Dr.Claudia Orange grasps the sense of a displaced people in her book about the Maori and their experience after making the Treaty of Waitangi with the British Crown. There has been an injustice over the reconciliation of indigenous rights and Crown rights, and it still needs to be resolved. This author seems to want to set forth the facts, and presents an enlightened viewpoint.

There are some persons that you find very interesting the first time you talk with them, but during the succesive conversations their appeal does not increase, on the contrary, they become more boring and boring and boring.

Well this book follows the same pattern with each chapter you read. The line could be summarized as follows: A young Chinese girl is forced to become a prostitute for the officals of the Japanese Army during their invasion of Nanking. The father of girl finds out and kills her Japanese pimp.

On the other hand, the 300 pages of the books are just used by the author to show that he knows a lot of vocabulary. Sadly it is used most of the time to take the reader to the arms or Morpheus, not to develop a storyline. Now if you suffer from insomnia that might be a good reason to buy the book.

THE TENT OF ORANGE MIST is one of the current novels that attempt to describe the horrors visited on the Chinese remaining in Nanking, during the Japanese invasion of 1937. The arbitrary anarchy of the Japanese is visited on anyone in the way, as families are slaughtered, women raped, buildings burned. Scald Ibis is the daughter of an intellectual family who failed to escape. She finds herself alone in the house where she grew up, as the Japanese turn her home into a comfort house. Regardless of the atrocities visited upon her young body, Scald Ibis determines to survive. When she finds her father hiding behind a chimney, she resolves to save them both, using her feminine wiles to turn herself into a giesha. She also makes up stories for the other girls about a priest she had studied in school, Sandro Somatti, S.J. The chapters devoted to the adventures of Sandro seem to dilute the power of the story for me. But seen in context, these chapters do add to the sense of unreality that surrounds this comfort house. I found this book to be less of a satisfying read than some others on this topic.

The art of decadence, which reached its zenith in late nineteenth-century French literature consists in transforming artificiality and repugnance into the stuff of heady pleasure. In decadence, the whole must serve each, individual part. In this sense, decadence is just the opposite of classicism in which the opposite is true and each part must be pressed into service of the whole. The pleasures of decadence, however one wishes to view them, and, no matter how artificial they may be, can be extraordinarily exquisite. In The Tent of Orange Mist, Paul West shows that he is truly one of the masters of decadence.

The Tent of Orange Mist is set against the backdrop of the horrors of the rape of Nanking by the Japanese army during the winter of 1937. The protagonist is Scald Ibis, the very proper adolescent daughter of a Chinese scholar. Two other characters dominate this book: Colonel Hayashi, the man who orchestrates Scald Ibis's transformation from child into woman; and Hong, her enfant terrible father who undergoes a none-too-pleasant transformation of his own. As Scald Ibis becomes involved in a sado-masochistic pas de deux with Hayashi, her home is turned into a brothel and she, herself, is transformed from a stunned sex slave into and elegant geisha. Against a grotesque backdrop of luridly depicted atrocities, Scald Ibis, Hayashi and Hong play out a game of intense tragedy that includes domination, subversion and mutilation.

Hundreds of thousands of innocent Chinese civilians met a grisly death at the hands of the Japanese during the rape of Nanking. Most writers who have undertaken to portray this atrocity have combined stark realism with an epic narrative technique, hoping to engage the reader's attention and evoke a sense of righteous outrage. West, however, takes a very different approach.

The Tent of Orange Mist is a book about the seductive power of art and the temptations of artifice. In keeping with the theme of his story, West imposes on his extraordinarily artificial characters an intimate and rather claustrophobic view that is perfect. In West's extremely talented hands, this improbable trio becomes believable, even when indulging in the most bizarre of circumstances. After being gang-raped by Hayashi and his troops, Scald Ibis's first gesture is to compose an elegant poem in calligraphy to the man she considers her new master.

This is a story of rape, of rapture, of poetry and of atrocity, but West tells his tale in prose that is graceful and delicately ornate. Although this extremely intimate look at a world and characters who are often bizarre and tortured and perverted will be offensive to some readers, The Tent of Orange Mist is a book that, considering what it depicts, is exquisitely beautiful and elegantly wrought.

There are now an immense amount of books about teaching writing to incarcerated person, by fiction writers who are teaching writing by profession. This one was less sophisticated than many, with painful cliches throughout. "Freedom is just another prison"?
Gawd.

Starting with "Virginia Dare," and "Will She Understand," Fielding Dawson has moved away from the first-person(al) autobiographical prose he became famous for towards what he calls his "social-focus writing." In those collections, and now finally with "The Orange in the Orange," he has relied on his experiences as an instructor in prison-writing programs to create a new emerging fiction; one not only from personal experience (and no longer using the first-person narrator) but from listening to others. Dawson sees this as an expansion of his art, extending beyond himself, out to other people and their stories. The newest entry in this expansion is "The Dirty Blue Car," (Wake Up Heavy, 1999), a knock-out story that fluidly merges his past and present styles.

Starting with "Virginia Dare," and "Will She Understand," Fielding Dawson has moved away from the first-person(al) autobiographical prose he became famous for towards what he calls his "social-focus writing." In those collections, and now finally with "The Orange in the Orange," he has relied on his experiences as an instructor in prison-writing programs to create a new, emerging fiction; one not only from personal experience (and no longer using the first-person narrator) but from listening to others. Dawson sees this as an expansion of his art, extending beyond himself, out to other people and their stories.

At first I thought this was an *Angela's Ashes* clone, beginning as it did with a grim Irish childhood. But no. Adrian McKinty speaks with an Irish voice, to be sure, but it is his own voice. Like Joyce Carol Oates, he refrains from using quotes in his dialogue, to good advantage. The device brings his characters closer. After some confusion about who is talking when and where, the reader adjusts, understands and gets with the flow. It's "wee" for "little," "arse" for "ass" and sentence construction contains somewhat of the brogue, "Black and voracious are the lines between us" says he. Toward the end it all pulls together philosophically.

"This whole society was sick. He could see that now. Sick and indifferent to it all. They had their hard wee God; white and dour and manifest. Their country crawling with believers. The homogeneity of it was crippling." And later,

"Couldn't they see? How could they? With their pariah eyes and the schizophrenic noose of their allegiance. Split between loving England and hating it. Booing the English at football games and mourning when their soldiers died. These people who didn't even know if they wanted to be called Irish or not. Stateless. Orphans of history with only their mad religion to give them any identity at all."

I don't enjoy violence in novels or movies, but this is not gratuitous violence. The author is telling it like it is. My only problem is with the female protagonist. She's not convincingly female - not because she's precocious and perceptive, not because of the nose-picking or scatological references. It's a "je ne sais quoi". I hear a young boy talking - not a young girl. McKinty's other female characters are believable enough, but then, they are all in the background.

This is, in my opinion, a stunning first novel with a great deal of promise. I will be looking forward to future contributions by Adrian McKinty.

pamhan99@aol.com

There is a good novel in this writer, but this isn't it. The depiction of the teenager's life and day to day trials and tribulations are well written, dryly humorous, and showcase the writer's talents. Much less believable are the passages involving the psychopathic ex-terrorist. The senselessness of the overall N.I. situation comes through loud and clear....but we know that without having to read this book. Perhaps having worked his home town problems out of his system with this book, he can get to grips with the novel that parts of this work suggest he is capable of writing. I for one will be looking out for it.

This is a surreal, and compelling novel about among other things - redemption through violence. Like the Amazon reviewer I found it a little disturbing but no more so than Cormac McCarthy or J G Ballard. The humor is dry and the tone is one of obvious irony. There are passages of great lyricism and beauty but lovers of Irish fiction beware: Maeve Binchy it isn't

This book (pamplet really) is written from the viewpoint of a 6 year old. This approach gets really old, really quickly. And as the book spends so much time on 'mommy says space buttons help her....' it leaves out many details on how to actually perform these exercises. The premise of the book is excellent, and I would bet that the exercises are useful, but please, treat me like an adult!

As an educator I have searched for techniques to help children extend their attention and stay focused. The exercises in this little orange book really work. I have recommended it to other teachers who agree wholeheartedly. Give it a try (and get a copy of the book for parents and educators that explains why it works so well!)

All pokemon stories I find interesting and cute, especially the pictures. As with all pokemon books, Ash tries to win badges and catch pokemn; that is the basic storyline, which is ok on TV but not in text. The writing is probably for little children from the way it is, so it might be too easy for older readers. Personally, if I didn't watch the TV show I'd have difficulty comprehending what was going on.

It is a bit weak but great after all. I don't like PKMN but I read widely so I'd say it's quite good. My advice is to read all the reviews before buying the book. But if you are foreign, I'd advice you to buy it at a local store and not from amazon.com but if you can wait a few weeks and want a nice, shiney book order it from amazon.com.

So, it's a little far-fetched, a little bit technical and ascary scenario to think about, I still liked it a bunch! Joshua, theFBI agent; and John, the unlikely sports writer turned secret agent, drew me in and kept me on the edge of my chair throughout the entire read. I enjoyed the tension between the two men--and the terrible bond that held them together. I'm happy to have discovered T. Jefferson Parker recently. Loved The Blue Hour also. Parker has the ability to capture the inner workings of his characters' minds--and besides that he can tell a mighty interesting story. I must also say I was drawn to the villain in the story. It was so very hard to hate him... I recommend this book....I really liked it.

I think I understand why some folks gave THE TRIGGERMANS DANCE a fair review.

It starts really SLOW..so slow that I was thinking about the next book I was going to read. The character's..at the beginning..are not very interesting..and the story plods along.

But..as I said..near page 100 or so..I began to care about John and the FBI agent, Joshua.

The story is basically about revenge and what some are willing to do to achieve it. Two men in love with the same woman join forces to bring down the guy they think is responsible for a murder and there broken hearts. Is this guy guilty or innocent?

When the author introduces Van Holt, a former FBI agent things really begin to take off. The tension builds and builds. Summing up..I would say..Stay with this one.
T.Jefferson Parker knows how to write a good thriller, this time it just took a little while to get going.

A page turner from the beginning..

I am a big KSR fan, and enjoyed the first two volumes of this triptych, but this novel was very disappointing. It seems as if Robinson set out in the beginning to write three novels, he had three concepts in mind, but when it came time to write this one, the concept was still there but the passion was gone and the ideas were lacking. This book is extremely boring and bland, especially for what claims to be a utopian novel.

I want to give specifics to back up my opinion as any good review should, but I'm finding myself at a loss trying to think of a descriptive, creative way to explain just how lacking this book was in plot, characters, and everything else. When I was two thirds of the way through the book and nothing had happened yet, I simply stopped reading. And again, I'm actually a very big KSR fan, and I hardly ever stop reading a book in the middle, let alone a KSR book. Unfortunately Stan just lost his way with this one.

This book is part of Robinson's 'Three Californias" triptych about alternate futures seen from the perspective of Orange County, California. Gold Coast is a dystopia, The Wild Shore is post-apocalyptic, and this book completes the thematic triangle as a utopia. Here we find a future that is a melding of socialism, capitalism, democracy, and strong ecological concerns. Personal income and business sizes have strict upper limits, everyone is required to devote some of their labor hours to community projects (usually involving some form of ecological cleanup), most people live as part of communal co-operatives, but at the same time people are free to chose their own jobs, live where they wish, have a voice in community affairs, and can say what they want.

Like most utopias, there are a few flies in the ointment, and it is around these that the story line is based. Here we find Alfredo, the town mayor, scheming a way to go beyond the personal income limit, and the company he is associated with has become involved in shady deals to try and sidestep the limits on company size. The object of the scheming is an undeveloped hill commanding a great aesthetic view of the town and valley it sits in, and the book starts with an attempt to rezone the hill for commercial development. The book's protagonist, Kevin, something of an idealist and nature lover, not terribly politically astute but stubborn, stalls the attempt, but the battle is joined. As counterpoint to the political battle, Kevin becomes romantically involved with Alfredo's long-time lover Ramona, who has just split up with Alfredo.

Unfortunately, these story threads are only mildly interesting. There is little work done to explore either the pluses or minuses of the envisioned society, Kevin's personal problems are not strong enough, do not have enough angst, to make the reader become terribly involved in them, the basic object of the battle, the hill, does not seem deserving of all the energy devoted to it. This seems to be a typical problem with utopian novels - at their heart, utopias are necessarily dull, not having any strong points of contention on which to base a story. All of the actions of this book seem somewhat inconsequential, the object of contention is really a molehill, not a mountain.

The prose style is easy, the main characters are reasonably well developed, the plot line is coherent. But this is at best an average book, not nearly as good as The Wild Shore.

I'm dumbfounded at all these bad reviews. I've read this book several times, as it touches me pretty deeply every time. It seems the main complaint is about anemic story lines. I personally don't agree, but think the book is fascinating for its search for utopia. Even though all these characters are searching for different things, and no one is completely happy with the current status, the very act of working towards creating their idea of utopia is utopic. "Dynamism" is a term used in the book to describe that effort to improve things. Dynamism is the utopia. It's the possibility of creating utopia (through dynamism) out of less-than-ideal situations that helps the book manage to be hopeful even in the face of some not-so-good things happening.

I've read The Wild Shore and was sorely disappointed after Pacific Edge. Seeing as all these reviewers liked the other two so much more, I don't think I'd dig the other one.

Where in the back of a dusty closet shelf did Roberts pull THIS masterpiece of drek? The short stories are so unremarkable, it's difficult to tell where one ends and the other begins. He promises that some of the stories are supposed to be "amusing". Oh, yeah? Ok, sure. It's necessary to take a break between stories just to give one's mind a chance to reset. It's a cold winter up here with lots of snow, but not that cold...

I think one must come from Roberts' adopted hometown of Cleveland Heights,Ohio to appreciate this book, or else he is going door to door to solicit good reviews. While I found the stories mildly entertaining, I wasn't quite breathless over them. I read them as any casual reader would, not delving into the whys and wherefores of the stories. I took the book along to a doctor's appointment and was finished with it and my visit at the same time--and the doctor was on time that day. If any of the stories brought me to tears, they came from yawning too much.

Roberts is a witty, intelligent writer, and if not Nobel Prize material, is certainly worth the time and effort it takes to really read his books. He is talented at crafting a fine tale, even if his most recent books don't do that talent justice. I am hopeful that his next novel, hopefully in the serious works right now, will be a return to his style of writing when Milan and Saxon were first created.

From the hands of a capable (even when unknown) writer, short stories are often better reading than the overblown, over-written, over-pretentious stuff that sometimes passes for novels these days. I found this to be true of this volume, even though the author is hardly unknown to me, whereas all but two of the stories were. Indeed, Les Roberts is a very well-known and well-regarded author of a good many full-length books, although this is his first volume of just short stories. I laughed a lot, caught my breath a few times, and came close to tears once, but I thought the stories were rather uniformly excellent. Better yet, they were all highly enjoyable.

All ten of the stories in this collection had been previously published elsewhere, which means, I suppose, that it'll be a while before we'll be graced with another such compilation. Too bad. Roberts is a smooth, descriptive writer; not only do the well-chosen words resound in your head as you read, but the images he creates present themselves full-blown for your visual inspection. This collection also demonstrates his sense of humor along with the wry tone he usually provides.

If I had to pick a favorite, it might be "THE CATNAP". But then again, it might be "THE FAT STAMP" or even "THE BRAVE LITTLE COSTUME DESIGNER". 'Catnap' is one that I'd read in the collection for which it was written. I thought it the best of the litter then, and still do, I think. 'Stamp' was new to me, and it evoked a chuckle or two as I read, while reminding me of various sightings, etc. 'Costume Designer' appealed to me for other reasons; the story satisfied all of them.

On the other hand, the weakest one, in my opinion, was "GOOD BOYS", which is the other story I'd read previously. I didn't care too much for it the first time around, either, thinking that perhaps a few more words would have allowed the magic to generate a bit better. But, still it was a whole lot better than many shorts I've read in other more highly publicized anthologies.

I was especially pleased to find a short version of Milan Jacovich, my personal favorite of Roberts' creations. Being reasonably familiar with the event that provided the impetus for the story made it more compelling to read.

The author states in the introduction to one of the stories "I am often called 'retro' and wear the mantle proudly." Me, too. Maybe that's another reason why I found this such an enjoyable book to read! If only more publishers would catch on to the allure of the short story, and provide more such collections, readers who find this genre to be so fascinating would be greatly enriched. And who knows? There might even be a good many new converts! And then, they'd have to publish even more such collections!

The Golden Orange was a vivacious book that dealt with human emotion in both positive and negative ways. The toll that money takes on human spirit is very evident in this compilation. The use of symbolism is mysterious and links the book together all the more. The characters are described in such a way that you develope feelings for them. The Golden Orange is a well thought out book and the twist in the plot adds even more corruption to the pages. The book fools you in a way that you find amazing after the last page is read. Greed and luxary is the main focus for some characrters while for others it is excitement and a new start on life. The setting and description of the Golden Orange give you a real sense of the rich and the bad blood attitude. All in all the book is worth the time to sit and relax with.

The Golden Orange was a vivacious book that dealt with human emotion in both positive and negative ways. The toll that money takes on human spirit is very evident in this compilation. The use of symbolism is mysterious and links the book together all the more. The characters are described in such a way that you develope feelings for them. The Golden Orange is a well thought out book and the twist in the plot adds even more corruption to the pages. The book fools you in a way that you find amazing after the last page is read. Greed and luxary is the main focus for some characrters while for others it is excitement and a new start on life. The setting and description of the Golden Orange give you a real sense of the rich and the bad blood attitude. All in all the book is worth the time to sit and relax with.

The Golden Orange was a vivacious book that dealt with human emotion in both positive and negative ways. The toll that money takes on human spirit is very evident in this compilation. The use of symbolism is mysterious and links the book together all the more. The characters are described in such a way that you develope feelings for them. The Golden Orange is a well thought out book and the twist in the plot adds even more corruption to the pages. The book fools you in a way that you find amazing after the last page is read. Greed and luxary is the main focus for some characrters while for others it is excitement and a new start on life. The setting and description of the Golden Orange give you a real sense of the rich and the bad blood attitude. All in all the book is worth the time to sit and relax with.