Maine Books

My mind had a revelation when I read this book. I always assumed about my husband's addiction. Thought I knew what to do and how to do it, and all the while I was getting more frustrated and angrier. Now, I see why and how it is all happening and happened. The traumas, the cycles, the behavior, ...the escaping into this illness and insanity.
I came away with a much better understanding and awareness. In this revelation came MY FIRST STEP towards my own healing and my role in all of it, as the spouse. I can honestly say; reading it helped me to "listen" my husband and be in counseling about the addiction. It isn't about me. I have no control over it. Yes my anger and pain is real...no doscounting that. And in turn, some people may disagree: but I have honesty, and boundaries for myself, and compassion within the boundaries for my husband.

All I have to say is if you are someone who feels they may have a sexual addiction problem or somebody who knows an individual who has a sexual addiction problem, this should be the first book to read! Out of the Shadows is the best source for insight on sexual addiction out there, its the sex addicts "story" so to speak. Addicts, spouses, friends, professionals can ALL benifit from the material outlined here in this book as well! I'll recommend it all day everyday.....

This book has some good information in it. It forces you to take a hard look at yourself as a victim or co-dependant to the addict.

Carnes does a great job of not only showing how destructive sexual addiction can be, but also how slippery the slope is so that the addict can easily fall into the illegal and extremely shameful without realization or intent.
Along with this dire warning, he also offers hope and shows that while admitting the problem may be humiliating, refusing to admit that the problem is there can easily lead to absolute devastation.

As I am currently in the process of divorcing a sex addict, this book was very insightful for me. It is still very painful to accept, but at least the book sheds insight into how and why this happens.

Brad Gilbert fue uno de los jugadores más tácticos del ATP. Se mantuvo como "Top 10" por casi 1 decada. Este libro es una obra infaltable para el tenista, sea profesional o amateur. Entrega consejos fáciles de entender y sin rodeos ni teorizaciones.
IMPERDIBLE, por algo lo recomiendan Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi y Jim Courier. Si los más grandes lo promueven, es porque realmente es una pieza infaltable en tu biblioteca.

Brad Gilbert is truly a master when it comes to winning ugly! This book is helpful for beginners and advanced players, alike. Anyone looking to make the most of their skills by taking their mental game and tennis strategy to the next level should give this book a read. Just look what Brad's approach did for Andre Agassi! Enough said.

This book, like Gilbert's game, will not knock your socks off at first glance. The writing style is plain, and there is not much in the way of technicality or fancy shot making advice. It really is about winning ugly. Gilbert does two major things in this book. First he breaks down the game itself. Second he breaks down the mind of the player. Gilbert really shows his understanding of the critical nature of certain points in the match and what to do in certain situations. He also shows from vast experience just how psychological the game is. Gilbert doesn't focus on 'great players' so much as he focuses on players with a mentally tough approach to the game, the thing that makes them really hard to beat. There are plenty of examples he uses from Mac to Connors to Lendl, all to great effect. And gives an insider's look into some of the game's greatest minds, and what they do to win. You don't necessarily need to read this as a tennis guide either. There are a lot of things which you can apply in life. It makes for an overall entertaining read.

Although I no longer play tennis, this remains my favorite tennis book. After beating Becker to win Wimbledon, Brad explained how he had done it. He said: "I couldn't beat him at his level so I had to drag him down to my level." And anyone who saw that match knows that is exactly what he did.

That particular Wimbledon Finals was such a tactical masterpiece that anyone who knows anything about tennis knew that Gilbert was really on to something big. Against great odds, he "sliced and diced" Becker to the point of utter frustration -- the same as Ashe had done to Conners in the 1975 Wimbledon Finals.

Although Brad has been described condescendingly as a "journeyman tennis player," and as a "blue collar tennis player," since his ranking never rose above number 8, I still put him in a class of only a handful of the elite tennis strategists.

As this book so aptly demonstrates, his game is based on "playing the odds" to get and maintain a winner's edge. It begins with the idea that everyone in your rated-class is as good as you are, so the winning edge must lie other than just in talent alone: It must lie in preparation, both physical and mental; and then in knowing all of the fine points of the game and how and when to use and exploit them. In the book he de-constructs the games of the best players of his era, and somehow you know that everything he says is "dead on."

Gilbert's mental game is un-excelled and eclipses even the book called "Inner Tennis," which is devoted exclusively to the mental game of tennis. The fact that Brad went on to coach some of the greatest players of his era is testament to his vast tennis knowledge and skill as both a tactician and as a strategist.

There may be better tennis books out there in the market, but as player who retired as a 4.5 player at my best, I used this book to scare the hell out of more than a few 5.0 players, and that is no mean trick.

Touche to Brad, and five stars

I could never break past the round of 16's or quarters at any big tournament. I'll summarize how to win those matches now: get in great physical shape, apply the principles of Winning Ugly, visualization, and embracing/enjoying close matches with your best effort rather than choking.

Another title of this book might be "Helping your opponent make mistakes and lose". For the majority of us, especially at the club level, we dont have the skillset to win by hitting winners. We just need to play percentage tennis, and help our opponents lose. Its only at the very highest levels of the game that winners are sometimes greater than unforced errors. Only at the top fo the game where two guys can trade winner after winner, hit stuff around the net and between their legs. Unless one is a naturally gifted tennis player (Federer) Winning Ugly is for the rest of us. And its a lot more than just hitting to a guys bad backhand.

To Champions, a lot of this comes naturally. But it CAN be learned. Once in my life, I got in the zone. I could not miss. My dad still talks about that set! I'm so happy he was there to see it. I took a set off a guy who was ranked #3 in the US, and as I was marvelling at the crowd forming to watch me, and calculating the rise in my ranking, he mopped the floor with me 0 and 1. If I'd had Winning Ugly, I might have kept my head in the game and won that match.

I remember this guy in my Sectionals, who was the dorkiest guy on the junior tour, but always in the top 5 seeds. He wasnt in great shape. He actually had a tether! built into his grip for his unorthodox two handed forehand, and thick coke bottle glasses. In the semi's, he met this new kid recently from California, a snobby Bjorn Italian FILA wearing Brad Pitt looking guy with the most beautiful strokes, and boundless confidence, who was just deystroying excellent players and getting all the girls attention. Imagine that blonde dude Johnny from Karate Kid I. Yeah, ok, I was jealous.

Well, expecting Brad Pitt to claim his next victim, I marvelled as this dorky nerdy chump wouldnt get intimidated, and wouldnt allow this guy to play his game. Instead of trading strokes in jousting fashion, he applied his strengths to Cobra Kai's weakness. I was witness to the total dismantling of a superior opponent's game. By the end of the match, Brad Pitt was smashing his rackets and scratching his head, trying to figure out how a guy with coke bottle glasses and a home-made TETHER on his raquet's butt beat him! The dork went to the finals and I was smiling inside at "Brads" misfortune. Twenty-five odd years later, there's a name for this: Winning Ugly. For most people, the match is lost before you go out. Well, that's the negative thinking that costs one matches. That's why the same people advance through the draw at almost every tournament.

Winning ugly isnt about trading fire at Gettysburg, until somebody drops, thats how I used to play. I didnt just have to win, it had to be with panache. How stupid. It was somehow unsportsmanly to hit "junk" or "push" the ball to take off pace, or hit "moonballs". I wish I had this book when I was a junior player, I bet I would have won half the matches I lost from bad strategy.

Winning Ugly is about applying the best of your game, to the worst of your opponent's. Its about using anything to win. One application of this strategy I use is the super lob when I'm out of position. I hit it as hard as I can so it goes 100 feet and can back up a guy to the baseline. It drives some guys crazy. They're like "play tennis" you ---hole. But I WIN! Yeah, its not pretty, but it feels better driving home. When I read that you should analyze your opponents strokes in the warmup to see what he's missing or practicing more, it hit my like a lightning bolt. I had never ever done this, and it was SO obvious. I was too focused on getting warmed up and MY strokes. The hundreds of matches I had played, and never considered this. This book is a must for competetive players.

As a final note:I wouldnt say Winning Ugly is about the mental game. I think its more a book about tactics. The mental game is best explained by Inner Tennis.

Its hard to put down the book,once you have started it.The effect is almost like a movie,you are restless till you have seen it all.Particularly,Martin Lings did an excellent job of making the reader familier with the Arab culture 1400 years ago, a must have, while studying the life of the Prophet(pbuh).
With Muslims from diverse cultural backgrouns, this is an excellent source.

Excellent work by Martin Lings ( who has now reverted to Islam). Alham dullia, may Allah guide us all on to the rightious path.

This is a book to keep for life, to lend and EDUCATE your friends and family.
The author has simply laid down the life of Prophet Muhammad (saws) for both Muslims and non Muslims to appreciate his greatness .
It is in great detail, and it is amazing to see how much Muslims know about the life of their Prophet, as compared to the LITTLE Christians know about Jesus.

The book was easy reading. Very straight forward. I liked it. Informative and interesting.

Most books of this nature are more often than not loosely translated from Arabic-written texts ensuing in bad grammar, and a dire story line. But as this is written in English it thankfully avoids all of the above. What I love about this biography is that Ling's explains in great detail not only the life and mission of Prophet Muhammad, but also the fundamentals of Islam. It begins with the significance of the Kabaa and ends with the death of the Prophet whilst illuminating everything in between. This book is also broken down into several chapters allowing for an easy read.

Even though this is a great source of Islamic knowledge, it may be a difficult read for some non-Muslim readers. As advice, I would recommend this as a follow up to a simpler biography [of which I don't know any that Amazon or a ordinary bookstore would sell -- sorry].

This author was trustworthy from page one. The character he created, as small as he is, has a big voice and a story worthy of telling. I was so pleasantly surprised by this book, and so mad at myself for taking so long to read it. While the story is dated, specific to a time and a place, the themes are biblical. This is one of those books where I felt compelled to read passages aloud to whoever was in the room. Bravo, a lot belatedly Mr. Davies.

I found "Fifth Business" on Amazon through one of the "if you like that, then you might like this" links and was impressed by the overwhelmingly favorable reviews from other Amazon customers. I had never heard of Robertson Davies before but on the strength of the positive reviews, thought that I would give his work a try. I purchased only the first volume in the trilogy ("Fifth Business") on the logic that if the first book wasn't good, I would not bother with the other two. About 1/3 of the way into "Fifth Business," I rushed to order the second and third volumes ("Manticore" and "World of Wonders"). I am extremely glad that I took the plunge and trusted other Amazon readers. Robertson Davies' work is very accessible and you feel as though you are reading quickly. That said, his books are very well written and are by no means simple. The story is complex as are the characters - a number of whom feel like old friends by the end of the third book, you get to know them that well. I was also very impressed by Davies' wide and detailed knowledge of topics ranging from the theatrical world, to psychoanalytical theory, to religion. Most impressive, however, was his ability to embody in words the most common (and often the most powerful) human emotions and feelings - love, hope, anger, etc. Take the plunge and order the first volume in this trilogy - I very much doubt you will regret it! Enjoy!

I read this book in about a week. I really really really liked it. I don't know why most people have never heard of this author, but I am making it my personal quest in life to tell everybody about him. Read this book. It will suck you in.

If I was to live alone on a desert island and could take the works of one author, it would be Robertson Davies. He writes literature that captures human nature - we can soar like angels and crawl, sadistic murderers - Davies knows and shows us humanity at it's best and worst and often, everyman, muddling through mediocrity.
His books are literary page turners written with a unique dry humor that will make you laugh out loud often, gasp in awe or surprise and feel broken hearted at others. He shows us the human condition with compassion and humor.
Something I love the most about Davies is that his books and trilogies, (Deptford, Salterton, Cornish), are interconnected in a complex web that never fails to surprise me.

Fifth Business, a theatrical term actually invented by Davies for the novel, is meant to indicate the fifth of the main operatic players. The four main players' lives are entwined and influenced by the "Fifth Business" character, in a sort of subconscious synchronicity.

The main character in this first of Davies' Deptford trilogy, Dunstan Ramsay, is such a fifth business character. Without intent or effort, he shapes and defines the lives of those around him. In a beautifully woven and uniquely Canadian style that Davies made his own, Ramsay, Paul Dempster, Boy Staunton and the rest of the wonderfully believable characters capture the attention and the imagination of the reader.

This mainstay of high school English classes across Canada is well worth the read, even if you don't need to write a four-page essay on the major themes of the novel. Davies writes with humour and wit, with passion and pain. I guess I got lucky - I had to take it in grade 12 English, and then again in grade 13. Although it's a fairly short novel (under 300 pages), it's not a quick, unsatisfying read. It has substance without being too bulky, and I highly recommend it as the first introduction to Robertson Davies. It will definitely make you want to read more.

I found this book inspirational in the sense that before the four-minute mile barrier for running was broken, people felt it couldn't be achieved. However, once the record was broken, others were inspired to strive for their own sub-four-minute records.
As Dan Pink presents the stories and lessons in Free Agent Nation which he gleaned from interviews with numerous "free agents" I felt my pace quicken in the self-employed race I run daily. It is motivational to run with the knowledge that I'm not running solo but part of a growing number of free agents striving for our own four-minute miles. And the summary of free agent guidelines at the end of the book gave me the confidence that I'm on the right track.

By varying accounts there are 25-30 million free agents at present in the United States. Most of these work from home. Add millions of micro-businesses and one comes to the conclusion that the 20th century will be known as the first and last century in which most working people were salaried. Up until the 20th century most working people were small farmers, merchants and independent professionals. If present trends continue - and there is every reason to believe they will - then by the middle of the 21st century most working people will be self-employed in one form or another. This will have revolutionary impact on politics, tax and social policy and the economic balance of power. Cultural attitudes that encourage innovation and risk-taking will have tremendous advantages in this emerging reality. This is why I claim that: "No people on earth (referring to the Jews) are better prepared by virtue of education, temperament and historical adaptability to embrace the challenges of the 21st century". This book provided me with much of the information that enabled me to open my own book "The Optimistic Jew" with the above lines.

I go solo after reading this book. It's a new life! I definitely recommend it!

If you've been thinking of going out on your own, Daniel Pink will motivate you. Without writing a motivational book at all, he has succeeded in showing the reader why being a Free Agent is the way to go in the new economy of the 21st Century.

Free Agent Nation by Daniel H. Pink is not entirely what it seems.

Daniel Pink is a former speech writer for Al Gore. He wrote for him when Al Gore was serving as Vice President, but not during the campaign for president.

When Mr Pink left the White House and became, as it were, a Free Agent, he was surprised at the number of people who earned income from running their own small business. It became apparent to him that if the Republican Party was the party of big business and the Democratic Party was the party of labor unions, then the growing demographic of the self employed had no real representation.

Therefore, Mr Pink explored who these people were, what they were doing, and what they needed. Of course, Mr. Pink is no economist or statistician. Therefore, his analysis seems a bit heavy on the anecdotal. Likewise, this is not a how to book that will tell you step by step what needs to be done to start up your own business.

Regardless, this is an interesting book that explores a growing social phenomenon of the post-industrial world.

Fudge a Mania by Judy Blume is a fiction book. I think that this book was really interesting because I didnt expect Fudge to like Sheila and try to marry Sheila. I think you should read this book because it is funny and its interesting. By Jamilex Dones

Fudge-A-Mania ,a fiction book by Judy Blume, is all about this five year old boy named Fudge. He plans to go to Maine and spend three whole weeks with the Tubmans. Peter is Fudge's brother. Fudge, his mother, father, Toosie, and Muriel all went to Maine because they are going on a family vacation.

This book is good because it's funny. I also like it because my favorite parts are when Sheila was trying to tie a ribbon around Turtle's neck but Turtle kept drooling. Also when Fudge ate to many raspberries and he got sick.

I think other people will like the book Fudge-A-Mania because it's silly and fun to read. La'Lonnie W.A

This story is called Fudge-a-Mania by Judy Blume. It is a fiction book. It's about a 5-year-old named Fudge wanting to get married to Sheila Tubman! Plus Fudge's big brother hates her. I also think it's a funny book like when Sheila calls Fudge "Fudgie-poo." I think you'll like it because it's a comedy. -Jade Juliano

Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardiner is a realistic story about a kid named Little Willy and his Grandfather who live on a potato farm. One day Grandfather gets sick because he didn't pay his rent. So Little Willy, who's ten years old, takes care of Grandfather and his farm.

StoneFox is a good book because it tells an excellent story that will make you cry. I recommend Stone Fox
because you will want to read it over and over again. -Mondy Cameau

Do you like funny books? Then this is a book for you. There is a lot of events going on like will Fudge get married? Read to find out. For readers who like funny books.

Antonio
3rd grade

I'm a sucker for stuff like this. I guess the reason I did not become an English major is because I like happy, uplifting stories that inspire me to be a better person, as cheesy as that may sound. This short novel fit the bill. It's a simple story, based on an old legend, but is full of so many themes; they blew me away. How could anyone not be touched and amazed by this story? We get the basic survival element (and I love a good survival story) but there is also a story of friendship, love, confidence, self-discovery, and forgiveness. Wallis writes simply but beautifully, combining modern words for our understanding with an ancient story-telling style that is evocative of the Native American spirit. This is a haunting story that will stay with the reader.

This book was short and not profound, but was an interesting picture of the early Athabascan culture and contained a lesson for many of us.

Every woman needs to read this. It goes to prove that we ALWAYS have value no matter our age. It is our duty to keep strong and push ourselves to stay focused and sharp, not relying on others or blaming our circumstances. I loved the old women's adage, "we will die trying."
The book is well written and flows, making for an easy read. I read this to my children ages 6-15 and they loved it! It is a story that gives you hope for what is possible and newfound respect for the aged among us.

Two Old Women is a complex and powerful tale of friendship, survival, and courage. It teaches us that the human will can triumph over adversity, and that it is never too late to grow. Regardless of age, is is the will and the human spirit which direct the course of our lives. We read this selection in our book club and it evoked deep and rich discussion.

In this well-told tale of two tribewomen who are in their old age we see what determination can do. Having earned the respect of their tribe these two women have been content to let others do for them over the years. But their age hinders the tribespeople's movements and they are facing a brutal winter. The chief makes the decision to turn these two out into the harshness of the bleak Alaskan Yukon to live or die.

Together these two women forge a bond of friendship and recall the skills of their younger days, conquering the pain of unused muscles and fear of the unknown to survive even the harshest of conditions. The story comes full circle when they again meet up with their tribe and the chief who once turned them out now finds he and his people have need of their wisdom.

A wonderful book for just about everyone. Full of hope and determination.

I'm not following the five star group, but I enjoyed the story and the way Donna Leon writes. There's enough personal information about each of the main characters to add the realness and enjoy the little fickle behaviors of each, without it becoming the main driving part of the story telling. And the story itself is good, but not excellent in my opinion, because certain things that happened are almost too bad and too cliche-ish. There's a bit of exaggeration here and there of how bad some of the living conditions are and how much certain people have suffered because of this evil genius. And yet, in the end, we have a reasonable explanation of what happened, a charitable act of forgiveness that makes us feel better about "the law", and there's a certain balance of good and evil that feels like real justice instead of "letter of the law."

I'll definitely read more of the series to get the larger view. This was my first.

A death at the opera, a matter for the police, and my, how quickly the action starts. In Venice the police arrive by boat. Guido Brunetti is the Commissario of the police and the hero of this series.

It is learned the dead man is Wellauer, a German conductor. It seems that the death is caused by the ingestion of cyanide. One of the newspapers pictures the deceased maestro with Maria Callas.

Brunetti's wife's parents live in a palazzo. He asks his wife to arrange for him to attend a party there so he can ask questions about the maestro. Brunetti feels that in Venice gossip is the real cult. After the party Guido Brunetti decides to interview some of the musicians.

I really don't like to give genre fiction five stars, but this is exceedingly good.

Death at La Fenice, written in 1992, is Donna Leon's first in her series of crime novels set in Venice, featuring Guido Brunetti, Commissario of Police. (The American author has lived in Venice for many years and has taught English literature at degree level.)

La Fenice (pronounced La Fen-ee-chay) is the city's opera house, and the death is that of a visiting German conductor. (On her own website, the author relates how the impetus behind the book was her dislike of a certain German conductor with a dubious past, presumably von Karajan.)

Over 25 chapters and 338 pages, my interest was maintained: although not an un-put-down-able book, it is nevertheless a willing pick-me-up-able one. The characterisation is good, the description of Venice is realistic, and the plot believable. I enjoyed it so much, I have ordered the second in the series, Death in a Strange Country.

I had never read a Donna Leon novel before, and it is my misfortune for her Death at La Fenice was brilliant! Venice comes alive in her flawless prose and although the murder could have occurred anywhere in the world, the setting and its unique sub-culture lent an aura of beauty and elegance to the narrative. This is a quiet, sometimes hilarious, but always sensitive whodunit. I don't have to include a synopsis here as many others have done a better job of it. Suffice it to say that I was very satisfied with it. The plot was imaginative, the ending touching, the protagonist a delight to know. Well done, Ms. Leon!

Not your typical mystery book. The ending is not only a surprise, but a unique one. Enjoy!

This is an excellent book for amateur astronomers who would like direction on exactly where and how to find 100 of the most interesting nighttime sky objects -- nebula, planets, galaxies, double-doubles, star clusters, etc. Be advised that this is not a coffee table book full of breathtaking color photos straight from Hubble or a NASA space probe. This is a book on how to star hop your way from one object to the next. The book is full of drawings that depict how to do this, and the accompanying text is clear and accurate. This book has made finding many of these objects much easier for me. It's well worth the money and I highly recommend it.

Great insight for the novice star gazer. Bought this for my son and he uses it evey time he star gazes Lots of easy to understand information Very helpful

Turn Left at Orion is a great buy, especially for the beginning sky gazer. It is written for both beginners and experts and doesn't contain language that requires a Harvard degree to understand. If you are looking for a book on astrology, then you should begin here. It's filled with information, maps and - most of all - easy to understand language about the heavens.

This is a good tool to go along with any new beginning telescope you buy. We did learn a bit about telescopes, the stars, and planets, etc, before actually trying to look at any without our telescope.

The use of astronomers' jargon can be confusing at times, but that's part of the learning I suppose.

A good purchase overall, although a bit pricey.

Not a bad book exactly.

But I found it to be a waste of money.

I'm a huge fan of Flannery O'Connor so when someone asked me to name my favourite novel I picked a little bit-of-a-book and said "Wise Blood".

Partly because the characters are, if not wholly understood, at least wholly familiar. Despite growing up around an assortment of Evangelicals and Foundation types I managed for the most part to maintain a pretty superficial view of them. Things like snake handling and female oppression were odd but ordinary and because of this ordinary I never spent too much time thinking about the misguided spirituality that a lot of it sat upon. Through a glass darkly, and all that.

Mostly, I'm moved to recommend Wise Blood again and again because it's such a brilliantly layered and grotesque comedy with powerful and appealing themes of integrity, the disaffected young and redemption. It's just one of those books you never really walk away from. Not really.

And that's a good thing.

I enjoy a lot of Irish writers and even though I have known the name Flannery O'Connor for a long time,this is the first time I have actually read this author. I ,like others ,assumed Flannery was a man and Irish.Before reading this novel,I checked the Amazon customer reviews and was completely surprised . Then, with some research on the net, that Flannery was a young woman of only 27 when she wrote this book,and rather than being Irish,was from an Old Deep South Catholic family,born in Savannah,Georgia. She was born in 1925,surrounded by poor whites in a Protestant area,left home at 18,graduated from college,wrote mainly Southern Gothic short stories,only 2 novels.She had a great interest in domestic birds,peacocks,pheasants,swans,geese,chickens and Moscovy Ducks. After college she lived on a family farm with her mother,outside Millidville Georgia.She was also a good painter. She was quite frail,never married,like her father,she contacted Lupus and died very young at only 39,in 1964. Her mother outlived her for many years. It is still possible to visit the farm in Millidville,Ga.She had a deep and knowledgeable faith.
As I read this book ,I was continually reminded of other writers such as James Joyce,Erskine Caldwell,Faulkner,Erskine Caldwell,Steinbeck and even some of those bible -thumping movies such as Elmer Gantry.
This is all about having or not having faith. O'Connor understands the difference between Faith and Religion and shows what a difficult thing it can be when someone lacks real faith and attempts to develop one's own through rationalization.Flannery does not make any attempt to preach or conince the reader one way or the other about faith,but she does an admiral job of showing how difficult and all encompassing it can be for some people who have doubts and try to resolve them.
While Flannery's life was all too short ;and we are all the poorer for that;she is remembered by words like these;

"Everything that rises must converge."

"Grace changes us and change is painful."

I read a lot of books and am fond of many Southern authors, including the late Ms. O'Connor. I really enjoyed her wonderfully titled "A Hard Man is a Good Find" (Note: A fine birthday gift for my grumbling gorilla of a wife; inscription: "I told you so!") and I like the author's ability to make the grotesque humorous.
Unfortunately, this novel is a complete failure with very little to laugh about. It's a pretty meaningless story with virtually no plot: nutty war veteran returns to empty home town, goes to another town, preaches nonsense, acts like the nutjob he is, meets some other worthless characters, does nutty things in an effort to find redemption (an idiot's path, mind you), etc. This supposedly funny novel with a point (often my very favorite genre) fails to elicit more than a single laugh (the scene with the Gonga the Gorilla was pretty darn funny--pointless, but funny) and the point about redemptive suffering (if that was even the point) struck this reader as ridiculously rendered.
All the characters are lunatics and there's absolutely nothing driving this book to conclusion, other than the turn of the page. This novel has been highly recommended by people who tend to be trustworthy. Unfortunately, I put it on the short list of books I've actually finished that I wish I'd never started. Not her best effort and one of the worst novels I've ever read. HHD>.

Flannery O'Connor's Wise Blood has sometimes been described as dark comedy, sometimes simply as satire. Whichever description I eventually decide suits it best, this grotesque 1952 first novel is so disturbing that its characters and their fates will stay with me for a long time.

Haze Motes, recently released from the army after suffering a wound in Korea, returns to his home state of Tennessee where he finds himself, much to his irritation, taken for a preacher by many of the strangers whom he meets. This is an easy mistake to make since Motes has recently exchanged his uniform for the type of suit and hat commonly worn by preachers of the time and the fact that he carries himself like, and has many of the mannerisms and attitudes of, his grandfather, a onetime country preacher himself. But Motes is angered by the very idea of being mistaken for a preacher because he is repelled by the whole concept of Christianity.

After encountering a street preacher, and being disgusted by what he saw and heard, Hazel Motes founds his Church Without Christ, a church based on realism, one in which the blind do not see, the deaf do not hear, the lame do not walk, and the dead remain dead. Not too surprisingly, Haze's message attracts to him the kind of people who either become obsessed with his message or want to turn the Church Without Christ into a vehicle to put easy money into their pockets. There are Enoch Emery, an 18-year old so lonely in the big city that he sees the new church and its preacher as essential to his survival, Sabbath Lily a 15-year old abandoned by her charlatan preacher father, Asa Hawkes, and who sets out to seduce Motes, Hoover Shoates who hires his own false prophet and starts a rival church, and the landlady who decides to marry Motes in order to share his monthly government check.

Flannery O'Connor's writing seldom, if ever, provides the reader with anything like a "happy ending" and Wise Blood, her first novel, is no exception. It is filled with characters who focus exclusively on self-gratification and who are not the least concerned about what they have to say or do in order to get what they want from those who have it. Even the minor characters, in particular the police, are not to be trusted as Motes so painfully discovers near the end of the book. But along the way, O'Connor provides memorable scenes that reflect her sense of humor and irony. I won't soon forget the images of the small, newspaper-wrapped mummy being rapidly carried through the rainy streets after being stolen from a museum nor the man in the gorilla suit who terrified the couple in the woods with whom he only wanted to shake hands.

This novel combines startling images and an inscrutable Old Testament sensibility with funny scenes that will make you laugh out loud. It is the novel that helped cement Flannery O'Connor's literary reputation. She's a writer who will be part of the canon in a hundred years -- people will still be reading and discussing her. "Wise Blood" is the story of Hazel Motes, a man determine to strip Christ out of his life and out of the world, but, who, paradoxically, is also obsessed with Him. A walk through a haunted yet still good world filled with men who are made into monkeys, workaday street preachers, broke down autos, this is a kaleidoscope of sense, doubts, guilt, and humor: a must read tour de force.