seiderman samarkand godmother geography

books:

23 reviews
Rabih Alameddine

Abacus, 1999

buy this book
This book is brilliant, able to be humorous and entertaining even as it takes you into some of the darkest moments of our time. The juxtaposition of the AIDS crisis in America and the War in Lebanon is an effective choice, it creates a new perspective to two very emotionally difficult and recent parts of our history that we are still collectively coming to terms with. as a gay lebanese-american i ...

The Fall

10 reviews
Simon Mawer

Abacus, 2004

"The Fall" Explores The Gamut Of Human Emotions - Superb!!
This is a powerhouse of a novel that will have you reading compulsively until you've turned the last page, and will leave you deep in thought long after that. "The Fall" has achieved a place on my Top 10 list of favorite works of fiction. Rob Dewer hears on the car radio that his old friend and mountain climbing partner, Jamie Matthewson, has fallen to his death while making an almost suicidal ...

The Road to Nab End

17 reviews
William Woodruff

Abacus, 2002

This really is a superb social history
I came upon this book after hearing brief snippets of it serialised BBC Radio 4 and the World Service. It had added interest for me as I know Blackburn (at least modern Blackburn) very well, it was later a surprise to discover I knew virtually nothing of the town. The book is evocative and stirring as you follow the authors journey from early childhood to his 16th year, when he finally ...

Samarkand

41 reviews
Amin Maalouf

Abacus (UK), 1994

Historical fiction about Persian history and literature - outstanding
This is a translation of a novel written in French by the Lebanese author Amin Maalouf. This novel is, in fact, two loosely linked stories tied together by the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. For those who are unaware of what this is, the Rubaiyat are a series of quatrains (four line poems) written in the 11th century in Persia. They are poems about life, love, women, and destiny which I would say ...

But Beautiful

14 reviews
Geoff Dyer

Abacus, 2003

A Must for Those Who Appreciate Jazz and/or Exquisite Prose
Picture this: "Onstage at Birdland, eyes shut, one arm hanging at his side....trumpet raised to his lips like a brandy bottle--not playing the horn but swigging from it, sipping it." Geoff Dyer's employs his exquisite imagery as a starting point for his "imaginative criticism" of the celebrated and tragic lives of several iconic jazz musicians (including figures such as Chet Baker, Lester ...

Cosmos

153 reviews
Carl Sagan

Abacus, 1983

Brilliant!
Carl Sagan's book and TV series called Cosmos has opened the vast universe to millions and millions of people. I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book and watching the series. It is not surprising that Cosmos is the best-selling science book ever published in the English language...and the series has been seen by half a billion people! Carl Sagan was able to accomplish this feat by tapping ...

Freedom in Exile

34 reviews
Dalai Lama XIV Bstan-'dzin-rgya-mtsho

Abacus, 1998

Hearbreaking
Knowing nothing at all about His Holiness The Dalai Lama or Tibet/China relations I was eager to learn more. As a convert from Catholicisim to Buddhism, I was pleased to read that the Dalai Lama considers himself to be just a regular human, who was chosen to fulfill a specific role. After reading this book, you get the sense that he would be a very pleasant person to talk with. On the ...

Peter the Great: His Life and World

100 reviews
Robert K. Massie

Abacus, 1989

My favorite history book
I love to read history and have numerous books about many people and events that happened throughout history. But this book has to be my absolute favorite. Peter the Great was an amazing person and led a life without one dull moment. Once you start reading this book it will be difficult to put it down. Even though he did not live into old age, he lived a life full of adventure and you will never ...

Old Filth

16 reviews
Jane Gardam

Abacus, 2005

Gardam's "Loss," Our Gain?
As is unanimously pointed out in the other reader reviews, OLD FILTH is a mordant, brilliantly written book that will impress even the most discriminating reader. The character profile that author Jane Gardam draws of its venerable protagonist is nuanced and thoroughly convincing, and the book is also evocative in its depictions of life in Malaysia and wartime Britain. My continued praise for ...

The Beautiful Mrs. Seiderman (Abacus Books)

8 reviews
Andrzej Szczypiorski

Abacus, 1991

Beautiful, poignant book
I bought two copies of this book years ago so I could share it with a good friend and have someone to talk to about this wonderful, disturbing story. Sad to say, she's yet to read it. I've read it three times over the years and am moved and haunted still by the realism of the characters and their struggles for dignity and life. One day, I'll meet someone else who has read this book, and over a ...

Geography of the Heart

9 reviews
Fenton Johnson

Abacus, 1997

Much more than an AIDS memoir
Two very dissimilar men meet in San Francisco, fall in love, and one cares for the other as he dies of AIDS in Paris in 1990. That's it, on the surface. But Fenton Johnson's exquisite memoir goes much deeper to explore the depths of a relationship that didn't stand much chance when it began. Rose, HIV+ but aware of his status, was asymptomatic when he met Fenton. Rose was the only child of ...

Ten Days to D-Day

8 reviews
David Stafford

Abacus, 2004

Fascinating "behind the scenes" history
Most books published about D-Day give scant mention to the background of the invasion, and concentrate on the invasion itself, and its aftermath. This extremely well-written book covers the 10 days that preceeded the invasion, through the lives not only of the important political and military folks involved, but also the common people. We share the lives of paratroopers, ground troops, signal ...

Rubicon

8 reviews
Tom Holland

Abacus, 2004

The history of Rome is still relevent today
The idea that average people need to know history, especially ancient Roman history, has fallen by the wayside in the last several decades. The problem this leads too, naturally enough, is that the people in a democracy loose site when their elected leaders start to repeat the mistakes of the past. Roman history is filled with people who made mistakes, often times for all the right reasons. ...

Godmother Night

6 reviews
Rachel Pollack

Abacus, 1996

beyond Orpheus..between Eros, Thanatos & the selfý
Godmother Night is now one of my favourite books & it's the most moving book I have read since Geek Love by Katherine Dunn. It's seemingly influenced by both the myth of Orpheus & Cocteau's film, Orphee, which also features a well-dressed woman who is literally death & is attended by motorcyclists. Readers interested in feminist, "women's" or lesbian fiction, as well as those attracted by ...

Funnymen

10 reviews
Ted Heller

Abacus, 2002

Like Spinal Tap in book form, a great "mockumentary!"
I'm overwhelmed with Ted Heller's achievement in this book. I can't remember ever reading another fictionalized oral history and the idea is such a great one! If you've ever read any showbiz biographies, especially from the Golden Age of Hollywood, you will love this book. True, there are plenty of similarities to the Dean & Jerry team, but there are tons of in-jokes stolen from the lives of ...

Facing the Congo

8 reviews
Jeffrey Tayler

Abacus, 2002

Recommended reading for the armchair traveler
Part travelogue, part memoir, Jeffrey Tayler's Facing The Congo takes the reader on a memorable and fascinating journey into sub-Saharan Africa's crocodile waters and lush jungles, lush jungles, and a spectacular variety of merchants, deckhands, prostitutes, mothers, spiritual followers, fishermen, children, and many other assorted charecters. From lively marketplace banter to cramped, mosquito ...

The Olive Season

10 reviews
Carol Drinkwater

Abacus, 2003

Don't get ripped off
THE OLIVE SEASON and THE OLIVE FARM are excellent as is THE OLIVE HARVEST. When I recently saw A CELEBRATION OF OLIVES, I thought C. Drinkwater published a new book and ordered it. I received it today and was disappointed to find it's a double volume of THE OLIVE SEASON and THE OLIVE FARM combined, both of which I have. According to Amazon.com readers who buy A CELEBRATION OF OLIVES also buy ...

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