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This is not science fiction
I don't understand how Robinson's books can be considered science fiction. Granted they are usually set on another planet (Mars) or in another time (Middle Ages), but there is virtually no science in them and they are almost completely socio-political speculative fiction.Is Robinson emblematic of what's happen to the Hugo and the Nebula Awards? Have the social, political, speculative, fantasy-fiction crowd taken over? Is this why the widely-read sci-fi writers of the last decade have been ignored? Whose stacking the vote at the Hugos and Nebulas and why?
negative
0
Boring Story
The Years of Rice and Salt is a sleeping pill in book format. The book is suppose to be an alternate history style book. But alternate history is used as the thinnest veneer for the author to write about religion and metaphysics (he particularlly loves talking about reincarnation). Since the characters keep getting reincarnated they effectively become immortals, but since they never remeber what happened in previous lives they effectively become new characters. None of the characters, no matter how you read it, are developed enough to care about them. Overall a poorly written book, its only good use is if you are having trouble sleeping at night.
negative
0
Disappointing Novel
Although I really enjoy KSR's work, The Years of Rice and Salt just didn't do it for me. It is a brilliant idea, but the follow-through was poor at best. The world that Robinson creates ends up basically the same as our own world instead of the drastic alternate past/future novel he could have made, it's as though everything is inevitable and merely channeled through different inventors/rulers/politicos. I guess if that's the message of the novel then it's good, but I was hoping for something with more imagination.
negative
0
Boring and incoherent
The topic of this book is what would the world look like if European civilization never came to be? The author imagines a world where Europe was wiped out in the Black death. But then much of his imagination stops. Finally the world develops in about the same way as it has actually done, but in the Far East instead. You can learn a few facts about the history of Islam and Buddhism, the only merit of the book which is mainly boring and without any plot whatsoever. And the interludes in the "bardo" where the main characteres are reincarnated is a disturbing ingredient which add nothing to the continuity of the story. I think his Mars trilogy was much better.
negative
0
Shoot the editor, retire the author.
This was painful to read, poorly written, rambling, and largely uninteresting.The main characters keep changing as they are reincarnated, so even character development is poor. It's a bogus world history of religious and race wars, injustice, etc, with characters you don't care about. It was an interesting premise, very poorly written.It's a shame that the editor didn't have the balls to tell the author try again. No way would this have ever been published if it had been his first book. Robinson has done some awesome writing, and I'm a fan, but this should never have been published.This is NOT science fiction. It's crap.
negative
0
What a shame. Waste of a great concept
The first 1/2 of this book was pretty darn good. I really liked the stories that revolved around the discovery of physics, the new world, etc. Unfortunately these were far too short, and as the book dragged on, the chapters seemed to get longer, the discourses on politics and religion got more prevalent, the characters got more one-dimensional.Frankly, this book comes grinding to and stuttering halt. Such a shame too, great premise and good start. Avoid it.
negative
1
Strongly Recommended for Lost fans
I'm not going to write a long review, since there are already many excellent ones posted. But since many people have strong feelings, pro and con, about the finale of the TV series Lost, I did want to say that this is a really interesting and entertaining novel based on the concept of groups of souls traveling together through time.It probably won't change your opinion about how they resolved the "sideways world," but you'll probably enjoy this novel in its own right.
positive
1
Great Alternative History
The Year of Rice and Salt is probably one of my favorite books of all time. If you are into alternative history novels, I highly recommend this book. I thought it was interesting that the author was able to imagine a world that wasn't dominated by Christianity or European Culture.
positive
0
great premise, poor follow-through
I thought this was a great premise for a book, but the execution was more than a little disappointing. There are just too many ways a civilization can change for anything to seem realistic. Just as the black plague was a historical turning point that ended European influence in this book, couldn't something else have changed the world the writer created into something completely unrecognizable? The world the writer created here seemed too much like the world we know today, with a different accent -- like throwing curry powder on a food to make it "Indian" or chili powder on something else to make it "Mexican." I did enjoy the earlier chapters, but they seemed more appealing on their own than having to follow the conceit of having them reborn over time. Getting familiar with the world was difficult enough -- to have to relearn who was who in the story was more work than I was prepared for.
negative
0
Over my head
I didn't get the point of this book by 150 pages, so I gave up. Some may say that's too soon, but if it's not compelling by then, what's the point? Some friends of mine say they enjoyed it. It led to discussions on whether the author was trying to say various things about society. I don't think the author was trying to say any of those things, but if it's a good starting point for conversation, that's a plus, at least.
negative
1
A Book to Savor
Robinson has given us a marvelous, engrosing, make-you-think book -- my favorite kind. Highly recomended.
positive
0
The Emperor's New Clothes
This book appears to be written for eight year olds. The sky was "big." The cloud was "big." The building was "big." It's like The Little Golden Book of Alternate History. The characters are so childishly stated as to be non-existent, and as to Robinson's purportedly brilliant insights into other cultures, you could learn more about the Arabs by holding a bowl of humus and thinking about sand. If one is to believe the forecast reviews, this is one of the great works of our time. Read the sample pages and you'll see that the emperor isn't wearing any clothes. A terrible, almost unreadable book.
negative
0
Irritating and a disappointment
I don't usually do book reviews, but this book irritated me so much I decided to add my one star rating to the mix in hopes of dissuading anyone else from wasting their money. One reviewer stated that the book suffered its own Black Death in the last two chapters. Indeed. I was completely engrossed until the story abruptly stopped and the rhetorical clap trap began when the characters found themselves reincarnated in Nsara. I suspect Nsara is really one of the lower levels of the Bardo, reserved for evil academics (and perhaps grad students) with really bad Karma. Hard to tell, but I for one definitely wanted out of there and I promise to be kind to everyone so I never find myself there again. I can't bring myself to even finish the book.
negative
0
Inadequate
Im sorry but this particular title does not make the cut. It's characterization is not very good, and after reading 70-odd pages I was bored.
negative
0
Too Much Effort
After plowing through slightly over 200 pages, I surrendered. Character after character, generation after generation, there just didn't seem to be much of a point to the meandering commentary. If an author can't generate more interest than this after 200 pages, he doesn't deserve my attention.
negative
0
What History...
This book just did not deliver the goods. Hyped as an alternate history it is really a series of reincarnation stories about three characters. Any "history" is just an accident IMO. It is long, it is often boring, and it is to be avoided. I wish I had.
negative
0
interesting premise, awful execution
Reading the summary of this book, it sounded really quite interesting. European society had been killed off by plague and thus Islamic and Chinese societies were the dominant ones on Earth. The book was divided up amongst several stories detailing various time periods and the ways in which scientific discoveries - flight, gunpowder, trains, telescopes, etc were "discovered" in this alternate history. But these stories just got boring and I found myself wanting to skip large sections of them in the hope that the book would get better, unfortunately it didn't.
negative
0
Poor attempt to mix alternate history w/ views on religion
Saw the good reviews.. Had high expectations. The author took what could have been a great topic, and overlaid it with a metaphysical view on reincarnation. As a story mechanism, it worked ... OK.. but in the end became over used.The story pacing is Veeeery slow. Unless you are a speed reader, you will bail on the story.If you like other authors of alternate history (Turtledove, Stirling, Flint, etc..) this book is NOT for you. Kim's topics are good, but the vignettes read like molasses.
negative
0
Somebody kill me please!
I am two thirds of the way through my first endeavor into Mr. Stanley's writing and I honestly don't know if I will finish. I was very excited about the concept for this alternative history, but the approach taken here is painful and flaky. Bits of "poetry" that leave a great deal to be desired pop up throughout the book. The first few chapters end with the narrator suddenly becoming cognizant of his audience and telling us "we will see what happens in the next chapter", like a Pee Wee Herman story time. I may eventually trudge through this monolith until its end, but I don't see myself reading any more KSR. The pace is laborious, and the wordy descriptions of totally unnecessary fluff really kill the already fragile storyline.
negative
1
History Repeats Itself
When I heard about this book the first time, I was very intrigued on what it may offer. Boy, did this book meet my expectations!The whole premise of the novel is that during the Middle Ages Europe was ravaged with the Plague, killing off 99% of the population on the continent! It leaves the Islamic nations and China free from European imperialists, making the Islamic nations and China the imperialists themselves! There are many parallels between Years of Rice and Salt and reality, such as the age old clashes between cultures and technological developement. The author uses a very nice way of spanning the whole book through the centuries with only a few main characters, you'll know what I'm talking about if you read it.Bottom line, this is a must read if you are intrigued by a world that is not ours, but could have been. This is a book that gives an alternative on humanities journey toward "modern" times.
positive
0
Disjointed
I also found this book to be rather a bore. I like some more history to my alternate history - this was a series of character sketches revolving around Eastern religious themes with just a little history tossed in. No section ever really addresses the supposed alternate history - you have to read between the lines to determine what the "historical" message is in a section. The Widow Kang section was particularly boring. I could put this book down. It was only determination to finish what I had begun that got me to the end.
negative
0
Disjointed and Disappointing
I also found this book to be rather a bore. I like some more history to my alternate history - this was a series of character sketches revolving around Eastern religious themes with just a little history in the background. You have to read between the lines to determine what the "historical" message is in a section. The Widow Kang section was particularly boring - and the book draws its title from this section. After 400 pages it finally got up a little steam in the history department. By the time I finished this book I had a real love-hate relationship with it - A great idea, but not a good book. I could put this book down. It was only determination to finish what I had begun that got me to the end.
negative
0
Shame this boring book can't get 0 stars
It's unusual for me not to finish a book, but I'm having a difficult time plodding through this one. It lacks almost everything. It doesn't have continuity of plot, except at a ruinous level of abstraction -- as if a story set in the Roman Empire had the plot "Rome rose and then fell." It doesn't have compelling characters; instead, there are a bunch of cardboard cutouts who go through their paces and, when there is any risk of one becoming interesting, KSR kills everyone off and we go on to the next incarnation. I'm a fast reader, but I've been at this book for almost two weeks, because I keep wandering off to read toothpaste tubes, cereal boxes, almost anything other than this. If I weren't downright stubborn I wouldn't be bothering to finish.
negative
0
Not as advertised
I bought this book based upon the authors past history such as his Mars trilogy. This book was a total disappointment. I found it boring and verbose. The description of the plot and the back cover touted it as an alternate history of the world starting in the 14th century. This was misleading description. It became almost painful to get through the last couple hundred pages, then to book just stopped. It did not come to an abrupt end, or a logical conclusion - it just stopped.
negative
0
Boring
Kim Stanley may be best noted for his outstanding Mars series however The Years of Rice & Salt fall far short of the mark. Stanley cannot seem to focus on any kind of meaningful character development throughout the book and when he finally does develop a character that person is tragically killed off.The book's focus seems to jump around from unrelated chapter to unrelated chapter worse than an ADD child during a Math class. Stanley may well have imagined himself to be interjecting various witticisms at the end of each chapter designed for comic relief however I found it to be tedious and just plain annoying.Don't waste your time with this book if you are looking for entertainment.
negative
1
More Than Just Another Alternate History
I think those who rate this book low missed its point. It his not an alternate history in the usual sense. It is about human nature, and the life of the soul, rather than about a specific cultural or historical imperative. While it does help to have some historical knowledge to follow the book, it shows, on the one hand, how the patchy knowledge we have of the past colors our views of history; and on the other, reveals the progress of our development as a species as circumstances, both natural and man-made, evolve.
positive
0
What if...?
To enjoy this book, one needs at least a good world history course to understand the references to Chinese, Muslim and Indian history as well as a good sense of geography. It's an interesting premise: what if Asia and the Middle East had dominated world history instead of the West? It gets so bogged down in dibs and dabs of various Eastern and prehistory religions and a multitude of characters who are actually the same beings that it is easy to get lost and lose interest. Bigger and better maps both of the author's imagined world and the world we know now would have helped immensely, but this is also true of most nonfiction books.
negative
0
Software that comes with it doesn't work.
This one is really awful, but only because the software installer can't seem to install it properly. Not even the most recent December 2006 version of the installer works properly. If you already bought this and you only need it for bluetooth headset functionality or gps, download BlueSoleil software and make it work with that. Belkin's own software is pitifully useless.(Google "BlueSoleil Bluetooth".) The speed is limited to 5mb if you don't buy the software, but who cares for gps or phone?
negative
0
Same problem ...
Same problem like the other reviewer mentioned ... You could install the bluetooth device using MS driver and use it for PDA sync etc. , BUT you can't setup a network .. Tried all options .. Might have uninstalled the driver N number of times .. same result ... Belkin support is not good .. THey provide solution in one line "Uninstall the driver and reinstall it again ?" .... They don't know that some people may not be knowing how to uninstall driver ...
negative
0
DO NOT BUY THIS
This product simply does not work on either Windows 2000 Pro or XP Pro SP1. Customer support was unable to help, having my re-install the drivers (which I had already done). If I could rate this as negative stars, I would.
negative
0
Bought two, both defective according to Belkin
After hours and hours of driver madness and "help" from two Belkin techs, the ones I got were declared defective, so at 100% defect rate, on a scale of 1 to 5 stars, I'd give these things half a burning ember!Tried them on four computers, with known-good USB ports, all drivers they had or offered, re-booted over and over -- nothing.
negative
0
Not good for XP SP2
Worked okay on my Dell D800 laptop running Windows 2000 but when I installed it on my Dell workstation at work running Windows XP Pro, it interfered with all my network connections... email, server access, internet, etc!! I uninstalled it and tried to re-install it several times check marking differing install options and the got the same result. All I wanted to do was transfer small files from desktop to and from my Samsung cell phone. If you are running Windows XP, I would suggest another solution other than this product.
negative
0
Not Good for Outfeed in the Field
Although this is well constructed, when used for a table saw outfeed table, I found that unless the rollers are exactly in line horizontally with the the work being sawed it tends to veer off of the plane of the saw blade. Since most of my work is in the field, in less than ideal conditions I found the roller set-up to be less than useful. I found the Rockwell stands with the wide lip to be the best quick set up.
negative
1
Saw cutting stand (Wolfcraft 6128 adjustable)
I purchased the Wolfcraft 6128 because my current saw cutting stand is too frail and unstable for larger pices of lumber. I hoped this model would be better.When it arrived, I knew from the moment I opened the box that this product is exactly what I was hoping it would be. It is easy to set up and very stable. The 16 in rollers utilize ball bearings and roll effortlessly allowing the pieces of wood to feed into (or out of) the saw without hanging up or moving left or right. I can now cut all types of wood by myself (no helper needed to guide or support the wood during cutting). I use it a lot for my wood construction projects.It folds up easily and can be hung on a wall to get it out of the way when not being used.If you use a table saw you should own one (or two) of these.Rob
positive
0
Broken after 9 months
I bought the Kettler Verio Mini-Stepper in early 2005 and exercised regularly for 20-25 minutes per day, 5 days per week. It is now December of 2005, and my Kettler stepper is broken. The steel arm that rests under the left-hand pedal has snapped off at the weld, rendering the machine useless. The product is rated for people up to 225 pounds, and I'm 160 pounds. I don't believe that I put any unwarranted stress on the machine either due to my weight or my exercise habits. For One-Hundred-Thirty dollars, I expect a little more longevity from an exercise machine. I think I'm ready for a solution with less propensity for breakage -- like maybe a three dollar jump rope.
negative
1
A. R. Gurney plays
A set of very engaging plays. Gurney writes with a keen ear to how words play on the imagination. He has a talent for compassionate nuance and subtle irony.
positive
1
Love Letters
MY HUSBAND AND I SAW THE PLAY 'LOVE LETTERS' PERFORMED BY MISS MICHAEL LEARNED AND RALPH WAITE. (THE WALTONS). WE LOVED IT!! WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT A PLAY, WITH ONLY 2 CHARACTERS, READING LETTERS COULD BE SO WONDERFUL!!! THAT IS WHY I BOUGHT THE BOOK, I WANTED TO EXPERIENCE AGAIN.I WOULD LOVE TO SEE 'THE GOLDEN AGE' COME TO LIFE IN A PLAY. I CAN'T EXPLAIN IT, BUT THEY JUST CAME TO LIFE AS I READ THEM. I FELT LIKE I WAS IN THE ROOM, WATCHING.'WHAT I DID LAST SUMMER' DIDN'T PULL ME IN LIKE THE OTHER TWO, BUT IT'S STILL AN ENJOYABLE READ. WILL DEFINITELY BE LOOKING FOR MORE PLAYS BY A.R. GURNEY.
positive
1
Cream Of The Psychology Crop
The rare psychology tome that doesn't mistake psychology's history for history in general! The learned Robinson can stand back enough to place the nascent "science" of psychology within the field of human meta-thought that started at least amongst the Greek philosophers. The book provides a cogent survey of developments in theories that are psychological in nature. The author demonstrates how many of the big deals amongst today's academic psychological concepts were anticipated long ago but forgottten when, I assume, liberal arts education and philosophy became passe. In so doing, he is able to distill from the fractured, specialized field of the current psychology scene what is vital, relevant, and productive. By using a historical context, he allows us to see the real progress of ideas instead of being distracted by the yipping of scientism's mutts. I have read earlier editions of this book twice, and plan to continue re-reading it periodically.
positive
1
Brand New
Book was in perfect condition, and received promptly. The book itself is a great read. Might be a little deep with the philosophy, but the author does an excellent job of moving through an "intellectual" rather than a chronological history. Very interesting.
positive
0
Terrible Book
This book is one of the worst psychology books I've ever encountered. It is extremely disorganized and unnecessarily verbose. Its coverage is highly selective and its treatment of topics is very biased. It is not at all self-contained and is almost deliberately obscure. I highly recommend the Hergenhahn textbook in its place.
negative
0
Tax Advice from a Convicted Tax Cheat
Pete Hendrickson, the author of this book, was convicted last year of criminal tax fraud for following the advice in his own book. In February of 2012, the U.S. Court of Appeals upheld Henderson's conviction. Follow this book's advice at your peril.
negative
0
See review for Upholding the Law
I wrote a lengthly review for another book like this... Upholding the Law. Please read before you follow this man's advise. Many have gone to jail thinking that this was all the right way to go. Whether he's right or wrong, I know people sitting in jail now with huge fines for tax evasion.
negative
0
Do yourself a favor and RESEARCH !!!
Ok when I went to the authors website I admit it did very much catch my attention but like any reasonable person I decided to do my own research.Please please do yourself a HUGE favor and research this man and find out for yourself what he has been a part of before you waste your money or worse take him up on his tax advice.His methods have been tried before, they do not work and can cost you even more when charged with presenting a frivolous argument.A simple google search will provide you with everything you need to make a informed choice. Just type the mans name in any search engine and look for yourself.Please do not bother in confronting me with the " you must be a irs agent " or any other stupid comment from Mr Hendrickson`s Fanboy club members.I am a normal hard working guy. Yes I pay taxes and yes I hate paying taxes.I hope any who read this will at least do there own research.
negative
1
must read more then once
a lot to comprehend. a nd a lot makes sense. what makes mad is that this is true and we are not liable to pay taxes on our earnings. but how do you convince the judge and the jury? i'm angry because they(the lIRS and the judges know the truth but wont let you win in court and wont answer the question that will prove us innocent
positive
0
For Entertainment Only
Were it not for the author's convictions for tax related crimes, one might assume that he is among the gullible few who believe everything they read on the internet. His first chapter is a veritable smorgasbord of looney legal theories. Hendrickson manages, in that first chapter, to provide misinformation about direct and indirect taxes in general (both theory and practice), capitations, Adam Smith, the Founding Fathers, the constitution, sales taxes, excises, the Internal Revenue Code, jurisdiction in general, federal and state jurisdiction in particular, and the federal taxing power. All that in only 11 pages. The rest of the book promises to be a real hoot.
negative
0
Go Directly tro JAIL
The "factual" basis of this book is misinterpretations of the US Tax Code and of court decisions.Following Hendrickson's procedures will eventually result in major financial penalties and maybe even criminal prosecution for fraud or tax evasion.If you don't believe this reviewer, buy the book. But take your tax return to a CPA or a tax lawyer before you send it in.
negative
0
Additional book suggestions
People who buy this book should also buy:1. How To Survive And Excel In Prison (Within And Without) -- by Abdur-Rauf A. Rashid; Paperback (Rate it)Buy new: $10.36 -- Used & new from: $2.952. How to Survive Federal Prison Camp: A Guidebook for Those Caught Up in the System -- by Clive Sharp; Paperback (Rate it)Buy new: $11.53 -- Used & new from: $4.50
negative
0
Handrickson was convicted for not filing a tax return
The author of this book claims that every CPA and tax attorney you have ever known is wrong, and that he has uncovered "the truth" about Federal income taxation.The author of this book was also convicted in 1992 for failure to file an income tax return. Furthermore, every one of the strategies in this book for reducing or eliminating ones Federal income tax obligations that has been used in court, has failed in court.Even if you distrust the Federal government, do you really want to put your trust in this author instead?
negative
0
DOJ is all over Hendrickson
Do a Google search of this author and you will find that he and his followers have lost every case the IRS and Department of Justice have taken against them. Don't waste your money.
negative
0
Old News
There is nothing in this book that is not a re-hash of old, worn-out, tax-protestor garbage culled from numerous other de-bunked and discredited works regarding the legality and legitimacy of the income tax.This book is a complete work of fiction and should be regarded as such by any conscientious American.
negative
0
A good how-to if you like massive fines, interest and possibly jail time.
Hendrickson starts his book with a premise: You don't have to pay taxes. It doesn't matter how much you make or even what the law says - you don't have to pay. Why not? Well, there's been a grand conspiracy over the last 100 years to cover up the fact the law doesn't actually mean what EVERY SINGLE COURT in the nation has said it means.Hendrickson is the latest in the long line of tax-deniers trying to sucker people into buying his book. If actually follows his own advice, he will wind up in jail with other de-tax con men like Irwin Schiff and Larken Rose. Unfortunately, his jail time won't start until the IRS has collected and prosecuted enough of the people who take his bad advice.Quite simply, these tax-denying con men have NEVER won a civil case against the IRS and neither will you.
negative
0
Cracking the Code
I will no longer do business with Amazon.com. I have not received package. It would have so much easier going to a book store. I'm DONE!!!
negative
1
1st class book on how to understand and apply for a total refund
If you want to legally know if you are liable to pay Federal income taxes then this book is an exellent read to understanding tax laws and how to legally receive a total refund of medicare, social security and federal withholdings like I have for 2003.I've learn the truth from reading "Cracking the Code" about purposely deceitful language within the Federal Internal Revenue Code that the United States Congress has written to have the IRS abusively force the average American into handing over his/her hard earned money.Cracking the Code and the web forum associated the average American can now learn how to help protect his rights and property from out of control abusive government.
positive
0
A book that target markets the gullible and uneducated
Anyone who relies on this nonsense risks fines, penalties, and even prison time.
negative
0
Pure Fiction
Very misleading ideas about taxes. No foundation for the theories presented. The ideas in the book are a rehash of old failed schemes to avoid paying taxes.
negative
1
Akacia: This Fading Time (2006) - 3,6 stars
Akacia offers up a solid collection of retro music on their third release. By no means perfect, but solid.With a soundscape solid based in 70's music, and with touches of jazz, psychedelic rock, early hard rock and symphonic rock being thrown together on this release, the end result is rather original sounding. And of high quality as well.But as the mix above will cater to a rather selected audience; this isn't a release that will go down in history - the potential sales here are just too limited I'm afraid.Still it's clearly worthwhile checking out for the curious, as there are quite a few nice tracks on this release.
positive
1
Great Book
I though that this was a very usefull book for climbing. I used it primarily for climbing Blue Mounds in Minnesota. It had the majority of the known routes but unfortunatley not all of them. As far as the rattings are concerned they all seemed accurate and route descriptions were also great. The photos and detailed descriptions made finding the routes very easy. I give this book an A
positive
1
Excellent Collection (if you can find one)
Excellent overview of the musical variety found on ten Caribbean islands. The 40-page liner notes are thorough, giving background on the particular styles, performances, and translations. As this is a sampler of a larger collection, the individual tracks have been shortened to allow 31 to be fit onto the disc.
positive
1
Modern Day Palace Life!
A drama that you have to watch from the beginning in order to follow through on the storyline! I failed to read the subtitles properly at first, but after going back then started to connect the dots. Beautiful traditional korean costumes portrayed in the drama. Special features topped it off with behind the scenes footage which make you appreciate palace life from a modern day view!
positive
1
Love Ya Right Back!
I loved reading about three spunky ladies trying to shape their own lives and live their own way. Sure, the small town characters and complications are somewhat predictable, but this is still an uplifting and enjoyable book. I'm looking forward to reading more about life in Covington. As the author of a book for women (NEW PSALMS FOR NEW MOMS: A KEEPSAKE JOURNAL), I applaud books that celebrate and respect women and the families they nurture.
positive
1
Enjoyed the ladies
We always tend to think that after a certain age, you have stopped living. Not so in this book. Here you have a group of ladies who after living in a dismal "old ladies" boarding house, that they CAN start over and improve their lot. I am looking forward to the sequel. Only thing I didn't like about this book is that one of the ladies kept going off and getting lost.(She did it twice)Other than that, I enjoyed reading that.
positive
0
Kindle readers warning
This is not formatted for kindle. The so-called Kindle edition is just a horrible scan of a paperback. I really wanted to read this book and almost bought it without downloading the sample. The publisher should be ashamed of attempting to sell this as a Kindle version. This scan of a paperback is so sloppy that it's complete with a warning to not buy without the cover. Even the barcode and the price of the paperback was scanned in and is good for a laugh. Ironically, at $6.99 the paperback was cheaper than this poorly scanned, faded Kindle version. Download the sample for laughs, but don't waste money to buy it for Kindle.
negative
0
A New Age "Mitford" Book
Joan Medlicott has taken the same setting (North Carolina Mts) and develops a continuing story of 3 women in their late 60's who make a new home together amongst the "native" NC people.This book & the 2 that follow show adultery, gays, and challenging Christianity in a "positive" light.The 3rd in the series begins to tell about one of the character's "out of body experiences". This author has copied a previous best seller series(Mitford) and put in her "new age philosophies". --it is so obvious what this author has done--and gotten away with it ! Sad!!!
negative
0
Lack of quality is offensive
Add me to the list of readers who are offended by the very shoddy editing of this Kindle edition of "The Ladies of Covington." Electronic publication is cheaper for the publisher, so why can't they provide something that doesn't look like it was written on a broken keyboard. I have just deleted 4 'Covington' books from my Amazon wish list.
negative
1
Fantastic series
Great series of reading. Love that an author writes from the heart and shares thoughts and memories with their readers.
positive
1
The Ladies of Covington Send Their Love
This book is a wonderful read. It is not a theme that I usually look for but, it was picked for my Book Club and I am so happy it was. It is lovely, gentle and so realistic. I am a senior lady and found myself relating to these ladies. Even as a read for the younger generation, it will be most interesting, as we all will become seniors some day. We can only hope for such friends as these ladies. I cannot wait to read the author's next book, as she really seems to know about life.
positive
1
The Ladies of Covington Send Their Love
I just finished reading The Ladies of Covington Send Their Love. I loved it. I fell in love with all the characters-Grace especially. I read it in two days. It was peaceful. uplifting, and the three ladies all had incredible depth. Their memories and quirks made them more real and lovable. I am recommending it to all my friends as a Mother's Day gift. Toby Mueller
positive
0
The "Me-First " Generation.
Although I admire some facets of these women's (can't bring myself to call them ladies) personalities but I can not say that I like them. They show that the ME FIRST generation is not limited to those under 30. If you are looking for a Christian read, this is not it. God to these women has no real meaning or place in their lives. I was terribly mislead by a professional reviewer who cited Jan Karon. Sorry I wasted my money. In the future I will read the readers reviews more carefully!!!
negative
0
The new- "politically correct"- Mitford book
I found this book so similar to Jan Karon's novels because it delt mostly with the day to day lives of "senior citizens" living in the beautiful NC mountains--except the main characters in THIS book are all women and topics such as sex outside of marriage, gay relatives, and a "new age" faith /religious type attitude or no belief in God is "par for the course" for these ladies. The writing style is very captivating, but I just wanted to go get one my Mitford books to get back to "traditional values"--and not accept "situational ethics" portrayed in this book.I won't continue with this series. Jan Karon come back !
negative
1
The Ladies of Covington Send Their Love
I loved this book, (first in a series) easy read and so hard to put down once you start. I could really relate to these women and the things that happened to them.
positive
1
If you love maeve binchy
you will love this book. written by a new author, it is a compelling and warm story about three women in their mid 60's + who believe they have lost life and are resigned to an assisted living home with a Dicken type life controller. Any baby boomer who is looking ahead will feel lots of hope and a renewed interest in life. Highly recommended.
positive
1
Sixty-Seven is not OLD!
I enjoyed reading this book. It is a fast read and one that you can escape with on a rainy afternoon. I did find it hard to swallow that the author found the age of 67 to be considered old. She portrayed these woman as more like woman ten or twenty years older then their chronological age. I have woman with in my book group who at age 65 would find the woman characters of near their age portrayed as doddering old ladies insulting. As I read this book I pictured the three ladies as age 77 instead of 67 and this helped me to enjoy the story.
positive
0
Not Mitford or Miss Julia
I decided to try the Covington books because they were supposed to be in the same vein as Jan Karon's Mitford and Ann B. Ross' Miss Julia books. I am a huge Mitford fan, with the Miss Julia books being some of my next favorites.The Covington books have a good potential story line, but the characters are very two dimensional and spend lots of time discussing trivial things. I found the dialogue to bounce around a bit, and some of the character's thoughts and actions seem to come out of nowhere, without sufficient background or detail being laid.Frankly, I also missed having some humor in the story line, though there are ample places that it could have been incorporated. I guess this is consistent with the "flat" feeling I had about these books.
negative
0
It was OK.
If you are looking for a real page turner, this is definitly not your book. It is a nice slooooow moving story about three older women who go out on their own. It was extremely predictable, and had very few exciting moments. Unlike my friends I did not fall in love with any of the characters, I found them annoying(Amelia)and extremely self centered(Hannah). If you liked the Mitford series your gonna love this one. Just make sure you pump a lot of stong coffee into your system before you settle down with this book!!!
negative
1
Nice Read
I gave this four stars because I found it a very interesting story. The reason I didn't give it five stars is because I thought it lacked some spark. It was a little predictable however still nice. I hope to read the next installment and will be looking for the extra spark that this one lacked.It is not very often you find a situational story like this to appeal to the older generation of women and I did appreciate their circumstances. I did not agree with the opinions on certain choices made by the ladies and agree with others remarks about this being a more "new age" version of Jan Karon's books.
positive
1
Great
Works great every time, easy to clean. This design reminds me of the similar juicer we had at home when I was a kid.
positive
1
Mom's kitchen helper
I hate getting out my electric juicer and having to clean and reassemble it after use - this is the same style juicer my Mom had and it works great for lemon juice. No electricity - no assembly - and just rinse off after use - fantastic!
positive
0
cracked while sitting on shelf
Purchased this juicer to juice lemons, which it did.Washed it as usual in warm soapy water, dried it, and stored in cabinet.Next day heard terrible CRACK while in kitchen: juicer cracked on its own.Spout half of the top half cracked from one side to the other.Apparently extremely poor manufacturing process!Glass making is a quality operation (except this one).Time to buy a 50 year old one that hasn't cracked yet.EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTING. WAS A CHRISTMAS GIFT. STINKS.
negative
0
Not so good for oranges
Not so good for oranges!!!!!!!!This juicer is good for small lemons only, the cone shaped glass blade must be made for lemons from overseas, it does not work well with oranges or big lemons from the US.I gave it two stars(not one) just because its difficult to find another glass juicer on amazon.
negative
0
Too small for American Citrus......
This thing is a lot smaller than the ones I remember from when I was a kid. It is too small to do most any orange. Works well on average to small lemons. Should not be called a citrus juicer ....I would accept lemon juicer...though many big Florida lemons would give it a challenge.
negative
0
A disappointment
I should have read the reviews on this item; the 6-inch diameter listed is correct only if measured from exterior of handle to spout.
negative
1
It made a difference
I like this because it isn't one of the ridiculous, huge ones. I noticed a difference after adding it, and the price was nice and low.
positive
1
Fantastic travel book !
Francisca Matteoli is an amazing and beautiful woman who knows how to tell a good story. An original and exciting book, written with verve and humour. Traveling with Francisca is like traveling with your best friend !
positive
0
Not the greatest Tech Trax
When the cars are launched into the first jump, they will not make it, and they will crash and fall apart completely (it's fun to watch them "explode"). Then you must put them back together (which is fairly complicated), only to have the same happen again. If a Jump Master car is put on the track, it wll make the jumps, but fly over the guardrail. All the guardrails must be set up, and, as mentioned earlier, they don't all work. Your results may vary, for I did not use the manual as a measuring tool like it says so, which might get frustrating, as it is an almost too big book for that purpose (at least for the Power Swing set).
negative
0
Piece of JUNK!!
I would actually not give this toy any stars. We received the toy, spent the time to put it together, bought brand new batteries and installed them and it didn't work.The motor did nothing. Took it to Toys R Us and exchanged it....same thing....didn't work. Finally got something else instead.
negative
0
Couldn't return it fast enough
My son got this for Chanukah. It was difficult to assemble: the angle of one of the turns was so severe that the pieces of track wouldn't hold together. Then once we were able to get the car past it - and only by modifying it so the turn wasn't so sharp - the jump inside the loop wouldn't line up; the car never made it through the whole course even once.Im disappointed that Mattel would put their Hot Wheels brand name on this inferior toy.
negative
0
don't waste your time
DON'T EVEN BOTHER with this one. As with most parents, we give in to buying these hot wheels sets because they look cool and we have "toy amnesia". The only hot wheels set that has ever really worked was the fireball from a few years ago.This set took over an hour to put together and looked like it may be a neat track. However, the car does not make it through the first loop. I tried everything and it still doesn't work. So after all that effort, I will be returning this.I hope you will heed my advice and not waste your time. If you do decide to go ahead and try it for an Xmas gift, definitely give yourself time to put it together ahead of time. Happy Holidays.
negative
1
A simple yet impressive appetizer or accompanyment to serve.
The 50 Best Focaccia recipes is an easy to read, simple to follow guide to preparing Focaccia. With 3 methods (hand, bread machine or food processor/heavy-duty mixer), 36 variations of dough and 50 variations of toppings. A hit when served at bunko and taken in to work. Miss having pictures but can taste the Garlic, Basil and Pine Nut or the Spinach Feta, even before it is made.Use fresh herbs...that's the key.
positive
1
Good but extremely basic
Dr. Weil has a very sensible and holistic approach to eating which is well explained in this program. I like his emphasis on debunking fad diets and on making eating pleasurable and socially integrative. He covers all the basic concepts related to healthy eating competently and clearly. I personally was hoping for something more advanced, since the information in this video is really oriented to those who know very little about nutrition. If you have been keeping up with the literature, there will be little new information here. Actually, Dr. Weil's DVD on healthy aging contains some interesting information on healthful properties of foods and spices in the Okinawan diet which are not contained here and which were new to me. But, even if you know all this, it never hurts to reinforce it and this video is a succinct and motivational way to do so.
positive
0
Boring
I bought this to show clients at a rehab facility I use to volunteer at. This video was very boring and most of the clients would agree. I would not recommend this product.
negative
0
Decent Card if you have the right Serial connection.
So I'm going to keep this short, since my review is mainly based off the fact that this card cannot use a Serial to USB adapter. I didn't see the small comment made by the company that it doesn't allow the the conversion to take place, making it extremely difficult to use on a laptop or most modern computers without buying a Serial PCI card. Of course it's my fault that I didn't read everything on the product page before the purchase, but I wanted to warn others so they don't make the same mistake I did.
negative
1
Using, abusing and appreciating my PDA Skin
I got a PDA Skin because it seemed like a good way to consolidate my various tools including a PDA and a cell phone. I work in a challenging engineering environment where I am often in the field at night working on remote tasks. The only problem(?) is that I now have an extra empty pocket where my wallet use to reside. I have had this PDA Skin for over 6 months and have really found it very helpful and intuitive to use. It is well designed and constructed and is really worth the investment.
positive
1
By far one of the very best in it's class.
I will keep it simple. The best of the series, and at the top of it's category.Worth listening to for years.
positive
1
One of Hollywood's major directors given a worthy biography
Hollywood's golden era would have been a markedly less memorable place without the contribution of director George Cukor in whose hands movies like "The Women," "The Philadelphia Story," and "My Fair Lady" would have been lesser cinematic events had he not come to Hollywood when he did. A director of Cukor's stature deserves a worthy biography and, unlike some other reviewers on this page, I believe he got one with this account of his singular life. Not only does McGilligan cover life at the top of the Hollywood ladder, but also what it was like to be not only prominent and gay, but also less attractive among the most attractive people in the country, the backlash at being labeled a "woman's director," and how Cukor dealt with being fired from the biggest movie of the decade: "Gone with the Wind." If you like old movies and want to know more about what life was like while they were being made, this is one book that you'll want to read.
positive
0
Uninformed bio
This book is subject to what so many Hollywood biographies suffer from: total ignorance on the part of the author as to how films are actually made. Authors of these kinds of books are tempermentally predisposed to disinterest in anything except gossip. What emerged from this book was a portrait of a shallow man whose career rested upon his ability to socialize. Why are so many books on film history so damned bad?
negative
1
condensed revision of first edition
I've got the first edition which was riddled with errors. I wanted charts so I ordered the second ed. The individual lace patterns are charted but the shawls are still written out. In addition, the number of shawls has decreased from 14 to 8. The book has been edited very tightly cutting down on anything excessive which includes some of the fun and some of the photos. However, it's still tops for help on designing shawls which is why it gets 5 stars from me. This ed still has a few corrections which are available from the publiser's website.
positive
1
Shawl history, design, and pattern
This book does a thorough job of talking about the history of shawls, instructions how to design triangular, rectangular, and circular shawls and has patterns for each to get you started. Has excellent pictures for various cast-on methods. My only difficulty with the book is trying to tell the yarn requirements for type of yarn used in the patterns in the book. I have not yet had a chance to knit one of the shawls, but the patterns appear to be clearly written.
positive
0
I was disapointed
I was very disapointed when I received my copy of this book, to find that most of the lovely lace patterns are printed in CHART form. I am very much against chart patterns. Anyone can read a written pattern with out having to look at a list to ask, "What in the world does 'K' mean?". Anyone who has spent any time with needle in hand would know. where as one must continually return to a chart to figure out what the heck a certain symbol means.If I had known this book was printed in this form I would NEVER have wasted my hard earned money on it. VERY disapointing to say the least!
negative
0
Traditional Knitted Lace Shawls
This paperback book (119 pages) has only black and white pictures. It is mostly a book on knit stitches with a mere 8 patterns. She does touch briefly on the history and origin of knitting shawls. Overall, this is really more a book on how to design shawls, choosing different yarns and needle sizes and is not suited for someone who wants to be able to pick up a book; find a pattern; and know which yarn to use.
negative
1
John Mclaughlin Montreux Concerts
This compilation is great! There is nothing bad or sour about this package, all titles are fantastic, if you love the music of JML this is for you.I give this package a 4, not because of the music, that gets a 10!!! Sound quality is Great too; 10!!! Performances... 10!!!... The package is very nice and well put together (printing house nightmare I'm sure) although there was some cover damage and the shrink wrap was not too secure. Sorry, but for the cost I do expect quality all the way.To conclude......It's amazing what this man has accomplished in his career and still continues to produce new and uncharted territories of music! For this package, I thank John and Claude Nobs for sharing and letting the world remember the moments...Oh yes it took a week to get though all the music, too fun, every CD is a new adventure and replay value is the best, if you can afford it get it as I'm sure it will be hard to find soon!!!Cheers!
positive