Adam Books

You will be hard put to find any writer who can jack up your heart rate the way Adam Hall manages to in these relatively few pages. His story is a marvel of relentless pacing. With sentences that read something like Hemingway under the influence of bad speed - a steady drumbeat of monosyllables, phrase after short phrase linked by "and," an economy of language - and a first-person voice that Hall maintains pitch-perfectly from start to finish, this book is one of the best-written thrillers ever. It doesn't resort to bloated descriptions of technical gadgets or exotic locales; nor is its protagonist a super-hero. (He is smarter than the average bear, and physically tougher, too, but believably so.) It does use the Nazi-comeback formula - imagine how many millions of paperbacks in how many hundreds of airports the ancient swastika image has helped to sell all these years! - but I imagine that in the early 1960s, it was actually one of the first books to explore this now-overused plotline.
Hall's description of Quiller's foe-induced, near-psychotic drug experience is particularly gripping - I've looked repeatedly, and I still don't understand how he made this description so convincing that it would likely persuade any reader to just say no.
I look forward to reading more in the Quiller series.

Brainy and impassive Quiller in the strasses of suspicious Berlin. Must get close to the nest but not too close. Don't let Oktober and his werewolves know the location of your own base.

I liked "The Odessa File," "Marathon Man," and "Boys from Brazil," but this beats them all. Quiller is a ruthless loner in the mold of the protagonist in "Eye of the Needle." Unusually, in a book written before the age of political correctness, he refuses to carry a gun. His story is basically that of a man who finds himself in a dark tunnel, unarmed, knowing there are predators but not knowing who or where they are. The book has plenty of action but is basically an extended intellectual puzzle in which you must not only figure out the moves but who the actors are and whether they can be trusted. Since Quiller seems constitutionally inclined to trust no one, this unending procession of double- and triple-crosses suits him well, but even he is surprised by revelations about one of his friends.

The book is dated, of course, and someone like Quiller could not win today by exactly the same methods as those in the book because of the development of technology, but the portrait of a man alone, who accepts his essential aloneness and is prepared to live or die by his wits is well drawn and a story to keep and hold the attention of the reader. It is very dark, and if Daniel Craig were not already playing Bond, I would suggest him for Quiller.

Speaking of that, if you enjoy the book, do not make the mistake of watching the movie, whose producers seem to have misunderstood the book completely. George Segal was cast to play Quiller in the movie as a smirking, simpering pretty boy who resorted to flip comebacks and petulant retorts to make his way; his character had nothing to do with this book.

Read the book instead and savor the story. It sets up a universe that is very bleak and stays with you a long time after you finish it.

Whether of not you've seen and enjoyed the movie version of "The Quiller Memorandum," you are in for a rare treat. The novel is different, but in many ways even better than the film. Adam Hall's Quiller is a cold-eyed realist (colder, more introverted and more introspective than that played by George Segal) working for an unnamed and unacknowledged British agency in Cold War-era Berlin. Ordered to infiltrate and expose a ring of old and neo-Nazis, Quiller attempts methodically to probe the depths of a secret organization that is bent on resuscitating the Third Reich. This work is dangerous, and is made more so by the uncertain allegiances of some of the characters. Although the novel takes place twenty years after the end of World War II, it was still unclear where certain characters, even those in high government positions, stood.

The detailed descriptions of Quiller's reasoning and analyses demonstrate the workings of the mind of a master spy. What makes Quiller so compelling is that while he is brilliant, he is flawed. Quiller makes mistakes, sometimes tragic ones, sometimes avoidable ones. I disagree with the view that the characters lack depth and are one-dimensional. Inga, for example, is as complicated a character as one is likely to see, for biographical and psychological reasons that are well-explained. Rothstein is not quite what he appears to be on the surface, either.

But the true joy of this novel is its detailed descriptions of the "how" of spycraft -- how messages are transmitted; how they are received; how the emergency backup works; how one loses a tail; how one endures interrogation under pressure. The psychological reasons why certain characters behave as they do are also intriguing. Yes, the references to the "id" and the "ego" are a bit dated, but the kindergarten-level Freud-speak does not detract from the real mind games that the characters are playing here. Overall, "The Quiller Memorandum" is an outstanding spy novel that is one of the best of its genre.

As a reader, I've always been fond of thriller, police and crime stories. They are often - undeservedly - considered a lesser genre, none the less they present an extraordinary opportunity to test logic skills, appraise different possibilities and sometimes also exercise in virtual history.

The Quiller Memorandum is no exception.
It has even a pedigree, as winner of the Edgar Allan Poe for Best Novel in 1966.

Basically it is the story of a secret agent employed by the British intelligence in the '50s to track down former Nazi criminals hiding under respectable new identities, who comes to confront a dangerous German neo-Nazi secret association, the Phoenix, trying to regain power.

Many of the situations described bring to mind "The Odessa File" by Forsythe and "Fatherland" by Robert Harris, and I guess that this novel has been an important inspiration - if not source - to both of them.
None the less both "Fatherland" and "The Odessa File" are far more consistent and superior.

I believe the book is a bit out of date to the modern reader and shows the marks of time: under some aspects it is a typical product of the late '60s, with its faltering hopes and gloomy expectations.

The hero is James-Bondlike but not so successful and formidable, and neither so optimistic: unlike Bond he doesn't seem able to be able to control the outside world, while is an expert in self-control, that is psychoanalysis (there are some dull remarks about Es and Ego), mnemotechnics and psychology.
There's pervasive pessimism in the usefulness of reason and logics and a suicide-like attitude in many of his actions (the mythological image used is the Greek tauromachia, the man who fight the bull with his bare hands) that is kind of self-destructive mysticism.
His adversaries appear to be all-pervasive: they are ghostlike and always in advantage, but they too finish to act irrationally.

Unlike classic thrillers, this is mostly the description of a nightmare. The scene is reduced at minimum (we know it happens in Berlin), the individuals are reduced to primeval pulsions (pure masochism in Inga, sadism in Oktober, multiple personalities in Zossen, revenge in Rothstein and so on), time can contract or expand according to the needs and logic may be faultless but of no use to forecast what will happen.

With these cautions, the novel is still readable and can offer a few hours of interesting time off

I hope my impressions may have been of help to you.
You are truly welcome if you can suggest other readings or just share ideas and comments!
Thanks for reading.

This book gives insight into the plight of children who live with domestic abuse, alcholism, and other "hidden" issues. Sometimes it isn't obvious to people what children are living through. Rachel is a perfect example of how children will go to great lengths to protect their families from outside scrutiny. It also gives insight into the feeling of waiting for "the other shoe to drop"! Unless you've lived in a environment with substance abuse and violence, you may not be aware of this feeling and the struggle for the other family members to predict and/or prevent the next outburst. I recommend this book to counselors, teachers, and anyone dealing with children. It is also a great read for children because it may let the other "Rachels" in the world know they are not alone.

This book makes me want to be a teacher just so I can include it in the curriculum. The author handles the deep and sensitive subjects of domestic violence and alcoholism with compassion and care. When I read this book I shed a tear, but it was one of hope. Highly recommended to all ages.

If this is the first in promised series about a group of children from a single classroom, then the series is off to a very strong start. This is not your typical "issue" book, because even though Rachel has a terrible family secret she is hiding, the book is less about the secret, and more about Rachel's ways of dealing with it. The author really captures what it is like to be a kid in a troubled home: if you can find anything else to focus on, you will, and Rachel does, delightfully. The school scenes, with Rachel's very cool teacher, Mr. Juarez, capture the power of a great classroom to help a student through bad times. Rachel's friendships and school projects are every bit as engaging as the more suspenseful family plot line. I found myself wanting to be in her class. The book also deals with an obviously gifted child, and without resorting to the "nerd" stereotypes found in so many books and movies. The book moves at a very fast pace and is over far too soon. I'll be recommending it to my own students!

Thank you Cindy Lovell Oliver! What an incredible book. After reading it, I couldn't wait to share Rachel's story with my class. I'm always looking for books that will help open the lines of communciation about topics that are not measured on a standardized test but are real life. This was it! Several kids in my class related to Rachel's life, and this book helped them realize they were not alone. Cindy Lovell Oliver is a gifted and talented writer whose insight and wisdom have created a story that lends itself perfectly to a myriad of lessons and class discussions. I cannot wait until the sequel comes out! If you are an educator, you owe it to yourself and your class to read about the life of Rachel Mason.

That's what Mark Twain said while he was on that steamer traveling the world~ and these pages...Jimmy Buffet sings it as he follows the equator...and Rachel Mason feels it...deeply...as only a child can...Rachel Mason is good...and she knows how to keep a secret...a terribly painful, embarrassing secret...consequently, she is lonesome...for anyone who has ever loved a child, this penetrating book is one of the most beautiful stories of gentle courage and childlike goodness you will ever read...Cindy Lovell Oliver respectfully addresses dificult themes through the eyes of a wonderful little girl who never deserved her fate...be good and you will be lonesome... be lonesome and you will be free...there's a gift for everyone in Rachel Mason. This book deserves a quiet afternoon and some tea, an easy chair and a footstool...every moment spent with Rachel is a worthy moment...but don't just take my word for it...allow yourself the experience.

Arthur Koestler has called this novella "a minor masterpiece." He writes, "[The use of the word 'minor'] was meant to refer to the small size of the book, and to the impression that although its theme was the ugliest tragedy in man's history, it was written in a nostalgic minor key" (Introduction, Fontana Books edition, 1977). Having now read this amazingly moving journey of a friendship, I can only agree with Koestler's assessment of this work as a masterpiece. Mr. Uhlman has keenly expressed the depth of friendship with all of its joys and fears. His descriptions reminded me of the beauty of Hesse's own romantic language: "...the Black Forest where the dark woods, smelling of mushrooms and the tears of amber-colored mastic, were threaded through by the trout streams with sawmills on their banks." Mr. Uhlman has also deftly expressd the philosophical wanderings of two young men who attempt to find meaning in the world around them as their understandings are transformed because of the naturalness of their friendship. This terribly good story is not over-emotional, nor melodramatic. It conveys some seriousness and a touch of irony. This is indeed a marvelous--albeit brief--masterpiece.

I read this (short) novel originally as an assignment in high school, more than twenty years ago. It moved me then, and as I reread it today I still think is a powerful book. The protagonist of the story is Hans Schwarz, a Jewish boy in high school in the Germany of the early 30s. Hitler is about to take power. The novel narrates as the boy (and his family) slowly starts suffering creeping discrimination, from the teachers and from his fellow students. One of the few friends he has is the aristocratic Konradin von Hohenfels (clearly inspired by Hitler would be assassin Claus von Stauffenberg, as it becomes clear in the last pages of the book). There's not much to it plotwise, but what I like about the book is the sad, melancholy undercurrent throughout the book, as we see a tragedy slowly happening. The book is written as if it were an autobiography, but it is not. Author Fred Uhlman was born in 1901, so it was impossible for him to be a schoolboy in the early 1930s. Note: in 1989, a not so good film version of the novel starring Jason Robards was made.

A simple tale that leads you along the edges of evil, the ugly gratuitous possibilities that lurk within the human personality, and also reminds you breathtakingly that each person is an opaque mystery. A very important read for an evil-infatuated age.

A short, excellent novella about the relationship of two boys on the eve of Hitler's rise to power in Germany. On of the boys, Hans Schwarz--the narrator--is the son of a doctor (and former officer in the Imperial Army), a descendent of rabbis and shopkeepers, whose German roots go back hundreds of years, and whose Jewishness is little more than a matter of heritage, not faith. He feels himself to be as German as anyone can be, but even moreso, like many Germans, a citizen of a region (in this case Swabia), of which he is fiercely proud. At school--and exclusive school for the elite--he befriends Konradin von Hohenloh, a member of one of the most noble of aristocratic families. Despite their difference, a friendship ensues--but is brief and idyllic. Soon the outside world, of which they had remained largely ignorant, begins to creep into their lives, and their friendship is unalterably effected.

Reunion is an excellent short study of this tragic time, and I highly recommend it to everyone.

I read some of the other reviewers' comments before buying this book. I thought: 'come on...! it cannot be that good'. I was wrong, Reunion's even better than that. The book was a delight to read, but the ending devastated me like no other book in 30 years of reading has even come close to. I cannot think of anything (Tolstoi's Hadji Murad, Kafka's Concerns of a family man, Shakespeare's Lear) that has the same emotional impact of this little book. I know, I know... It's too much. Well, read the book and see.

All Ben Arnold wants in life are Mongolian Fighting Fish. The day he walks into Mr. Dodds's Pet Emporium with enough money to buy them should be the best day of his life. Except that he walks out with a cat. It's not really his fault. After all, the cat made him do it.

Ignatius Sorvo Coromandel, Iggy for short, also known as the Wanderer, has quite a story for Ben. He is from another world, a world called Eidolon. A world full of exotic, mythical, talking creatures. A world that is slowly dying and losing its magic. Someone is stealing creatures out of Eidolon and selling them in Ben's world. Each time a creature leaves, the magic is less. And each time one dies, which happens shortly after they enter our world, more magic disappears.

The most amazing part of all, aside from the talking cat thing, is that Iggy claims Ben's mother is the Queen of Eidolon! That's why Ben can understand Iggy, and the other strange creatures that are beginning to appear in random places. That means that Ben is a prince and his two sisters are princesses! And that's why Ben's mom is getting sick.

If Ben can go to Eidolon, he might be able to help save both the world and his mom. First, he'll have to escape Mr. Dodds and Awful Uncle Aliester, who are bad enough in the regular world and ten times worse in Eidolon. Not to mention Cousin Sylvia and her creepy hairless cat. Then he'll have to navigate a completely foreign land where he can't be sure who to trust.

Mythical creatures and huge battles are all well and fun in books, but living through them is a whole different story!

I love this book, in every way possible! The plot is interesting and moves along at a perfect pace, fast enough to keep you interested but not so much so that you get confused. It's written simply, but never in a way that makes you feel silly. The characters, even the creatures, are extremely interesting and realistic. The part I like best though, is that there is a great sense of humor throughout the story.

I love it. My six-year-old nephew loves it. My ten-year-old niece loves it. You can't ask for more than that.

Reviewed by: Carrie Spellman

Though it may seem like something of a ripoff of Harry Potter, The Secret Country: The Eidolon Chronicles truly stands alone as a brilliant novel, seemingly 'inspired' by Harry Potter, Tolkien etc.
Written in third person, Jane Johnson A.K.A/ Gabriel King A.K.A/ Jude Fisher, takes the reader through an enchanting tale of the adventures of a boy named Ben Christopher Arnold, who, in his infancy, accidently changed the color of his right eye. Then, some years in the future, he sets his sights on two Mongolian Fighting Fish. When he finally raises the money, he is 'convinced' by a talking cat, to buy it instead. The cat, Ignatius Sorvo Coromandel, (you can call him Iggy) turns out to be from another world, and 'wandered' into Ben's (Note: This does take place on earth) world, where he was promptly kidnapped. Everything from there onward is perfect blend of adventure, humor, horror, possible romance, and friendship. This is a genius book for both boys and girls, and a sequel is in the making. This is a must read for anyone who likes: fantasy, action, cats, dogs, most magical creatures and talking cockroaches.

This story is about a boy named Ben Arnold who is relatively normal, but then he buys a talking cat named Iggy. Iggy is from a magic country called Eidolon, where there's dragons, magic, talking animals, and fairies. Ben finds out that his mother is the Queen of Eidolon, so he is prince, even though is father is from earth. "The bad guy" in this book is the Dodman (who exists also in the human world) and Old Creepie (who is someone VERY close to Ben, but I won't tell who) and they are trying to take over Eidolon and it's magical creatures. This book was soooo good, I finished it in an hour because I just HAD to figure out what would come next! :)

Twelve-year-old Benjamin Christopher Arnold (Ben, to his friends) has always been quite an ordinary boy. Like many other boys of his age, Ben is going through the typical gawky stage - long, gangly legs; big feet; hair that never stays in place. There is one thing slightly abnormal about Ben, however. The fact that he has one brown eye, and one green eye; the result of an accident when he was a mere child in a stroller, where he fell victim to a nasty bruise upon his head. And, after an emergency trip to the hospital, emerged with one brown eye, and one green eye. Peculiar indeed, but no cause for worry. Ben's ordinary boy status is thrown for a loop, however, the moment he enters the illustrious Mr. Dodds's Pet Emporium. Drawn into the shop by an advertisement for Mongolian Fighting Fish, Ben sets his sights on the prize, and does everything in his power to earn money for the two floundering fellows - from doing laundry, to mowing the lawn. But when he arrives at Mr. Dodds's Pet Emporium, clutching his freshly-made savings, Ben falls victim to a change of heart. And, as opposed to emerging from the store with his Mongolian Fighting Fish in tow, he purchases a scruffy, talking tabby cat by the name of Ignatius Sorvo Coromandel - also known as Iggy, or the Wanderer. It wasn't that Ben was interested in purchasing the cat. Quite the contrary, actually. But Iggy insisted that Ben take him home, and, feeling a sense of compassion towards the badly mistreated yowler, Ben hands over his savings, and retreats. According to the story Ben is told, Iggy has been kidnapped from his homeland known as the Secret Country. The Secret Country is a parallel world, where mythical animals run free, and beautiful scenery is plentiful. Teaming up, Ben and Iggy soon learn that Iggy is not the only resident of the Secret Country to find himself in the real world. In fact, it is quite obvious that various other creatures have become the victim of Mr. Dodds's get-rich-quick scheme of the mythical creature trade. In fact, with a little investigating, the two learn that Mr. Dodds has been stealing the creatures of the Secret Country, and selling them to England's rich socialites. It doesn't sound too horrible, but Ben soon learns that Mr. Dodds's actions are more harmful than even he realized. According to Iggy, the longer these creatures - whose connections to the Secret Country are quite more than skin deep - are away from their homeland, the worse things become for the Secret Country. In fact, as these creatures are removed, the Secret Country falls under an immediate threat, that could harm their existence. Ben doesn't want to see anything happen to these exotic creatures, but he feels that there is little he can do to assist them in their plight. When he learns that his mother is the long-lost queen of the Secret Country, and that Mr. Dodds's actions are contributing to her deteriorating health, however, he vows to save the creatures, and the country. Now, with his mother's in limbo between life and death, Ben accepts his role in the ancient prophecy of the Secret Country, and begins his quest to prove that he is more than worthy for his title as the Prince of Eidolon.

So often the synopsis on the back cover of a book promises thrilling adventure, spectacular characters, and a fantastical journey to an unexplored world. Yet, when you begin reading, you find that the story falls flat, and leaves you searching for more. So is not the problem with Jane Johnson's debut THE SECRET COUNTRY. Reminiscent of J.K. Rowling's lyrical language, Johnson has penned a tale that leaves you gripping the edge of your seat from beginning to end. Ben is an irresistible character, whose ordinary ways of life are relatable, and quite refreshing in a sea of novels depicting the "lifestyles of the rich and famous." His oddly colored eyes, and ability to see things differently through each one are imaginative and exhilarating to learn more about; while his penchant for succumbing to the pressures of the creatures and family around him make the reader not only sympathize with his character, but cheer on his bravery, as well. His oft-times tumultuous relationship with the snippy, bossy, yet totally lovable tabby, Iggy, is humorous, and quite refreshing. Iggy is fun, yet quite ornery at the same time. His determination to not only save, but to protect his beloved homeland is admirable; while his constant confusion regarding direction often makes the reader question how, exactly, he received the title of the Wanderer. While Iggy and Ben dominate the story, Johnson has also created a wide array of supporting characters, who certainly work to hold their own throughout the tale. From the evil Mr. Dodds - whom you can't help but love to hate - to the gorgeous selkie, Silver, whose unique identity, and ability to transform from seal to human girl - even if she's not yet a pro at the transformation yet - makes for an interesting character. Ben's family is also quite fun to learn more about. His father's constant cluelessness is humorous; while his Uncle Aleister is despicable in a way that makes you loathe and love him at the same time. And his mother - the long-lost queen of the Secret Country - is quite a confusing character, often causing the reader to raise their eyebrows as they struggle to learn more about the illustrious parent; while Ellie - Ben's older sister - and her love of garish make-up makes for a strikingly frightening, yet funny addition to the cast. An engrossing roller coaster ride that combines mythological and fantastical elements to create a thrilling debut. Bravo Ms. Johnson!

Erika Sorocco
Freelance Reviewer

Gotta love a "children's" story that introduces the basics of platonic ontology (not entirely guised, either!) to my kids! Started reading: ran into talking creatures, then a world that is "more" real (via magic) than the "shadow" world that our protagonist lives in (socrates' analogy of the cave), where suffering and evil conflict as compassion and love eventually engages and empowers our just-your-average-kid hero into a reluctant but necessary struggle to keep the powers of blinded brute force at bay. Started reading as bedtime story (anyone else use that excuse to keep reading our kids' books??) but had to finish book myself just because it was impossible to put down. From notes on author (whose other great gift to us was helping JRR T. get published?!) could expect no less...Still was completely blown away by how engaging the narrative was! Have read Magyk and Septimus of late, and found that this was an wonderful cross (between harry potter's England and the fantastical magical world of the former. BRING IT ON! Need more in this series please...and a couple of movies would be just honky dory fine. ENCORE! ENCORE!

I was sure this book would get a Lammy nomination and I can't believe it didn't. It's the best piece of lesbian-written lesbian-centered fantasy I've read in years. The story is flawless, the writing exceptional and greatly moving. ...

Someone once commented that you don't have to be a house to be haunted. You're not likely to meet a more haunted character in lesbian fiction than Autumn Bradley. When you first meet her, Autumn is struggling through life with little memory of her past. She makes ends meet as a magician in a small venue in Las Vegas. Her talent for "sleight of hand" also helps her beat the casinos at their own game. Autumn feels a profound, irredeemable loss - but doesn't understand why. She begins having vivid dreams that hint of a past life with echoes in the present. In particular, she dreams of freedom, love and challenge, realizing her own humanity in the process. Kallmaker skillfully blends past and present with a compelling love story and interesting forays into psychology and myth. Well done.

It's mythic, it's poignant, it's tragic, it's magical. Those are the elements I love in Mercedes Lackey's work. Sleight of Hand is better, because it's also passionately, unreservedly, openly about lesbians. No teasing, no subtext. The writing is first rate -- lyrical and timeless in the parts placed in the distant past, contemporary and fitting for those parts in the present time. This is a great book, and engrossing. I want book 2, and I want it now!

A really great story makes me long for the characters to have truly existed, for them to have done the things in the story. It's been a while since a book made me feel that way, but I never stop hoping. Sleight of Hand delivered all that, making it one of the best fantasy books I've read in years. I found myself thinking back on the story in the days since I finished it, puzzling over the clues the author has dropped about where the series will go from here. Will there be a reckoning for Autumn's seduction at the hands of Rueda? It happened before Autumn remembered Ursula, reminding me of Arthur's legend with Morgana. Ursula seems like Guinevere, caught between the love of two women--how will the author solve this age-old knot? The Arthurian comparisons end there, but this story is just as mythic in its own way. What a find! I'm almost sorry I read it because it'll be so long until the next installment.

This isn't a scary book in the least, but the emotions and powers at work raised the hair on the back of my neck at times! This was a fascinating read with fresh characters beyond Xena, Gabrielle, or Elves and the other common types in fantasy novels or series. Women,lesbians all, and profoundly human most of the time. There were a couple of stomach-punching plot twists all in all just a thought providing and intriguing and entertaining novel. Like everyone else, it seems, I want book two and I want it now!

My husband is reading this aloud to me. Although it is taking us a long time, we are close to the end now. It has been an incredible read and is written in a very accessible style.
It has been a really great book to read aloud as the translation is beautifully done and the humor, both of the subject (Kierkegaard) and the biographer (Garff) shines through in every chapter. The translator (Kirmmse) must be very gifted.
I would recommend this book to any student of history, theology, or modern thought and literature. Kierkegaard was a remarkable thinker and his humanity, genius, and foibles as a human being are evident in his own writings and in this beautiful and mesmerizing biography.

I have read a number of reviews of this book. They are unanimous in acclaiming it the definitive Kierkegaard biography, both in its comprehensiveness and its readability. It tells the story of Kierkegaard's life year by year, with special emphasis on what happens from 1835 when he was twenty- two to his death in 1855. The biography places special emphasis on the literary poetic Kierkegaard. It does not interpret in depth his varied and paradoxical philosophical and religious works. It does however provide the valuable biographical information which can enable us to better understand those works.
Mankind has few geniuses and when they come along they shock us into a new awareness. It is possible to argue that where Kierkegaard most shocked was in his emphasis on the 'lived life' the 'real experience' the 'authentic encounter with God' .And this as opposed to the false, formal and protected encounter.
This of course is the major reason why the Existensialists, including the atheist Sartre could find a true predecessor in him.
Kierkegaard 's labors in decrowning Hegel, and in showing the official Church to be at odds with the true experiencing of Christianity were couched in a language, ironic, paradoxical, parabolic and witty. The pseudonymous authors who spoke for various sides of his personality enabled him to express sides of a personality which always wished to remain somewhat hidden, secret and mysterious.
I have read only a small part of this work and am very eager to read more. And this because Kierkegaard like Kafka is one of those thinker- poets one of those supreme individual masters of their own way of writing in the world as to to seem to me as for so many others, a true spiritual forbearer.

K fans-and in this day of badly needed freely speaking Danes, who is not one?-can at last rejoice. Here finally is a book about SK that makes clear the Corsair magazine affair, the matter of K's trousers and thin legs and curved back and how he took his coffee (strong with lots of sugar), the unending engagement to Regine, and oh yes K's attack upon Christendom.


Garff is learned, witty and a master prose stylist. Under a photo of K's elder brother Peter Christian we read...'Irresolution seems almost to shine forth from the eyes...' A self-promoting K enthusiast named Sommer is described as having the 'zeal of a plagiarist.' One could go on and on, and Garff's observations always seem to hit the mark.

Also wonderfully, there is nothing here about 'the father of existentialism.' Garff tells the life, and leaves the impact on the future to others.

It may seem astonishing to many that a nearly-900 page biography of Soren Kierkegaard would ever be described as riveting, or as a page-turner, but that is exactly what this book by Joakim Garff, translated by Bruce Kirmmse from the original Danish, turns out to be. I first noticed it at the bookstore of my seminary, and, intended only to read through a few pages at the beginning to be somewhat familiar with the text (having a friend who is very into Kierkegaard), I noticed when I next looked up that I was 60 pages into the book, and half an hour late for my next appointment.

As Garff states in his preface, biographies of Kierkegaard are few and far between. Even in his native Danish language, 'biographies of Kierkegaard that have appeared since Georg Brandes' critical portrait was published in 1877 can easily be counted on the fingers of one hand.' Part of this was Kierkegaard's own stated desire that readers read his works, not into his person, and he often published under pseudonyms. However, this is an ironic situation, Garff writes, because Kierkegaard puts so much of himself into his writing that there are definite autobiographical elements. Israel Levin, Kierkegaard's secretary for many years, also recognised the paradoxical situation in dealing with a Kierkegaard biography - 'this is a life so full of contradictions that it will be difficult to get to the bottom of his character.'

One of the things Garff should be credited for is not trying to force a particular paradigm or interpretation on Kierkegaard. We don't discover 'Kierkegaard the existentialist' or 'Kierkegaard the religious rebel' or other such personas here - rather, these elements and more are all interwoven into Garff's text to show a complex and not always comprehensible figure. Garff is neither a true-believer nor an official apologist from any set place - he instead set out 'not only to tell the great stories in Kierkegaard's life but also to scrutinse the minor details and incidental circumstances, the cracks in the granite of genius....'

Kierkegaard was a troubled and troubling figure. His life was very brief for someone with such a prodigious output - he lived only 42 years, and his productive time as an intellectual was really only half that time. Garff organises the biography chronologically, taking a year-by-year approach (after putting Kierkegaard's childhood and adolescence together into one chapter, 1813-1834), each year being devoted to its own chapter. In this fashion, Garff looks much more closely at the events and relationship in Kierkegaard's life (both personal and institutional relationships) rather than systematically looking at themes and ideas in his works.

Garff seems to assume some familiarity with Kierkegaard's works at various points - this is not a critical analysis of Kierkegaard's thinking, nor is it even necessarily descriptive of his work in many cases. However, the biography is accessible to those who do not have much experience with Kierkegaard (and I must count myself among those; I have read a few of Kierkegaard's works, and a few analyses, but would never consider myself an expert on the subject).

As translator Bruce Kirmmse states, the book is done in a rather conversational style with an informal sense about it - it is not a dry and dusty historical tome. Not being familiar with Danish, I cannot but take his word that this is true of the original text by Garff, but given the reading here, one cannot imagine that Garff or the editors would have been happy with it done in any other way had this not been faithful to the original. In keeping with this more informal style, there are endnotes rather than footnotes. There are nearly three dozen illustrations (paintings, photographs, other line-art and maps), an extensive bibliography.

I will dare to say, as ironic as it may be both to the subject of reading the biography of a philosopher as well as to the subject of this particular figure, this was a fun book to read.

First published in Denmark in 2000, Joakim Garff's massive and monumental biography of the "melancholy Dane" makes its English debut just in time to commemorate Kierkegaard's death exactly 150 years ago ( November 11, 1855). Anyone who has taken a college freshman class in western civilization or philosophy has a vague familiarity with the name, if not his thought, and some have even dared to tackle his complicated and brilliant work of "indirect" communication via pseudonyms and his later "direct" (and was it ever direct!) communication under his own name. In grad school I took a turn at Kierkegaard, and even now in my office there hangs a poem by him thanks to my wife's calligraphy:

Herr! gieb uns blöde Augen (Lord, give us weak eyes)
für Dinge, die nichts taugen, (for things that do not matter)
und Augen voller Klarheit (and eyes full of clarity)
in alle deine Wahrheit! (in all your truth!)

Kierkegaard prefaced his work The Sickness Unto Death with this prayer-poem.

Although a wild diversity of interpreters from existentialism to deconstructionism has claimed Kierkegaard as their own, and although SK's personality and complex oeuvre present any biographer with an extraordinarily difficult task, Garff shows that he is rightly understood as an artist-poet whose focus was distinctly and deliberately religious. He treats the reader to large doses of SK himself, and reviews all his major writings and journals, focusing on Kierkegaard's life and not really his thought. In this sense he treats Kierkegaard personally rather than intellectually or theologically. He starts with his early years, and proceeds year by year. I would have enjoyed an epilogue that took a stab at Kierkegaard's ecclesiastical, pastoral, and theological legacy. How did a writer in backwater Denmark whose books had print runs of 500 copies (only one of which sold out), whose grave remained unmarked for twenty years after his death, and who barely traveled, emerge as one of the most seminal thinkers of Christian history?

Throughout his short life (1813-1855) Kierkegaard battled a pronounced and chronic melancholia that resulted from a number of factors--his pietistic and stern father, his public humiliation in Copenhagen's rollicking newspaper the Corsair, his sense of victimization, his scathing denunciation of the Church of Denmark's chief bishop (Mynster), and his broken engagement with Regina Olsen. His hypochondria did not help, nor did his estrangement from his lone surviving sibling (his five siblings and mother all died by the time Kierkegaard was about 20). For much of his life, he tells us, through a monumental effort of repression, diversion, and displacement, Kierkegaard distracted and protected himself from his melancholia through his prodigious writing. And there is no doubt that his melancholia served as a fund for enormous artistic creativity and interior reflection (a fact not lost on psychiatrist Peter Kramer in his recent book Against Depression). Writing was his therapy, he once observed: "I saved my life by telling stories." Like Mozart, he just might have been the artistic genius whose sickly body could hardly contain its pulsating brilliance.

What infuriated Kierkegaard was pious pretense, intellectual sophistry, the evisceration of the radical Gospel, and a bourgeois religiosity that tamed Christianity of what he called its "terror." The state-paid clergy, he sneered, derived social and financial gain from the Gospel: "In the splendid cathedral, the high, well-born, highly honored, and worthy Geheime-General-Ober-Hof-Preacher, the chosen darling of the important people, steps before a select circle of the select, and movingly sermonizes on a text chosen by himself, namely, 'God has chosen the lowly and despised of the earth'--and no one laughs" (p. 773). Since no one laughed at the discrepancy between genuine Christianity and the pale imitation of cultural Christendom, Kierkegaard intended to provoke a collision or catastrophe between the two. This was train wreck by design. He was an agitator and pyromaniac who employed his literary brilliance to utilize satire as an act of arson: "I am the one who has set the fire in order to smoke out illusions and trickery" (p. 774).

Garff honors his subject but does not ignore his faults. Kierkegaard could be unctuous, petty, shrill, cynical, inaccessible to anyone he did not care to see, and vindictive. One subject of his lethal pen lamented, "he could make you feel small." His father was one of the wealthiest people in Denmark, and it was not lost on his critics that Kierkegaard never worked while he enjoyed an extravagant lifestyle. But he had little money at his death, and financed most of his own publications. One observer complained that while Jesus cried over Jerusalem, Kierkegaard employed dripping sarcasm to laugh at the church.

There is something like a scorched-earth smell in Kierkegaard. It is hardly news that the church "swarms with many faults" (John Calvin). I rather like the choice of the feminist Catholic writer Joan Chittister who describes herself as a "loyal member of a dysfunctional family." Still, we can thank Kierkegaard for never letting us forget the ideal, how far and so self-servingly we fail it, and forcing us to consider what it might mean for each one of us as a "single individual" whom he addressed.

This book was SO funny - had me laughing out loud from page one! A GREAT gift idea for co-workers and colleagues. Definitely worth the read. Can't wait to get my hands on the next Stooples book!

When you set three wise guys loose in the office, you're going to get something unpredictable, funny and smart. "Wise" is the operative word here--all the things you were told not to be in high school. Or most anywhere else. Nothing is exempt! I wouldn't be exempt, or you, or the authors--everything goes. Go with it, you'll like it!

First there was Dilbert...funny, yet so close to the truth! Now comes Stooples: Office Tools for Hopeless Fools. I got hold of a copy, and I haven't let go or stopped laughing since!

It's essentially a table top book, although if you leave it on your corporate reception area table, it WILL disappear. Same for the washrooms.

At only $12.95, cheaper at Amazon, for this 128 page full color parody of an office supply catalog, it's well worth thinking about it as a Christmas stocking stuffer, your office gift exchange, or as a give-away at your office holiday bash. The authors will be on tour throughout the US in October and November just to make sure you got their message. You were warned!

This book was hilarious! For anyone who has ever worked in an office setting, it's a must-read when you need a good laugh. This would make a good gift for co-workers and bosses with a sense of humor!

This is one of the funniest office-related books I've read. These guys are cynical, sarcastic and have more insights in modern workplaces than most business consultants. If only we could buy these products--coffee mugs with your six-figure salary emblazoned on it and other ego-pumping products. It reminds me of the Alex Baldwin character in Glengarry Glen Ross, who plunks his Rolex on the desk in front of some loser colleague and says "Who am I? This watch cost more than you earned last year, that's who I am."
This book reminds me of when I got my first job in the early 90s. My predecessor cleared out the bookshelf and left only Dilbert's "How to Build a Better Life By Stealing Office Supplies," which turned out to be the best sources of career advice I had. Now, as I'm preparing to clear out of an office, I think I'll leave the Stooples book to my successor...

I've read all four books in the series. They're by no means literary genius, but they are a fun, entertaining and quick read. Perfect for a plane trip, a bus or train commute or a weekend at the beach. All four books center around the police investigation adventures of Hannah Sampson, a Denver Police Dept Recovery Dive Team leader turned BVI Police Detective. The story lines mix crimes, investigations, suspects, twists and turns and a little bit of romance. And of course, she always ends up with at least one hair-raising (if not predictable) dive along the way.

And this is a great book in that series. An easy and enjoyable read, very entertaining, and wonderfully written.

UNDER PRESSURE WAS THE BEST BOOK YET. I HAVE ALL OF KATHY BRANDTS BOOKS, DANGEROUS DEPTHS, DARK WATER DIVE, SWIMMING WITH THE DEAD AND HAVE ENJOYED THEM ALL. BUT UNDER PRSSURE WAS FANTASTIC, I LOVED IT. FROM BEGINNING TO END IT HAD ME IN ITS GRIPS AND WHEN I ENDED THIS BOOK I ALMOST FELL OFF MY CHAIR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THE END DROVE ME CRAZY, I WANT TO KNOW IF THAT WAS O'BRIAN COMING THOUGHT THE DOOR AND WHAT HAPPENS WITH HANNAH NOW. I CAN NOT WAIT TO READ THE NEXT BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!LOVED IT, LOVED IT,LOVED IT!!!!!!!

I was lucky enough to find and read `SWIMMING WITH THE DEAD', the first of this now series of 4 books. Since then, I just waited for the books that followed. This whole series is just full of excitement, romance and surprises. I must say, `DARK WATER DIVE' and 'DANGEROUS DEPTHS' were indeed amazing, but `UNDER PRESSURE' is my favorite book so far. They just continue to get better every time. I am not a big reader and it takes alot to keep me involved in a book. Kathy Brandt is one of those authors that can really get my attention. This book never slowed for a minute. I had a hard time putting it down. The book is amazing and the ending is enough to make anyone gasp! I can't wait to read more from this amazing author that really made me feel like I knew the characters personally.
I am going to read them all over again! I just can't get enough! Maybe reading them again will ease the need I have to learn more about the life of Hannah Sampson. Although I doubt that, at least I can relive the experience of your books again!
Bravo Kathy!!
Keep up the great work!!!

This review really applies to all four books in this series so far.
Kathy Brandt has created a series with all the ingredients required for to-notch mysteries: an exotic setting (the British Virgin Islands) which is entrancingly rendered; a likable, flawed, and belivable hero (or heroine, in this case); and good storytelling. Brandt knows how to juggle suspects, witnesses, etc. without introducing a cast of thousands.
The reader quickly comes to believe in and care about investigator Hannah Sampson and her colorful but realistic supporting characters. I've read each book enjoying both the details of Hannah's world and the adventures of the people involved.
There are only three mystery series which I follow closely. One is Robert Parker's Spenser novels, which work largely based on the characters. The second is Dana Stabenow's Alaskan mysteries, which have a lot in common with Brandt's work in the way they mix setting, details, people, and a dash of humor to create compelling stories.
Brandt's work is delightful, and I can't wait for the next installment.

As far as I know, this is the only available publication on Thiebaud. The book covers the artist's career from his early pastries paintings to his recent large-scale landscapes. It also enables the reader to discover less "typical" works, like the portraits of his wife.

However, what makes Thiebaud's paintings striking is their thickness, the way the artist works through the layers of paint, what we call in French "la matière". It is not only the color, which of course is present in the reproductions that fill this book. Unfortunately, that is somewhat lost and therefore I was a bit disappointed when I opened this catalogue for the recent retro on Wayne Thiebaud. The reproductions should have shown more close-ups and details of the works. For this particular artist, something is lacking.

I had ordered this book to share it with my adult painting students in a class I teach. It was to inspire a lesson about painting pictures of pastries. What I found was so much more. The book provides an informative overview of a variety of types of work by this artist, both realist and pop artist, with fine quality reproductions of the art work.

Remember that old Frank Sinatra song that served as an inspirational film for rainy day grade school entertainment in the 50's? Well, if there is an artist who has captured the imagination and dreamy reveries of life in the past century, the quieter, more ebulliently committed time to joy and the simple treasures here, that man is Wayne Thiebaud. WAYNE THIEBAUD: A PAINTINGS RETROSPECTIVE is a beautifully designed catalogue raisonne of the pop artist's oeuvre that toured the country a few years ago. Organized by curator Steven A. Nash of San Francisco (the artist's home) this book is beautifully illustrated with all of the iconic images of pies, cakes, candy apples, etc. that everyone associates with Thiebaud. Yet it gives equal time to the inimitable 'landscapes' of the hilly terrain that is San Francisco, valleys of Northern California, and beaches. Thiebaud's ability to flatten vistas into geometric patterns can be compared to Richard Diebenkorn's purely abstract Ocean Park Series of paintings: both artists understand space, color, and the excitement of the line.

Accompanying this 'delicious' array of Thiebaud paintings are essays by both Nash and by Adam Gopnik of 'New Yorker' who aptly praises Thiebaud as a man in the same company of Americana as Walt Whitman, William Carlos Williams, and John Updike! That about sums it all up and this essay alone would be reason enough to buy this important volume of American art history. Simply superb. Grady Harp, October, 2004

This is the definitive book on the works of Wayne Thiebaud, which accompanied the very successful exhibition at the Whitney Museum. Thiebaud is best known for his hyper-realistic paintings of food, so luscious and sensual that they have universal appeal. When Theibaud first started painting in this style, he was compared to the Pop Artists, such as Warhol, Wesselmann, Indiana and Ramos. However, Thiebaud always tried to set himself apart from these artists, because although he agreed with their use of repetitive images as a comment on the banality of American consumerism, he wanted to paint well and believed that a series of soup cans painted poorly did not reflect his goal as an artist. It took many years after the Pop Artists became famous for Thiebaud to achieve the recognition that he deserved, partly because he was considered a regional artist who painted in California. This book is the seminal treatise on the works of Thiebaud and is therefore a must read.

an excellent book with excellent reproductions. i enjoyed it.

You look at his life without knowing him, and you'd say he led a charmed, privileged life. Not so. He struggled like the rest of us, but did not let himself become callous, embittered, resentful, and all the other unproductive attitudes that people use as a crutch. He always dwelt on the positive aspects of life. I liked his social conscience. He photographed and wrote about Manzanar, and the plight of native Americans of Japanese ancestry. His Manzanar writings, for me, is one of the highlights in his autobiography. His many acquaintances and friends are fondly and personally recounted in ways that I've experienced from no other author. All throughout, you get a strong impression that he was a very scientifically-minded person who also excelled as an artist, and that's very rare even today. He poured himself out into this book.

These photos take my breath away. They've inspired me so much

A wonderful collection of black and white photography. Reproduced on quality photographic paper which is ideal to frame at the end of the year. Ansel Adams brings nature into your house in the most expert fashion. Each photograph is superbly shot. Wonderful!

Pauline Gaston

and not a wall calendar

The calender was spiral bound and oversized. The pictures were absolutely beautiful. I had bought another calender for 1999, but it just doesnt have the same beauty as the Ansel Adams one did, so I had to search out the Ansel Adams one again and get it. It is a choice that I am glad that I made!