Amazon.com
Stewing in your windowless cubicle dreaming of fresh air in your lungs and rich dirt under your fingernails? Tom Stienstra's guide to outdoor work is a great help and a fine reality check, with practical profiles of 50 outdoor jobs. You could become a bicycle tour leader or a bush pilot, a game warden or hydrologist, photographer or tugboat operator, but if you want to advance your dream to reality status, it helps to read up on the facts. Take bush pilot, for example. It's so appealing as an antidote to your drab, routine life. Flying into wild country, big adventures, big respect, and big pay--what's not to like? But you'll need a commercial pilot's license costing $15,000-$20,000, a lot of flying time, and the sort of temperament that stays cool when the engine conks out and the greenhorn in back tosses his cookies all over you. Less enthused? Read on. There are 49 more jobs to choose from, and Stienstra is as entertaining to read as he is well-informed and thorough. --Stephanie Gold
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A Flowering Tree and Other Oral Tales from India
A. K. Ramanujan
Manufacturer: University of California Press
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Folktales from India (Pantheon Fairy Tale & Folklore Library)
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The Collected Essays of A. K. Ramanujan
ASIN: 0520203992 |
Book Description
This book of oral tales from the south Indian region of Kannada represents the culmination of a lifetime of research by A. K. Ramanujan, one of the most revered scholars and writers of his time. The result of over three decades' labor, this long-awaited collection makes available for the first time a wealth of folktales from a region that has not yet been adequately represented in world literature. Ramanujan's skill as a translator, his graceful writing style, and his profound love and understanding of the subject enrich the tales that he collected, translated, and interpreted.
With a written literature recorded from about 800 A.D., Kannada is rich in mythology, devotional and secular poetry, and more recently novels and plays. Ramanujan, born in Mysore in 1929, had an intimate knowledge of the language. In the 1950s, when working as a college lecturer, he began collecting these tales from everyone he could--servants, aunts, schoolteachers, children, carpenters, tailors. In 1970 he began translating and interpreting the tales, a project that absorbed him for the next three decades. When Ramanujan died in 1993, the translations were complete and he had written notes for about half of the tales.
With its unsentimental sympathies, its laughter, and its delightfully vivid sense of detail, the collection stands as a significant and moving monument to Ramanujan's memory as a scholar and writer.
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Familiar flowering trees in India
Ida Colthurst
Manufacturer: Thacker, Spink
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ASIN: B00087DGGK |
Average customer rating:
- Inaccurate and exaggerated
- Inaccurate and not enough details
- Costa Rica was excellent, but Fodor's04 needs to be updated
- put together with care
- Just got back from Guanacaste...
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Fodor's Costa Rica 2004 (Fodor's Gold Guides)
Fodor's
Manufacturer: Fodor's
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ASIN: 1400012554
Release Date: 2003-09-02 |
Book Description
Volcanoes, rivers prime for white-water adventures, unspoiled beaches, world-class surfing, abundant wildlife, and virgin rain forests – Costa Rica caters to all types of travelers. Whether you are seeking an adventure or a relaxing vacation you will soon discover why Costa Rica is one of the hottest destinations in the Western hemisphere. Be sure to pack your Fodor's guide before leaving on your journey to Costa Rica to ensure you don't miss a thing!
The San Francisco Chronicle sums it up best: "Fodor's Gold Guides are saturated with information."
- New two-color interiors make it easier to find the information you need.
- Fodor's Choice ratings tell what not to miss.
- Hotel and restaurant reviews cover all budgets.
- New ¢ sign category flags the best budget options.
- Multi-day itineraries help readers build the right trip for them.
- Smart Travel Tips, a complete chapter packed with contacts and great advice.
Customer Reviews:
Inaccurate and exaggerated.......2004-09-04
I bought this book prior to my trip to Costa Rica and found it to be inaccuarate. Descriptions of most things and places are exaggerated and it was very disappointing to go to what the book describes as a happening place and find that it is just a 'one horse town'.
I ususally buy Frommers and this was the first time I tried Fodor's book, never again. This book is a waste of money.
Inaccurate and not enough details.......2004-08-29
We just got back from the Manuel Antonio area of Costa Rica. We found the Fodor's book to be cumbersome and unhelpful most of the time. The map of the Manuel Antonio area was incorrect, with most of the hotel and restaurant placements wrong. One of the reasons we selected our (very expensive) hotel was because it looked as if it was near a path to the beach, when it wasn't even close to it. If you were to rely on the map, you'd never find your way to the correct place.
The map of San Jose was equally as difficult to read, and the crafts store that was listed in the book was no longer there. We wandered the streets aimlessly asking for directions, until we were finally told that it was out of business.
Other problems with the book: extremely poor index, dining and hotels listed together, and not enough details on activities, beaches, different tour providers, off-the-beaten path sites, and finding buses within San Jose. There should also have been a warning about what is considered a "casino" in Costa Rica.
We did find the restaurant reviews to be accurate, but there were several places that we and other travelers enjoyed that weren't even listed in the book.
Costa Rica was excellent, but Fodor's04 needs to be updated.......2004-04-19
My wife and I just returned from the Guanacaste Province, staying at NW Pacific resort. The vacation was great, but "Fodor's 04" was of little or no help. I thoroughly enjoy planning my vacation and activities well in advance of the actual trip, but was very much unable to do so with this book.
My impression of the book is that it has been slow to be updated, with the 04 version containing little beyond 2000. At the same time it seems to focus on travelers planning to tour Costa Rica staying at a different hotel/lodge/resort/camp each night. I realize that many of the natural attractions of this beautiful country are unchanged over the years, but a significant portion of a vacation includes items that do change, especially in a country such as Costa Rica where tourism is the leading industry, and is rapidly growing.
put together with care.......2004-02-28
I appreciate guide books that are put together with care, appreciate writing that is fun and interesting and highly informative. "Fodor's Costa Rica 2004" is an inexpensive book and a terrific one!
It was the best book on the country besides the considerably more pricey, "Costa Rica: The Last Country The Gods Made," a welcome addition to any library collection that will capture the interest of travelers, amateur geologists, students, and conservationists .
Just got back from Guanacaste..........2003-10-20
...and found the Fodors guide indispensible. Costa Rica is an amazing place, but a guidebook is definitely necessary. We stayed mostly in the Tamarindo area. Fodors writers really know their stuff as their recommendations were right on. We booked our activities (like sport fishing) with the recommended guides/programs were clearly the best. The restaurant reviews were also accurate. Probably the best advice comes in driving. Fodors recommends a 4WD auto if you rent - a great call! There are some exceptionally bad roads in CR! Enjoy your trip!
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- The Truth is Funny
- I really enjoyed this book!
- A little pointless, but, why should it have a point...
- Milkshakes and Mistakes
- Hell hath no fury...
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Truth or Dairy
Catherine Clark
Manufacturer: HarperTeen
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The Alison Rules
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Island Girls (and Boys)
ASIN: 0380814439
Release Date: 2000-05-03 |
Book Description
She's humiliated, she's angry....and she's through with boys. Or least that's what she says.
This is the journal of Courtney Von Dragen Smith: middle child, product of divorce, would-be vegetarian. She writes the first mega-negative page the day after her boyfriend, "Such a Dave," breaks up with her because he's heading off to college. Angry and humiliated, Courtney vows to survive senior year on the anti-guy plan. But can she really give up guys and focus on friends, school, and her job at the hip café Truth or Diary? Or will a stint in student government, an epileptic dog, and a guy named Grant ("like-the-lake") Superior turn her world upside down and prove her journal right?
It's true: life can get weirder.
2001 ALA Popular Paperback for YAs
Customer Reviews:
The Truth is Funny.......2007-01-29
Courtney Von Dragen Smith thought everything was going well for her. She had a great boyfriend, a job at a cool cafe with her best friend, and a family that was somewhat average, somewhat odd (depending on the family member). Senior year was about to begin, with great promise.
Then her boyfriend went to college and broke up with her. Then her dog ran away. Repeatedly. In an effort to minimize the chaos surrounding her, she makes two huge decisions: she will stop dating and become vegan.
Easier said than done. She falls on and off the vegan wagon on a fairly regular basis, temped by tasty treats at the Truth or Dairy cafe. Her dog runs away again. Her classmates give her grief. Her brother sets his sights on her best friend.
Courtney chronicles these and other melodramas in her diary, making for an easy-to-follow laugh-out-loud comedy. Fans of The Princess Diaries and the Confessions of Georgia Nicolson series will lap Truth or Dairy right up. The follow-up, Wurst Case Scenario, is just as good if not better.
I really enjoyed this book!.......2006-07-07
This book is about a girl named Courtney who has some boy troubles. Well, I'm sure you've read about a girl who's had boy troubles, but the author, Catherine Clark, inserts fresh air into this very funny novel. Courtney is determined not to go on a date with another boy for the rest of the school year, when her beloved boyfriend breaks up with her just before school starts. Because of this decision, the relationship with a few guy friends and girl friends become endangered, and she is forced to make the ultimate decision. Courtney learns how to stay true with all her relationships, and along the way, strengthens her bond with her mother, brother, father, stepmom, stepsister, and her stepsister's daughter. She learns to stay true to her friends and family, and matures greatly by the end of the book. This book is a funny yet powerful novel.
A little pointless, but, why should it have a point..........2006-03-09
So, now I've read "Truth or Dairy" and find myself none the better but none the worse either for this read. It's not always entirely easy to follow because it is written in diary form, I mean really DIARY form, just as disjointed and random as a real diary would be but it was kind of fun that way y'know you really felt like you are the naughty little sister who had stolen your big sisters diary, not just you sitting there reading a book `cause you're bored... It was funny sometimes and just plain frustrating other times, where you find yourself tearing out you're hair thinking "my god she's soooo stupid, no one in their right mind would do that!" but it was enjoyable, if a little pointless...
Milkshakes and Mistakes.......2005-09-28
Truth or Dairy is a good book about a teenage girl, Courtney, and her struggles with school, work, family and boyfriends. Dave had been going out with Courtney for a few years and decided to break up with her before he headed off to college. Grant Superior started hanging out with Courtney and asking her to go places with him. After Dave broke up with Courtney, she made a pledge to go her entire senior year without a boyfriend. Grant kept coming in Truth or Dairy, the smoothie shop where Courtney works, but Courtney kept trying to ignore him. Trying to stay out of trouble, Courtney decided to run for student council. Instead of getting the vice principal spot, Courtney got the principal of student council spot because the principal was stealing money from the student council jar. Will Courtney keep her pledge and not have a boyfriend her senior year?
One thing I really like about this book was it was written like a journal, so I didn't have to read for a half hour to get to the end of a chapter. One thing that got me hooked on this book was it was really funny. Catherine Clark wrote this book to make it sound like a teenager wrote it. One thing I didn't like about this book is that at the end it just sort of leaves you hanging and doesn't tell you what happens.
I would recommend this book to girls from ages eleven through fourteen. This book would be best for girls looking for a fast read about just about everything in life.
Hell hath no fury..........2005-06-05
...like a woman scorned or a teenage girl dumped by her college bound boyfriend just as her senior year begins. Heartbreak and humor make for a winning combination, told in diary form. I particularly enjoyed main character Courtney's independence, despite her boy troubles (Dumper Dave, Sleazer the Tom, and Friends first Grant), and that she is a thinker and a problem-solver. Compulsively readable!
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The Human Genome Project: Deciphering the Blueprint of Heredity
Manufacturer: University Science Books
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ASIN: 0935702296 |
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This unique book provides a basic introduction to the ideas underlying classical and molecular genetics and then describes the purpose of the Human Genome Project, its approach, its triumphs, its technological piffalls, and its ultimate implications for society.
Amazon.com
Finding out about someone by reading their correspondence is a fundamentally different thing than reading their biography. Letters offer both more intimacy with the subject and at the same time a crucial distance--the exact distance the letter-writer intended from the people to whom he was writing. In Perfectly Reasonable Deviations from the Beaten Track, Michelle Feynman collects her famous father's letters to reveal a warm, honest man with high expectations for himself, his loved ones, and the human race. Long before Richard Feynman won the Nobel Prize, he was a smart, skinny graduate student at Princeton, writing letters to his mother and relating the mundane details of college life. "Dear Mom.... The raincoat came O.K. It is very nice," he writes. By the time he finished his Ph.D., Feynman had fallen for Arline Greenbaum, who had already been diagnosed with tuberculosis. Their tragically short marriage is set in letters against Feynman's first job--working on the atomic bomb project at Los Alamos, New Mexico.
Even while working on top secret physics, Feynman was an enthusiastic correspondent, jumping eagerly at the chance to encourage a young scientist, correct a public misperception, or tell a goofy joke to his family. Self-effacing, charmingly down to earth, and occasionally cranky, these letters cover Feynman's entire career, although in the fits and starts one would expect from a collection such as this. His own words to students, spouses, daughters, and fellow scientists reveal Feynman's brilliance far more effectively than any biographical lens ever could. --Therese Littleton
Book Description
"I'm an explorer, OK? I like to find out!"
One of the towering figures of twentieth-century science, Richard Feynman possessed a curiosity that was the stuff of legend. Even before he won the Nobel Prize in 1965, his unorthodox and spellbinding lectures on physics secured his reputation amongst students and seekers around the world. It was his outsized love for life, however, that earned him the status of an American cultural icon-here was an extraordinary intellect devoted to the proposition that the thrill of discovery was matched only by the joy of communicating it to others.
In this career-spanning collection of letters, many published here for the first time, we are able to see this side of Feynman like never before. Beginning with a short note home in his first days as a graduate student, and ending with a letter to a stranger seeking his advice decades later, Perfectly Reasonable Deviations from the Beaten Track covers a dazzling array of topics and themes, scientific developments and personal histories. With missives to and from scientific luminaries, as well as letters to and from fans, family, students, crackpots, as well as everyday people eager for Feynman's wisdom and counsel, the result is a wonderful de facto guide to life, and eloquent testimony to the human quest for knowledge at all levels.
Feynman once mused that "people are 'entertained' enormously by being allowed to understand a little bit of something they never understood before." As edited and annotated by his daughter, Michelle, these letters not only allow us to better grasp the how and why of Feynman's enduring appeal, but also to see the virtues of an inquiring eye in spectacular fashion. Whether discussing the Manhattan Project or developments in quantum physics, the Challenger investigation or grade-school textbooks, the love of his wife or the best way to approach a problem, his dedication to clarity, grace, humor, and optimism is everywhere evident.
.... on Richard Feynman:
"The most original mind of his generation." -Freeman Dyson
"An honest man, the outstanding intuitionist of our age, and a prime example of what may lie in store for anyone who dares to follow the beat of a different drum." -Julian Schwinger
"An original, brilliant, curious, energetic, eclectic, ebullient, gregarious, and consummately iconoclastic human being with a passion for science, a taste for first principles, and a view of reality that was uniquely his." - The Washington Post
"He is everything you want and expect a scientist to be: charming, skeptical, funny, blindingly intelligent." - The Guardian (UK)
"A chain reaction is not a bad analogy for Feynman's life. From a critical mass of gray matter it goes off in all directions, producing both heat and light." - Time
"For him knowledge did not describe; it acted and accomplished. . . . The science he helped create was like nothing that had come before." -James Gleick
"Here was both a showman and a very practical thinker. . . . It is unlikely that the world will see another Richard Feynman." -Paul Davies
"The more one reads of Feynman, the more one falls in love with his refreshingly enthusiastic view of the world." -Alan Guth
"He may have emitted light as well as words." -David Park
Customer Reviews:
Feynman raw.......2007-09-29
If you are familiar with feynman this is just what you would expect from this great man. This is him uncut and uncensord. When ever i feel like smiling and gain some inspiration i pick this book up and flip to a random page, it works everytime.
Feynman on Feynman.......2007-01-27
My main motivation for reading "Perfectly Reasonable Deviations" was to gain further insight into Feynman's personality and value system by the direct and reliable method of studying verbatim his interactions with other people. He has been so thoroughly enshrined (perhaps not unwillingly) as a brilliant, difficult, puckish character that I couldn't help being a bit puzzled about what he was "really" like.
In assembling this volume, Feynman's daughter Michelle has selected a variety of correspondence ranging from professional relations with colleagues to private exchanges with friends and, occasionally, complete strangers. I think it is in the latter case that we learn the most about Feynman. He was willing to pay close attention not only to people who admired him, but also to those who offered crazy ideas, or unfair criticism, or even ad-hominem invective. Well after becoming a Nobel prize winner, he continued to compose detailed explanations for, and invite replies from, people who could try anyone's patience. As an experienced debater-by-correspondence, he had a talent for cutting to the quick of a dispute and, while remaining perfectly courteous, nudging the contender into a corner from which escape was impossible short of offering something new or conceding the point. Whether arguing scientifically, graciously acknowledging praise, or simply trying to shake off a persistent bore, Feynman never failed to be insightful and thought-provoking.
The early part of the book covers Feynman's relationship with his first wife Arline, who died of tuberculosis in an Albuquerque sanatorium while he worked on the atomic bomb project at Los Alamos. His decision to marry Arline, regardless of her uncertain health and against the advice of friends and relatives, speaks to the strength and depth of his commitment. Many extremely personal letters are included which illuminate the couple's mutual devotion as well as his loving acceptance of the frustration and uncertainty forced on both of them by the relentlessly worsening disease.
Feynman's attitude toward religion is revealed in several places, particularly during a 1959 television interview. In addition to critiquing the widespread notion that morality is tied to piety, he says quite succinctly that "The religious theory of the world ...doesn't fit with what you see."
In a number of letters Feynman explains the prickly positions on academic conventions and courtesies that helped to make him a legendary outsider. A representative example was his refusal to provide evaluations of former students and colleagues when they were already at the requesting institution. He essentially said: Look here, this person is working right under your nose and you know more about him or her than I do, so decide for yourself!
There are a few instances where an alert editor could have caught misreadings, for example "Serbeis" for the [Robert] Serbers on page 76, and "1023" for ten to the 23rd power on page 174. All in all, this collection constitutes a fascinating and skillfully-produced window into one of the world's most intriguing minds.
Wit, wisdom, and always humble affection for people from the genius of our time.......2007-01-03
If there was one intellect that dominated the latter half of the 20th century, it would be Dr. Richard Feynman. Yet, despite winning a Nobel prize and his early work on the Manhattan project and his years of original yet simple and creative approaches to complex problems, his humility and true affection for other people never waivered. He was one of those rare people who could touch our hearts as effectively, possibly even more, than he could touch our minds. He was one who gave new meaning to the idea of thinking outside the box and who never passed up a chance to remind us all of what is really important in life.
Some of his letters will make you cry with the emotion he could express to those he loved. Others will strike you for their humility displayed in teaching without condescending or apologies to those he feared he had offended. A truly great man with a great intellect and great ability to communicate his thoughts. This is the human side of one who had been named "the world's smartest man" by Omni magazine. And we are all fortunate to know him through this collection.
Wonderful collection.......2006-07-28
Having read "Surely you're joking, Mr Feynmann", I had wondered about his relationship with his first wife, because she was hardly mentioned.
This book sets that right, with some fascinating and personal letters. In particular, the letter he wrote a year after her death hit me very hard, and I don't consider myself sentimental.
And that's just the first part of the book...if you like Feynmann, this is a must have.
Perfectly Reasonable Deviations from the beaten Track.......2006-07-09
Feynman inspires the pursuit of truth in this spin-driven world.
Customer Reviews:
Raj Quartet.......2007-04-15
Paul Scott's following is small, but Loyal. He is a fantastic writer. The Raj Quartet by far, is my favourite favourite series of books by him because of its complexity and such extraordinary characters. His charactres are so indepth, so well played out that the reader feels that he or she knows them thouroughly. Its a historical epic, very well written, and its absolutely a must read.
Masterpiece Literature.......2006-12-01
About 25 years ago I got a list of the best 100 books of all time, and found "The Raj Quartet" by Paul Scott listed. I started at the beginning with "The Jewel in the Crown" and got bogged down. Coincidentally, PBS started its Masterpiece Theatre version. I watched a few of the episodes (actually all of them, eventually) and got back to reading. What I discovered was the best set of novels I've ever read, and each one an individual "jewel" as well. A pebble thrown, the towers of silence, and many other images stay with me, as well as the memory of Scott's beautiful writing and well-developed, complex characters, and the scope and importance of the story. If there wasn't so much else to read, I'd reread the whole set--sounds like a good retirement project some day.
An unquestionable masterpiece........2006-02-19
It has been too long since I read this book [probably 15 years ago] for me to offer an erudite and detailed analysis. But I do remember vividly that when I read it that the word "masterpiece" came repeatedly to my mind. In a league with Thackeray's "Vanity Fair" and Naipaul's "A House for Mr. Biswas". Find the time to read it; you won't regret it.
The Art of the Novel.......2003-01-16
The Raj Quartet (comprised of four novels) is in my ultimate top ten of great novels and my favourite work of fiction for the twentieth century. Paul Scott is up there up with Tolstoy and Jane Austen. The Raj Quartet is exquisite to read, every word and every sentence appears to have the perfection that Jane Austen bestowed on her works but on the majestic scale of Tolstoy's War and Peace.
The Raj Quartet is multi-layered, complex, beyond the apparent. Is it about a country? Or is it about two countries? Paul Scott deals with the years of the "great divorce" as it were, but now at the beginning of a new century the continuing implications of the historic British occupation are as fresh as ever, both in India and the UK, one example being the the unforseen post war immigration and lifting of racial barriers between two peoples (I myself am a product of a post war marriage between an Indian father and British mother).
The question of identity is explored. What makes an Indian? (still a relevant question in a subcontinent of such diverse cultures, religions, languages, outlooks, etc). What happens to a group (the Raj British) who are no longer needed in either India or Britain? (I recommend Staying On by Paul Scott which deals with a minor character who does stay on in India.)
Beyond the themes of history, colonialism and imperialism, there is the theme of the universal human experience. Who are we all really? Should we let our nationality and culture define who we are? Or as one character, Sarah Layton, finally have the courage to break free and define our own identity. Sarah at first is apart from "the other", then in one revealing scene (the ride with Ahmed) she subconsciously turns to face "the other" though unsuccessfully and finally in the beautifully written and incredibly sensual scene where she decides to dive into the forbidden (the seduction by Clark, who I see myself as Eros or the Hindu God of Love, Kama) she breaks through into her individuality, her "grace".
a millennial work.......2002-08-17
An outstanding piece of writing and a masterpiece, the Quartet compresses in four novels the essence of individual lives caught in the matrix of history. What is karma and dharma? The novels examine these as best Scott can in trying to articulate his artistic vision of the tragedy of history and of individual lives. History is impersonal and is from a God's-eye view, our own lives are subjective and given differing perspectives and are all that we have to imperfectly cling to. In that personal vantage point is salvation and hell all in one. Check out Scott's "Staying On" as well which is his farewell to the Indian scene and the characters we've come to know. A sliding farewell into oblivion, just as Scott himself fell into his twilight years.
Product Description
Four voume set Mass Market Paperbacks in slipcover. Paul Scott's spectacular Raj Quartet captures the culture, the history, and the magic of India. This four-volume epic of English rule in India has won world-wide acclaim - was the foundation for a public television miniseries.
Customer Reviews:
The end of British India.......2004-03-06
In the four books that make up "The Raj Quartet", Paul Scott recounts the final years of British India, the "jewel" in the crown of the Empire. As he simply states in the first book, "This is the story of a rape, of the events that led up to it and followed it and the place in which it happened." Through the gang-rape of a young English girl by Indian thugs, Scott takes us on a brilliantly exhaustive journey which brings together the time, the place and the people, and shows through the eyes of one family how the sun finally set on the British Empire.
The story starts out with a love affair between Daphne Manners, an English girl and a young English-educated Hindu man, Hari Kumar; a relationship forbidden by the mores of the times and the ingrained British sense of their own superiority. Complicating the situation is a young British officer named Ronald Merrick, whose attentions towards Daphne are rejected out of hand. Merrick is at once contemptuous and resentful of Hari; despising his dark skin, he hates Hari for attracting the girl he wants for himself, for being better educated, and for being the product of a prosperous Indian family better than his own. Merrick is the product and the victim of the British class system; coming from the lower classes, the only way he can better himself is through military service, where he will have the opportunity to treat dark-skinned British subjects like dirt. When Daphne is raped at the Bibighar Gardens, Merrick has no problem believing Hari is to blame and has him arrested for the crime.
Merrick is a swine, but through brown-nosing the proper people, he manages to rise through the army ranks and ingratiates himself into the Layton family, who belong to the class he has secretly aspired to join. He takes advantage of the tenuous emotional health of the younger sister to get her to marry him. He is thus secure in his new caste -- or so he thinks. But his fundamental, underlying sense of insecurity causes him to bully everybody under him -- his men, the natives he hates, and occasionally his wife. Meanwhile, Hari has been released from jail and simply bides his time.
The end of the second world war finds Merrick a wounded war hero, but his prospects are far from certain. His life is bound up with British India, and British India is on its last legs. The Laytons can return to England, where they will live a comfortable upper-middle-class existence; Merrick's wife is dead, her death has disconnected him from her family who want nothing to do with him, and in England he will once again be the nobody he was before he joined the military. As despicable as he is, he's a tragic figure with nowhere to go; he'll almost certainly be persona non grata in an independent India whose citizens have long memories concerning British soldiers who mistreated the natives. But before Merrick can decide whether or not to offer himself as a soldier of fortune to Pakistan, the question is decided for him; his lifeless body is found in the middle of a ransacked room with "Bibighar", the site of Daphne Manner's rape, scrawled in blood all over the walls. Did Hari Kumar engineer this ultimate revenge for being falsely arrested and brutally questioned years before? Nobody in the book knows for sure, and neither do we. All we know for certain is that fortune is a wheel and what goes around comes around.
In four exquisitely written and totally compelling novels, Paul Scott has written the intimate history of two young lovers, a British family, and a malevolent army officer in 1940's India, and through them, the larger story of the turbulent decade that saw the beginning of the end of the British Empire. It's history up close and personal. The excellent plot development and writing is sustained through all four books. "The Raj Quartet" is a towering achievement and make up a collection of some of the best contemporary historical novels ever written.
Brilliant books........2003-06-03
Some of my favorite books of all time. I can't recommend them highly enough. This series follows a number of indian and english characters living in India in the years leading up to India's independence. Scott uses a mix of third-person narrative, journalistic descriptions and first-person accounts to create a story that is both broadly historical and intensely personal. His writing style is direct, precise and graceful. His characters are extraordinarily memorable and lifelike. He captures the evils of colonialism without moralizing or generalizing about people. Engaging on every level.
Books:
- Superior: Journeys on an Inland Sea
- Surtsey: The Newest Place on Earth
- Surtsey: The Newest Place on Earth
- Tales From The Jungle: A Rainforest Reader
- Teewinot: Climbing and Contemplating the Teton Range
- The Centrosome in Cell Replication and Early Development (Current Topics in Developmental Biology, Volume 49) (Current Topics in Developmental Biology)
- The Dioxin War: Truth and Lies About a Perfect Poison
- The First Eden: The Mediterranean World and Man
- The Flower Hunter: William Bartram, America's First Naturalist (Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12 (Awards))
- The Future of the Northern Forest
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