Chambers Books

Emile Zola's `Therese Raquin' is a tale of obsession, paranoia, and narcisism. In modern parlance, this would be called a psychological drama. The tale relates a love triangle among the working poor in Paris in the 1860s. The title character, Therese, is unhappily married to Camille, a man whom she cannot stand and finds a bore. They live together in Paris with Camille's mother. Camille could be described as a mama's boy. A weekly get together with several local friends to play dominoes turns into a passionate affair between Therese and one of the friends, Laurent. Ultimately Laurent murders Camille (with Therese's support and blessing) and eventually takes his place as Therese's husband. Both Therese and Laurent become obsessed with their vile crime and feel the hot breath of Camille's spectre watching them at every turn. Their passion for each other eventually turns to rage, despair, and hate. There is almost no dialogue, virtually all of the text describes the thoughts, impulses, and emotions of the protagonists as they proceed from unbridled passion to rage, fear, and insanity. This work predates Zola's Rougon-Macquart series and is a good tale, if far below the level of the best of this series. Unlike Zola's best novels, this story offers the reader little insight into life in France prior to the destruction of the Second Empire. With very small tweaks, this tale could easily be set in New York City in the 21st century. Other reviewers state that this is a dark tale, which is true, although I think that this is often overstated. Zola certainly has a well earned reputation for writing dark novels, although I think that this is relative to a 19th century audience. Some of the subject matter on prime time TV in the US (like Law and Order SVU) makes this novel appear tame. This is definitely not a `feel-good' novel. Overall, this is a good, not great, novel. For someone approaching Zola for the first time, this would not be a bad place to start. A must read for any serious fan/student of Zola of course.

This is very interesting and different. The story moves at a good pace and it is worth reading. I will probably purchase other stories by Emile Zola

I originally bought this book because my favorite actor, Gerard Butler, was scheduled to make a movie from it. I was pleasantly surprised by how good the book is. I knew it was translated from French and I thought it would probably be a hard read. I found it to be very interesting, even though there is no dialog in the book. It was very well written and extremely interesting. The descriptions made me feel like I was in the story and feeling what the characters felt. I must say that these are very dysfunctional people, but the story is good. This is not the type of book I would normally read, but I would recommend it to anyone.

From the opening page, we are aware that this will be a dark work. 'Above the glazed roof the wall rises towards the sky,' writes Zola, 'black and coarsely rendered, as if covered with leprous sores and zigzagged with scars.'

A small household is described. We have Camille, a sickly, mothered, placid boy. As he becomes older, his mother's protective nature remains as strong as it was when he was a child. He is plied with medicines and 'adoring devotion', such that 'His growth had been stunted, so that he remained small and sickly looking; the movement of his skinny limbs were slow and tired.' Camille is presented as a wholly unattractive young man, with his ignorance 'just one more weakness in him.'

And then we have Therese Raquin. She was given to Camille's mother by his uncle when she was two, and has remained in Madame Raquin's household ever since. Therese has suffered the medicinal ministrations of Camille's mother, and because of this, has developed a quiet, introspective, intense demeanour. 'she developed a habit of speaking in an undertone, walking about the house without making any noise, and sitting silent and motionless on a chair with a vacant look in her eyes.'

This is an unhappy household. Or, perhaps, because everyone is so concerned with repressing any spark of feeling or emotion, it is a dead house that just happens to still be living. Camille is too ignorant and sick to have a personality beyond the studied egotism of a man who has grown up with a dominating, too-concerned mother, while Therese is a blank piece of paper, purposely unwritten upon. When her twenty-first birthday arrives, Madame Raquin informs Therese that she is to marry Camille. Therese accepts the decision, with all that changes of her life being she sleeps in Camille's bed and not her own. All else remains the same.

But soon an idea enters into Camille's head. He has always wanted to work in an office, the idea makes him 'pink with pleasure'. Against his mother's wishes, they move to Paris, where he finds a job working for the railway. Very quickly, life settles for everyone and time, as it does, plods along.

Thursday evenings become a social occasion for the family. Camille invites a colleague from work and his mother, a retired policeman she knew in Vernon, for a weekly game of dominoes. A few others arrive, and another routine is added to that of the Raquin's. Here, Zola is quite clear in his disdain for the evenings, 'After each game the players would argue for two or three minutes, then the dismal silence would descend again, interrupted only by more clicking.'

We are still near the very beginning of the novel. What Zola is doing now is to put all of the pieces into place - much like a game of dominoes - before adding the final character. A well-developed sense of drudgery, boredom and inevitability lies heavily across the text. We can quite comfortably imagine these characters continuing their lives in much the same manner until they are dead, and happily at that. What we do not want is for their life to become our own.

One day, Camille bumps into an old friend, Laurent. Camille invites his friend to Thursday's festivities, an invitation Laurent readily accepts.

When Therese lays eyes upon Laurent, she is floored. He seems, when compared to the colourless Camille, a real man, red-blooded and active. He has passions - he wishes to be a painter. He has emotions - he hates his father. He has desires - he speaks openly of painting naked women, and admiring their curves.

Over time, Laurent and Therese develop a clandestine relationship, meeting and making love under the nose of Camille and Madame Raquin, coming together in Therese' bed. Her husband and mother-in-law are shown to be so docile and unsuspecting that we can fully believe Therese capable of getting away with such activities, in their home.

From what we have read so far, Zola has written a reasonably commonly themed novel. We have the wife who is unappreciated and dreams of a love worthy of her lust; we have the inconsiderate, uncaring husband; we have the oblivious, hyper-affectionate mother. It would be easy to assume that Zola is spinning a fable such that finding and keeping love is more important than remaining within the shackles of a loveless marriage.

But hold on. Zola is far more clever than that. The passion Laurent and Therese share is shown as animalistic and obsessive; theirs is not the pure, passionate love we might expect. Therese declares, 'I love you, I have done since the day Camille first pushed you into the shop. You may not respect me, because I gave myself to you all at once, everything...Truly, I don't know how it happened. I am proud, I'm impetuous too, and I felt like hitting you that first day, when you kissed me and threw me to the floor here in this bedroom...'. But Laurent, too, is equally afflicted with lust, '...the regular satisfaction of his desires had given him sharp, imperative new appetites. He no longer felt the least unease when embracing his mistress, but sought her embrace with the obstinacy of a starving animal.'. Both Lauren and Therese show the negative aspects of secret, furtive lust - they are not in love, they are animals, tethered to one another with chains of desire and deceit.

It becomes clear that Camille must die for their relationship to progress beyond mere lust and into the love that they feel they deserve. He is dispatched with relative haste, and the novel proper begins.

Guilt, remorse and obsession form the remainder of the piece. Zola is clinical in his dissection of his character's psyche. It is as though he has laid out their mind on an operating table, and carefully removes a slice of personality for the purpose of analysis and understanding. No thought, no desire, no regret is left untouched. It is perhaps predictable that they would suffer from guilt following the murder of a man who, while timid and boring, was ultimately good, but Zola makes the focus of the novel something much greater than mere regret. He does not question or lay judgement, rather he presents the thoughts and feelings of these two people as they descend through the psychological depths of what they have done.

The novel is unrelentingly bleak. Chapter after chapter, the characters suffer their hearts and mind being torn apart. Zola slips the word 'insanity' into the text a few times, and we know he is giving us a clear clue. What would happen if two normal people commit an abnormal, horrible act? Zola pushes the limit of our understanding as far as he is able.

The peripheral characters exist to further the darkness of Laurent and Therese. It is quite clear that their function is to serve the primary characters, and not to exist as people in their own right. Perhaps with a lesser author this would be a problem, but because Zola possesses such psychological acuteness, we allow it. The Thursday night domino games continue, purely because the unending stretch of sameness is precisely what is tearing the lovers apart. They becomes married so that Zola can show us that when the price for our desire is too great, we no longer wish to possess it. And so on, and so on. They fall in and out of debauchery, violence, hatred, remorse and guilt, all so that Zola can analyse the workings of two minds that were once normal, but have become diseased.

Moving away from the psychological aspects of the novel for a moment, it is worth mentioning that Zola also has a tremendous gift for description and mood. Throughout the nineteenth century, Paris boasted a morgue, which was open to the public for inspection. On rows of gray slabs lay the bodies of the recently deceased, with a wall of clear glass separating the living and the dead. There was no such thing as refrigeration at the time, so as the days progressed, the bodies would putrefy and rot as they waited to be identified. Laurent, at an early stage of his guilt, visits the morgue daily, waiting to see Camille's drowned corpse. And when he does, Zola provides us with this breathtaking description, 'Camille was a revolting sight. He had been in the way for a fortnight. His face still looked firm and stiff; his features had been preserved, only the skin had taken on a yellowish, muddy hue. The head, thin, bony, and slightly puffy, was grimacing; it was at a slight angle, the hair was plastered against the temples, and the eyelids were up, revealing the globular whites of the eyes; the lips were twisted down at one corner in a horrible sneer; the blackish tip of the tongue was poking out between the white teeth.' And on it continues. Macabre? Certainly. But Zola's eye for description makes this a powerful scene.

Therese Raquin is a short novel. There is no space for side plots, or avenues of digression. According to Zola, 'I simply carried out on two living bodies the same examination that surgeons perform on corpses.' What we have is an exploration of the darker parts of our psyche in brevity, a bleak early masterpiece.

This is a short but well-written novel that explores many themes-crime, guilt, oppression, horror and judgement. The heroine of the story is an oppressed, exceedingly bored woman married to a sickly cousin not of her own choosing. They live in a dark, cramped apartment with her aunt, who dotes on the husband. She meets and then has an affair with a selfish young man and they fall in love. The boyfriend murders the husband and makes it look like an accident. After a suitable amount of time passes, the two marry. Up until now the book has been extremly well written; Zola has great descriptive powers and insight into the psyche. The characters are well developed and the plot very realistic.

However, once the two marry, they are both terrorized by visions of the murdered husband coming back from the dead and tormenting them to the point where they cannot sleep. This part is a little overdone, but the sense of guilt is very acute. The aunt has a stroke and becomes immobile and unable to speak. She overhears the couple arguing about what they did and learns the truth about the murder. Zola does a fine job of describing her anger, pain and desire to expose the two and her frustration at being unable to do so. The couple eventually get their due.

This little novel is well-written and fast paced. The descriptions of the surroundings and the thoughts and behaviors of characters are very vivid and astute; one feels like they are right in the room with them. I am eager to read more of Zola's works after reading this one.

As a professional writer and author with a background in the performing arts, I am often asked to review books for prestigious acting and performing arts schools. This week I was asked by the Academy of Cinema and Television to review this book.

I am pleased to say I found this book an outstanding tool for acting students. I believe students ranging in age from 6 to 12 will find the monologues in this book outstanding.

The monologues are divided so they benefit both girls and boys. Some of the pieces work for either gender. All of the selections are brief, ranging from a half page to a page and a half. I was especially fond of how the selections focus on typical childhood situations and relationships with parents, siblings, and friends. The child actors will most likely prefer the fairy-tale and alien pieces. The characters represent a range of personalities, from those in need of a helping hand to others who are selfish and demanding.

Parents seeking material for their children's acting classes or for their youngsters who audition for roles may want to include this book in their collection. I am highly recommending this book to the parents at the Academy of Cinema and Television. ~Amelia Painter

When I heard of the book Magnificent monologues for kids, I begged and begged my father to get it for me. he wants me to keep going with my goal in life, to be an actress when I grow up. He bought it for me after he thought about it. To tell you the truth, when I first saw it I was a little bit disappointed. But every time I read it I got a little more exited. Chambers Steven's monologues are fantasic, and if you are a teenager and you want to pursue acting, then get Magnificent Monologues for teens!!! - Sara

This monologue book is by far the best of them all. there are monologes for boy or girls of all ages. there are all kinds of different monologes. sad, happy, or funny. Whatever kind you are looking for you can find it all in this monologue book.

Magnificent Monologues for Kids is truely magnificent!! I have used several monologues from the book in my auditions and they worked. Some are hilarious and others dramatic but all very fun to perform. After meeting Chambers, it is easy to see that his high energy level carries over into his books and it is easy to get energy from them.

I am a 14-year-old actress and I know for a fact that it is extremely difficult to find monologues that are relevant to today's kids and teens. Chambers books are current and up to date with today's television shows and feature films.
There are many children's monologue books on the market but none are so commercial and efficient as this one. When I am asked to prepare a monologue for auditions, agents, or general meetings they usually ask you to be sure that it's under a minute. In the past this had me rewriting monologues or even worse being stopped after the allotted time. These monologues are fast, commercial and packed with marketable and cast-able energy. Which is why I confirm as a working teen in Hollywood that Chambers books are incredible.

Wether you are restoring an historic log cabin or building a new one from scratch, this wonderfully illustrated book really helps you to understand what is inovoved in log home construction. Understanding the basics can also be helpful in planning restoration of existing log cabins. This book is a must read.

I read and re-read this fine work, incorporating its ideas and experience into the design and construction of my own home in the Alaskan wilderness. It is an excellent help for any contractor and builder.

I purchased this book to help me learn about building a log cabin. This is a very comprehensive and detailed book for the do it yourself log home builder. After reading most of this book, we decided not to build a log home because of the work involved. In that respect, it was money well spent. I gave it 5 stars because of the technicality of this book. The author does seem very knowledgeable, and this book would help someone who is hand selecting each log and not using a log home kit.

I bought this book for my dad for Christmas. He's planning to build his own cabin, so this has tons of information for him in the planning stages.

I own every book, set of DVD's and video tapes on how to build handcrafted log homes. The information that Robert has put into this book takes all the mystery away that all the others will leave you with. Some say it's too technical, but it really isn't. It is very concise and to the point. It is step by step from start to finish. No other book on log building says very much about sill logs. This is one of those mysteries the other books leave with you. It's a sure bet that you will ruin thousands of dollars worth of logs if you don't have this book by your side. Bottom line is, if you just want a library of books on log building, buy all the others. If you are really building a "Handcrafted Log Home" this book is a must! You'll be sorry without it.

I found it surprising that title character, Eugenie, had little depth and didn't leave much of an impression on the imagination. She behaves like a simple child, and while her childish behavior is touchingly described, Balzac never gives her his full attention and never brings her to life the way he does her father or even their servant Nanon. Eugenie meets Charles for the first time and falls in love with all her heart in the space of a few days. Her story is 'tragic' because her love is valueless in a society in which everyone is scrambling to increase their wealth and position - a sort free-for-all of social mobility that existed in post-Revolutionary France. But it's hard to feel the weight of this tragedy because Eugenie's emotions are very one-dimensional; she is a 'young girl swooning with love' literary cliche that the author takes for granted and does not explore. When her father, the wealthy miser, is transfixed by the sight of a few gold coins, we can feel his heart pumping and the excited blood pressurizing his veins because Balzac has done an excellent job of developing his character, but I didn't experience any such identification with Eugenie. One could argue that it was Monsieur Grandet, not Balzac, who stifled Eugenie's personality by raising her in a cloistered, oppressive enviroment. This is an idea clearly stated in the book, but I don't think it's an excuse for not allowing the reader to feel a real connection with her - it takes away from the impact.

This is the first novel I've read of Balzac's. He is a good storyteller who focuses with equal clarity on the minute and the cosmic. For example, the action of the story - if it can be said to have any - takes place over just a few days, but these days comprise the first half of the book and are painstakingly plotted and richly described. The next seven years pass like a time-lapse movie. Balzac manages this drastic change of pace without letting the air out of the story. He spends the first half of the book developing the characters and setting the story in motion then pulls away to a broader perspective that allows him to make his point without dragging us through any unecessary melodrama or billowing romantic passages. Balzac's economy and practicality in this regard show that he knows what he is doing and why he is doing it; he writes with purpose.

As far as Balzac's 'realism' goes - there are moments of vivid characterization and psychological complexity, and he paints a memorable picture of 19th century French country life - so I can see why he is credited with making strides in the direction of more modern writing. However one doesn't get the sense that realism for it's own sake is of great interest to him. In other words he is not committed to realism as a set a principles, he simply uses it to enliven his tale, which proceeds along a more conventional, parable-like path, with lots of foreshadowing and few surprises. I don't mean that in a negative way. It gives the story a comfortable fireside charm and an inviting honesty. I'm sure I will read more Balzac, but this book was flawed. I hope to find better.

Don't want to repeat others, but this novel is very easy to read and while you are doing it you feel you are a part of that household, almost feeling the mood of all present characters.
Highly recommend this book...

A short character study by the great French master of manners and the human heart. Not to be missed!! The downfall of a miser and his daughter's attempt to make recompense.

This book rates five stars, but it is a different five stars than, for instance, Lolita deserves. Balzac was a literary genius, and this abbreviated work demonstrates his supernal talents...not only is the prose beautiful, but he manages to take a stock situation and mine some novel insights out of it.

However, this book is not ground-breaking, life-changing, etc. It's a pawn in the literary chessboard, worthy of the reader's time, but nothing truly profound or of great importance...and easily sacrificed in favor of more important pieces.

That caveat out of the way, I recommend the book for its beauty, brevity, levity, and edifying content.

"The spirit, like the body, must breathe to live: it needs to take in love, from another soul, like oxygen, make it part of itself, and give it back enriched. Without that beautiful process the heart dies: it suffers from lack of air and ceases to beat."
Honore Balzac "Eugenie Grandet"

If you haven't had the opportunity to read Balzac yet, and you are a lover of classic fiction, please do yourself a favor and order this one today. It is the fourth classic of his that I have read ("Lost Illusions", "Old Goriot" & "Cousin Bette" are also amazing and definitely recommended). "Eugenie Grandet" is a relatively short, simple story, especially in comparison to his above referenced classics, but still just as majestic. This brilliant writer who influenced countless other greats - Zola, Dickens, Flaubert, Proust, Henry James, et al... - was one of the founding fathers of realism, and it's easy to see where Zola and Flaubert in particular drew most of their inspiration from.

The story takes place in early 19th century France (post Revolution) in the provincial town of Saumur where Eugenie Grandet and her parents reside. Her father, Monsieur Grandet, is a miser who is completely obsessed with gold. This stingy, little tyrant, despite his wealth, makes his poor wife and only child (Eugenie) live as if they were paupers. He is avarice and selfishness makes Dicken's Scrooge look like Paul Newman in comparison. On top of that, Grandet covets his only child equally as close as his many piles of gold that he secretly hordes.

Ergo, life for our heroine and her mother is a rather bleak one. However, all things begin to look up when her handsome, young cousin Charles suddenly arrives into town after the death of his parents. Of course sparks begin to fly and Eugenie's dormant passions are suddenly awakened for the first time. The only main obstacle in the two lover's way is of course daddy - the gluttonous, gloomy Monsieur Grandet.

I just can't say enough about Balzac's prose. If you love writers who really dig deep into their characters, then look no further than Honore. I can't think of one writer who develops his/her characters with more zeal. Like other greats (i.e. Tolstoy and Steinbeck first come to mind), Balzac is not afraid to display both the positive and negative attributes of each of his creations while at the same time not passing judgment on them. There is so much depth to all of his characters no matter how minor they are. For me personally, this is one of the most important qualities, one of the most essential ingredients to great story telling.

It just doesn't get better than Balzac folks. Passionate, descriptive, satirical at times, informative, historical, insightful, etc... etc... And perhaps most importantly - an exceptional story teller to boot! I relished every single page of this splendid short story.
Enjoy!

Get extra's because this poster book is great. My whole family loved it and I had to get 4 more for the grandchildren. Beautifully done. This is destined to be a collectors item and for the price it can't be beat. I highly recommend.

in this poster book. This book has 15 pages of glossy posters with scenes from the Sorcerer's Stone movie. The posters are one sided, so you won't be hiding anything if you decide to take them out of the book and hang them on the wall. It's not overpriced, so if kids want to have a room full of Harry Potter, they can, without breaking the bank and mum and dad having heart failure because an expensive book has been pulled apart.

I have found several of these at DOllar Tree stores for only $1

The second Harry Potter poster book brings you huge, glossy photos from the "Chamber of Secrets" film. There are posters of your favorite Harry Potter characters (castmembers dressed up in costume) and great film scenes. You can cut them out of the poster book if you'd like and hang them up but they are just as fun to look at by flipping through the book. The photos are not the same ones that you keep on seeing on every single Harry Potter site--a lot of them are rare ones that can only be found in this poster book. If you're a huge Harry Potter fan and can't wait for the "Chamber of Secrets" film to open, then this poster book is a must.

I highly recommend the "Chamber of Secrets" poster book.

Score:
100/100
A+

The "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" Movie Poster Book is an excellent addition to any Harry Potter fan's collection. The posters are high quality; slighltly glossy, nicely sized, and has a clean and crisp finish to the photos. Many of the posters are collages, which I really liked because they are done in such a nice way. My entire household (that would be three younger sisters and two parents) all love Harry Potter, so of course we all ran out to get our own copies! I suggest saving this booklet (or buying two, the price is great), because it will defintely become more valuable as the years go on since Harry Potter is destined to be popular years from now!

Really good read especially as it heats up near the end.
The bend over backwards attitude of the male character made me really heated and mad... i wanted to slap the guy for doing any & everyting the girl wanted and more. So used, but he so enjoyed it.

Excellant Story based on the Japanese modern girl. I wish these short foreign novel were not so overpriced though. I had to buy this book for a class.

Naomi is a novel that will feel surprisingly familiar to the western reader. While much of the important thematic material refers to the fascination Western culture had for Japan, it is also a meditation on modernity and the challenges that it offered traditional models of family and feminine behaviour.

A 28-year old electrical engineer (Jôji) is attracted to Western styles and values and also feels the need for some additional warmth in his life. Rather than go through all the stiffness and ceremony of arranging a marriage, he instead decides to take on a poor 15-year old bar girl named Naomi as a kind of pet.

"I'd decorate the rooms, plant flowers, hang out a birdcage on the sunny veranda, and hire a maid to do the cooking and scrubbing. And if Naomi agreed to come, she'd take the place of the maid and the bird....This is roughly what I had in mind."

Jôji is attracted to Naomi because she has a western name, and also because she has an exotic appearance that makes her resemble Mary Pickford. She appeals to his sense of adventure because of this western air and she also seems safe. Rather than take a risk on an adult stranger, he can simply mold her into the sort of woman that he would prefer (think Murasaki in The Tale of Genji). Once Naomi agrees to move in with him, he encourages her to explore the modern and western side of her nature.

However, he discovers that while is a tourist playing at being adventurous, Naomi actually lives on the edge. She takes to becoming a "western girl" (shorthand for a modern girl) with a vengeance. She chooses increasingly outlandish and expensive clothes, takes up dancing, and has suspicious friendships with young boys. Jôji begins to have doubts about her character, but by then he is already madly in love with her. She increasingly takes control of his life, leading him to ruin.

The subject is a familiar one-- there is something about this notion of modernity vs tradition that seems to play itself out irresistably on the body of the lower class female character. In this case, Naomi's western self is a celebration of modernity that eventually turns into a frenzy of despair. The story bears a lot of similarity to Of Human Bondage, with some of Breton's obsessionary tone in Nadja thrown in for good measure.

The characters are almost entirely unsympathetic-- the smug would-be Pygmalion Jôji more so than the scrappy Naomi. Because the theme has been done so often since the time of writing, it may feel as though it lacks surprises for the modern reader.

Recommended-- interesting and important book which should read well whether you pick it up for the historical or literary value.

This is my first time reading a novel by Tanizaki Junichiro and I think I picked a good one to start with. In the novel, Tanizaki creates a realistic character in Joji. I think that Joji mirrors aspects of Tanizaki life as well. Tanizaki was infatuated with the West and then suddenly he only wanted to be Japanese and immerse himself in Japanese culture. Joji is so preoccupied with the West that he chooses a young girl because of her Western sounding name. Then he pays for English lessons, takes her to American movies, goes out with her to trendy restaurants to indulge in steak, and buys expensive Western clothes. It almost as if Joji is pruning a bonsai tree as he carefully molds her into his ideal. But this tree has a wild root that grows up into his own worst nightmare. I do feel sorry for Joji always giving in to Naomi's seemingly endless demands. I actually think he should run off and start a new life anywhere else but Naomi has other twisted plans for whomever she decides to get involved with. I don't fault Naomi due to her background that is revealed as the story gets going. Actually, I think that the whole novel is a satire of all things Western by Tanizaki. Even for someone like me who spent time in Japan because I loved Japanese culture, there comes a period where you become disillusioned by whatever country that you think you love. The Japanese often tell Americans living in Japan that after 3-years you either love Japan or hate it and never want to go back. I had mixed feeling after the 3rd year too. I think this novel was written during Tanizaki's disillusion with the West and knowing that I'm not judging him for it. In fact, this novel was probably a way of allowing Tanizaki to express himself in a way to create a comparison between the West and Japan and how people view each other, stereotypes and all. I do the same thing myself. Sometimes I get so wrapped up in Japanese movies that when someone asked me about an American movie like Iron Man, I don't want to talk about it. So I'm looking at it from the prospective of a Japanese fan. Also, in order to explain Japan to other people, I often pick American pop culture because I know about it and it makes some things easy to explain. Nothing always translate so smoothly between east and west and that's where problems start.
Anyway, I found Naomi to be an enjoyable read by a master storyteller who knows his characters with all their glorious faults intact. Truly great characters should have quirks and faults or the story isn't interesting. I will probably read The Key or The Makioka Sisters next.

A friend got me back into my Japanese obsession, and I picked up I am a Cat awhile ago; never got around to reading it. I read fabulous reviews of Naomi, however, and it seemed to have the deeply psychological feel to it - dark and forbidding, exactly what I was looking for. I keep comparing it to a Japanese Lolita.

The story is about a man named Joji, obsessed with all things Western in 1920's Japan. He finds a Eurasian-looking girl named Naomi (aha! A name both Western AND Japanese!) working in a café. Between her Western looks and name, her childish innocence, and her beauty, he becomes truly captivated. A man twice her age and with a decent amount of money, he takes her in and educates her in Western ways, tolerating her occasional cruelty and selfishness. As things get deeper and deeper (including a secret marriage) he learns to tolerate the extravagances and infidelities of a cold-hearted and cold-eyed woman (no longer a childish teen) due to his increasing sexual obsession with her.

This book was a fantastic study in obsessive love. Deeply psychological, you feel for Joji at the same time you want to slap him and tell him to send his wife packing. You can almost see the train wreck at the end of the book coming - Joji discovering the infidelity the audience knows is there, and holding their breath to see if he will stand strong or fall under. For her part, Naomi's manipulations are absolutely fantastic. Comic book authors cannot pen better villains. You truly, truly see the power that beautiful women can wield in this book.

The book was excellent - I blew through it in two days. Even with that, though, I give the book four stars. I know the spinelessness of Joji was part of the plot, but it still bothered me. A little too much.

This author's debut novel stars the diminutive Angela Bivens. Still reeling from the surprise success of the racial/sexual harrassment lawsuit that she brought against her employer, the FBI, Angela has been reassigned and is finally doing the work that she dreamed of doing when she joined the bureau...instead of pushing paper as she had done in the past. So what if she has been assigned a case that has significant importance in the African-American community....and completely no priority at all within the Bureau. People within the community are dying in particularly gruesome ways....and all signs point to territorial feuds between rival drug gangs. But are they really responsible? Then Angela meets and falls in love with one of the most handsome, eligible bachelors in the District of Columbia....; Trey seems to be the perfect man. Soon Angela discovers that her lover's mentally addled, drug-addicted twin brother Ganneymede is his cross to bear; worse yet, she begins to find connections between Mede and the horrible killing spree. Angela can certainly solve the crimes...but at the possible expense of her relationship. After all...what can be worse than discovering that her boyfriend's brother is a sociopathic killer? What can be worse? Well, Angela's about to find out......
Creepy and suspenseful, I enjoyed the novel. 4 stars only from me as it times I did seem to lose my momentum, confused by the intricacies of the Mayan lore and the DC political lingo. Good debut.


DYB

In Sympathy for the Devil you meet FBI agent Angela Bivens.

I really liked this book. I am not a fan of Tom Clancy, Stephen King or even the "thriller mystery" genre but this book really got my attention. The story is so vivid and clear its like reading a movie!

The book didn't let me down because I couldn't figure out who did what until the end. It was a challenge to keep up with all the technical names but once you get into it you will not want to put it down until you know Angela has got her man.
For those who love a good mystery thriller then you will definitely want to pick this one up. Kudos for Mr. Chambers!
-JaT

The book started out very slow, but by the time I got to the middle of the book until the ending it was like I was watching a thriller movie or something. It was really good. I'm looking forward to reading more mystery stories about Angela Bivens.

This book is absolutely wonderful. I thoroughly enjoyed. Twists, turns,suspense...Kudos to Mr. Chambers. For those who said they guessed the ending....so what....this book is well worth the reading. The characters were developed well and Mr. Chambers has inside knowledge I see of the affluent African American in Washington. I can't wait to see what's in store for "Angel.

On the surface, FBI special agent Angela appears to be a kind hearted, strong woman. Her friends call her "Angel", because of her kind spirit. And she is not afraid to fight the system. Angela just won a class action race and sex discrimination lawsuit against the FBI.

However, Angela cannot forget that she was unable to remedy one failure in her life. After graduating from law school, she was unable to pass the bar. This is one battle that she will never win.

Because of this failure, Angela tries twice as hard at the FBI. She gives 200% to her cases.

Angela lands two cases that no one wants. In Washington D.C., two young African American teenage girls are brutally murdered. Another case involves the murders of drug dealers.

The press has called the cases drug related and the Washington D.C. police want no part in the cases. The drug dealers and the girls' deaths are just part of the reality of living in the underworld drug culture.

Angela meets good looking attorney P. Thomas "Trey" Williams, III. Trey is outraged that everyone has ignored the girls' deaths. Trey believes that the girls are "good girls" and the killer must be found.

Angela is impressed by Trey's conviction and later they start to date. However, Trey is not perfect. Trey's parents are deceased and his identical twin brother Pluto is a heroin addict. To make matters worse, Pluto lives with Trey. Pluto has gone to drug rehab. To Trey's disappointment, Pluto still shoots up regularly.

Trey sees himself as Pluto's older brother, because his birth preceded Pluto's birth by six minutes. He tries to shelter Pluto. However, this is a near impossible task. Pluto also suffers from mental illness and he obsessed with the occult. In essence, Pluto embodies the image of the devil.

As Angela unravels the clues to the murders, she is taken down an unwieldy path that leads her to a place that she does not want to travel. The evidence seemingly points to Pluto. Yet, Trey steadfastly proclaims Pluto's innocence.

On the emotional level, Angela wants to believe Trey. However, her intellect tells her otherwise.

Is Pluto the killer? Or is it someone else? With a surprise ending, SYMPATHY WITH THE DEVIL will keep you on edge until the end.

I would highly recommend this book.

Bel-Ami is a fascinating novel in that it provides an exceptionally clear view of 19th century Parisian society and is an incredibly good story. Essentially the tale of a social climbing ladies man , who through his natural abilty to seduce women manipulates all around him for personal gain with no visible conscience or moral qualms.

A highly cynical novel written by a master of concise vivid writing, Bel-Ami moves along at a brisk pace and is one of De Maupassant's best works.

Maupassant's classic novel provides insight into the politics and high society of France during the early Third Republic. Georges Duroy is the ultimate social climber, who manages to achieve wealth and power in a world that seems to reward scheming. But he is also representative of the "little man" who succeeded in France after 1870. His is a world pervaded by politics, dominated by the self-assured bourgeoisie, and focused on Paris as the center of French life.

Meanwhile, Maupassant depicts many of the important political and social trends of the day: the predominance of the haute bourgeoisie, corruption in politics, the too-cozy relationship between politicians and journalists, colonialism, secularization/anti-clericalism vs. religiosity or professed piety, antisemitism, relations between men and women marked by exploitation and hypocrisy.

Though the romantic scenes are a little ridiculous at times, "Bel-Ami" provides a terrific literary snapshot of a certain era in French history.

Is it possible to absolutely disdain every single characters in any literary form and abhor their actions ,but still love the book? yes, it is. If you read Guy de Maupassant's Bel-Ami, you will understand the question I raised.

Guy de Maupassant was a master story teller , especially his story stories were highly influential. Many writers have been influenced by his style which is an enhanced version of realism that Flaubert mastered when he was at the apex of his talent. This book "Bel-Ami" is his second novel and it's as entertaining as you expect.

The plot revolving around a scoundrel named Georges Duroy and show his ascension in Paris society during the third republic. Indeed, the time "Bel-Ami" is his nickname first used by a daughter of a woman with whom Duroy has an affiar. Except for being handsome and an expert of manupulation of female psyche, Duroy did not have absolutely no innate talent. However, his military service in Algeria happened to give hime a key to success. He met his comrades by chance and through him get into the door of the modern Babylon named Paris and works in aptly named newspaper "La Vie Francaise" as a journalist.
Duroy is the archetype of a unscrupulous modern man who is driven by an obssetion of clibming social ladder by any mean .On top of that,he seems to lack control of his libido. He continues to have affairs with several women throughout the book ,yet all these affairs have dual purposes which provide him benefit each time. How skillful Maupassant is well represented his talent of creating circumstances that seems to never allow any human decency, which only lead anyone to the steep descension in social hierachry rather than the opposite. So inadvertently vindicate our hero Duroy's action.

If we can experience July Monarch through Balzac's works, we are able to glance the third repulic in Guy de Maupassant's novel. As Balzac is highly critical of the life in Urbanity, so does Maupassant In "Bel Ami" It's excellent piece of work that show a segment and the deeply rotten core of the society concorrently.

Though I've only read the original, I highly recommend Bel-Ami! This book is a treat. I found it quite a fast read at 400 pages because I simply devoured it; the characters, in spite (or maybe because) of all their flaws and weaknesses, are so engaging you'll became so involved that you'll hardly be able to put it down. Maupassant has a way of conveying the moods of the book to the reader that you'll pant for more in the end.

"Self-love for ever creeps out, like a snake, to sting anything which happens to stumble upon it." Lord Byron 1788-1824

This classic chronicles Georges Duroy's (the main protagonist of the novel) quick rise to power from a poor, lost, ex-soldier to one of the most successful men in all of Paris. Georges is a young man who has indeed been blessed. He's exceptionally handsome, smart, charismatic, resourceful, etc... however, like many men who have been spoiled by the gods, Georges is completely self-centered. It's all about him. He uses these gifts to exploit people, especially women, and without conscience, he manipulates his way to the top of his profession.

I have to honestly say that I have never despised a main male character in a novel more than I did Georges. He is such a lowly cad, a man who is completely amoral and sans ethics. While I was reading the novel I kept waiting for Georges to get his come-uppance. For truly no man can live a life so loathsome before Karma finally decides to pay him a visit. Maupassant's excellent writing style and the hopes that Georges would get his just do, were the two main reasons I kept turning the pages. I could imagine a feminist wanting to burn this book, because of the way the main protagonist deceives women. However, that being said, most of the female characters in the novel are almost just as bad as Georges. They all cheat on their spouses, are self-absorbed & consumed, and lack integrity.

Maupassant interpretation of the hypocritical world of the Paris privileged in the late 19th century is both vexatious and morose. I just can't believe that people could be so damn unprincipled! There wasn't anyone to really root for in this story, no one whom you could really build a connection toward. They were almost all repugnant, self-centered, immoral characters and in many ways the women were worse than the men. It's interesting to note, that Maupassant was good friends with Emile Zola. I can see quite a few similarities between this story and Zola's classic "Nana". Duroy, like Nana, comes from a poor, working class family and like the latter he is almost irresistible to any member of the opposite sex he sets his eyes upon. His sex appeal has no rivals and he is able to exploit these women one after another in order to rise among the Paris elite society. Duroy will go down in my book as the quintessential womanizer of classic literature.

I thoroughly enjoy the way Maupassant writes, but I must admit I had a very difficult time with this one when it was all said and done. Perhaps I was expecting something to happen that didn't. I will refrain from elaborating on that point, for fear it will relate too much about the novel. However, all that being stated, it's a story that does grab your interest and never seems to let go.

This book was a required text for Industrial Espionage - a course that I took at American Military University. It was quite informative on the tactics businesses have used in obtaining business secrets from their rivals - some legally and others, unfortunately, illegally. In our fast-paced and extremely competitive environment, every business leader that wants to protect his or her business secrets ought to expand the number of skills and talents that his or her business employs, by reading this book and understanding the sophisticated tools of the trade of obtaining vital business secrets. This book is a lot more than how spies operate. It doesn't teach one to be a spy. It teaches how to legitimately obtain competitive information that was kept in the vault. The legal side of acquiring such competitive business secrete is called Competitive Intelligence, and the umlawful side is Indistrial Espionage or Economic Espionage. The difference between the two is explicit in Nolan's book. [Nwankama W Nwankama]

Mr Nolan's jockular style of writing takes the reader through all the ins and outs of planning,gathering, and then evaluating competitive intelligence. He has been there,done that and then some and it clearly shows in his very informative tome. He introduces the reader to the intell cycle and then shows exactly how to implement it. I highly recommend this classic.

It's a bit humbling to have an author provide so much common sense in one book. Somehow it seems like I should have learned this from the lessons of life.

Nolan gives clear answers to guide businesses in the process of protecting their proprietary information. It is a must-read for those involved in this work.

The discussion of interviewing skills will be on my list to re-read once a year. It is a valuable resource.

John Nolan has a style that makes this niche teaching book also a great read. With just a small amount of teasing info about his background in government intelligence, he moves directly into skill recognition and honing that will allow CI professionals to expand their tool boxes. Through many case study examples he demonstrates that the techniques he has written about are those he himself has practiced and successfully used.

In addition to my appreciation for his one-liners and clever "winks" to the reader, my favorite part of the book is the full ethic/moral gray-zone discussions and examples the appendices contain.

John Nolan, a 22 year veteran in the intelligence community, has written what I believe is the best book on the subject of competitive intelligence. Most books on competitive intelligence, more commonly known as CI, focus on the collection and analysis of information from online databases, the Internet, company financial reports, etc. Mr. Nolan's expertise however, is in "elicitation." Elicitation is the process of conversing with another person in a non-threatening manner and have that person unintentionally reveal information about themselves or their companies.

The most valuable parts of the book are those sections that cover the elicitation techniques - there are 17 in all according to Mr. Nolan. Readers will gain valuable insight into each of the techniques and how to use them. Mr. Nolan uses clear and concise examples to make his points.

Once the reader becomes expert at using the elicitation techniques, Mr. Nolan shows how to protect information, what to protect, how to protect it and for how long.

Mr. Nolan's book is engagingly written, and above all, useful the day one starts to read it. 'Confidential' describes ethical and legal procedures and processes that, with some practice, yield greater confidence in decisions that must be made 'ahead of the curve.'

Once I started reading this book, I couldn't put it down!

Mark Robinson, author of "Beyond Competitive Intelligence: The Practice of CounterIntelligence and Trade Secrets Protection."

This is one of my favorite games now. I was a bit leery of it--I'd played so many White Wolf games that I'd burnt out on them--but when one of our groupmembers offered to run this, I jumped at the chance. (I usually GM, so I was really wanting just to play for a while.) Now our epic campaign (and my break from GMing) is almost over, and I'm so sad! I don't want it to end! But this campaign, though short, has been a great one, full memory-making moments. And part of the reason is the Exalted rules and setting.

So I've preordered the 2nd Edtion and I'm waiting eagerly for it to arrive. I suggest you do too. According to what I've read, the 2nd edtion will solve many of the problems of the 1st edition (and there are some problems--that's why I gave the 1st Ed. 4 stars instead of 5). Amazon's discount also made it cost less than the cover price--even with international shipping thrown in! Excellent work, Amazon!

This book is all you need to play this game... I have yet to play, but have begun player creation and will be the storyteller for a few sessions...
I would prefer that this book be better organized. Otherwise I appreciate the over the top gameplay it provides.
It is also rich in history of the world; there are plenty of supplementary books for storytellers and players alike. It provides plenty of fuel for the imagination.
It is not the best of its kind. It is a healthy alternative to others of its kind.
Note to the Storyteller: Exalted are Uber powerful. You must be prepared for this. You will bore your players otherwise.
later.

The setting is absolutely great, rich and complex. It takes place before the World of Darkness setting used on other Storyteller titles, such as Vampire, Werewolf and Mage.

Also, the rules are absolutely great. The Charms system, specifically, is wonderful, the best I've seen around.

I am a gamer of about 12 years, and in even my jaded opinion, Exalted is something to get excited about. The world created by the authors is nothing short of fascinating, the dice system is an old favorite of mine (though tweaked from games like Vampire to be more heroic), and the Charms are an inspired method of magic. Combat, if done correctly, is very smooth and dynamic, unlike the unwieldy systems of other games.
The only flaws are the "extra dice for stunts" rule (and even that is only applicable with immature players), and the severe lack of sorcery spells in this book. I'm going to pay the extra $30 to buy the sorcery supplement "Book of Three Circles," but a few more spells in the core book would be nice.
How great is this game? Well, suffice to say that I haven't bought anything but Exalted supplements and food for the past couple months. It's addictive!

I love RPGs. I'll take them anyway I can get them. Pen-and-paper or computer. Single player or MMORPG. Live action or table-top. You name it, I've probably played it at least once.

Where fantasy table-top pen-and-paper RPGs is concerned, D&D used to be it. But what always killed me about the game was how small and insignificant your character was at 1st level and how long it took to get him to a level where he could really be heroic.

Those days are gone.

Exalted leaves behind the Tolkien inspired fantasy of D&D and it's various clones in favor of a world based on classic epics and wuxia martial arts films. Throw in demigod-like heroes with powers similiar in form and function to those found in most action-adventure anime shows, and you have a game that's original and fulfills many players' desires to play very powerful characters from the beginning.

And what powers they are. In Exalted, players take on the roles of humans who have been granted incredible power by the Gods. These beings are called Exalted and they are stronger, faster, and thanks to their status as living near-gods, they can accomplish feats and miracles beyond anything a mere mortal could ever dream possible.

With these powers, the Exalted are expected to go forth and be the Gods' army against those who would destroy Creation, namely the Yozi and their demonic hoardes. There's also the problem of the Fair Folk, chaotic beings from beyond Creation who want to digest the Essence of all things living. And then there's the Deathlords of the Underworld and their champions, the Abyssals.

Unfortunately, things seldom go the way they're planned. In Exalted, the Gods are falable beings given to pursuing their own, very human, lusts and desires with as much vim and verve as Zeus, Ares, Aphrodite, or any Greek God. And their champions are no different.

The rules present you with great choices for your character. At character creation, you have the opportunity to give your Solar Warrior of Virtuous Zeal a staggering array of high-level skills and abilities right off the bat. Combine this with an array of Charms - special mystical abilities inherit to the Exalted, that double his already high stats - and spells that can literally shake the foundations of Creation itself and you have a powergamer's wet dream made real.

And the rules encourage this. As much as the setting is grand in scope and scale, filled with characters of long and flowery titles, the rules are just as epic. A few dice aren't enough to determine Fate's favor for our heroes. Oh no. You must roll scores of dice. Using a system similiar to the one used in the World of Darkness games, players roll a number of 10 sided dice equal to their ratings in the pertinent abilities. Success or failure is determined by the number of dice that score 7 or better. Some actions require more successes than others, according to conditions, tools used, and the situation.

As you can see, combat is serious and complicated. Perhaps too complicated. When you add the number of modifiers and penalties from weapons or wounds or terrain, plus the dice for not just one, but two or three Charms linked in a combo you have a very lengthy procedure that threatens to turn a very narrative and cool battle into a morass of dice rolling and number crunching.

But that's cool. Cuz my Warrior of Dawn's Indomitable Light has just leapt over a battalion of Dynasty Legionnaires and released a hail of sun bolts from his bow while executing a perfect somersault, annihilating the lot of them. All in bullet-time.

What is not to love about this?

Exalted 2nd Edition is coming very soon and claims to make a great game better by fixing the little rules problems that seem to bug so many players so much. I've had the book from the beginning and I have to say, it's pretty solid the way it is. Don't mess with what isn't broken, I say. But who knows, maybe the best is yet to come.

What I really want to know is, does anyone want to play? Cuz this game rocks!