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Showing posts with label kindle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label kindle. Show all posts

Monday, October 17, 2011

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My Single Mom Life: Stories and Practical Lessons for Your Journey [Kindle Edition]

Angela Thomas (Author)

Digital List Price:$14.99 What's this?

Print List Price:$14.99

Kindle Price:$11.99 includes free international wireless delivery via Amazon Whispernet

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

The day Angela Thomas sold the only thing she had, the diamond from her engagement ring, to take care of her kids was the day she began to believe they were going to make it. In that decision, the faith she had always talked about became the faith she was going to learn how to live. In the years since, God has given Angela a passionate desire . . . to live an amazing life, even while raising four kids as a single mom. In this book she shares her hard-earned wisdom on loneliness, dating, finances, and parenting, encouraging every solo mom. "As a gift to our children," she says, "we can become healthy moms who are strong and amazing women in spite of our circumstances."


Product Details

  • Format: Kindle Edition
  • File Size: 1421 KB
  • Print Length: 240 pages
  • Publisher: Thomas Nelson (May 1, 2007)
  • Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
  • Language: English

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Read it Twice...and probably will again..., April 12, 2007

By

Sandee "Loves God, Loves Kids" (Folsom, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: My Single Mom Life: Stories and Practical Lessons for Your Journey (Hardcover)

I have read this book twice..once in April and again in August. Both times it spoke to me. First off, it is from the Christian life view perspective. So not having that perspective would probably make the book less helpful, although it might offer some insight into how that perspective can help.
As another reviewer noted, the book does end with the dream of a "hunky" man, and I agree with her criticism, that a "hunky" man is not the end goal. That said, I think the principle of a spiritually (emotionally healthy) "hunky" man or NO MAN AT ALL, it a great perspective. ie..don't settle. Don't make a mistake out of weakness.
What touched me and spoke to me most about this book was the kids. It IS about them. It is about being a "groovy" mom and having a rich life FOR THEM! (As well as for yourself.) And then some very practical insights into how that might look.
I agree, that her work life is very idealistic and not what the rest of us live and that part is hard to relate to. I do feel, when I read it, good for her, what a blessing for her, but that is NOT the life I live.
I have purchased and given this book to other single mom's. It has a positive, hope-filled message and the shot in the arm to be brave, be a woman of valor and dare to have a full life as a single mom.
I say. Bravo! http://360.yahoo.com/lvglvk

missing something- reality check, August 2, 2007

By

Jasmi Thotts (Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: My Single Mom Life: Stories and Practical Lessons for Your Journey (Hardcover)

After reading this book, I continued to struggle with the familiar nagging at my heart and the ache in my stomach, which speak more honestly to me about the realities of single motherhood. While I respect and appreciated many things that this author described about her own experience as a single mother, the heavy emphasis on religion, the reliance on a masculine form of divinity and the reference to the constant craving for a "hunky" male partner, particularly towards the end, left me feeling like this book was directed primarily at the white, high heeled, manicured, primarily Christian raised, middle class lifestyle type of mother. It spoke largely of this one woman's experience with the hopes that some of it might help other women, likely in similar circumstances. None of the descriptions of this book, nor the on line reviews identify the heavy extent to which the theme of religion, a male God, church, etc. are woven into the chapters. If something in this book resonates for white middle class women, great, the book is a success. But there remain thousands of women who do not fit in this group. Some of the serious issues that are often part of single mother hood and need real solutions, real acknowledgement, seem to be minimized or ignored. Dealing with abusive ex partners who remain involved in the children's lives, dealing with the emotional upheaval of depression, experiences of anxiety, trying to secure medical care for oneself and ones children, trying to find and get to therapy or good counselling, legal costs, not dating for years, not dating at all, having to manage house hold repairs, sick children, a full time job, shift work, all of these things alone....they just aren't dealt with adequately. The isolation of living in a smaller community, and not jetting off to other cities and countries, the lack of family resources and few reliable men who have time to mentor a son....they are realities for many many women. This book falls short for these women. The end of the book was disappointing...the reference to the fantasy of the dreamy man that is pined for and waited for, the end goal.......the hope for this dream to come true.....it promotes the message that a woman is not whole or enough without a man....that the goal is eventually to be with a man. This book seemed like an outpouring of one woman's story, and perhaps that was in itself therapeutic for the author. But for the other women out there who are also raising amazing children and get through the day with incredible integrity, courage and strength, women out there who don't have a personal assistant, don't jet off to big cities or other countries and do workshops or talks, don't have people stop them and tell them "you are beautiful",or "you know why we all love you", haven't dated for years, this book will feel alienating and out of touch with their reality and those "practical" challenges. Potential readers and purchasers of this book should at the very least be aware of this ahead of time.

If You're Not Single Then Read to Understand Others,December 10, 2008

By

CeeCee "Booksplurge.blogspot.com" - See all my reviews

This review is from: My Single Mom Life: Stories and Practical Lessons for Your Journey (Paperback)

Life sometimes does not turn out the way we expect it too. Sometimes, we are thrown for a loop with no where to turn. Who plans after vowing "I DO" and having a couple of "blessed events" to be alone raising children? Who plans on holding the hand of their child while their spouse is lowered into a grave? Who believes that of the 50% of marriages that end in divorce, theirs would be among the statistic?
No one expects the worse. But when the worse happens, it's great to have someone who has been there, show you the way. Not someone who gives you advice they overheard someone say or fish a random verse from the Bible, but someone who has walked the journey you yourself are now embarking.
In some circles, Angela Thomas had it all: a husband, four beautiful children, and a successful speaking and writing career. She wrote books encouraging women to seek the beauty and wrote prayers for the expectant mother and new mom. I can imagine she never imagined she'd write a book about herself titled, My Single Mom Life: Stories and Practical Lessons for Your Journey. What was made for her bad was certainly turned around for every reader's good.

Friday, October 14, 2011

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The Making of a Nation - The Beginnings of Israel's History [Paperback]


Price:$9.99 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

The Making of a Nation - The Beginnings of Israel's History is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by Jeremiah Whipple Jenks is in the English language, and may not include graphics or images from the original edition. If you enjoy the works of Jeremiah Whipple Jenks then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection.

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

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Burial To Follow [Kindle Edition]

Scott Nicholson (Author)

4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews) | Like(58)


Digital List Price:$2.99 What's this?

Kindle Price:$1.99 includes free international wireless delivery via Amazon Whispernet

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

"Like Stephen King, he knows how to summon serious scares."--Bentley Little
BURIAL TO FOLLOW
When Jacob Ridgehorn dies, it's up to Roby Snow to make sure his soul goes on to the eternal reward. The only way Roby can do that is convince the Ridgehorn family to eat a special pie. Lurking in the shadows is a mysterious figure named Johnny Divine, monitoring the crossroads between the living and the dead. Southern Appalachian funeral customs get crossed when Roby has to perform miracles...or else.
DRM-free and only 99 cents for a limited time. Novella of about 22,000 words. Originally published in the Cemetery Dance anthology "Brimstone Turnpike." Scott Nicholson is the bestselling Kindle author of the thrillers THE RED CHURCH, DRUMMER BOY, DISINTEGRATION, SPEED DATING WITH THE DEAD, and THE SKULL RING. Visit him at Author Central or www.hauntedcomputer.com
--------------------------
"Keep both hands on your pants, because Nicholson is about to scare them off."--J.A. Konrath, author of ORIGIN
"Scott Nicholson is the kind of writer who always surprises and always entertains."--Jonathan Maberry, author of Patient Zero and The Dragon Factory
"Lovecraft may have invented cosmic horror, but Nicholson brings it up close and personal."--Deborah LeBlanc, author of Morbid Curiosity
"Nicholson has moved into that literary shadow land between Ray Bradbury and Neil Gaiman."--Sharyn McCrumb, author of The Ballad novels


Product Details

  • Format: Kindle Edition
  • File Size: 477 KB
  • Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
  • Publisher: Haunted Computer Books (December 22, 2009)
  • Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
  • Language: English
  • ASIN: B0031RHNZY

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Suspenseful Awesome Read from Scott!,February 22, 2010

By Heather M "I'm not a fancy shmancy reviewer. ...

This review is from: Burial To Follow (Kindle Edition)

Awesome awesome book! Just what I've come to expect from Scott Nicholson.
I have this habit of trying to picture different scenarios in my head as I'm reading to see where an author is going with the storyline. Then I get my aha! I thought that was going to happen somewhere down the road.
I had no idea where Scott was going when I started this and I couldn't figure it out until I read it when I got to that point in the story. I hope Scott takes this as a complement when I say this book was so strange, but a great strange. I knew there was something going on with the food because Roby was fixated with food, but I never would have guessed what actually was behind the food. This was one of those, keep turning the page (or clicking the next button on my Kindle), don't put it down until you're done type of books.
This book starts out at the sitting for Jacob Ridgehorn and continues on through the viewing and the funeral. All of it revolving around Roby and the food and his thoughts on proper funeral procedure, which was actually kind of interesting. Tell me you haven't done it? Been in a somber situation, not able to believe the behavior of some who are there? He does give them leeway in his mind because they are grieving.
He sits through the bickering and manages to get everyone to eat the pie. What's in the pie? I can't tell you. You will never ever think of it yourself though.
I said this in my review of The Red Church, but I'll say it again. Scott Nicholson reminds me of some of the greats, Stephen King, Dean R Koontz, etc. This reminded me of some of Stephen King's shorter story. Not in the writing style, because that is all Scott's wonderful style, but in the suspense category. His stories are full of so much detail, you can easily picture it in your head, you can smell the food, see the congealed grease around the ham, the marshmallows on the sweet potato pie (I'm never eating pie at a funeral again, thank you very much Scott. :) ) This is just another great read from Scott Nicholson.

Fascinating, insightful, wicked, and humorous,January 14, 2010

By

Christa Polkinhorn (Santa Monica, CA, USA) -

Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: Burial To Follow (Kindle Edition)

Burial to Follow is the kind of fascinating story I have come to expect from Scott Nicholson: intriguing, suspenseful plot, vivid details, and an insightful depiction of human motives, yearnings, and desires. The perfect blend of real and surreal elements, of the macabre and the humorous makes for a delightful read. Scott's stories and novels have a local, Southern flair (and if you are interested in delicious Southern food, this is the story for you) but speak to readers everywhere. The mixture of true sorrow, barely contained greed, and hypocrisy which is part of so many family funerals and inheritance battles rings true, no matter where you live. And what a surprise ending! But for that you have to read the story.

Scott is a writing machine..., July 15, 2010

By

Chris Meeks "Koontz Guru" (Gainesville, FL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: Burial To Follow (Kindle Edition)

Literally. Scott reminds me very much of another author with similar work ethics. Hmmm. =) He is quickly becoming one of our most prolific authors. Keep it up Scott!

Saturday, October 8, 2011

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The World's Greatest Books - Volume 02 - Fiction[Kindle Edition]

Various (Author)

Digital List Price:$0.00 What's this?

Kindle Price:
$0.00 includes free international wireless delivery via Amazon Whispernet

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.


Product Details

  • Format: Kindle Edition
  • File Size: 389 KB
  • Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
  • Publisher: Public Domain Books (January 1, 2004)
  • Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
  • Language: English
  • ASIN: B000SN6I0A

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

Digest of Classic Novels, March 2, 2009

By Mom of Three (North Carolina) -

Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: The World's Greatest Books - Volume 02 - Fiction (Kindle Edition)

These volumes contain digests of the great books. The following is from the introduction of Volume 1:
"In THE WORLD'S GREATEST BOOKS an attempt has been made to effect a compendium of the world's best literature in a form that shall be at once accessible to every one and still faithful to its originals; or, in other words, it has been sought to allow the original author to tell his own story over again in his own language, but in the shortest possible space.
An important additional feature of the work is the brief, yet highly critical biographical and bibliographical note which accompanies every author "
These volumes might be called the "Cliff Notes" collection.

Awesome., March 11, 2009

By

L. Flake "misstexas2" (Texas) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: The World's Greatest Books - Volume 02 - Fiction (Kindle Edition)

Can't believe some of the reviewers thought these volumes would contain all of the greastest books in their entirety, but these little samples are exactly what I wanted. If I like the sample, I can read the book...

Long titles need editing for Kindle, June 1, 2009

By

William A. Baity "Still Bill" (Florida swamp) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: The World's Greatest Books - Volume 02 - Fiction (Kindle Edition)

I have several of this series and the titles all look identical on the Kindle Home Page. Have added my own notes to distinguish them, but some title editing by the publisher would be appreciated.

Friday, October 7, 2011

51rqR3Yum6L._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_OU01_ Death by Honeymoon (Book #1 in the Caribbean Murder Series) [Paperback]

Jaden Skye (Author)

Price:$7.99 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details

Special Offers Available

 

Book Description

Publication Date: May 28, 2011

On the rugged, wild, eastern shore of Barbados, Cindy and Clint are enjoying their dream honeymoon, when paradise quickly turns into hell. Cindy finds her newly beloved taken away from her, drowned in a freak accident in the ocean. The local police are quick to declare it an accident, to insist that he was caught in a sudden riptide. But Cindy, left all alone, is not convinced. Cindy must return to her and Clint's now-empty home in New York and face her in-laws, who never wanted Clint to marry her, and who did everything to make her engagement and wedding hell. She must deal with all of these women's backbiting, gossiping and unspoken accusations, while she tries to get a handle on her own grief and to get clear on what really happened to Clint. Cindy is mailed an anonymous photo of a woman she had never met, addressed to Clint. As she tries to unravel the mysterious package, as she begins to dig deeper into Clint's emails and files, she realizes how many secrets Clint had been hiding from his past. She realizes that she didn't really know the man she loved. And she also realizes that Clint was murdered. She digs deeper, into the depths of Clint's massive corporation, DGB oil, and as she starts to unearth information she shouldn't, she goes too far. Soon her own life is in peril. On the run, she realizes that the only way to get answers, and to save her own life, is to return to where it all began: Barbados. As she heads into the dark underside of the island, into the heart of the local villages, she is shocked to discover what really happened to her husband on their honeymoon. But by then, it may already be too late.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 220 pages
  • Publisher: Jaden Skye (May 28, 2011)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0976585502
  • ISBN-13: 978-0976585503

Soaring Read, April 23, 2011

By

Sue E Savalas - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: Death by Honeymoon (Book #1 in the Caribbean Murder Series) (Kindle Edition)

I adored this book. From beginning to end this suspense filled book kept my Kindle burning up. I can't wait for the other books in this trilogy!

Perfect Summer Vacation Read, August 25, 2011

By

Chris Brown "Chris Brown" (Brooklyn, NY, US) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: Death by Honeymoon (Book #1 in the Caribbean Murder Series) (Kindle Edition)

I loved this book. It was entertaining had also had depth. Well-written, excellent character development. A perfect summer read. I couldn't put it down.

51D2vz76C3L._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_OU01_ The Book of the Dead [Paperback]

E. A. Wallis Budge (Author)


Price:$12.99 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details

Book Description

Publication Date: July 18, 2011

This anthology is a thorough introduction to classic literature for those who have not yet experienced these literary masterworks. For those who have known and loved these works in the past, this is an invitation to reunite with old friends in a fresh new format. From Shakespeare’s finesse to Oscar Wilde’s wit, this unique collection brings together works as diverse and influential as The Pilgrim’s Progress and Othello. As an anthology that invites readers to immerse themselves in the masterpieces of the literary giants, it is must-have addition to any library

ditorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English (translation) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Inside Flap

Including the Hieroglyphic Transcript and English Translation of the Papyrus of Ani
Fascinating compendium of ancient Egyptian mythology, religious beliefs and magical practices. Includes spells, incantations, hymns, magical formulas and prayers. All explained by one of the most knowledgeable and respected Egyptologists of the early 20th century. B&W illustrations, photographs and hieroglyphics throughout. 704 pages. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 At least the price is right..., November 23, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Book of the Dead (Hardcover)

It's a given that serious egyptologists will roll their eyes at anything by Budge (there's a great moment at the beginning of the film "Stargate" where James Spader's character makes a quip about Budge's books).

However, if you are interested in 19th-century occultists (Blavatsky, Crowley, etc) then you probably should have this translation on your shelf next to a more modern one, because Budge is a primary source of their ideas about Egyptian gods and religion (which are interesting in their own right, though not historically accurate or scholarly). And again, at least Budge's stuff is widely and inexpensively available in Dover paperback editions....

Book of the Dead-Giovanni Callanta (Chicago), August 12, 2004

By Giovanni Callanta (Chicago) -

This review is from: The Book of the Dead (Hardcover)

Being an archaeologist, I know better than to claim that there is such a thing as a wrong or right inference. They are all just interpretations of available information that can be translated differently by another person (I believe this is why Budge included the original text--in order to give the reader a chance to make hs own inferences). The best way to judge an interpretation based on artifacts and proveniences is by the background and experience of the academic doing the translation. Being a celebrated Egyptologist for such a long period of time ought to count for something. I know I wouldn't disparage a fellow Archy based on the words of a fictional man from a movie that claimed pyramids were built by aliens.

Monday, October 3, 2011

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Beauty [Kindle Edition]

Roger Scruton (Author)

Pricing information not available.

Product Details

  • Format: Kindle Edition
  • File Size: 1326 KB
  • Print Length: 176 pages
  • Page Numbers Source ISBN: 019955952X
  • Publisher: Oxford University Press; 1 edition (May 25, 2009)
  • Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
  • Language: English
  • ASIN: B002R81CPU

Editorial Reviews

Review

Review from previous edition: "As always with Scruton, his prose is exquisite and wonderfully clear, which fact together with the illustrations make his book a thing of beauty itself." --A. C. Grayling, The Art Newspaper 01/01/2010
"Careful and absorbing." --A. C. Grayling, The Art Newspaper 01/01/2010
"This is a fascinating and thought-provoking little book." --A. C. Grayling, The Art Newspaper 01/01/2010
"Roger Scruton has moments of great insight and clarity in this attractively slim volume." --Sebastian Smee, The Observer 22/03/2009
"A fascinating book, which I heartily recommend." --Bryan Wilson, Readers Digest 01/03/2009
"Short, fast paced, and wide ranging." --Michael Tanner, Literary Review 01/03/2009

Product Description

"Beauty can be consoling, disturbing, sacred, profane," writes Roger Scruton. "It can be exhilarating, appealing, inspiring, chilling. It is never viewed with indifference: beauty demands to be noticed; it speaks to us directly like the voice of an intimate friend."
In a book that is itself beautifully written, renowned philosopher Roger Scruton explores this timeless concept, asking what makes an object--either in art, in nature, or the human form--beautiful. This compact volume is filled with insight and Scruton has something interesting and original to say on almost every page. Can there be dangerous beauties, corrupting beauties, and immoral beauties? Perhaps so. The prose of Flaubert, the imagery of Baudelaire, the harmonies of Wagner, Scruton points out, have all been accused of immorality, by those who believe that they paint wickedness in alluring colors. Is it right to say there is more beauty in a classical temple than a concrete office block, more beauty in a Rembrandt than in an Andy Warhol Campbell Soup Can? Can we even say, of certain works of art, that they are too beautiful: that they ravish when they should disturb. But while we may argue about what is or is not beautiful, Scruton insists that beauty is a real and universal value, one anchored in our rational nature, and that the sense of beauty has an indispensable part to play in shaping the human world.
Forthright and thought-provoking, and as accessible as it is stimulating, this fascinating meditation on beauty draws conclusions that some may find controversial, but, as Scruton shows, help us to find greater meaning in the beautiful objects that fill our lives.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

'Beauty is truth, truth beauty,--that is all Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know, June 24, 2009

By Shalom Freedman "Shalom Freedman" (Jerusalem,Israel) -

This review is from: Beauty (Hardcover)

Roger Scruton is a moral philosopher whose work is for many of us a source of reassurance and hope. He stands against the modern and especially post- modern trend which suggest that Truth , Goodness and Beauty are not values, but forms of oppression which must somehow be violently opposed and devalued. In a sense his heart is that of an Enlightentment Rationalist who argues that our Thought and our Art are meant to enhance our understanding of the world, and our appreciation of Life. In seeking in a sense to give us back our sense of how Beauty enriches our life Scruton does a service not only to Aesthetics but to the way we live in our everyday world.
I find his work among the most persuasive and inspiring philosophical writing that is being done today.

"Contra Post-Modernist Sacrilege", May 31, 2009

By Stanley H. Nemeth (Garden Grove, CA United States) -

This review is from: Beauty (Hardcover)

In this brief volume, Roger Scruton persuasively comes to the aid of those of us eager to hear nowadays, say, a Mozart opera or a Shakespearean play but who to do so have to endure the by now conventional shenanigans of Regie directors bent on defaming clearly admirable characters and setting noble works of Western Culture in brothels or other tiresome dens of iniquity. Scruton makes an unanswerable case that such post-modern exemplars are engaging in a predictable, frankly adolescent sort of sacrilege, not so transgressive in fact as just merely and less glamourously repetitive of their own peers' practice. Post-modern "rebellion," reminiscent of teenage behavior, is a rebellion by its numerous advocates marching in embarrassing lockstep. If his book were to be widely read, it would surely influence younger artists to innovate, moving out of the dead-ends of such trite postmodern practice.
Scruton's central thesis is that while Beauty is something that must be individually experienced, nevertheless it is essentially rational and thus connected to Truth and Goodness, rather than being a mere preference one cannot expect other rational selves ever to agree upon. Scruton's knowledge of aesthetics, ranging from Plato and Plotinus down through the centuries to contemporary theorists and artists is undeniably impressive. His is a work to reread and savor.

Beautiful!, October 26, 2009

By Edward Styles (Wilson, NC) - )

This review is from: Beauty (Hardcover)

Few books have fulfilled my expectation as well as Roger Scruton's Beauty. Many decades ago, I entered college intending to become a graphic artist. Going into publishing instead, I became disgusted with art as it succeeded in its efforts to be disgusting. Scruton reconnected me with what I once valued so much - its transcendence. It was a pleasure to read someone who takes art more seriously than most artists do. I strongly recommend this book. -- [...]

Sunday, October 2, 2011

51YalQhiJGL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_AA278_PIkin4,BottomRight,-34,22_AA300_SH20_OU01_ Cell 8 [Kindle Edition]

Anders Roslund (Author), Börge Hellström (Author)

Pricing information not available.

 

 

 

 

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

A cheap crooner by the name of John Schwarz earns his keep on a ferry between Sweden and Finland, singing evergreens for drunken passengers. One night, he loses his temper with a man harassing women in the crowd, beating him unconscious. As drunken brawls are commonplace on the Baltic cruising ferries, no one raises an eyebrow.
No one, that is, but Detective Superintendent Ewert Grens. Concerned by the details of the case report, Grens can't help but think someone capable of such violence must have a history of it. As a precaution, he orders Schwarz arrested: one that is seemingly justified when Schwarz provides such resistance that he has to be sedated.
Suspicion turns to shock when Grens discovers that John Schwarz does not exist. When he learns that the man in his custody is in fact John Meyer Frey – an American citizen from Marcusville, Ohio – he is even more astonished. John Meyer Frey cannot be sitting in front of him.
John Meyer Frey died on Death Row six years earlier.
This mystery will initiate the most remarkable criminal investigation of Ewert Grens' career, the reverberations of which will reach the highest tier of international politics, and blow the worldwide debate on the death penalty wide open.

Product Details

  • Format: Kindle Edition
  • File Size: 465 KB
  • Print Length: 384 pages
  • Publisher: Quercus (September 15, 2011)
  • Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
  • Language: English
  • ASIN: B005JCCHUU

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Cell [Kindle Edition]

Stephen King (Author)

Digital List Price:$9.99

Kindle Price:$9.99 includes free international wireless delivery via Amazon Whispernet

 

 

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Witness Stephen King's triumphant, blood-spattered return to the genre that made him famous. Cell, the king of horror's homage to zombie films (the book is dedicated in part to George A. Romero) is his goriest, most horrific novel in years, not to mention the most intensely paced. Casting aside his love of elaborate character and town histories and penchant for delayed gratification, King yanks readers off their feet within the first few pages; dragging them into the fray and offering no chance catch their breath until the very last page.

In Cell King taps into readers fears of technological warfare and terrorism. Mobile phones deliver the apocalypse to millions of unsuspecting humans by wiping their brains of any humanity, leaving only aggressive and destructive impulses behind. Those without cell phones, like illustrator Clayton Riddell and his small band of "normies," must fight for survival, and their journey to find Clayton's estranged wife and young son rockets the book toward resolution.

Fans that have followed King from the beginning will recognize and appreciate Cell as a departure--King's writing has not been so pure of heart and free of hang-ups in years (wrapping up his phenomenal Dark Tower series and receiving a medal from the National Book Foundation doesn't hurt either). "Retirement" clearly suits King, and lucky for us, having nothing left to prove frees him up to write frenzied, juiced-up horror-thrillers like Cell. --Daphne Durham

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. It's probably a good idea not to use your cell phone while you listen to Scott's beautifully understated reading of terrormeister King's latest take on technology run amok: you might just toss it down the nearest storm drain. The excellent film actor (who catches the power of his late father George C. Scott's voice but smooths off the rough edges) adds an important element—quiet believability—to King's bloody, occasionally over-the-top story of a short but lethal electronic signal that seriously damages everyone in the world using a cell phone at that moment. The Pulse, as it comes to be known, turns idle chatterers into weirdly rewired killing machines. Scott makes the lead character—a comic book artist from Maine (where else?) named Clayton Riddell, who is in Boston with his phone off and in his pocket—a touching and surprisingly tough survivor, much like the nonpods in Invasion of the Body Snatchers. He also resists the temptation to make the "phoners" (those affected by the Pulse) sound unusually strange or dangerous—until their real motives become obvious. Simultaneous release with the Scribner hardcover (Reviews, Jan. 2). (Jan.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

Don't Use Your Cell Phone, June 8, 2008

By Donald Gallinger -

This review is from: Cell: A Novel (Hardcover)

The wonderful thing about King's new novel, Cell, is that he takes a relatively ordinary phenomenon of contemporary life and turns it into a shocking horror fest. This is King's great talent, and no one does it better. From the pet cemetary in the woods to the nice family doggie (who now has rabies), King populates his middle-class American landscape with familiar things that have now turned nightmarishly psychotic. In Cell, King jams an urban myth into the highest gear. What if cell phones didn't cause cancer? What if they did something much worse? What if they turned the user into a zombie killing machine? From the first page to the last, you're hooked. It doesn't matter if the reading calories are empty; you can't stop reading. That's why King, above everything else (and perhaps in spite of everything else) has remained the best selling author in the world. You can't stop reading him.
Donald Gallinger is the author of The Master Planets

You'll never think of those words: "Can you hear me now?" in quite the same way again..., January 26, 2006

By K. Corn "reviewer" (midwest, United States) -

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This review is from: Cell: A Novel (Hardcover)

If for no other reason, I thank Stephen King for taking those five words which haunt tv commercials:, "Can you hear me now?" and turning the phrase into something more than merely annoying..and into the realm of the truly ominous. While it might seem obvious to some of us that cell phones are horrible little devices, it still takes a pretty talented writer to write a book about evil spread by cell phones...and to keep readers riveted the entire time. I was one of those readers. Like King, I refuse to have a cell phone, an "electronic leash". No thanks.
But I'm really digressing here. Back to The Cell . If you think you don't like King's "supernatural" or "horror" style, I'd urge you to give The Cell a chance. I read it from cover to cover in one sitting.
I can't say it is the best book he's written but it was still a fine read and had many of the trademarks of King's superior writing - excellent characterization, an unpredictable plot and just enough plausability to make me think, "WHat if?" What if there WERE some way to use cell phones to affect people's brains, to create insanity in our population, with results leading to the brink of civilization's collapse?
It is to King's credit that he not only raises these questions but kept me wanting to find out what happened next, to see what happened to Clayton, a guy who happens to be away from home when all hell breaks out. By the time it does, I was already intrigued by this guy, someone who was trying to figure out a way to curry his estranged wife's favor, who had the usual worries and imperfections of the average man. He was no hero, just an ordinary guy, just trying to get by, thinking about his career and the next step in his day, the usual stuff..when everything changes in an instant and he faces the type of test that he never could have foreseen, not in his usual routine..nope, not him. All aroud him, people are attacking each other and there doesn't seem to be a reason why. Clayton is forced to think quickly to save himself and others, without any inkling of WHY all this is happening...at least, not at first.
I won't go into any of the "symbolism" that I'm sure some critics will have a field day exploring, maybe something about how cell phones represent "terrorists" and the horror and uncertainty akin to the type that hit New Yorkers after 9/11, when normal life was suddenly a speck in the distance. A detailed talk about symbolism and metaphor is for someone else to write.
All I can add is that I found this book to be one heck of a good way to spend the day, allowing me to forget about the small irritations in my own life (the dishes in the sink, the piles of laundry) and to ignore the twinges of guilt about that for a bit longer. I needed an excuse to avoid that, feeling tired and burned out on that particular day.
I'm glad I put off my usual routine a bit longer because when I finally came up for air, bleary-eyed at 4 in the morning after reading the very last lines in the book, I felt oddly reinvigorated. I stayed up most of the REST of the night washing dishes and finishing laundry as my nerves settled (thanks, King) but didn't regret a moment of the time I'd spend deviating from my usual routine...well, okay, maybe a little...but it was still worth it.

Saturday, May 15, 2010

The Help

The Help (Kindle Edition)

by Kathryn Stockett (Author)

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Three ordinary women are about to take one extraordinary step.

Twenty-two-year-old Skeeter has just returned home after graduating from Ole Miss. She may have a degree, but it is 1962, Mississippi, and her mother will not be happy till Skeeter has a ring on her finger. Skeeter would normally find solace with her beloved maid Constantine, the woman who raised her, but Constantine has disappeared and no one will tell Skeeter where she has gone.

Aibileen is a black maid, a wise, regal woman raising her seventeenth white child. Something has shifted inside her after the loss of her own son, who died while his bosses looked the other way. She is devoted to the little girl she looks after, though she knows both their hearts may be broken.

Minny, Aibileen’s best friend, is short, fat, and perhaps the sassiest woman in Mississippi. She can cook like nobody’s business, but she can’t mind her tongue, so she’s lost yet another job. Minny finally finds a position working for someone too new to town to know her reputation. But her new boss has secrets of her own.

Seemingly as different from one another as can be, these women will nonetheless come together for a clandestine project that will put them all at risk. And why? Because they are suffocating within the lines that define their town and their times. And sometimes lines are made to be crossed.

In pitch-perfect voices, Kathryn Stockett creates three extraordinary women whose determination to start a movement of their own forever changes a town, and the way women—mothers, daughters, caregivers, friends—view one another. A deeply moving novel filled with poignancy, humor, and hope, The Help is a timeless and universal story about the lines we abide by, and the ones we don’t.


Product Details

  • Amazon Sales Rank: #9 in Books
  • Published on: 2009-02-10
  • Original language: English
  • Number of items: 1
  • Dimensions: 1.39" h x 6.43" w x 9.17" l, 1.52 pounds
  • Binding: Hardcover
  • 464 pages
Features
  • ISBN13: 9780399155345
  • Condition: NEW
  • Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.


Customer Reviews:

“The Best Book in Years! An Instant Classic!”,
Review Date : January 28, 2009
Reviewed By : JK8 (Salem, NJ) -

This review is from: The Help (Hardcover)

Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program

The Help is about a young white woman in the early 1960s in Mississippi who becomes interested in the plight of the black ladies' maids that every family has working for them. She writes their stories about mistreatment, abuse and heartbreaks of working in white families' homes, all just before the Civil Rights revolution. That is the story in a nutshell - but it is so much more than just stories.

This is the best book I have read in years! I can't recommend it enough! It is fabulous and I think they will make a movie out of it. I would compare it to the writings of Carson McCullers, Harper Lee, Truman Capote and even Margaret Mitchell. The story grabs you and doesn't let you go. You can smell the melted tar on the Mississippi roads, the toil in the cotton fields, the grits burning on the stove. The theme is the indomitable will of human beings to survive against all odds - because of the color of their skin. It is a heart-wrenching account and you will never fondly remember the times of the Jim Crow laws (if you ever did). The pure, down and out bitchery of the white ladies who become dissatisfied with their maids and proceed to ruin their lives is portrayed vividly. The desperation of the maids' circumstances is truly touching. I have laughed and cried my way through this book and plan to re-read it. I highly recommend this book because it is going to be talked about as the best book of the year.


“a treasure of a book”,
Review Date : January 20, 2009
Reviewed By : Karen M. Gallo "KMG55" (Pawcatuck, CT United States) -

This review is from: The Help (Hardcover)

I was lucky enough to come across an advanced reader copy of this book. Set in Mississippi during the civil rights movement, the story is narrated by the three principal characters...Minny and Aibileen, two black maids, and Miss Skeeter, a young, white woman newly graduated from college. The characters are wonderfully developed, as are the historical background and setting. As each character took her turn at narrating, she became my favorite character until the next one took over again.I was torn between not being able to put the book down and not wanting it to end.


“I can't say enough good things about this book”,
Review Date : January 24, 2009
Reviewed By : K. Franklin "klfbooks" (Hibbing, MN USA) -

This review is from: The Help (Hardcover)

Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program

I loved this book. The characters were so real they seemed like friends. The voices were so true it was hard to believe they were fictional. When I came to the end I was sad that it was over and I knew that the story and its message would stick with me for a long time. This is a book about love and suffering, hatred and faith, fear and courage. It is about women of strength and dignity who carry on and manage to care about others despite an unjust system. It is a beautiful book, unforgettable in many ways. It is touching, thought-provoking, humorous and compelling. It is one of the best books I've read on race relations in the 1960s Deep South. It is gentle, yet powerful, moving without being melodramatic, and most of all, realistic in every detail. I can't recommend it highly enough.

PARENTS AND TEACHERS: Mild, infrequent swearing, painful race issues/gross injustice, oblique/slang references to sex, references to domestic violence, a graphic miscarriage scene, and one short scene in which a crazy white man exposes himself to a maid and her employer.

The Girl Who Played with Fire

The Girl Who Played with Fire (Kindle Edition)

by Stieg Larsson (Author)

Digital List Price: $15.95
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Part blistering espionage thriller, part riveting police procedural, and part piercing exposé on social injustice, The Girl Who Played with Fire is a masterful, endlessly satisfying novel.
Mikael Blomkvist, crusading publisher of the magazine Millennium, has decided to run a story that will expose an extensive sex trafficking operation. On the eve of its publication, the two reporters responsible for the article are murdered, and the fingerprints found on the murder weapon belong to his friend, the troubled genius hacker Lisbeth Salander. Blomkvist, convinced of Salander’s innocence, plunges into an investigation. Meanwhile, Salander herself is drawn into a murderous game of cat and mouse, which forces her to face her dark past. 
From the Paperback edition.


Product Details

  • Amazon Sales Rank: #6 in Books
  • Published on: 2010-03-23
  • Released on: 2010-03-23
  • Original language: English
  • Number of items: 1
  • Dimensions: 1.17" h x 5.28" w x 8.14" l, 1.06 pounds
  • Binding: Paperback
  • 656 pages
Features
  • ISBN13: 9780307454553
  • Condition: NEW
  • Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.


Customer Reviews:

"Salander alone against the world",
Review Date : January 25, 2009
Reviewed By : K. M. "literary devotee" (California) -

This review is from: The Girl Who Played with Fire (Hardcover)

In THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE, the second volume in the late Stieg Larsson's Millennium Trilogy, publisher Mikael Blomkvist and the police are conducting parallel investigations into three horrifying murders -- and their initial evidence points straight at young computer genius and social misfit Lisbeth Salander. Kalle Bastard Blomkvist (as Salander has begun referring to him) hasn't seen Salander in nearly two years, except for one night when he happened to witness a huge man attempting to kidnap her and both she and the attacker eluded him. He's bewildered about why she cut him off cold, but had accepted her decision -- until now. He doesn't believe Salander killed these victims. Well, at least not two of them. He has to contact her, find out how she's become embroiled in this, and help her. Salander, as usual, has her own ideas about who she'll see and when....

In THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO, Larsson partnered Blomkvist and Salander as they unraveled a twisted tale of corporate greed, Fascist connections, and perverse sex and violence. FIRE highlights another subject on which Larsson wanted to shine light, namely the underbelly of the sex trade, a swill of human misery being forcibly imposed for money and simple loathing of women. Blomkvist's magazine, Millennium, plans an issue devoted to the subject based on the interviews and reporting of a criminologist and a journalist, and there follows much in-house discussion of the lurid material and how it should be presented to the public. But the three murders turn the magazine and its people on their heads.

Meanwhile, Salander travels, changes her appearance, and matures in the early chapters of the 569-page book that covers four months in total and is told in four parts. Among her pursuits: attempting to proof Fermat's Last Theorem in a way Fermat himself might have done, furnishing her new abode, and keeping tabs on Bjurman (whom, recall, she memorably tattooed in DRAGON). Then, she disappears for quite a spell as the murder investigation gets cranking, and finally, she regains the spotlight as the book rushes headlong into a heart-stopping denouement.
The last book in this series -- tentatively entitled THE GIRL WHO KICKED THE HORNETS' NEST in its English translation -- is not scheduled for release until 2010. However, the entire trilogy has already been published in Swedish (naturally), French, and German. Larsson reportedly had planned a ten-volume series. He had written part of the fourth book and had outlined volumes five, six, and seven. Sadly, due to his early death, only the trilogy is complete and will, according to his father, be published. After reading FIRE, the thought creeps in that perhaps the trilogy will not provide closure, and that the reader could be left dangling, unsatisfied. That would be a crying shame because Salander and Blomkvist -- along with other continuing characters -- do burrow themselves deeply into the reader's (at least this reader's) affections. Fortunately, reviewers who have read, in the other aforementioned languages, the entire story arc, including the final novel, seem generally very satisfied. Some claim that the last book, also the longest, is a grand finale that answers all outstanding questions. A few are less effusive, stating that the last book can't meet the anticipatory heights set by the stunning, unusual first one.

This last criticism can be applied to the second book as well. FIRE does not pack quite the punch of uniqueness that DRAGON did. One can perhaps think of the movie trilogy THE MATRIX, MATRIX RELOADED, and THE MATRIX REVOLUTION as an analogy. The smash introductory film awed with its mind-bending perspective. The second and third passes were very solid, even amazing, partners, but they only reiterated the cutting-edge magic so novel in The MATRIX, building on it, not inventing something mind-blowingly fresh. Familiarity takes a bit of the bloom off the rose, but it certainly doesn't breed contempt in these instances. Larsson's FIRE lags a little during the mid-section in which criminal investigation procedure grinds along and the author belabors certain points, seeming to believe his readers novices at crime mysteries. But overall, FIRE accelerates the enthralling story of Lisbeth and Mikael with panache. One can't help thinking the world they inhabit is too slimy, too vicious, but Larsson was a man with many crusades and causes, and his trilogy vividly paints the harsh pictures of society that he hoped to reform. The Millennium Trilogy encompasses uncompromising social critique; prickling thrills; and curious, bittersweet romance. FIRE drew me like a moth, and I can't wait to get my hands on HORNET. 4.4 stars.


“Highly entertaining ... slightly flawed.”,
Review Date : April 13, 2009
Reviewed By : Nicole Del Sesto (Northern Cal) -

This review is from: The Girl Who Played with Fire (Hardcover)

I found this book to be a solid sequel to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, in fact, I may have liked it ever better than the first.

In this book we learn more about Salander. Skillfully exposed throughout the course of the novel, bits and pieces of her background appear until by the end a full picture has emerged. Some satisfying, some not so satisfying. A couple points easily guessed early on.

She's a fascinating character, and the parts about her were my favorite in the book, (even the parts that were seemingly plot irrelevant and never resolved). She's a smart, strong, flawed underdog, and you can't help rooting for her.

This book tackles a lot of topics. Sex trade, the media, police corruption, authority abuse, on and on. I like it because it keeps it interesting, but sometimes it was all over the board. Especially interesting to me is learning more about Swedish culture throughout the course of the book.
What's best about the book is the pace. It kept me captivated throughout the 569 pages (in my copy), and I couldn't go to bed until I finished. It's a well-done thriller.

Incidentally, I didn't find that you needed to have read The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo first, but certainly that would be preferable.

Looking forward to the 3rd, and sad that it will be the last. This is a really interesting series.


“'...Dragon' on Amphetamines”,
Review Date : December 28, 2008
Reviewed By : R. Bennett -

This review is from: The Girl Who Played with Fire (Hardcover)

This is the follow up to The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. I suggest you read that one first, though this novel is reasonably self-contained.

This book opens with Lisbeth Salander enjoying her newly ripped of wealth lazing in a hotel in Granada. No one knows where she is (as usual), and back in Sweden, Millenium magazine are preparing a an expose of the sex slave business in Sweden. The journalist who is preparing the expose is murdered, along with his partner, and Salander's legal guardian. Salander, now back in Sweden is the prime suspect, and the police hunt is on.

To say things get complicated from this point is an understatement. There are multiple investigations (Salander's of course, the police and Millenium's), multiple suspects, more murders, red herrings galore, and just general mayhem. Dark as all this is, it is actually quite funny in places: the police have no idea at all what is going on, despite a well meaning and competent detective in charge.

This is all tremendous fun for the reader. It is as anything remotely boring (and probably realism suffers) has been left out, yet despite the novels sheer page turning ability, (I read this too fast, I will need to read it again), it still has the power to inform.

So buy it, read it once, and then read it again.

Friday, May 14, 2010

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Kindle Edition)

by Stieg Larsson (Author)

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An international publishing sensation, Stieg Larsson's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo combines murder mystery, family saga, love story, and financial intrigue into one satisfyingly complex and entertainingly atmospheric novel.

Harriet Vanger, a scion of one of Sweden's wealthiest families disappeared over forty years ago. All these years later, her aged uncle continues to seek the truth. He hires Mikael Blomkvist, a crusading journalist recently trapped by a libel conviction, to investigate. He is aided by the pierced and tattooed punk prodigy Lisbeth Salander. Together they tap into a vein of unfathomable iniquity and astonishing corruption.

41vvmXp3IRL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_OU01_ 54d651c88da0f2b5b8972210.L._AA240_ 5a35e03ae7a07c482bbf2210.L._AA300_


Product Details

  • Amazon Sales Rank: #4 in Books
  • Published on: 2009-06-23
  • Released on: 2009-06-23
  • Original language: English
  • Number of items: 1
  • Dimensions: 1.13" h x 5.17" w x 8.10" l, 1.00 pounds
  • Binding: Paperback
  • 608 pages
Features
  • ISBN13: 9780307454546
  • Condition: NEW
  • Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.


Customer Reviews:

“This Swedish bestseller deserves to be a blockbuster here too”.,
Review Date : August 25, 2008
Reviewed By : K. M. "literary devotee" (California) -

This review is from: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Hardcover)

A 24-year-old computer hacker sporting an assortment of tattoos and body piercings and afflicted with Asperger Syndrome or something of the like has been under state guardianship in her native Sweden since she was thirteen. She supports herself by doing deep background investigations for Dragan Armansky, who, in turn, worries the anorexic-looking Lisbeth Salander is "the perfect victim for anyone who wished her ill." Salander may look fourteen and stubbornly shun social norms, but she possesses the inner strength of a determined survivor. She sees more than her word processor page in black and white and despises the users and abusers of this world. She won't hesitate to exact her own unique brand of retribution against small-potatoes bullies, sick predators, and corrupt magnates alike.

Financial journalist Carl Mikael Blomkvist has just been convicted of libeling a financier and is facing a fine and three months in jail. Blomkvist, after a Salander-completed background check, is summoned to a meeting with semi-retired industrialist Henrik Vanger whose far-flung but shrinking corporate empire is wholly family owned. Vanger has brooded for 36 years about the fate of his great niece, Harriet. Blomkvist is expected to live for a year on the island where many Vanger family members still reside and where Harriet was last seen. Under the cover story that he is writing a family history, Blomkvist is to investigate which family member might have done away with the teenager.

So, the stage is set. The reader easily guesses early that somehow Blomkvist and Salander will pool their talents to probe the Vanger mystery. However,Swede Stieg Larsson's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is no humdrum, formulaic whodunit. It is fascinating and very difficult to put down. Nor is it without some really suspenseful and chillingly ugly scenes....

The issue most saturating The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is that of shocking sexual violence primarily against women but not excluding men. Salander and Blomkvist both confront prima facie evidence of such crimes. Larsson's other major constituent elements are corporate malfeasance that threatens complete collapse of stock markets and anarchistic distrust of officialdom to the point of endorsing (at least, almost) vigilantism. He also deals with racism as he spins a complex web from strands of real and imagined history concerning mid-twentieth century Vanger affiliations with Sweden's fascist groups.

But Larsson's carefully calibrated tale is more than a grisly, cynical world view of his country and the modern world at large. At its core, it is an fascinating character study of a young woman who easily masters computer code but for whom human interaction is almost always more trouble than it is worth, of an investigative reporter who chooses a path of less resistance than Salander but whose humanity reaches out to many including her, and of peripheral characters -- such as Armansky -- who need more of their story told.

Fortunately, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo in English translation will be followed by two more in the Millennium series: The Girl Who Played with Fire, and The Air Castle that Blew Up. I can't wait. Larsson also made a 200-page start on a fourth book, but sadly he succumbed to a heart attack in 2004 and his father decided the unfinished work will remain unpublished.

I recommend this international bestseller to all who eagerly sift new books for challenging intellectual crime thrillers, who luxuriate in immersing themselves in the ambience of a compellingly created world and memorable characters, who soak up financial and investigative minutiae as well as computer hacking tidbits, and who want to share Larsson's crusade against violence and racism.


“Best Book of the Year”,
Review Date : September 13, 2008
Reviewed By : R. Crane (Washington, DC United States) -

This review is from: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Hardcover)

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is a masterwork of fine craftsmanhip. When I reached the final page I was disappointed that there was no more to read. I did not want the story to end. The characters are too intriguing for this to be the end. Apparently this was the first novel in a trilogy by the brillant writer, Stieg Larsson, who unfortunately died in 2004: the book contains a tribute to him and his career. I cannot wait to read the sequels scheduled for release in the USA in 2009.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is an international best seller and is set in Sweden. It takes a little effort to get accustomed to all the Swedish names and places but then the story moves with lightening speed. There are two key plots happening simultaneously. In one, a Swedish financial investigative journalist publishes a libelous attack about a powerful industrialist and is sentenced to jail, fined a ruinous sum, and has his career torn to shreds. Another industrialist, Vanger, hires the journalist to investigate the 36 year old disappearnace of his then 14 year old grand niece. There has been no trace of her in all these years and she is assumed dead. Yet, every year on his birthday, he receives a mysterious gift of a pressed flower, mimicking a gift his missing grandniece used to give him when she lived there. Vanger, an old man, is tormented by the flower gifts, and wants one more chance to find out what happened to her and who killed her. What the journalist uncovers about the Vanger family's hitherto unknown secrets and connections to the Nazis, will have you hanging on the edge of your seat.

The book is titled after yet another character, Lisabeth Salander, a societal outcast and social ward of the State, uncivilized without any desire to obey societal norms, and replete with piercings, tattoos, and a goth/biker appearance. In short, at first glance a totally undesirable and unsympathetic person. She is a researcher with a corporate security firm and ends up working with the journalist. In truth, she is a survivor of abuse in all forms with low self esteem, and an inablity to trust. She is a genius with Asberger's Syndrome, a form of autism, who sees patterns in things ordinary mortals miss and uses incredible computer hacking skills to accomplish her goals. She is fascinating: ruthless and tough to a fault, yet internally vulnerable, struggling to comprehend her own feelings. She has an appeal that draws you to her, rooting for her, and wanting to understand her. Lisabeth is unforgettable, unlike most characters that populate mystery thrillers. There is such depth here.

The book is a thriller on many levels: The story about the Vanger family itself, the journalist's crusade to redeem his reputation, Lisabeth's vendettas and development, and of course, the truth about what actually happened to the missing Vanger heiresss. This is a superb novel and impossible to put down. Utterly stunning. Probably the year's best book. SUMMER 2009: SEE MY REVIEW OF THE SEQUEL, "THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE", ANOTHER OUTSTANDING BOOK.


“Less than I expected but still interesting”,
Review Date : September 18, 2008
Reviewed By : Cowboy Bill "cowboybill" (Omaha, NE USA) -

This review is from: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Hardcover)

Henrik Vanger, an elderly Swedish industrialist, has long been receiving the same anonymous gift on his birthday: a single framed flower. He is convinced the series of flowers has something to do with his great-niece Harriet who vanished decades ago in mysterious circumstances when she was just 16.

Vanger coerces a disgraced and prison-bound journalist, Mikael Blomkvist, to do some research into the disappearance. In exchange for information on his niece, Vanger promises Blomkvist enough dirt to take down the rich man who is sending him to jail.

So begins "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo," a blockbuster best-seller in Europe. As Blomkvist moves closer to the truth, he teams up with the titular character, a tattooed detective named Lisbeth Salander who's the real star of the show. Together they uncover things that stun even Blomkvist, a crusading financial reporter who thought he knew all there was to know about the rot of corruption, the myriad abuses of power and the darkest sides of ourselves.

The novel is long and sometimes feels even longer; it takes its time threading out the dense plot. There's a lot going on here. This is the kind of book that provides you with a family-tree chart upfront; by midpoint you may be wishing there were even more aids offered by the author to keep track of things.

There is a series of horrible crimes at the heart of "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo," but I hesitate to call this work a thriller. It's a crime novel, yes, but it has more on its mind than generic conventions. The author, the late Stieg Larsson, was a journo in the muckraking tradition, like his character Blomkvist. The book serves up a heapin' helpful of essay that tastes like story but isn't. And while the mystery element is shockingly compelling in spots, it's also surprisingly unsurprising in others.

A million Europeans can't be wrong, and I'd be dishonest to say there's nothing worthwhile about this novel that is so popular across the pond. Despite its stop-and-go pace and tortuous (and sometimes tortured) construction, there is a serious emotional undertone to the book that is undeniable.

If you're not yet bored with stories that present villains you've seen a hundred times before -- e.g., reactionaries, racists and capitalists -- you might just enjoy this. Me, I really wanted to like this book and I did, but just barely. It's a lesser "Smilla's Sense of Snow," and for many that's obviously enough.

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