knowledge. They are there for him in times of need, and encourage him to keep up with his writing. The second group is a bunch of journalists, easy going but corrupt people who convince him to achieve quick fame and money. Lucien gets more and more trapped by this seemingly easy life, and after he conquers the love of the prettiest actress in Paris, his fate is decided. He achieves fame and fortune overnight, and so he jumps completely into the world of parties, frivolity and silly competition for status. At this point in the novel, Balzac introduces us to the sordid, decadent, and disgusting world of journalism understood as an unmerciful network of extortion and constant blackmailing. Lucien slides down that road, getting recognition and fame, oblivious to the growing net of envy that closes in around him every day.

What follows is the sad story of an unlikable character. Lucien has very little redeeming qualities about him, as opposed to some of his early friends, his young lover and his family. He is blind as blind can be, since his extreme selfishness builds a cloud in which he lives. He cares for nobody, except perhaps for the little Coralie, and he goes on leaving too many wounded bodies by the side of the road. Nevertheless, this character is the vehicle that allows Balzac to show us the real world out there. This writer never ever gives up to the temptation of sweetening things for the reader, he's brave and persists on his plan. Balzac is never a moralizing preacher, he is just a skillful painter of life as it is.

Here, as in the rest of his work, you will find characters who also appear in other novels, an ingenious device intended to give us a feeling of reality. This book is never boring and builds up tension rapidly, even for its length. It is an encompassing ride through all the fancies of youth gone wrong, as well as an unrelenting depiction of all the falseness and emptiness of high society. Much recommended.

I love Balzac. At his best he soars above the rest of French literature and here he is definitely at his finest. Easy to see why Proust thought him the best, at his best. Vautrin/Collyn is at his most sinister and attractive. If you haven't read Balzac before, this is the best to start with.

My ten-year-old son and I loved this audio book. We couldn't wait to hear about all the "wonderfuls". Highly recommended.

So I am a sucker for all those downhome novels celebrating small-town life. Oh well. This book fits that niche of mine well as it blatantly declares to the world that even the most simple of places may be hiding something extraordinary. Granted, the discoveries made here would probably be the mock and scorn of more civilized areas, but they held a sweetly strong spirit that appealed to my sense of story-telling. The writing is bright, cheerful, and expressive. I was impressed by the assortment of well-drawn characters complete with their personal drama, humor, and mysteries. I expected a pretty caged plot, but the story was loose enough, depending on its characters with their individual stories, to let itself become entrenched in emotions. It's not at the level of Kate DiCamillo or Richard Peck, but Ms. Birney did make something pretty darn sweet.

Our town chooses a book each winter, which they call the "One Book, One Community Project". We just moved here so this is our 1st and I am very excited about the project. As soon as I heard about it, I went to the library and checked out the book. Even before my 3rd grader started it in school. The book is so engaging and really gets your imagination juices flowing. I really am enjoying the events our community is putting together that tie into the Wonders of Sassafras Springs. We have projects like finding wonders, Applehead doll making & discussion groups. We even had a woman play the saw at our kickoff party.
I went out and bought the book and the same day my 3rd grader picked it up and did not put it down until he completed reading all 200+ pages.
Today we will be making an Appledoll instead of watching tv or playing video games.

This book was easy to read and a great story. My mom and I read it together. We both enjoyed it.The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs

Sometimes we get so caught up in doing things and going places, we forget about the things around us that are so important and beautiful! We forget to smell the roses. This book is so easy to read and you want to read it. I was intrigued by trying to figure out what he might find next. I loved this book!

I can not get enough of Burton Silverman and this book was just what I needed.
I just flip open a page and study how he pulls it off, great painting that is.
I have not read the whole book, just little bits here and there.
But I sure have looked at all the pretty pictures and so should any one who likes B. Silvermans work.
Barry

You will have to admire the works of Burt Silverman presented in this well designed compilation of his work. I have followed his work for years and he's just one of those magical craftsmen that makes me just shake my head in wonder when I see what he can do with a paint brush. He is certainly one of the best artist of our age. If you love art in the realist format, you will be well pleased with this book and with Mr. Silverman's work. This one is a "keeper".

This is the story of a man's quest for truth in art in spite of a country's infatuation with its new found Modern Art. I found the book to be BEAUTIFUL, COMPELLING, ILLUMINATING, and INSPIRING...filled with IMAGES OF the LOVE that Mr Silverman has for his subjects, his kind & curious Humanist "take" on the World, and his incredible volume of awe inspiring work. He has crossed the barriers of "illustration" showing us that Art is Art when "spoken" by the true voice.

Most people who would buy this book are already familiar with Burton Silverman's paintings. The book is no disappointment; the reproductions are large and sensitive to color nuances, on heavy paper, and there are a lot of them. There are short essays by Silverman about each painting which show an honest, contemplative mind at work. It's not a how-to book; there's no pedantic bloviating, just a humble, intelligent man describing the circumstances behind each picture. At first I pegged Silverman as one of those East Coast types who paint their Greenwich Village friends sitting still with expressionless faces and vacant stares. It all seemed too academic, lacking action and vigor, like most modern art. But his understanding of color and composition is undeniable, and the personalities he depicts grow on you. They are of the type of person who can be found in artist's lofts, in front of Folger's coffee cans full of paintbrushes, wearing sweaters and spectacles, New York academics and intellectuals who go to poetry readings, listen to Public Radio, and fret about the fate of the Rosenbergs. He's a world traveller, so he has other types of people, too, but he seems to know all of them personally, and doesn't just paint anonymous models. Though his work is a little tame compared to the kind of entertainment industry stuff I'm interested in, commercial illustrators could learn a lot from Silverman's penetrating eye and calm, balanced judgement.

Just a few lines (as I chose to write below) to be an 'unhelpful' review.

My fingers wiggle when seeing the drawings. My nerve cells tingle trying to process/digest/analyze color combinations in the paintings, and half of me trying to get off the chair and get to the easel to "mix 'em colors".

Some body, catch me! I am falling... in love.

A love story about acceptance in seemingly unacceptable situations. All of Kaliors stories have a lesson. This was a great fantasy novel.

This book was a great romance that had a lot of suspense throughout it. Was filled with great plots. The author did a wonderful job and can't wait to see more books from her!!!

The story is about one of those epic romances,like Gone with the Wind,only this story has all the elements of dark fantasy,including magic,and uncovering all dark psychology of humane nature. I found this story interesting because it wasn't as much about good against evil,(although the tension there is strong.)as it is about how one can't exist without the other. And what happens if there is a great imbalance? The culprit in this story played by the main antagonist is Apathy, although that word is not used but played by a supernatural character. The plots and subplots were characteristic of Shakespeare,and the medieval magical epic story reminded me somewhat of the story Excalibur. There was alot of depth to this book,many layers to it that all came together in the end unraveling a very exciting mystery.

I really enjoyed the intense romance. The story was filled with interesting subplots, suspense and adventure. This is great look into human nature. I did not get bored reading this book. It always held by attention. I hope there is a sequel.

I quite enjoyed this- I thought it had some nice, intense romantic tension. There was a rich plot with many subplots, and it had plenty of suspense and surprises. I liked the powerful psychological interplay between characters representing harmony and chaos. Overall a good read.

"Realism"- A more fitting description of this book could not have been found. The creators have developed perhaps the best resource book and teaching aid on structural anatomy I have had the pleasure to utilize.

My school added this book to their library, and it has helped me a great deal. Very detailed and clean images. I've recommended it to all my classmates.

I've used this book as a guide to human body sculpting. This book has given me a better understanding of muscle structure as I built my clay model from the skeletton, and then adding muscles. I recommend it to any artist who strive to represent the human body with accuracy, be it in 3D or 2D.

I always found it difficult to relate to the way individual muscles act alone or in groups to shape and to move the human body. Page after page this book brings a simplicity to a complicated form and trust me on this one...you will have a greater appreciation of the functional body when you aquire this atlas.

I have used my REALISM book countless times as a student of anatomy, and as a practicing massage therapist. The outstanding images in REALISM capture the detail of each bone intricately and each muscle so clearly. As a student learning origins and insertions of muscles this book was invaluable, and as I educate my clients about their own bodies; explaining where muscles are or why somethings hurting etc. I am constantly reffering back to REALISM whether it's to show someone where a muscle is on their body or to refresh my own understanding. I would recommend this book to anyone whether you are a student of anatomy, working in a field where you need to know detailed anatomy, or someone who simply wants to understand their body structure a whole lot better!

I'm definitely not much of a novel reader. Reading puts me to sleep. From the moment I began reading this book, I knew I wouldn't be able to get through the day without completing it. There would be no way I'd be able to go to bed not knowing what happens to not only the main character, but everyone else, as their stories are conveyed through such razor sharp imagery with a splash of humor that's just right. I was completely enthralled. I'm not literary expert, but the technique of developing the story in terms each character was especially effective. This is definitely a 5-star read and I believe Arvin truly has a gift. I can't wait to read his other stuff. He won't be going anywhere but UP from here!

Life is all about change, and for a group of college students struggling to figure out who they are and where they fit into the world, change is about to come whether they're ready or not. Coming-of-age novels seem to be a dime a dozen these days. Heck, I've written two of them myself. It takes something special to make one stand out, and something special pretty well describes The Rest is Illusion.

Arvin's writing style is poetic and descriptive, occasionally treading dangerously close to florid. A few times, I felt the need to reach for my dictionary. He either has one heck of a vocabulary or he keeps his thesaurus close at hand. Still, overall, I found the writing beautiful. Some of the imagery almost left me breathless.

It's with his characters that he really shines, however. Through the use of shifting viewpoints, you come to know each of the five main characters inside and out. You understand their motives, their hopes and dreams, and even their deepest fears.

My biggest complaint -- and it's still a minor one -- would be the things we don't know. We never find out what disease Dash is suffering from, or what exactly Wilder did to Dash, or what he's is holding over Maggie, a minor character who plays an important role in the big climax. These details are inconsequential on the whole, but loose threads just bug me.

Arvin describes the book as magical realism, but the magic in The Rest is Illusion is subtle. It's more about the power of love, friendship, and acceptance than wands and spells. Still, there are otherworldly forces at work in the lives of Dash, Ashley, Sarah, Tony, and Wilder, and before the story is over, they will all be changed forever. And, just maybe, you will be, too.

The story is about a group of college students whose lives are radically changed over the course of a week with phenomenal results. The novel is extremely well written by first time author Eric Arvin with characters that seem to live a life on the page. As you read his prose, the characters are instantly visualised by his use of emotion and colourful adjectival phrases. The situations are extremely believable and the story urges to you to read on as you are never quite sure where the story will lead you. This is a novel that speaks volume for a generation that would be able to associate with the characters and the situation much in the same vein as John Knowles' `Separate Peace' or the outstanding Donna Tartt's `The Secret History'.

The setting sparks with a breath all its own. Arvin has been able to capture the landscape with the utmost knowledge in which every bird can be heard, every bark of the tree felt and every blossom smelt. The author has a keen sense of knowingness about his characters and their surrounds.

This talented author gives promise of things to come. The Rest is Illusion is an extremely accomplished piece of art from Eric Arvin. The novel is pure ingenious in its plot, development, use of wording and structure. If this is the first novel by Arvin, I can not wait to read his other works. It's very rare that you come up to a promising author who has such promise. This truly is a remarkable piece of art that should be savoured. This is a book that should at least be read at least once. Keep an eye on this boy, he is going to go far.

I am long overdue in writing my review of this uplifting, magical debut novel. Like most GLBT fiction I've enjoyed, the hero of THE REST IS ILLUSION may be gay, but this is hardly a "gay" story. As a matter of fact, with its rural setting and underlying message about spiritual destiny, I'd go as far as to say it has more in common with John Irving's A PRAYER FOR OWEN MEANY than any of the countless frothy urban gay dramedies on the market these days.

In brief, this is the story of a group of New England college students whose lives intersect during one chilly winter week. The book's primary conflict is precipitated by the scheming, upper-crust son of a right wing politician, who uses blackmail to control the lives of those he deems his social and moral inferiors. These include the book's protagonist, who may be dying of an unnamed, hereditary illness, a timid girl and a closeted athlete. Rounding out the story are the daughter of a conservative Christian minister and a charismatic albino with a genius IQ. For the most part, the characters are well defined and over the course of the story each undergoes a personal growth arc - some expected, others delightfully surprising. My only disappointment here was with the "villains" of the piece, who would have been far more intriguing as characters had Arvin depicted them with a lighter touch and perhaps offered readers more insight into their inner lives and motivations.

The stolid, no-nonsense writing style nicely balances the book's supernatural elements. And although the book has a spiritual message at its heart, even a hardened atheist like me felt deeply moved by the ending. On the topic of the ending, the Epilogue reads a bit like it was tacked on to provide closure in the form of a tidy denouement which, for me, blunts the emotional impact of the book's haunting climax. But this is a minor caveat. I'd recommend this for fans of GLBT literature who seek thought-provoking and meaningful work.

I seldom start and finish a book in one sitting. I'm not easily enticed into seven hour marathon reads, but Eric Arvin's first published novel THE REST IS ILLUSION managed to entice me. The minute I started I had to know what happened next and that feeling carried me to the final page. This is a fascinating book, with dramatic characters and relationships, a strong spiritual undercurrent, and a no-holds-barred approach to story telling.

The setting is Verona College, a small private school nestled near a dark and, some might claim, enchanted river valley. Spring is coming, but the chill of winter still dominates. The first person we meet is Dashel Yarnsbrook, a senior suffering from an unnamed disease.

Dash's best friends are his straight albino fraternity roommate Ashley Owen Walterhouse III and Sarah Coheen, a girl who loves Dash even though she knows he's gay. There is also Tony Votts, a kindhearted football jock struggling to hide his interest in other guys, and Wilder Rawls a smooth operator, determined to hold the upper hand in all situations.

Through the course of a week the lives of these five students intertwine and drastically change. Ashley and Sarah bond over their mutual concern for Dash. Wilder's viciousness rears its ugly head and Tony must face the life shattering consequences. Tony's growing feelings for Dash seem to be the only thing keeping him from losing control.

The fates are determined to play a part in this building drama even as the inevitable approaches and situations are not always as they seem. Hope vanishes as quickly as the mild weather, only to reappear like the sudden emergence of spring. Valor and love do their best to preserver as a classic battle between good and evil plays out on the remote college campus.

With this novel Arvin demonstrates a real sense of the big picture. He has a firm grasp on what he sees as the truth to the illusions we manufacture while coping with life, and the beauty that exists beyond pain. There is a strong Celtic like spirituality that permeates the book leaving the reader with both a feeling of loss and abundant joy, truly a remarkable accomplishment. I have never read anything quite like it.