Book Description
“Pelagia’s family likeness to Father Brown and Miss Marple is marked, and reading about her supplies a similarly decorous pleasure.”
–The Literary Review
In a remote Russian province in the late nineteenth century, Bishop Mitrofanii must deal with a family crisis. After learning that one of his great aunt’s beloved and rare white bulldogs has been poisoned, the Orthodox bishop knows there is only one detective clever enough to investigate the murder: Sister Pelagia.
The bespectacled, freckled Pelagia is lively, curious, extraordinarily clumsy, and persistent. At the estate in question, she finds a whole host of suspects, any one of whom might have benefited if the old lady (who changes her will at whim) had expired of grief at the pooch’s demise. There’s Pyotr, the matron’s grandson, a nihilist with a grudge who has fallen for the maid; Stepan, the penniless caretaker, who has sacrificed his youth to the care of the estate; Miss Wrigley, a mysterious Englishwoman who has recently been named sole heiress to the fortune; Poggio, an opportunistic and freeloading “artistic” photographer; and, most intriguingly, Naina, the old lady’s granddaughter, a girl so beautiful she could drive any man to do almost anything.
As Pelagia bumbles and intuits her way to the heart of a mystery among people with faith only in greed and desire, she must bear in mind the words of Saint Paul: “Beware of dogs–and beware of evil-doers.”
“Critics on both sides of the Atlantic have praised [Akunin’s] clever plots, vivid characters and wit.”
–Baltimore Sun
“Akunin’s wonderful novels are always intricately webbed and plotted.”
–The Providence Journal
Customer Reviews:
Stick with Fandorin.......2007-06-06
Not one of his best. No character grabs one's interest, and trying to keep track of the many players with their multiple, many-syllabled, sound-alike names takes one right out of the plot. Much better to wait for the next Erast Fandorin novel. Take a pass 'til then.
A sleuth in nun's habit.......2007-05-30
Boris Akunin is a well-regarded Russian author of suspense fiction, heretofore known for his Fandorin series, which concerns a part-James Bond, part-Hercules Poirot creation who nonetheless is strikingly original. SISTER PELAGIA AND THE WHITE BULLDOG marks the beginning of a new direction for Akunin and fittingly introduces Mortalis, a new imprint of literary mystery and suspense fiction for Random House.
We quickly learn from the unnamed, omnipresent narrator that Sister Pelagia is a sleuth in nun's habit, wishing to devote her life to God yet feeling stifled by the requirements of the order and by the role of women in early 20th century Russia. In addition, she is quite adept at solving mysteries, a skill that she hides from all except her supervisory bishop, who keeps her abilities a secret not only to preserve the good sister's customary role but also to keep her in reserve as a secret weapon in the political skirmishes that were the hallmark of the time.
The bishop generally has his hands full, what with an inspector from the Holy Synod coming to meddle in local affairs, the gruesome discovery of two decapitated bodies, and the bishop's aunt being in a terrible state as a result of the baffling death of one of her white bulldogs, a special breed that she and her late husband had nurtured through generations. The perpetrator of the canine murder is quickly determined, even if the motive isn't, and the unforeseen nexus that connects this and other events is slowly but surely sorted out in a climactic courtroom scene in which the good sister has a starring role.
It should be noted that Russian literature tends to be the antithesis of, say, a James Patterson work --- why use one word when pages will do? --- and occasionally, as even Akunin notes with a nod and a wink through his anonymous narrator, things seem to wander off track. All is revealed in good time, however, and along the way Akunin drops nuggets of dry, subtle humor amidst social and political commentary. Those who take their mysteries with great spoonfuls of explosions and karate may find this book wanting (though it does, particularly near the end, have its moments), and there is enough political intrigue and metaphor to provide a satisfactory feast.
Lovingly translated by Andrew Bromfield, SISTER PELAGIA AND THE WHITE BULLDOG is a welcome debut of a new series that hopefully will give Akunin the wider visibility in this country that his work deserves. And let's give some kudos to Random House as well for its brave launch of Mortalis. We'll happily look for more.
--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
Akunin at his best.......2007-03-30
The Sister Pelagia mystery series may not be as effortless a read to take in as Erast Fandorin, but it's well worth the effort. While the White Bulldog may be have a plot that is slightly less dynamic than the one Fandorin fans are used to, it is a refreshing change of pace. The language is beautiful, the characters are engaging and the sleuth and her posse (bishop Mitrofani and Berdichervsky) are at least as charismatic as Fandorin and Masa.
The series (there are only three novels in it) picks up the pace in The Black Monk and positively goes berserk in the Red Rooster, but the provincial charm of the White Bulldog is very enjoyable too.
Most Russian fans of Akunin consider the Pelagia trilogy to be a more workmanlike and even series than Fandorin, which has its peaks and valleys.
A female Fr. Brown.......2007-02-13
In the midst of writing mysteries about detective Erast Fandorin, the author has also begun a new series. This one concerns a nun named Sister Pelagia, who is sent out by her Bishop to help solve mysteries and murders in a backward province of Imperial Russia. The action is fast, the plot never wavers, and the characters are all well-srawn. One interesting quirk to this story is that, when it is required, Sister Pelagia assumes the identity of her "sister", a widow who dresses and acts exactly as would an upper class member of the Russian nobility. I found the premise of this book fascinating, and the characters of both the good sister and her boss the bishop very believeable, therefore I am awaiting anxiously the next book in this marvelous series.
nineteenth century historical thriller .......2007-02-10
In Zavolzhsk, far from the home of the Tsar, Bishop Mitrofannii rules over the vast scarcely populated remote region instead of Governor von Haggenau. The Bishop has earned a reputation for solving unsolved mysteries, which he takes pride in accomplishing though he also knows who actually uncovers the truth. Now his elderly late Aunt Marya Tatischeva sends him a letter asking for his help as someone poisoned Zagulyai and Zadidai with the former dying in agony and the latter barely surviving. He decides to send his secret sleuth literature and gymnastics teacher Sister Pelagia to learn what happened and why to the white bulldogs.
Sister Pelagia travels to the home of Marya to investigate the canine homicide. Sister Pelagia quickly concludes that the target is the elderly woman, who is known for treating her dogs like pampered babies, but what the nun believes is the motive leads to several avaricious souls. However, other dogs are killed and the case takes a twist when two males are recovered from the nearby river with their heads removed. The Bishop directs Sister Pelagia to investigate the murders regardless of where it takes her, as he expects everyone to live morally and piously correct though he has some doubts with her switching identities from clumsy reticent nun to vibrant nimble Polina Lisitsina.
In some ways this is more a nineteenth century historical thriller than a mystery. SISTER PELAGIA AND THE WHITE BULLDOG is a superior whodunit that uses the backdrop to paint a vivid picture of a remote part of Tsarist Russia. Readers will have to adapt to the names of the key characters, but will find it worth the time as the descriptions are terrific and the cast powerful especially the Sister and the Bishop, as irony and humor augment a fabulous story line.
Harriet Klausner
Book Description
Moscow, May 1876. What would cause a talented student from a wealthy family to shoot himself in front of a promenading public? Decadence and boredom, it is presumed. But young sleuth Erast Fandorin is not satisfied with the conclusion that this death is an open-and-shut case, nor with the preliminary detective work the precinct has done–and for good reason: The bizarre and tragic suicide is soon connected to a clear case of murder, witnessed firsthand by Fandorin himself. Relying on his keen intuition, the eager detective plunges into an investigation that leads him across Europe, landing him at the center of a vast conspiracy with the deadliest of implications.
Customer Reviews:
The Winter Queen.......2007-06-22
Erast Fandorin, a government clerk turned detective, makes for an unlikely but gifted sleuth in late nineteenth-century Russia. The latest Boris Akunin mystery spans the European continent and involves a major conspiracy. Akunins and his excitable and hard working character of Fandorin, bring to light the hero's naïveté and indignation over the crimes committed and the people involved. This is a book that hooks you slowly and rewards you at the end with writing that makes you wanting more.
Let's Make This Russian Import Welcome.......2007-05-27
"The Winter Queen," penned by Boris Akunin, translated by Andrew Bromfield, is part of the author's hugely popular, in its Russian homeland, Erast Fandorin mystery series, that is just now gaining some exposure in the West. It's well-written, light on its feet, quick-moving, reasonably original and pleasant reading. Let's make it welcome.
The series is set in the Russia of 1876-- to this reader, the ambiance of both time and place are excellently done, and indicate a lot of research. This entry also travels to London, where, once again, time and place were excellently done.
The plot concerns one Erast Fandorin, young Russian cop, born to a wealthier life but, unfortunately for him, son of an inconsiderate Dad, who's taking on his first case. A young Russian university student-- and our boy cop sure wishes he could afford to be a student-- of great means commits suicide, by a method our author is pleased to call American Roulette, and we know as Russian Roulette, before a pretty girl in a busy public park. Soon, the young student's university student friend, of even greater means, is murdered. Fandingo is off and running, sometimes literally. He'll meet swashbuckling Russian nobility, and villainesses beautiful, and noble, before he gets done wrapping up the anarchist, nihilist plot.
The surprise ending will involve one last nihilist blow: surprise endings are great, but some American readers may not be thrilled with this one, nihilism being much more to European tastes than ours. And here's a last silly complaint: the hero's name is quite a mouthful. Fandingo, of course, became Fandango to me, but what can you make of Erast, apparently Russian for Erasmus? What's wrong with Nicholai or Peter? Still, a nice read.
Hurrah for Boris Akunin!.......2007-05-04
Boris Akunin introduces Erast Fandorin in 'The Winter Queen', a murder mystery, yes, but much more, 'The Winter Queen sprawls across Europe from Moscow to London and back to St. Petersburg. Set in 1876, the book starts with a 'bang!' - literally, a university student blows his own brains out in the Alexander Garden.
This apparent suicide is the string upon which Fandorin begins to tug and an international conspiracy unravels revealing layer-upon-layer of delicious characters mostly of evil intent. Akunin's characters rarely are quite whom they seem to be at first.
The book also ends with another 'bang!' to fortunately spoil what looked to be an all-too-happy ending.
Hurrah for Boris Akunin! He has now produced something like 11 Fandorin mysteries as well as the Sister Pelagia series and other novels. Akunin's fame has finally spread from Russia to the US. Very highly recommended.
A Russian Flashman without the self-deprecating wit.......2007-04-30
Boris Akunin is considered one of modern Russia's greatest authors in line with Gogol and Gorky. His mysteries are set in the late nineteenth century with all the pomp and circumstance that this era evokes. In this novel he begins at the fourteenth (and lowest) level of the elite and by the end has moved up to the ninth level, been awarded the medal of St.Vladimir, and married the daughter of a Full Privy Conselor (second level).
His rise to fame is as startling as anything that happens to someone in Tolstoy or Dostoyevsky, but it does come with a certain amount of assistance from some interesting side characters; as well as some timing right out of the 'perils of pauline'. In fact about the only thing that doesn't happen to him in this novel, is getting tied to a railroad track. He does though get tied up in a sack and thrown into the Thames River as well as being clamped into a chair and chloroformed. Bad guys are constantly letting him get away in some very imaginative ways.
Akunin has some fun poking at the state of the Russian Empire at this time as well as how the aristocracy looked at themselves as well as the world. The description of Englishmen, Frenchmen, Germans and Russians leave you wondering how much is 'supposed' to be tongue in cheek and how much is opinion.
Lastly, it has a very "Russian" ending.
A+.......2007-01-10
I actually read this novel, as well as all the other novels by Boris Akunin featuring Fandorin, in Russian because it is my native language. I loved tham all. This book (in English translation) I bought as a gift for my English-speaking friends. They read it already and said they were impressed by this story and would read all sequences, which made me very happy.
Average customer rating:
- Well written, informative.
- Interesting story, writing too complex
- Compromising Positions make strange bedfellowsý
- This Winter Queen isn't Frigid ...
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The Winter Queen: A Novel
Jane Stevenson
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0618149120 |
Book Description
Jane Stevenson's Several Deceptions was hailed as one of the outstanding literary debuts of the year 2000. Now, with The Winter Queen, Stevenson confirms her place as a major new talent. This superb novel, the first in a historical trilogy, is a work of extraordinary ambition and range. Set in Holland in the seventeenth century, The Winter Queen is a sweeping portrait of the tumultuous history and politics of the era as well as an immensely moving account of a strange and magical love affair. At its center are two royal exiles: Elizabeth of Bohemia, the Winter Queen, and her clandestine lover, an African prince with shamanic gifts, sold into slavery and freed after years of bondage. Their world is delineated by the illuminating portraiture and exquisite detail of the Dutch paintings of the period. But beneath the light-filled surfaces, crowned heads lie uneasy, scheming princes vie for power, chaos and war threaten in a time of painful uncertainties. As always with Jane Stevenson's work, The Winter Queen appeals powerfully to both the heart and the mind. This elegant novel is that rare achievement: a brilliant, beautiful, astonishingly learned work that is also wonderfully entertaining.
Customer Reviews:
Well written, informative........2005-08-31
This is a well written, informative piece of historical fiction. It is interesting, but not a page turner. Unlike many historical novels, it is more informative about economic and social life and attitudes, than about political history. This is great, but a prologue detailing some of the political background would have really helped. (...) The two protagonists, Elizabeth and the fictional character, Pelagius, are both complex, interesting characters, and while not religious myself, it was refreshing meeting a character like Pelagius, who takes his religion very seriously. The secondary characters, with the exception of Pelagius' patron and one time owner, are simply means to move the plot along, or express social attitudes.
Interesting story, writing too complex.......2004-10-09
I love historical fiction and found the premise behind this book compelling enough to want to read it. The plot was easy enough to follow: an exiled queen befriends a recently freed slave (once a prince in his own country) and the two secretly marry and have a child together. This part of the story was interesting and compelling enough to make me want to read on, but the long religious dissertations and never-ending references to upcoming war and the complexities of European politics at the time often left me confused and bored. A geneology chart and a short explanation of the time's politics at the beginning of the book would have been extremely helpful. In addition, the author seems to have a strong preference to elaborate details and conversations with huge, fancy words. I can't imagine that these people would actually use them in daily conversations and it only added to the tediousness of trying to get through the story. Simpler wording and language would have made for an easier and more pleasant read and would not have taken anything away from the storyline.
This book was immediately sold to a used bookstore when I finished it. I would have loved to continue on reading the rest of the trilogy, but don't have the time to be so taxed in my reading efforts.
Compromising Positions make strange bedfellowsý.......2003-07-19
The quality of Stevenson's scholarship is immediately evident, the substantial historical research key to the author's success. A love story set in 17th C. Holland, the widowed Elizabeth Stuart, Queen of Bohemia, begins a friendship with African prince and former slave, Pelagius van Overmeer, now a Calvinist theologian. As the sister of Charles I and daughter of James I, Elizabeth's primary obligation is the protection of her children's positions, maintaining good relations with the Crown, in the person of Charles I, currently engaged in the Thirty Years War that is tearing the country apart.
For his part, Pelagius is a unique man in this country riddled by war, but also undergoing a cultural renaissance, a resurgence of art and culture. Brought to Europe as a slave, Pelagius achieves his freedom, then dedicates himself to the scholarship of the exotic plants of East Asia and their potential use in the healing arts. An erudite man, Pelagius becomes a seer as well, able to sustain his meager subsistence in this manner.
Receiving some notoriety in his capacity as seer, in which he uses ancient African methods to give godly advice to his patrons, Pelagius first awakens the Queen's interest. Engaging in casual conversation, they discover an affinity for one another, having complementary sympathetic natures. While both approach middle age, they are blindsided by their passion and marry in a clandestine ceremony. Once night falls, they are able to give reign to their mutual affection, free of artifice or pretension. As a precaution, Pelagius poses as Elizabeth's Latin tutor and physician, their secret known only by her ladies-in-waiting. Elizabeth's warmth and good humor act as a catalyst to Pelagius' reserved demeanor, deluging him with unexpected joy. Love truly is blind for this extraordinary couple.
When Elizabeth becomes pregnant, she is able to conceal her condition, feigning illness during the dank winter months, a time when she regularly suffers from poor health. After their son, Balthasar, is born, Pelagius transports his child in the deep of night to a couple that has agreed to care for the infant. Although the baby must be safely hidden from gossip or unwarranted curiosity, Pelagius is uncomfortable after leaving the child with strangers.
It is with considerable distress that Elizabeth and Pelagius consider the future parameters of their relationship, having already tempted fate with the birth of their son. Whether or not they can live as man and wife is the most difficult landmark in this fascinating romance, but the couple cannot ignore the danger to their son should his birth be discovered. Pelagius struggles with a deep affection for his wife and small son, offering solutions, but Elizabeth cannot forget her other children's futures. Both vow to make peace with their painful circumstances, yet each choice is fraught with pain, Elizabeth's options restricted by a royal bloodline, hostage to her royal fate.
In prose that transcends the boundaries of race and position, Stevenson lifts her two central characters to a higher plane of existence, joined in marriage with the added bounty of mutual respect. This novel is the first of an intended trilogy. As such, The Winter Queen sets the tone for all, with a tale of clandestine romance between The Queen of Bohemia and her African prince. Their son, Balthasar, is the fruit of the union, their gift to the future and the subject of the second book of the trilogy, The Shadow Prince. Luan Gaines/2003.
This Winter Queen isn't Frigid ..........2003-01-04
Stevenson has crafted an interesting novel for those who are interested in history - with unexpected twists. This is fiction laid on top of historical figures and in the case of Elizabeth, The Winter Queen, her lineage and descendants are important. (Elizabeth was the daughter of James I (1566-1625) of England and sister of Charles I, King of England, during the period of the story.) Yet it is difficult to untangle the characters; a Stuart/Hanover family tree would help a great deal. A listing of the characters would also be very useful. The story takes place when Charles I is king of England; Louis XIII is king of France and Philip IV is king of Spain - and the Netherlands is enormously wealthy by virtue of trade. Set in the Netherlands, the novel hinges on Elizabeth's intimate relationship with an African prince, abducted by Portuguese traders and sold into bondage who "ends up" at the Dutch Court. The well-educated Protestant - and African - prince, Pelegius van Overmeer, becomes a confidante of Elizabeth and from their shared loneliness, love blossoms. There's a fair amount of reference to Pelegius's tribal traditions but it is not clear where the Oyo were located - Nigeria? Pelegius is an interesting character and since this is the first book of a trilogy, Stevenson will undoubtedly clarify the complex history of this period and the role these characters play in history in the next two books. At least, the book had me scurrying to the Internet to try to locate more information!! It's very difficult to locate info on the Yoruba tribe ...
Average customer rating:
- Ends with a Whimper
- NOT AN EPIC CONCLUSION
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Warautumn
Tom Deitz
Manufacturer: Spectra
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Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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ASIN: 0553380710
Release Date: 2002-07-30 |
Book Description
In this thrilling conclusion to the epic series begun in
Bloodwinter and continued in
Springwar and
Summerblood, Tom Deitz brings us the final chapter in the unforgettable saga of a fugitive king, a lost magic, and a revolution that will either liberate a world--or condemn it to eternal tyranny.
While the Ninth Face, a dark religious sect, consolidate their grip on the capital city of Eron, far to the north King Avall’s army attempts to rescue the king himself from imprisonment at Gem-Hold-Winter, now controlled by Zeff, a Ninth Face fanatic. But Avall is no longer there. Aided by the blind harpist Kylin, he has escaped from the hold in a blaze of improbable magic that transported the king and his closest followers to a dangerous wilderness.
As the royal armies prepare for siege and Eron’s capital seethes with growing rebellion, Avall and his comrades must retrieve the magical Lightning Sword--now lost by Avall’s sister, Merryn--and make their way back to the embattled citadel. Only when Avall has regained the Sword can he march on Eron’s capital for a final showdown with the righteous priests whose law is total obedience and whose god is total power.
Customer Reviews:
Ends with a Whimper.......2003-11-27
Tom Deitz deserves credit for being a true worldbuilder, for avoiding most fantasy clichés, and for always treating his readers like intelligent adults. "Bloodwinter" and "Springwar" are both considerable achievements, considering how Deitz manages a large cast of characters, a logically consistent form of magic, and a plot that's worth reading. The last two volumes, however, are an unnecessary add-on. The pacing lags, the characters don't develop any more, and the conclusion is far too predictable. "Summerblood" and "Warautumn" should have been merged together into one more succinct book, or better yet, never written at all.
Avall, Rann, and five others have been magically transported to an island in the middle of nowhere. Merryn and Krynneth have been captured and imprisoned by rogue Ixtian warriors. Strynn and Div are trying to track them down. The army of Eron continues to lay siege to the Ninth Face at Gem Hold. Tyrill conducts covert operations against the priests in Tir-Eron. We rotate among these five different groups of characters for quite a while, because it takes quite a while for anything to happen. There are a lot of details that we could have done without. For instance, Avall and his followers plan to build a raft in order to escape the island:
"In any case", he continued, "it's time we talked about getting off this island. It's a fine place as far as it goes, but we obviously can't stay here indefinitely. We'd already ruled out swimming to the mainland because that wasn't viable with you unconscious, Kylin, and because it would take forever to get any of our gear across. And that was before we saw what lives in the water. That leaves building a raft or boat."
"A raft would be easier," Rann observed. "If for no other reason than because we could build one large enough to accommodate all of us and the supplies we have here a lot faster than we could build a boat that would accomplish the same things."
Lykkon nodded. "And while there are plenty of trees on this island, they're either way too big to be workable, or too small. Whereas a raft-"
"There's thick-cane down by the shore on the south side," Bingg supplied. "I saw it from up top. There's more up there, for that matter, but the growth onshore is larger, plus we wouldn't have to carry anything we made so far to set it afloat."
As you can hopefully tell, this isn't exactly nail-biting, pulse-pounding drama. Does it get better in the second half of the book? A little, but not enough to justify such a big chunk of paper. I officially recommend that you read only the first two volumes and skip the final two. You'll have a much more enjoyable read while committing less money and less time that way.
NOT AN EPIC CONCLUSION.......2002-09-20
I am disappointed in the conclusion to this series ..
The series started out great with the first couple of books
and I thought that maybe we have a storyteller to compete
with Goodkind, Jordan and Martin..
NOT>...
It is almost like the author lost interest in the saga and
filled in the last couple of books with banalities...
There was no anti-climax there was no build up to a climax
in short NO SATISFACTION with the conclusion to this series..
I would not recommend this series now, but if you had asked me
after reading the first two books I would have said YES!!
Maybe the author spread himself too thin to give himself
enough time to do the story justice...
Book Description
On October 23, 1998, Barnett Slepian, an abortion provider in Buffalo, New York, was killed by a snipers bullet. Days later, another local doctor, Shalom Press, received a threat that he was next on the list. Within hours, the Press family was under police protection, and Americas violent struggle over abortion had come to the blue-collar city of Buffalo.
Customer Reviews:
The abortion wars aren't about choice - they are about dominance........2006-08-29
I know Eyal Press. I know his father. I was there. All of the analyses from people who think this thing about abortion, that thing about feminism, something else about the religious right - none of that comes down to earth half so well as Eyal's book does for those of us who lived it. And who live it still.
Absolute Convictions tells the human story of the Press family's experience with the sheer hell that became Buffalo. No one realized in the early days that Buffalo was 'Ground Zero' in this battle. Who think Buffalo is central to anything? But it was the third hardest-hit city in America because it was Randall Terry's home turf by proxy - he had many a good friend in that town, and he and they made as much political hay as they could out of it. The venom and divisions they fostered ultimately erupted in a violence of such magnitude the city and the friends of Bart Slepian are still reeling 8 years later.
Only Eyal could find and ask those on the periphery of this virulence whether they have culpability in the butchering of a man who wasn't evil - just different from them in terms of where he placed his value for life. No one has asked the anti-abortion zealots that before, and the very question may have altered some of the future choices and actions these people make. Abortion opponents are ultimately low-sacrifice people: they think they are brave for giving up a few hours on Saturday morning or shivering in the cold, but they have remained merely smug finger-pointers. They are without reflection on their own morality, their own culpability, their own need to examine values and conscience. Eyal made at least one face up to the consequences of her actions. Perhaps more will follow.
Eyal makes it clear: Doctors who respect women's health and their right to choose the course of their lives are pro-life, too. They value adult, sentient human beings over what for them are still only potential humans. And on the turn of this difference, real people are dying.
Absolute Convictions lets us see inside the fanatacism, and it becomes frighteningly clear: no matter what happens to Roe, either the nation or the states with strong pro-choice positions will erupt once again. Absolute convictions don't just go away.
Absolutely riveting.......2006-08-16
Only in America does the controversy over abortions rage so openly and bitterly, never seeming to be settled or pushed off the front page for long. Long ignored by everyone except medical practitioners (doctors and midwives) and those who needed their services, it was thrust into the national public eye by the Roe v Wade decision January 22, 1983 when the U. S. Supreme Court ruled that states could not prohibit abortions in the first trimester and also allowed for certain abortions in the second and third trimester. But before that time, the issue had come to a head in several states including New York.
"Absolute Convictions, My Father, a City, and the Conflict That Divided America" by Eyal Press tells the story of Eyal's father Dr. Shalom Press at the center of this controversy in Buffalo during the turbulent 70's, 80's and 90's. The book describes Dr. Press as anything but a fighter for a cause. He is more like the worker who shows up every day, day after day, because it is the thing to do. And his patients need him. He did not go into medicine to perform abortions but to deliver babies. Abortions simply came with the territory because some women would have other wise chosen unsafe, illegal abortions or suicide to terminate their pregnancies.
The book explores the wide gulf that exists between pro-choice and pro-life groups and the small but significant beliefs they share: women should be treated with respect and the fewer abortions, the better. The book also explores the tactics of right-to-life groups and how those tactics sometimes escalate the actions of a fringe element to commit murder to "prevent murder". For being so intimately tied to one side, as his father could easily have been one of the few doctors who have been killed for performing aborions, Eyal Press does a marvelous job in presenting both sides.
I found the book an outstanding example of telling the history of abortion in America in the late 20th century. And it makes a good case for why the issue won't soon fade into the past.
Interesting book but can't buy the propaganda.......2006-06-20
Of course Mr. Press views the abortion industry as an honorable profession. This book is an extremely biased justification of a horrible "procedure". I actually couldn't even finish the book.
MB Antics.......2006-06-03
"The book is remarkably rational, reasonable, informative, and balanced."
Mr. West you might have kept your comments more focused. While I agree with you in large part you do a disservce to your opinions. I am not sure what incidence of VD has to do with what the otherwise admirable group of stats that you have gathered. Or for that matter, why you would bother dwelling in what is a murky a clearly impossible to settle personhood argument or an off-topic and probably paranoid Malthusian worry is beyond me. Nor are the reports that most women who have abortions free of psychological trauma any consolation to those that do.
Your key point deserves emphasis: the making of coercive law on the basis of the beliefs - mostly religious - of a subset of the population has no place in a free society. It would be nice though if we really lived in a free society.
It may be the best on "life or choice".......2006-04-16
Eyal Press is a gifted writer, free lance. This is his first book.
In less than 300 pages he tells of his home town Buffalo, New York where with his father he once routed for the Buffalo Bills.
He tells of the city which like so many in the 'rust belt" came on hard times. As a child he came from Israel with his parents. His mother surived the death camps of Hitler. HIs father,educated in medicine served the military.
Doctor Press moved to Buffalo and set up practice in OB/BYN along with a new colleague, Dr Barnette Slepian would later die in his home, shot by a Right to Life zealot Jams Kopp.
For those who insist that the abortion of a fetus is no less murder than this murder of a physician, husband and father--this book may be rejected. But I found it very fair, with compassion for all of us who care about our country and this awful division on such a personal matter.
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Columbia Journalism Review, published by Thomson Gale on March 1, 2006. The length of the article is 2182 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Faith, Reason, and Murder: An intimate history of Buffalo's abortion wars oversimplifies the motives of religious extremists.(Absolute Convictions: My Father, a City and the Conflict that Divided America)(Book review)
Author: Jeff Sharlet
Publication:
Columbia Journalism Review (Magazine/Journal)
Date: March 1, 2006
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 44
Issue: 6
Page: 58(3)
Article Type: Book review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Conscience, published by Thomson Gale on March 22, 2007. The length of the article is 1158 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Why we stay the course.(Absolute Convictions: My Father, a City, and the Conflict that Divided America )(Book review)
Author: Suzanne T. Poppema
Publication:
Conscience (Magazine/Journal)
Date: March 22, 2007
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 28
Issue: 1
Page: 47(2)
Article Type: Book review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
A remarkable memoir as well as a hymn to Sicilian food and culture,
Bitter Almonds is also an intimate record of a vanishing craft, with 46 authentic recipes.
Customer Reviews:
Maria's shop.......2004-12-18
I also visited Maria at her shop in Erice. We were very impressed with the wonderful marzipan creations and other goodies, and bought gifts to take home....some did not make it home! I am eager to read the book.
Remarks from a Sicilian Girl.......2001-09-17
I have just returned from Sicily where I visited Maria's shop and saw the convent where her childhood was spent. I wish I would have read the book before my visit. The smell of almond pastries led me right up the narrow street and to the pastries and candies in her shop, and they are marvelous. The convent is just a short walk up the street from her shop, in the square. The recipes she shares in the book are uncomplicated and simply delicious. Her story is not embellished. There is no polished prose. It is as she saw it and lived it and has told it with her unique Sicilian expression. I enjoyed reading it and I will continue to enjoy her recipes.
Fascinating history, definitive flavor.......1998-04-13
I believe this is one of the most underrated cookbooks in terms of awards (Child, Beard, etc.) and public attention. I LOVED the story, and I feel like I was allowed to have something very personal, special and unique in the recipes which are exquisite. Had I not known a wonderful Italian lady (Carmel Anthony) and tasted her special cookies, however, I may not have known enough to get this book. You'll love it!
Books:
- Smoky Mountain Tracks (Raine Stockton Dog Mysteries, Book 2)
- Some Buried Caesar
- Son of Holmes
- Steamed (Gourmet Girl Mysteries)
- Sugar Cookie Murder (Hannah Swensen Holiday Mysteries)
- Taming a Seahorse
- The Bay At Midnight
- The Cat Who Tailed a Thief (Cat Who...)
- The Cereal Murders (Goldy Culinary Mysteries, Book 3)
- The Chapel of Bones (Knights Templar series)
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