Dune Books


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Dune Books sorted by Average customer review: high to low .

Dune
Rena's Promise
Published in Paperback by Beacon Press (1996-10-30)
Authors: Rena Kornreich Gelissen, Heather Dune Macadam, and Rena Kornreich Gelisssen
List price: $16.00
New price: $7.90
Used price: $3.20
Collectible price: $16.00

Average review score:

Amazing Rena and amazing struggle to live
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-08-11
It's my #5 book on memoirs of the Holocaust. All of them I discovered right here, on Amazon.
The first one was "Thanks to my Mother" by Shoshana Rabinovici about life and survival by a minute in the Vilna Ghetto. Then was "Alicia", "Cage"...
Rena and Danka are two sisters in Poland. Rena promised their mother to be with her littler sister and watch her. And all she was doing in Auswitz was to keep Danka alive. Amazing woman and very very street smart. There were so many situations where most people would loose the will to live, but Rena kept finding the ways to save herself and Danka at the last split of a second. Over two years to be in the Death camp and survive!
An amazing Courage to fight for Life!
An amazing example for us all!

Excellent reading!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-02-01
I just started reading this book yesterday, and I must say I am completely intrigued! I do like this type of memoir reading and I love to read about the atroscities of the holocaust. This book is a very easy read and it really captivates you; I haven't wanted to put it down yet!!

Excellent example of a Holocaust event
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-12-18
On a day where a person has everything that they need and no need to cry is the same day that a person may be going through what one would consider the "worst" day of their life. The novel Rena's Promise is the best novel that a person could ever read because it talks about the Holocaust but, not only does it describe the bad times but it makes one feel as though they were right beside Rena during those years. Rena's Promise is the beautifully told story of two remarkable young women in their early twenties who endure and survive nearly three and one half years as prisoners of the Nazis in Auschwitz and Ravensbruck. My favorite aspect of the book is how no matter what goes on in Auschwitz or Birkaneau, Rena still made sure that she would stick to the promise that she made to her mother which was that she would take care of her sister. In addition, Rena's Promise is powerful because as Rena was describing the events that took place in the camp it felt as though I were right beside her the whole time due to the imagery that she used. Although I can feel her sorrow and pain, I cannot feel the cold freezing my body at every minute, I will never starve the way in which she did and I will never be treated as badly as she did. For anyone who may have been involved in the Holocaust or is just a fan of the Holocaust, this book will definitely captivate you and you will not want to put it down. It's an amazing book so I would absolutely suggest that you read it. (Fonda Walker).

Unbelievable but True
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-12-27
This is an incredible story of sisters in a concentration camp. I've done a great deal of research into the Holocaust, but never have I come across a book quite like this one. It literally changed my life. I found myself thinking about it for days afterwards, little things reminding me of Rena's story--eating a potato, walking outside with a coat on, seeing a young child playing. I found a distinct connection with Rena, even asking myself if I could do what she did.
Rena is an astonishing woman who is responsible for her sister surviving Auschwitz. The critic got it wrong when s/he said that Rena's promise was made to her mother to protect the baby; Rena's promise is to her sister, that if her sister is to die in that terrible place, she will not die alone. Rena went through a terrible ordeal to keep them both alive, and to attempt to recount it here would be a great injustice to Rena's story and spirit.
Read the book. It will change your life.

Courageous but a dead giveaway
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2007-12-17
I came away from Rena's Promise with a new found respect for people who have experienced racial discrimination. Rena Korneich Gelissen and Heather Dune Macadam did an excellent job of reconstructing Rena's life prior to the Holocaust and what happened as the Allied Powers were beginning to win. Although I never read a novel about any historical issue, Rena's Promise seemed to portray an acquire example of many historical events within that time period. Even though I came away from the novel very pleased, it did possess some limitations. In my opinion the pictures within the book should be at the end of the novel because it takes away from the suspense of surviving her terrible ordeal. If this was put into thought, then the reader would have enjoyed her escape or her survival even more. I also enjoyed the author's use of diction because the reader is able to learn Polish or German words while they are reading, although they may have been hard to pronounce. Nevertheless this is an excellent book about a courageous young lady who went through some horrendous events during the Holocaust, although it was a little far fetch.

Dune
The Dune Encyclopedia
Published in Paperback by Corgi (1984)
Author: Willis E. (compiled from writings of Frank Herbert) McNelly
List price:
Used price: $82.82

Average review score:

A must for Dune fans!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2006-10-21
My copy of the Dune Encyclopedia is from 1985 and I remember seeing it on the shelf at the bookstore and purchasing it without even looking at it first!

It gives excellent detail about the technology written about in the series and insight that really adds to the Dune experience.

If you can find a copy of this book it is well worth the read. I am just amazed it is selling for $50.00+ (I paid $10 for mine in 1985) It would be nice to see this come back into print so more people can enjoy an in depth exploration into this wonderful series.

Super Reader
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-08-26
An overview of the places, people and technology in the Dune universe. This explains a lot of the detail of things that Herbert just mentions in passing, such as the scientists that invented shields, or space travel, or things like that.

It is very useful to gain a better understanding of all those finer points.

Irony
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2006-09-17
The first time I ran into the Dune Encyclopedia was purely by accident. I was on Morpheus (a P2P downloading site) and I typed down "DUNE" on the search bar, on the generated list was "The Dune Encyclopedia".

It took days for it to download because only one person was sharing it... meaning that not many people knew it existed and not many people have a digital ebook copy of this book.

Once it was finally on my computer I read as much as I could -- sadly my computer was experiencing many problems and crashed.

Sinse then, I've never been able to find another digital copy. I've resorted to purchasing a $30 one here on good ol' Amazon, however, sinse it's out of print and no publishing house is making any money off of it anymore, I say we as fans should force it back into print as an ebook.

Totally canon
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2008-10-01
This, and the six Dune books by Frank Herbert are the true books of the Dune universe. Period.

Ignore the tripe by Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson. Disregard their works as fanfiction, and badly written at that. If you want to know more about Dune, this is the book for you.

Holy Grail found!!
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2005-11-13
Just recently I found a good condition copy of The Dune Encyclopedia at a local used book dealer. I was completely shocked to have found it on the "recent arrivals" shelf in the Sci-Fi section. I grabbed it up and leafed through it to verify its existence. It was real alright. The fact that I bought it for only $4.50 is more extraordinary. Yes, $4.50 !!! They must not have realized what a treasure they had.
So keep looking everyone, there are still hidden treasures out there to be found.

Dune
Constance. Journal d'une jeune fille aux premiers temps de la Nouvelle-Angleterre
Published in Mass Market Paperback by L'Ecole des loisirs (1988-01-01)
Author: Patricia Clapp
List price:
New price: $13.83
Used price: $22.40

Average review score:

Great for kids, adults, and everyone in between
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-11-03
My mother gave me this book when I was in elementary school, and I didn't have much interest in it...at first. When I finally got around to reading it, I thought I would have to force myself through it, but I couldn't have been more wrong. Constance has tied with Pride and Prejudice for my favorite book of all time. I have read it at least once (sometimes twice) a year [...], and now - as a freshman in college - I'm re-reading it again and still find it as great as it ever was! It's so rare to find a book that appeals to both kids and adults, and the great thing about Constance is that, as you get older, you notice more and more about the characters and the story. If you're able to get your hands on a copy of this book, don't hesitate to buy it!

a good book for anyone who loves historical romances!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-08-25
Constance is a book about a girl who moves to America and starts out on fresh land. i love romances and this book is very romantic! Constance is a complete flirt! Theres many twists in the book but i still liked it very much. basically its about a girl who grows and learns about her new home theres indians and a great sickness and many romances. enjoy!

A Classic Read
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-11-23
This book was given to me when I was nine, and is a long-standing favorite. I'm now in my late teens, but every November I read it again for old time's sake around Thanksgiving, and every year I love it. It speaks many truths about life in general, and Constance is an engaging and highly relatable character. I looked online out of interest to see if it was as widely read as I thought it should be, and thankfully it appears to be. This book would make an excellent gift for a young girl; it is gaurenteed to be a book she will read over and over again and always hold a special place in her heart.

Wonderful and historically accurate
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-07-11
I picked up "Constance" somewhere - I have no idea where, but my copy is old and yellowed and falling apart. I read it and fell in love with it. I must say - my old copy has a fantastic cover and I much prefer it to the one depicted here. But that's by the by... =)

I'm teaching my (7th grade) son the 1600-1850 time period this year and was able to pull "Constance" off the shelf and introduce him to its delights. It has been the ONLY book he has begged me to continue to read to him outside of planned school reading times. WOO HOO! It warms the cockles of this mother's heart. We've laughed at the funny bits, sobbed our hearts out at the sad bits, and marveled how these people, with their numbers decimated that very first spring, worked together to make a successful community.

We'll be finishing the book tomorrow. I drove him bananas by reading the first sentence of tomorrow's reading, telling him WHO proposed but NOT what the answer or consequence was. He says I'm an evil mother. =D I laughed with joy at his enthusiasm for the book.

My Favorite Book
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2005-11-29
I got this book on a trip to the East Coast when I was ten years old and fell in love. It was my favorite book during all of my early teen years; and though I haven't read it in years, I think it will always hold the place in my heart as my favorite book.

Dune
The Story of a Soul (L'Histoire d'une Âme): The Autobiography of St. Therese of Lisieux
Published in Paperback by Echo Library (2006-09-25)
Author: Therese Martin (of Lisieux)
List price: $14.90
New price: $13.28
Used price: $11.00

Average review score:

A worth while read, hard to put down!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-07-30
St. Therese has a lot to say to this day and age. Her "Little Way" is so simple and based on love. I have personally found Story of a Soul very useful in my spiritual life. Even though she is a saint, she is very easy to relate to where ever you are in life's journey. It is a book that I certainly will be reading again as it has made such an impact on my life. Saint Therese may be called The Little Flower but after reading this you realise that she is a stirdy little flower made of steel! A lot of people can be put off her by how she is portrayed, as was I before I read about her life in her words. So get to know her!

A devotional classic is excellent introduction to this Saint
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-04-30
This book is a great place to start learning about Therese. Includes the full text of the autobiography, and some supplementary material incl. a introduction to the autobiography and life of Therese and some of her letters and prayers. You can get much of this stuff online, but the book is a delight, with many pictures.

Therese is a very special person, and I recommend a familiarity with her beautiful soul.

The Little Flower and Her Little Way .
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-07-23
Excellent book and in her own words unedited. Also a good little book on St. Therese is 'Heart of a Soul'. This book Iam reviewing is A MUST Read.

The book issued by Echo Library in 2006, edited by T. Taylor, is an obsolete translation of an inauthentic version of a classic
Helpful Votes: 18 out of 21 total.
Review Date: 2007-05-26
Rev. Thomas Taylor's early 20th century translation of the memoir of St. Therese of Lisieux, unfortunately republished in 2006 by Echo Library, was made from the only manuscript then available outside her monastery, one substantially rewritten by Therese's sister Pauline, who made seven thousand changes. Scholars interested in the documents which gave rise to the cult of St. Therese may wish to consult early versions of Taylor. I urge those who want to read what Therese wrote to read the third edition of "Story of a Soul" translated by Fr. John Clarke, OCD, and published by ICS Publications in 1976. The Clarke translation, made from the unretouched manuscript written by Therese (an authentic manuscript published in French only in 1956), is recognized as the standard throughout the English-speaking world. No other translation compares to it. The book is enriched by an introduction, afterword, and easy-to-read notes that set Therese's manuscripts in the context of her life, and the index makes it even more useful. Whether you have not read "Story of a Soul" or have read only earlier English translations (Taylor, Knox, Beevers), the Clarke translation will open the world of Therese to you. Don't miss it. You'll find it at Story of a Soul: The Autobiography of St. Therese of Lisieux, Third Edition

Story of a Soul: The Autobiography of St. Therese of Lisieux, Third Edition
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2007-01-11
It is a well written, inspirational text. I really liked the historical aspects as well as the religious excerpts. Great book for anyone experiencing an ongoing illness. It helps to put the disease in perspective. :)

Dune
Profil D'Une Oeuvre
Published in Mass Market Paperback by Editions Hatier (1998-01-28)
Author:
List price:

Average review score:

Exquis, magnifique, superbe verbe et texture
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2002-07-18
Ce livre est un chef-d'oeuvre que l'on déguste du début à la fin et que l'on apprécie de plus en plus à chaque relecture. J'adore Boris Vian et l'aurait marié sans même y penser après avoir lu ce qui coule de sa plume. Les mondes qu'il crée sont fascinants, et celui-ci est le plus beau de tous.

Exquis, magnifique, superbe verbe et texture
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2002-07-18
Ce livre est un chef-d'oeuvre que l'on déguste du début à la fin et que l'on apprécie de plus en plus à chaque relecture. J'adore Boris Vian et l'aurait marié sans même y penser après avoir lu ce qui coule de sa plume. Les mondes qu'il crée sont fascinants, et celui-ci est le plus beau de tous.

searing, unmissable love story
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2002-02-19
L'Ecume des Jours (or, John Sturrock's translation, Foam of the days) tells us a story of Colin and Chloé and their love.
Of love that - however pure, serene and (perhaps) unbelievable it may appear to our everyday eye - is very much innocent. Like the one that, at least some of us, have always wished to experience.
The whole story has, unfortunatelly, a tragical end. But then, it wouldn't be one of the nicest books I have ever read. Only to express myself better through similarity, it is Jamiroquai's "Falling" that makes me think of Collin's falling in love with Chloé - except that Collin's love is 'returned' - they both love each other dearly and very much.
The whole story is divided in two parts - two worlds where love stays the same (even grows!) only the encompassing world undergo (terrible) changes. It's the careless world of Colin's and Chloe's love before they get married, full of warmness that only two suns may produce, and of the world after their wedding. The moment they say final yes at their wedding, Chloe gets ill and the whole preceding atmosphere suddenly changes from "happy" to "gloomy." As I said, the love stays, even gets greater, but the whole story then leads to an inevitable tragical end...
In Vian's own words it's a history that is "...entirely true as I made it up from the beginning to the very end." ["...entierement vraie, puisque je l'ai imaginée d'un bout a l'autre"] I would not quite say it is wholly made up although it's only my opinion. Yes, the story is a bit unreal, perhaps exaggerated, but I think it needs to be in order to let us feel and (hopefully) realize, that as 'panta rei' (as Time flows by) we should pauper our friendships and, when being loved and loving ourselves, then we should love sincerely and happily.

Une histoire triste
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2005-04-11
This brilliant work of fiction, akin to a fairy-tale, combines science-fiction, surrealism, absurdism, lyricism...
One of the highlights of post-war French litterature, it has become somewhat of a cult favourite for teenagers, as it relates the lives of yound adults who refuse to accept the responsabilities of adulthood, preferring to live according to principles eerily similar to those held by hippies, refusing to temper idealism with the demands of reality.

A fresh and poignant tale
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2003-09-01
It is a pity that Boris Vian has no name recognition in the anglo-saxon world. Much to blame is probably the uniqueness of his language and unconventional writing approach. This refreshing tale encompasses youth, love and the fleeting aspect of all that is precious in life.

Dune
Dream Golf: The Making of Bandon Dunes
Published in Hardcover by Algonquin Books (2006-05-19)
Author: Stephen Goodwin
List price: $24.95
New price: $11.28
Used price: $4.48
Collectible price: $24.95

Average review score:

Dream Golf
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-11-16
Really excellent account of the development of Bandon Dunes. I should have read more than the first 100 pages before actually going to Bandon Dunes and playing the three courses - that would have added even more pleasure to the three days I thoroughly enjoyed there.

If you love golf, this is a must read!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-05-02
If you play golf and want to get a flavor for the vision of how a destination like Bandon Dunes became a reality, this is a must read. Bandon is one, if not, the most special golf location in the world. I have played in Scotland and Ireland and Bandon has a purity that few other locations can replicate. It feels like it has been there for hundreds of years and the book explains how it came to be. You will not be disappointed.

Great gift!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-10-24
I have not read this book, but my Dad is raving about it. He is reading it prior to his trip to Bandon Dunes and he has never thanked me more for a gift. For the golfer in your life who is impossible to shop for--this is the gift for them.

Excellent Book
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-05-06
Fantastic story, very well written. A must read for not only golfers, but for environmentalist and landscape architects also.

Makes a Great Gift
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-04-10
This book is the perfect gift for your favorite golfer. Even non-golfers and golfers who don't normally read will enjoy this story of dream golf.

Dune
The Essential Guide to Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve (Jewels of the Rockies)
Published in Paperback by Colorado Mountain Club Press (2003-07)
Authors: Charlie Winger and Diane Winger
List price: $19.95
New price: $12.53
Used price: $11.95

Average review score:

Excellent...
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-27
Excellent book...as a avid backpacker i was very impressed with the hiking/trail descriptions included...there a TONS of them...very good educational information about the dunes and the surrounding areas as well...I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to get a little more out of there dunes trip than a trip to the visitors center...while your there try and catch a sunset from atop the dunes!

Accurate and entertaining
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2003-09-13
This is an excellent guidebook. Most importantly, the maps and descriptions are very accurate yet still entertaining to read.

The guidebook encompasses short family appropriate hikes such as the Visitor Center Interpretive trail (.5 miles) to the more strenuous bushwhacking ascent of Carbonate Mountain (9.2 miles and 4,580 feet). A resource guide at the back of the book summarizes hikes by destination, difficulty, distance, and duration.

I have to not only recommend the guidebook, but the Great Sand Dunes area as well. I have spent many days hiking in Colorado (as well as other states and countries), and the Sand Dunes is truly a wonderful place for its unique beauty and ruggedness.

Last July 4th weekend, I hiked up Tijeras Peak which rises to 13,600 feet. The trail took me trough alpine meadows to an open expanse of lakes surrounded by peaks up a steep snow chute and eventually to the summit of Tijeras with awesome views that truly have to be experienced to be understood. And I had the summit all to myself.

I look forward to many more days in the Sand Dunes with this guidebook.

The Dunes and San Luis Valley uncovered
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-06-11
Although the Great San Dunes National Park is the draw, the San Luis Valley has much more to offer than a slide down the dunes or wade in Medano Creek, and the Wingers tell you where to go and how to get there. They also give you the cultural and historical context, flora, fauna and place name translations. Well written and beautifully photographed, this guide is essential for those who come to experience the place as well as the sand. They even suggest renting the classic Japanese film, Woman in the Dunes. Thanks, Charlie and Diane!

Something for Everyone
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2003-09-13
This new guidebook covers ALL aspects of the Great Sand Dunes. There is something for everyone interested in this beautiful, unique ecosystem in Colorado: natural and cultural history, hiking and climbing and other recreational activities, and local events and attractions . . . this book has it all. Want to know about the eolian (wind) geology that formed the dunes? Want to know which picnic spots are the best? Want to know what rock pro you can leave at home when climbing The Prow route on Kit Carson Mountain? The Wingers seem to provide information and resources about everything! Their easy, conversational style draws you into the delights of the dunes and echoes the small-town friendliness of the surrounding area. And this is a guidebook that can travel with you - its quality binding and sturdy pages will hold up to frequent use, which is inevitable once you experience this special area of Colorado.

Wingers have a Winner!
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2003-08-18
Charlie & Diane have surprised the hiking public once again with their great new guide to the Sand Dunes. Soon to be declared a National Park, this full color book is set up in easy to understand color-coded sections, a first that I have seen. It is focused on a small area, so understandably goes into great detail, something many guidebooks can not do as they pretend to cover a huge aray of peaks, or trails, or entire state or regional hiking concepts. If you like getting every last bit of info on a cool place like Sand Dunes, well, this is your book. You will probably wake up with some grit in your teeth, but that's OK, sand is the name of the game here.

Dune
Le Colonel Chabert AND Peines De Coeur D'une Chatte Anglaise (Classiques Francais)
Published in Paperback by Bookking International - Classiques Francais (1997-12)
Author: Honore de Balzac
List price: $6.95
New price: $6.67
Used price: $2.95

Average review score:

An Honorable Veteran
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-26
"Colonel Chabert" is one of Honore de Balzac's volumes from his omnibus work, "The Human Comedy." The Colonel is a comic figure in and old military great coat and a wig who is ridiculed by young legal workers at the beginning of the novel. But, the joke is on the clerks, because Chabert is a war hero of the Napoleonic era who was given up for dead on a battlefield at Eylau. This translation from the French by Carol Grosman tells the story of the old soldier's resurrection in contemporary jargon. The novel is relevant today considering the service of soldiers in many wars continuing in our world. What happens to these heroes when wars end, or more accurately, shift to new fronts? Balzac paints the portrait of one old colonel who remains honorable and as a consequence seals his fate. The translation is very readable and the short novel is brief "scene from private life." The work will stimulate further interest in the monumental work of Balzac who had a relatively short life (1799-1850).

TRAGEDY DISTILLED
Helpful Votes: 6 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 2003-10-08
One of the greatest novelists of all time, Balzac was most at home in the Paris of Post-Napoleonic Paris. In a time when the middle class was showing its strength and starting to reach towards the aristocracy, Balzac shows just how selfish and grubby and greedy humans can be in attaining and how treacherous they can be in keeping their all important upward mobility.

Colonel Chabert is a man disfigured in the Napoleonic Wars who was left for dead on a battlefield. After digging his way out of a mass grave, he finds that he has no legal right to his title or his massive estate. Nobody will believe his true identity. For ten longe years he goes about trying to communicate his plight to anyone who will listen. They only see a crazy bum, and his wife rebuffs his letters. She already has a new husband and kids. Finally Chabert is able to convince a lawyer named Dervilles to accept his case, namely that of reclaiming his title, lands, and wife. The problem is that noone is really interested in his life being resurrected. Most people would rather that he remained dead. So begins the ludicrous battle of a man against the law to prove his own existence.

This short but great novel, or novella, is a tragic take on the world's thirst for social status and the judgement by visuals that our society is only too guilty of to this day. If it walks like a bum, talks like a bum, it must be a bum. Colonel Chabert has such a hard time convincing people of his identity because of how they perceive him. It sounds echoes of Frankenstein in that a good man is reduced to a monster when all he really needs is love. The fact that even his wife wishes he were dead just drives home the isolated suffering of the book. As in all Balzac novels, you feel a world moving under the mantle of the book. The Human Comedy of Balzac is one of the crowning achievements of literature and ranks right up there with Shakespeare and Thomas Hardy.

Dead Men Do Tell Tales
Helpful Votes: 7 out of 7 total.
Review Date: 2002-05-26
Balzac, one of the greatest writers who ever lived, did not trip up with this one. I read it with great pleasure and conclude, as people so often say, that the movie based on the story did not equal the original. Ever the cynic (some might say 'the realist') Balzac portrays here the efforts of a noble-minded soldier, who rose from an orphanage to serve his country under Napoleon in Egypt and eastern Europe, only to reap the all-too-common fate of dedicated and true warriors---to be forgotten and ignored. Death (which he accepted) might have seized him, but he found a living death, a denial of his sanity and identity, as the reward of his service. Reported killed at the battle of Eylau, against the Russians, after a heroic action, the soldier literally crawls from his grave to a kind of shadowy survival. In his earlier life, Colonel Chabert had raised a woman to his own status, but now finds that she is unwilling to let others learn of her origins and does not want to recognize that he is, in fact, her long lost husband. Honestly thinking she was widowed, she married a highborn aristocrat who knew nothing of her humble beginnings.

The tale is one of greed, intrigue, loyalty and disloyalty. As usual, Balzac manages to cast a light, pitiless and bright, on every rotten corner of the human condition, while offering a few inspiring examples in contrast. Every detail of a lawyer's life in 19th century Paris is scrutinized, every glimpse of urban dairyman or elite country squirehood rings true. No wonder I admire him so much, no wonder I have no hesitation in urging you to read COLONEL CHABERT and any other volume of Balzac you can lay your hands on.

An Excellent Translation of a Masterful Story!
Helpful Votes: 8 out of 8 total.
Review Date: 2001-11-28
Carol Cosman's translation of Balzac's French 'Colonel Chabert' into the English has been very effective here- she does not input her own interpretations and seems to have a good handle on Balzac's natural, concise wording style.

The story itself is fascinating. In a nutshell, it focuses on a military man who is essentially erased from society, and the tribulations and insights he has from this 'non-existant' state as he tries to re-establish himself. Not only is this a witty and profound social commentary, but an entertaining twist which just keeps twisting.

In reading other's reviews of this short masterpiece, it seems as if many people have missed the meaning of the finale. While it is indeed a very enigmatic ending, it is not as lugubrious or fatalistic as most believe. What happens is that Colonel Chabert, in essentially having his old identity annihilated, becomes enlighted. In the ultimate destruction of his ego he becomes free. This is the magic finale which Balzac labors so hard, and so majestically, to set up in the plot.

This tome is very impressive, and relatively short (just over 100 pages) for those new to Balzac who want a nice, piquant appetizer. Balzac is one of the most brilliant French fiction writers of all time! He is a giant, and in 'Colonel Chabert', he weaves another illustrious stitch into his tapestry the Comedie Humaine.

The best translation...
Helpful Votes: 9 out of 9 total.
Review Date: 2004-05-10
...of a great Balzac novella. Ms. Cosman captures the rigorous, logical quality of Balzac's prose - most translators get lost in unidiomatic wordiness. This 100 page novella showcases the Master's comfort with legal matters, his profound understanding of "the fang and the claw" and features at its center the incomparable Derville, Balzac's great, recurring lawyer character. I usually recommend Pere Goriot for first-time Balzac readers because of the rich connections between that novel and many other Balzac works - but I am hard pressed to imagine a better one-course meal than this rendering of Colonel Chabert by Ms. Cosman. I certainly plan to read her version of The Girl with the Golden Eyes.

Dune
Pug at the Beach: An Island Dog's Reflections on Life
Published in Paperback by A1A Press (2004-08-18)
Author:
List price: $9.95
New price: $9.95
Used price: $5.99
Collectible price: $125.00

Average review score:

GO PUG
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-11-21
WHAT A FUN BOOK!! I CAN RELATE TO HOW PUG IS ALWAYS DRAWN TO THE OCEAN.
KEEP THESE BOOKS COMING. MARK, KEENE N.H.

Bringing Back Memories...
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-11-09
Pug at the Beach brings back great memories of my days at the beach as a child. It's a very cute book and easy to read!! Enjoy!

Elizabeth (Deering, NH)
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-10-25
Pug at the Beach gives refreshing insights into how we all should live, and think about life, on a daily basis. Each chapter is fun--fun for a reader of any age. Pug adventures into areas we can all relate to in a fun-filled way. We all need to have a Pug in our life to keep us on track. I can't wait for the next adventures of Pug!

A Brilliant Dog's Life
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-10-25
This unique book bursts on the literary scene with a gathering series of striking life perceptions that deserves nothing less than approbation. Pug has been called "a worldlier Snoopy," but that worldliness is not based on cynicism. Rather, Pug has a gift for living and learning within a well-honed optimism. One could do worse than to follow his example. This is a fine, clear, accessible read that will stay with you a long time.

pug is great!!!!!!!!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2006-07-30
My dad bought this book in Key West. he loves it and so I read it too and now I love it!!! Pug is smart and really cool. the web site is cool too and they have clothes with Pug on them. My dad bought a hat and all the scientists he works with bought hats too. Pug is all around the world too. I saw him on a web site in Australia.

Dune
Dune Boy - The Early Years Of A Naturalist
Published in Paperback by Teale Press (2007-03-15)
Author: Edwin Way Teale
List price: $29.45
New price: $29.44
Used price: $34.04

Average review score:

Wonderful!
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 1999-12-30
This book was so good it inspired jealousy. I wished every night as a child that I would wake up the next morning as Edwin, in that wonderful Indiana home of his Grandfathers! He writes with a visual-ness that truly puts you in the book with him. He sets the period very well, and the book is a pleasure to read and re-read.

Dune Boy
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 1999-12-14
An excellent look at the early life of one of the best naturalists this country has ever produced. This book will be an inspiration to every budding naturalist out there. It does bring to mind one flaw in the life of Edwin Teale - there is not a complete biography of his life.

captures farm life in NW. Ind. in a simpler time
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 1998-12-14
This book gives a glimpse into the world of farm life in Northwest Indiana before the turn of the century. A child's view of the life on his grandparents' farm and the delights it offered a "city" boy on his summer vacations. Of special interest to local persons as it mentions people who lived in the area.

Dune Boy is a Family Classic!
Helpful Votes: 10 out of 10 total.
Review Date: 2001-05-25
The late Edwin Way Teale's "Dune Boy," originally published in 1943, entertained a hundred thousand American troops overseas during WWII and with his enamoring portraits of life at the turn of the last century in the Indiana Dunes; A special ribbon of land hugging the Hoosier Coast that most of those servicemen had probably never heard of prior, but a seemingly magical place where Teale and so many other writers, poets and artists were inspired (Nelson Algren; Meyer Levin; Elma Lobaugh; Majorie Hill Allee; Arnold Mulder; Julia Cooley Altrocchi; Earl Reed; Helga Sandburg; Thomas Rogers; Steve Tesich; the poets, Robert Frost, Carl Sandburg and the artists Frank Dudley, John Templeton, and the `Furnessville Ten' alumni of the School of the Chicago Art Institute and also LeRoy Neiman who had painted an amazing 8' x 56' mural "A Day at the Indiana Dunes in 1965.)

Ironically Teale's setting of his childhood memories was a rural country only sixty miles down the Lake Michigan coastline from Chicago, but a charming farm community with a tiny English village, eccentric neighbors and vagabonds who camped and resided amongst the knobby sand dunes, dark virgin forests, marshes all abounding in wildlife and fauna. A time when slow moving milk and strawberry trains made local stops to picked up their harvests for the city markets and a time when young boys adventured with mail order cameras and witnessed the first airplanes take flight. Teale had touched the hearts of so many American servicemen overseas because he reminded them of the homes they longed to return to when so far away at war.

Teale's maternal grandparent's farm `Lone Oak' has long disappeared off any local maps and alas many of the local sand dunes were destroyed by the coming of even more steel mills and other industrial plants which have polluted the shore ever since. However, some of the people Teale portrayed and immortalized in `Dune Boy,' their headstones can be found in the quaint Furnessville cemetery, which is today surrounded by the surviving 1863 Lewry House; the 1880 Furness Mansion; the 1886 Schoolhouse Shop, and the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore; A bountiful national preserve, home to the modern science of ecology, and habitats to wildlife and plant species not found anywhere else in the American Midwest. A charm that inspired Teale to become the prolific author and American Naturalist of his time remains in these Indiana Dunes. Teale's "Dune Boy" is a testament, which can inspire todays and future generations to save what remains of the great sand dunes of Indiana. It is one of our family Classics and a recommended reading for anyone who has a passion to Save the Dunes or who comes to visit our Indiana home.

I recommend reading `Dune Boy' with `Ann's Surprising Summer' by Marjorie Hill Allee, (published earlier in 1923) but concerning the Great Depression years and the portrait of a collegiate woman and that of her family camped in the dunes, and that fiction read with Thomas Rogers "At The Shores" (published in 1980) set between the World Wars, which continues the adventures of young adolescents in the Indiana Dunes. The recent publication "Moonlight in Duneland" an oversize tome by the historians, Ronald D. Cohen and Stephen McShane, illustrates the travel posters of the early 20th century that promoted the Indiana Dunes and can add depth to the above reads.


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