Product Description
The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne is an unflinching and deeply sympathetic portrait of a woman destroyed by self and circumstance. First published in 1955, it marked Brian Moore as a major figure in English literature (he would go on to be short-listed three times for the Booker Prize) and established him as an astute chronicler of the human soul.

Judith Hearne is an unmarried woman of a certain age who has come down in society. She has few skills and is full of the prejudices and pieties of her genteel Belfast upbringing. But Judith has a secret life. And she is just one heartbreak away from revealing it to the world. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

CLASSIC AND TIMELESS
Says it all... Read it years ago, read it again last week....gets better and better.

Critical Intolerance Leads Miss Hearne To Loneliness and Faithlessness
I enjoyed this extraordinary novel of grueling and reeling faith as much for the suspense of where the author would take it, as well as his narrative skill and meta-fictional literary tricks employed to both keep the reader grounded and wrenching his attention with shortcuts that lands the reader just where he wants.Yes, it might be pointed out that another Irish author, James Joyce, did such experimental writing earlier and more extensively.True, but one can fly through this writing whereas no one has ever flown through Ulysses - not ever with two feet in the air at the same time!Besides, there are some interesting parallels between the two, though they remain separate and different works.

Brian Moore was born into a large Catholic family in Belfast in 1921 surrounded by the Irish Protestants, who held power.In 1948 he immigrated to Canada, then in the mid-sixties, to California where he lived until his passing in 1999.Some of his books include Catholics (1972), Cold Heaven (1983) and No Other Life (1993).Judith Hearne was his first successful novel, from 1955. Graham Greene considered Brian Moore one of his favorite authors.

Judith Hearne is a plain middle-aged spinster who spent her more attractive years shut away caring for a crippled and abusive aunt and was left with nothing when the aunt finally passed.With slender means and limited skills she senses that people - and especially men - pass her by.Nipping the bottle for liquid courage she finds its good ephemeral, and consequences often disastrous. When she turns to faith her habit of ready criticism built up over the years to counter her own failures lashes out against her priest and the Church itself."All men turned from me.And You, Father?You too," sobs her thinking.

Wavering over the guilt caused by her inebriated antics and the ever-ready guilt of daring to question God, her mind stubbornly reasons, "There is no heavenly reason to feel guilt.At least, nobody has shown me there is."

"Why do I feel guilt?"her mind screams and aches a few minutes later as she proceeds in cutting off another avenue of retreat amongst her acquaintances.

Nevertheless, Moore never lets us feel too sorry for Miss Hearne as her struggle is part of our own - leaving us racing to the book's conclusion.

An Alcoholic Woman Loses Faith in God Leading to Her Rapid Decline
This is one of the most remarkable books that I've ever read.Miss Hearne, mannered and facade-driven, is an outcast even to herself.She moves from boarding home to boarding home because she is a severe alcoholic and is running out of money.She gets in trouble in the boarding houses because of her drinking or she doesn't have enough money to pay her rent.

She spent most of her youth caring for an unthankful and difficult aunt and when her aunt died, Ms. Hearne was left no inheritance and had no chance of marrying because of her age and plainess.

At the most recent boarding house she is in, she takes a liking to the owner's brother.Sadly for Miss Hearne the feelings are not reciprocated.At first the man is nice to her because he thinks she has money.As soon as he finds out that she is nearly destitute, he is uninterested in her.

Miss Hearne is a regular church goer.However, the priest at the church she attends is not able to answer her questions about faith and God.

Her only connection is to her fantasy life and some distant friends of her aunt who dislike, mock and pity her.She hides herself from others and once she loses her faith in God, all is lost to her.

Her decline, as narrated by the author, is brilliant.There is not onewasted word.

Poor Judy Hearne
Brian Moore published The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne (originally called simply Judith Hearne), in 1955 after he had left Belfast for Montreal. For this book Moore won the Author's Club First Novel Award. The book appears on the Guardian's list of 1000 books 'everyone must read'. A 1988 movie of the same name starred Maggie Smith and Bob Hoskins. Graham Greene called Moore his 'favourite living novelist'.

Moore plumbs the turbid soul of a desperately lonely woman who's on the verge of becoming an old spinster. She's done in by the repressive mores of her culture, which she has internalized and of which she's largely uncritical. (Moore based Hearne loosely on one of his mother's friends, Mary Judith Keogh.) The other character whose thoughts are probed at length is James Madden, Hearne's last chance at a husband. He, too, has outlived his dreams and, like Hearne, drifts though his days in fear and frustration, which are relieved only by vices that promise short-term relief but long-term doom.

Moore's story is marred by some heavy-handed symbols (an empty church, e.g.), and I grew impatient with the protracted torments to which the author subjected poor Judy Hearne. Nevertheless, the book is a masterful and disturbing study of the demolition of a life by loneliness.

Hearne seeks refuge from her isolation in weekly visits with a happy and prosperous family whose patriarch she has known since childhood. She half knows that the family members generally dread her visits, but she goes to them anyway out of sheer desperation for human contact. These portions of the book are pretty painful, for Moore makes it clear that the family members don't take Hearne seriously as a person. They treat her more as an ongoing bad joke.

This dismissiveness is echoed near the end of the story by other denizens of Hearne's bleak little society. She's generally written off as a 'nutter' who's pitied after being brushed aside.

In one part of the story, Hearne visits someone in a residential hospital, where the patients interact mainly with people who are -- well -- paid to interact with them. In a cruel paradox, they (like Hearne herself) lead lives that suffer from a dearth of meaningful relationships but also a lack of privacy.

Essential reading
This slender novel is a master class in fiction writing.I've read it at least ten times, and every time I learn something new.Mr. Moore's command of fictional technique is astonishing.He uses the basic elements of the craft (point of view, narrative voice, recurring details, etc.) like brushstrokes in a painting.Bit by bit, sentence by sentence, Judith Hearne and the people around her are revealed.The plot moves forward with the inevitability of a Greek tragedy, and when the climax comes, we are devastated.We know everything there is to know about this plain, brave, flawed woman, and we know that things could not have turned out otherwise for her.

In addition to its flawless execution, this book reveals an almost unbearable depth of compassion for human weakness and a keen understanding of human nature. While Judith Hearne may seem to belong very much to a particular time and place, we should not be so quick to label the book a period piece.We are still struggling to connect to each other, to find love and security, to reconcile faith and fact.Mr. Moore's themes are timeless.As long as there are human beings, Judith Hearne will have something to teach them.Her story gives us much to mourn about who (and what) we are, but in revealing her to us, Mr. Moore also gives us much to celebrate.

I can't recommend this book highly enough.Please read it.

... Read more

Product Description
Pierre Brossard is a Nazi collaborator accused of murdering 14 Jews during World War II, who is still living on the run in contemporary France. He's been sheltered by the Roman Catholic church, but now he has been accused of crimes against humanity and his places to hide are becoming fewer.Amazon.com Review
The backdrop of The Statement is worth a historical bookalone. After Nazi Germany occupied France, many Frenchmen took a direct handin the deportation of more than 80,000 Jews. Following the war, some -- PaulTouvier among them -- were convicted of treason, pardoned in the 1970s, and thenrearrested and jailed. Brian Moore takes off from there with a thrillingfictional account of Pierre Brossard, who lives a shadowy life, flees frompursuers and confronts some of France's most vexing questions from anhorrific time in its history. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (27)

Good as far as it goes...
The Statement by Brian Moore is a little more than a pursuit thriller. I stress a little more because it genuinely transcends the "who's going to do it" genre, though overall it misses an opportunity to address some important and potentially fascinating ideas.

Pierre Brossard is the original, but not the only name of a politically right-wing Frenchman who worked with a wartime fascist militia in Vichy France. As part of his duties he was responsible for assisting the transport of Jews to Nazi concentration camps and at least once he organised killings, in particular a massacre of fourteen individuals. He was later tried and convicted, though years later a Presidential pardon meant that he was no longer a wanted man. Still one the run, however, he was convicted of a crime against humanity via a judgment and indeed a jurisdiction that not everyone in France either respected or recognised.

Pierre Brossard's rediscovery of his Roman Catholic faith provided him with something more than solace. Through confession he could secure effective pardon, both within his own and also his sympathisers' minds, where forgiveness was not needed. But also he secured effective support within the minds of sincere devotees of the faith, who often declared themselves more interested in a believer's soul than any debt to history or even the human race.

So, on the run for years, Brossard found haven in a series of religious houses where, in effect, he could come and go incognito, almost as he wished. Meanwhile cheques supplying his financial needs arrived regularly from both known and unknown donors, some connected to societies within the Church, societies that also sympathise with a more traditional form of the faith than that emanating from Rome. Brossard is pursued by the law, a faction of which wants to bring him to justice, whilst another wants to protect him. He is also hunted by an untraceable Jewish group that hires contract killers to do away with him. Paradoxically, the faction of the police that wants to bring him to justice also wants to arrest him to protect him from the assassins. And all this in just over two hundred pages.

And that, perhaps, is the problem. Though the book is well written, well set and constructed, the characters, including Brossard, never attain much more than cameo status. Several of the protagonists express strong opinions about race, culture and faith, but we are never presented with a probing analysis of their motives or identities. The role of the Church in supporting, or at least turning a blind eye towards fascism is mentioned, but not worked through. The schism represented by the Lefevre faction in 1980s France is mentioned, but its ideological foundation is glossed over. The existence of Masonic-type societies within the Church is mentioned, but quite who they are, what they want to achieve and how they operate is largely ignored. Even Brossard's own identity is effectively taken for granted, once we have been introduced to his racism, his anti-Semitism and his ruthlessness.

The Statement of the title refers to a typed sheet carried by Brossard's would-be assassins. It is their intention to pin it to their victim's corpse, thus claiming closure of the case of the wartime massacre of Jews in the village of Dombey.

The plot, as ever in a "who does what", eventually works its way out. I will, of course, not reveal the detail, because with The Statement that would remove the prime reason for reading the book. If some of the other themes the book touches upon had been worked through - even just a little - the book would have provided a more substantial, subtle and sophisticated experience and it would be an interesting read even if the reader knew all the plot. As it is, it fills a couple of hours in an enjoyable, mildly informative and mildly stimulating way.

Predictable and that's just the problem
When you read a book that seems predictable,you expect to be proved wrong by a credible surprise ending. Moore truly disappoints because there is no surprise. What you suspect will happen is exactly what happens. To worsen matters,the reader never sees the other guilty parties brought to justice. You learn about them early on, but they never appear in the context of the plot. Ugh!

One reviewer said that this would have been a better non-fiction work.I agree. He tells us much about collusion by the Church with the Vichy government during WWII. Moore didn't need to write a predictable novel to educate readers about this history

just another preacher story lacking suspense or any interest
A guy is sheltered by the catholic church after killing 14 Jews during the WWII, moving from monastery to monastery for 40 years. Painted as a cold blooded killer, he is so devoid of stamina and life, his character reads like an empty bubble. After him are just as unsympathetic Jewish assassins bent on bringing justice... eye for an eye, by killing the monster. Only, I can't quite figure out whom to sympathize with. A killer is a killer. Boring, poorly written, another preacher story. Perhaps am skewed after reading a nonfiction story several weeks ago about Nazis rounding up whole blocks of poles and russians and shooting people on the spot. This one would have been more interesting as a non fiction account provided it was written based on solid research.

Crime apologists
'The Statement' is not a simple suspense novel. The reality of French war crime apologists is the backdrop of this sad tale. The book details the incredible post Second World War popular French policies of supporting and excusing French war criminals. The book follows one such murderer as he moves, in the 1980s, from one monastery to the next, avoiding capture with the help of church officials and right wing people, in and out of the government. This dark tale is more of an historical and moral tale than a cloak and dagger mystery. If you are interested in the subject, Susan Zuccotti'sThe Holocaust, the French, and the Jews,and Michael Marrus, and Robert O. Paxton'sVichy France and the Jews are great sources of what happened to the Jews when France became a vassal state of Nazi Germany.

Thoughtful thriller
The protagonist of this novel is the bad guy.And the question that Moore asks (and answers at the very end): is it possible for him to find salvation?What I like about this book is that it explores the boundaries between human wickedness and repentance in the personality of Brossard, the French Nazi sympathizer responsible for the deaths of some Jews during the Second World War. Although some Catholics help Brossard, their motivations for doing so are well-explained.This book is generally but subtly sympathetic to Catholicism overall. Please note that this book does contain some graphic scenes and profanity. ... Read more

Product Description
On a harsh, barren island off the coast of Ireland stands Muck Abbey, the last spot on earth where the traditional LatinMass is still celebrated after the reforms of the Fourth VaticanCouncil. A television special has brought new attention and largecrowds to the activities on the island, to the displeasure of churchofficials. Father James Kinsella is sent to put a stop to things, buthis confrontation with the monks, especially the blunt Abbot O Malley,will reveal unexpected, challenging truths about all of them. Publisher: Loyola Press Author: Brian Moore Format: 140 pages, paperback ISBN: 9780829423334 ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Moore's Prophecy
This book, made into a motion picture in the seventies, is a tale set in the near future when the Catholic Faith is hijacked by some sort of modern syncretistic hyper-social justice hierarchy. Indeed, from one who has lived through some of the most drastic changes in the Catholic Faith during the last forty years I can say the book is a well written modern prophecy. It's a great story of what happens when authority is used to destroy the most substantial truths of The Faith. It is a great narrative on how authority, which is highly regarded by Catholics, is used to destroy ultimate authority in the Church. In the end the struggle between the traditional truths and the new modern way, in a small monastery on a deserted island, is ended by an act of administrative authority. It's a sad commentary of what people in charge of things, especially the Church, can become when they lose their faith and become ecclesiastical mechanics. The story has everything in it which actually has happened - the liberation movement, ecumenical actions being end in themselves, a denial of the priesthood and finally a denial of the real presence in the Holy Eucharist. In many ways it is a prophecy of horrible things to come for the Catholic Church - the truth is that the future is now.

Thought-provoking, uplifting, beautiful, clear and direct prose.
Catholics is a slim, simply written novel that raises good questions on faith, Catholic-Christianity, obedience and all the things that are all the core tenets of the Catholic Church. Set in the future, the Fourth Vatican Council has gotten rid of private confession, clerical attire, the Latin Mass and all the primaries that one would associate with a Catholic identity. Yet, in the nether reaches off the Irish coast, there is a monastery-Muck Abbey-whose monks are not following the rules of law, as laid down by the pope and the curia at the Vatican. They are gentle rebels who are refusing to comply, because they believe in the traditional mysteries that have gone back aeons, laws and values laid down by God through Jesus Christ to His disciples. The monks are innocent practitioners of the beautiful, old ways of mystery, and because they refuse to cut the cord of the truth, as they believe it to be, they become, inadvertently (I believe) thorns in the you-know-what of the Vatican oligarchy. Because of that, they develop an international following, parishioners themselves who can't quite digest the lack of mystery, as established by the Fourth Vatican Council. The new rules seem too politically correct, extolling the ideology of secularization and relativism. The higher-ups are becoming more and more attracted to intense ecumenicalism as well, wanting to merge Buddhism with Catholicism, in effect, erasing its roots, the "Rock" that Jesus Christ told Peter the church would be built upon. For the nameless parishioners in this novel who are true readers of the Bible (God's Word willed to humanity), the radical changes are too extreme to be accepted, and thus, disobedience is a logical and intellectual act to embark upon. But because they are a flock-God's children-the Church has a role to see that they are not being led astray. And according to the Vatican, because the monks at Muck Abbey are not heeding the rabid new changes, they are hence, leading the flock astray. To rectify the issue, Fr. James Kinsella is dispatched to the abbey to reeducate the lot of them. Modern and free thinking, Fr. Kinsella is the embodiment of the "new" Catholic, a man who sees the mystery of prayer and sin as superstitious nonsense (he'd probably make a good Devil's Advocate) that is antiquated and best to be trounced upon when it is burgeoning. Though he is not a mean spirited man in any way, to me, he is a condescending intellectual who is a careerist who wants to climb the church ladder to something better. However, the best way to do that is to do the drudgery work that probably no one else wants to do. With that, he'll get promoted. On the opposite side of the spectrum, there is Tomas O'Malley, the abbot of Muck Abbey; he is gentle, fatherly, wizened anda man in a very difficult position. And his actions will have a wider impact that are too big to fully understand, for if he complies with the church hierarchy, it will look as if he's abandoning the mystery and superstition of life and the things that happen within its confines for political religiosity. If he defies the church, will he and his band of traditional monks be seen as martyrs to Catholic orthodoxy or minions of evil because they are not in tandemwith a Church that God is passionate about? In dealing with this, Fr. O'Malley is also coping with his own doubts and privations; the religious passions are just not there. He is a robot going through the motions of things, and something needs to be triggered within himself. How appropriate that his name is Tomas, for he really comes off as the Doubting Thomas. One can not put off the battle between the two warring factions as the ultimate test from God, and that is how it must be seen; obedience is paramount, and for me that really is undigestible. I would probably tell Fr. Kinsella to go where the sun don't shine, but that is not a true manifestation of faith in this case, and that is why this book is so gloriously frustrating. It begs you to ask the question, What would you do? Christianity is hard! It asks for commitment through thick and thin (even if you don't agree). It challenges you to the core of what you think you really are versus what you truly are. I won't reveal the ending, but the truth is best spoken by Fr. O'Malley when he says, "Prayer is the only miracle. We pray. If our words become prayer, God will come." Page 132. Catholic or not, that is one truth that can never ever be altered.

Catholics by Brian Moore
A well written book.Very thought provoking, even if you are not a Catholic.

Provokes thoughts about our own faith
==== SPOILER ALERT! ====

The irony in this short novel is that the views of the Abbot and of the visiting Fr. Kinsella are the same.We just don't know it at first.Kinsella is a product of the new age without a belief in the miracle of the Mass, while the Abbot represents the old tired world that lost its faith in the miraculous.It's almost as if the Abbot were relieved to have the orders from Kinsella as an excuse to stop the traditional Masses his monks have been saying.

Ultimately, the Abbot would have been obedient even without the visit, so the premise of the novel isn't very strong.(Though perhaps we can assume his superiors had doubts about his obedience.)However, the visit to the abbey allows all the characters to interact and bring out their various perspectives and fears.The height of the work is the thoughtful conversation between the Abbot and Kinsella in the evening after dinner.The talk has a tension created by the mystery of where each man actually stands, and what each will do in the end.But despite the tension, the two men are always cordial, even warm, with each other.

In the end, the only "presence" of God that the monks can be sure of is that which occurs while they pray.On first reading, this seems a frightening prospect, as indicated by the concerns of the traditionalist "triumvirate" of Fathers Manus, Walter, and Matthew.But then we must realize that if prayer doesn't work, then there is nothing to the sacraments; so prayer is the foundation of the sacraments and the first step toward the presence of God among us.

Catholics
This book was purchased as a book club reading. I found the basic story line interesting but characters underdeveloped and the plot uneven. I would not read it again and would not recommend it. ... Read more

Product Description
When an appalling boating accident off the coast of Nice allegedly kills Dr. Alex Davenport, his attractive young wife Marie finds herself in the ironic position of widow of a husband she had been planning to leave for another man. But Alex's body suddenly disappears from the morgue, and his plane ticket and passport are missing. So begins a mystery of hypnotic fascination, involving elements of the bizarre and the supernatural. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

Cold Heaven Left Me Cold
I've never read any of Brian Moore's work previously and honestly plan not to read him again.This book left me hanging in suspense and unsatisfied eventually.The ending was a huge disappointment, Marie's dilemma extremely repetitive and qutie honestly I just didn't get it.Perhaps not being a Catholic made this novel a muddled mass of seemingly unrelated incidents to me.I did not understand the accident and near-death of Marie's husband in relationship to her visions.It left me cold and wanting to return to what I consider better works.

"Unbelieving adultress" & divine intervention
I had read this when it came out originally, since a book review had set up the main plot--which since it is mentioned on this site in summary, it will not be a spoiler now--what if Mary appeared to you and you said, basically, forget it? Fantastic idea, and not a bad book. Moore occupies the space between popular and literary novelist, and this book shows his skill and his shortcomings. The former qualities outweigh the latter. But you gain little sense of people in this work, with oddly some of the minor characters like Sister Anne, Herb Luddington, or at times Father Niles. The supporting cast generally seems, however, there to only advance the maddeningly circular direction of this book.

As a related aside, I have seen the very convent that Moore borrows for his novel. The convent's set off memorably on the inland side of the highway from Big Sur as it nears Carmel, yet the drama of its riparian location and nearby Point Lobos is felt here only sporadically. The sensation of place that needs to be so powerful as to haunt Marie and entice ourselves comes fitfully and intermittently. Instead, we get lots of information about who ordered what from the lodge's waitress or rectory housekeeper or attending nun. These details add little to the novel, and they detract attention from the more disturbing undertow that sweeps Marie along. That is what matters in the story, and this is why we're reading it. Not to find out which characters had what for breakfast.

Luckily, after over 20 years I had forgotten the details that convey what pace or suspense the novel needs to build in order to convince us. Rereading it, I wondered how Moore would carry the ending off, and he delays enough information to keep you curious until he reveals all the details of what Mary said, how she said it, and when. Marie's predicament's kept up to the last line of the novel rather skillfully. Still, the cumulative impact of the novel adds up to less than a sum of the parts: "unbelieving adultress" is how the visionary-protagonist describes herself. Certainly promising material. However, after the initial apparition to Marie's related, the rest of the novel's more concerned with filtering her reactions to the apparition through those she suspects are shadowing her--both seen and unseen messengers of God's will.

A deity neither all-loving or all-merciful, apparently. As in other modern visionary accounts, the divine visits upon the seer a vengeful presence that--and Moore does not raise what would have been a more appropriate context given 20c Marian visions--often threatens doom upon those who do not heed warnings from above. Moore sidesteps any durable connection between what Marie recalls and what others claim they see, and this lack of interest by the omniscient narrator saps the novel's latter half of much potential energy. She's not a very sympathetic character, and while this is appropriate for how the novel progresses, it does leave the reader with nobody else to identify much with.

The whole apocalyptic-vs.-restorative nature of the message Marie reports barely registers. Surely this aspect, given Marie's evident unease, would spark more reactions than the Monsignor's rather sophisticated one. Not that I disagree with this cleric's advice to Marie. It's just that she needed more counter-arguments to heighten the impact of her message and its predicted ramifications. [For two other non-fiction studies since then (both written in the aftermath of the Medjugorge apparitions which began in 1985; intriguingly those claimed of "moving statues" in Moore's native Ireland began also just a couple of years after this novel appeared) see Randall Sullivan's The Miracle Detective and Sandra Zimdars-Swartz' academic but accessible Encountering Mary. For some reason, the same error repeats in Sullivan and Moore: spelling the Mexican site of Guadalupe by the French island's name of Guadaloupe.]

Still, this is a thoughtful, if rather quickly written (so it seems to me in the massive amount of mundane detail and plot points entered into but not fully explored), theological thriller. Not that it's scary in the obvious sense or half-baked like certain more currently famed novels on Catholic skulduggery. It does get under your skin if you let it, despite its flaws. The central theme's so inherently interesting that it allows you as a reader to cut the novel some slack. So, in spite of an uneven pace and too many underdeveloped scenes "Cold Heaven" manages to remain rather plausible in its main character's arc. A feat to be discounted in our determinedly secularized yet stubbornly irrational era!

God as an alien Being
Gripping, absorbing -- Marie Davenport is chosen to witness a revelation of the Virgin Mary, but she refuses to testify and carry out the Virgin's request.

God is described here as an alien Being, whose purposes are inscrutable and not necessarily benign. The scenes in which the Virgin appears to Marie are positively scary; nevertheless Marie has the power to resist the divine will, even though the price of this resistance is very high. For the first time I considered the possibilty of preferring a prosaic, mundane life to one of metaphysical revelation.

On the downside, this book was not always coherent and left too many questions unanswered.

Belief Is In the Eye of the Beholder
This is a failed novel, but a pretty good book.It doesn't really have a plot, but is instead a story designed to illustrate how perceptions shape individual realities.

A woman and her husband vacationing in the south of France have their trip cut short by his fatal accident-well, sort of.Seems he just won't stay put in the morgue.She thinks it has something to do with a vision of the Virgin Mary she once had-even though she long ago renounced her Catholicism.He implies (though never outright states) that he understands why he isn't dead, and doesn't want to be discovered until he has "recovered" from his rigor mortis-ish condition, for fear that he will be regarded as a freak.A nearby convent gets involved in the wife's reluctant vision quest, which she avoids because she doesn't want to attract publicity to her hiding husband or her own affair with another man.

The story is almost a black comedy as written by Dean Koontz.(In fact, Koontz has used variations of these plotlines in his books, namely Strangers, Shadowfires, and Mr. Murder, to name a few.)Nothing is clearly answered or resolved by the end of the story, though there are strong implications made in a number of different directions as to why the bizarre phenomena are occurring.In essence, the reader fills in his own blanks and virtually writes the story of his choice according to whose perceptions he agrees with.It's almost a Rorschach blot for belief systems.

It's also quite a good read.It will definitely not be to everyone's tastes.If you're looking for a comprehensive, standard novel, you'll be horribly disappointed.If you simply want to spend a while walking the line of Faith, examining it from every different angle and psychologically exploring the different human mechanisms of belief, you'll be endlessly fascinated.

Mostly Succeeds
This is the second Brian Moore novel I've read and if there is a pattern emerging it is that his books are intensely readable.I defy you to read the first ten pages of this book and try to set it down. It isn't going to happen.That said, though, the book does not completely succeed from an artistic standpoint.

The story starts off as a simple mystery.An American woman is vacationing in France with her husband.She wants to separate from him and is indeed planning to announce this to him when he is involved in a boating accident and killed.The following day, she returns to the hospital to which he was taken, and is told that his body has disappeared.

Pretty gripping, admittedly, and sure enough, the reader finds himself happily engaged in discovering what this mystery is all about.But very quickly, we sense something unusual about this woman.Her thoughts and actions do not seem normal;in fact, they become somewhat bizarre.It is then that we learn that there is something else going on here;something much larger than the mystery at hand.We realize that the husband's disappearance is only a minor element of this other aspect.

I cannot reveal what it is;it would ruin the experience of the earlier mystery.Let me just say that there is a supernatural element which leads to a thought-provoking theme:what is it that we want from this life?Salvation?Freedom?Privacy?It would appear that not all of us are involved in a lifelong, soul-searching quest for enlightenment, even when it is handed to us on a silver platter.And that this is not necessarily a bad thing.

My complaint with the novel lies in the fact that not all the pieces fit together.There are several threads which are begun and left in the air and one gets the disturbing sense that this was deliberate.They are red herrings meant to deceive us.What were the husband's notes, for example?Much time is spent in showing us his writing them and her searching for them.And then they are never mentioned again.What was that about?And the fat man with the dogs.He appears out of nowhere, seems to have a malevolent presence at several significant events, then vanishes.Why is he even there?Of course, the entire beginning subplot steers us in the wrong direction to begin with.

Clearly, these things are intentional, and I'm not sure why.Leading the reader into blind alleys does not advance the novel thematically or in any other way.But it is nevertheless an enjoyable book, and will inspire at least a little thoughtful introspection on the part of the reader. ... Read more

Product Description
It was a time when the French laid claim to everything, but in truth the wilderness that was Canada belonged to the natives. The Jesuits saw the Savages (as they called them) as souls to be saved. The natives saw the Black Robes (as they called them) as destroyers, threatening the gods and sorceries by which their lives were ordered. Out of that conflict between two cultures, two worlds, Moore has fashioned an extraordinary novel. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (31)

The Cheap Edition
The story in book form is fine and the movie is great. My complaint here is about the crappy presentation in the Plume trade paperback edition. In its rush to get the book out and earning money on the coattails of the movie, Plume did a truly crappy job of scanning the pages. The type is thickened and filled in throughout the book. Some letters are indecipherable black blobs. This is distracting and thus makes it difficult to follow the story. I found that the struggle to read allowed me to progress only a few pages at a time, until I simply gave up.

Publishers need to be called out when their cynical actions--or inaction--ruins the reading experience.

Eric Hammel
Author of Love and Grace and forty military history books

Culture Shock
The action of "Black Robe" takes place in the year 1635 in what is today the Canadian province of Quebec, but which at that period formed part of the French colony of New France. It follows the journey of Father Paul Laforgue, a French Jesuit priest, who travels to an isolated mission station among the Huron Indians. Accompanying him are his young lay assistant, Daniel Davost, whose main reason for undertaking the journey is that he has fallen in love with an Indian girl, and a group of
Algonkin Indians who act as their guides.

The novel is on one level a historical adventure story, but it can also be seen as a study of cultural differences. The French see the Indians as cruel and barbaric and generally refer to them as the Savages. (This is Brian Moore's rendition of the French term "les Sauvages", although he does not point out that this might also be translated as "the wild ones"; the French word "sauvage", unlike the English "savage", does not necessarily carry any implication of ferocity or viciousness). The Indians see the French as greedy and selfish because of their love of possessions and their reluctance to share what they have with others. The greatest cultural differences, however, lie in the area of religion. To the predominantly Catholic French, the spiritual beliefs of the native peoples are no more than primitive superstitions inspired by Satan. The Indians, however, see the French as stupid and ignorant because of their lack of understanding of a key element of the Indian belief system, namely that animals, plants and even inanimate objects such as rocks and rivers all have spirits of their own. They are particularly suspicious of Catholic priests (or "Black Robes") whom they see as sorcerers.

Moore is sometimes bracketed together with Graham Greene as a "Catholic novelist", but there was an important difference between them. Greene was brought up as an Anglican but converted to Catholicism as a young man. Moore, who was born in Belfast but spent most of his life in Canada or the United States, was a "cradle Catholic" who lost his faith but who nevertheless continued to deal with Catholic themes in his writing. It is therefore perhaps unsurprising that Laforgue also finds himself undergoing a loss of faith during his journey. He sets out full of zeal, willing to brave hardship and even the possibility of martyrdom, but later starts to doubt the Divine providence in which he had initially placed his trust.

There is a similarity between this book and Shusaku Endo's "Silence", another work by a "Catholic novelist" about the attempts of 17th century European missionaries to bring salvation to the "heathen" inhabitants of a distant part of the globe. Like Endo's hero Sebastian Rodrigues, Laforgue finds his faith challenged not only by physical suffering but by the spiritual and cultural "otherness" of the people among whom he is living. The question constantly in his mind is "could Christ really have died for such people?" For Daniel, the Indians are more Christ-like than the Europeans, and they do indeed have some positive qualities, such as their generosity and their powers of forgiveness. In other respects, however, they strike Laforgue as utterly alien and barbaric. Forgiveness can only be extended to members of one's own tribe; enemy tribes are treated with utter ruthlessness. The book's most harrowing scenes come when Laforgue and his party are captured by the Iroquois, the deadly enemies of the Algonkins, and subjected to horrifying tortures. Even those Indians who have converted to Christianity have not done so out of deep conviction or understanding of their new faith, but because they believe the "Black Robes" to be more powerful sorcerers than their own medicine men.

Some have criticised the book for the amount of foul language contained in it, although it is clear from Moore's "author's note" that this was done quite deliberately in order to give an idea of the Indians' way of speaking and to emphasise the cultural differences between the two sides. It would appear that in the Algonkin language it was commonplace to use sexual or scatological terms as expletives, something which the missionaries found deeply shocking. Something similar, of course, also happens in many European languages, but with the important difference that the Indians did not regard such usages as being vulgar, offensive or taboo in the way that we do.

The themes of cultural and religious differences are well handled, at least from the European perspective. None of the Indian characters are as powerfully drawn as Laforgue, even though Moore tries to relate part of the narrative from their point of view. This is, perhaps, only to have been expected from a European writer; it was doubtless much easier for him to think his way into the mind of a Jesuit priest than into the mind of a Native American. Moore may have rejected the Catholic faith of his youth, but would nevertheless have been very familiar with the Catholic mindset. (Endo perhaps handled his theme with greater balance; being Japanese by nationality and Catholic by religion he had, so to speak, a foot in both camps).

This was only the second of Moore's books which I have read, and I must say that I enjoyed it a lot more than the first, "The Colour of Blood", a dull and politically obtuse thriller set in the Eastern Europe of the 1980s. The book's main weakness was that it stuck too closely to the adventure-story format, culminating in a denouement which, like the previous reviewer, I found an implausible deus ex machina. (This particular plot device, moreover, is a very hackneyed one; it was used not only by Twain in his "A Connecticut Yankee" but also by Rider Haggard in "King Solomon's Mines"). Nevertheless, Moore's handling of his central theme makes this a novel worth reading.

Another clash of cultures -- this one in the wilds of 17th-Century North America
Essentially, BLACK ROBE is about the clash between cultures and the impossibility of their truly understanding one another and peacefully intermingling if they are based on different religious systems and worldviews (especially so if at least one is evangelical in nature).Here, the colliding cultures are the French settlers of Canada of about 1630 and indigenous Natives -- specifically, Algonquians, Iroquois, and Hurons.

The central figure of the novel is Father Paul Laforgue, who, along with a young companion and protector Daniel Davost, is sent by the Jesuits (with the approval of Samuel de Champlain) from Quebec to a mission among the Huron Indians along Lake Nipissing.In exchange for six muskets, a band of Algonquians agree to escort Laforgue and Davost up the Ottawa River.All sorts of complications and obstacles arise:Laforgue becomes ill and weak from an infection; Davost takes up with an Indian girl; the Algonquians decide to double-cross Laforgue and Davost and abandon them; Laforgue and Davost and a family of four Algonquians are captured and tortured by a band of Iroquois; etc., etc.Near the end, Laforgue is saved from being dismembered, boiled, and eaten by an instance of deus ex machina a la the Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's court.It is a bit much.

The plot is strained, even more so the philosophical and religious conversations that occur from time to time.Implausibility eventually is overtaken by preposterousness.

The novel does have its strengths, however.First, it contains a thoroughgoing depiction of the lifestyles and beliefs of the Indians of the North, which, based on my amateur understanding, is sound from an anthropological/ethnological perspective.Among the aspects of Indian life that are highlighted are their propensity for the brutal torture of enemies and even cannibalism, their deference to dreams, their free (indeed, randy) sexual practices, their ribald and irreverent language, and their belief in spirits.(Some readers might feel that Moore is rather heavy-handed in depicting some of these aspects of Indian life.)More generally, BLACK ROBE is also sound in its depiction of the French excursion into Canada in its various aspects - political, evangelical, and commercial.I have seen the novel referred to as an historical novel, and that is fair.

But the novel, surely, is most memorable, and most worth reading, for its portrayal of the collision of cultures, how the two really cannot understand one another and how they corrupt one another.At times, the reader can't help but wonder whether it is the Indians or the French who are more alien.And inevitably the novel prompts comparisons with more modern parallels.Probably the one foremost in Moore's mind - given that he hailed from Northern Ireland and the book was written in 1985 - was The Troubles.The one foremost in today's reader's mind is, of course, secular West versus fundamental Islam.For example: Jesuit priests who yearn for and assiduously prepare themselves for the glory of martyrdom in God's service have an obvious counterpart of sorts in modern suicide bombers.

But the strengths of the novel do not offset the narrative weaknesses sufficiently to warrant more than 3.5 stars.

Missing page 29
Order 1, it was missing page 29.Returned it and was shipped another and it was missing page 29.I didn't read farther than that so I don't know much about the book.

Wonderful Shocking Read
I read this on the way to work -- short snippets of 15 minutes on the underground. As I approached the last 50 pages however I just had to take to replacing my late-night reading with this book at home.

I liked the book a lot and would recommend it. It does accord well with much of the true historical studies of early North American Indians and the cultural clash with Europeans. Some of it shocking indeed by present standards.

I should state that there is nothing in this book meant to appeal to either the cultural relativists of the left or the neocolonialists who see any interaction of Native Aboriginals (First Nations People) as an exercise in preordained cultural enslavement. The main interesting question explored by the book is: who aculturates whom? In this book the French are largely subsumed into the culture and ways of the native peoples. Even our hero Laforge has doubts about his way with God in the face of the rather logical local beliefs.

Laforge's doubts are also not of a contemporary kind. He does not so much doubt God, but doubts God's way in the life of the people that surround him. The wonderful part of the book is the sort of metamorphosis in his faith to one that redeems both himself and the native peoples he is with. It is a rejoice of the love of God as he sees it. Not one of wrath and dubious casuistry he eventually escapes.

In the end I am not really sure where Moore is heading with this book. But that is part of the beauty of it. The ending and the meaning have many interpretations. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Fascinating Story
What a wonderful story!I was amazed that the author is a man.The character of Sheila Redden is so believable and your sympathy is with her even though she is about to leave her son.Ordinarily that would lose me as far as any compassion is concerned.I really enjoy Mr. Moore's style of writing and plan on reading all of his other books.

Moore is the Picasso of the modern romance novel!
Wow! What a book! I don't usually read romance novels, and I'm still unsure as to what compelled me to buy this one. But whatever the reason, I'm glad I did!

Had someone handed me this book to read, stripped of its cover thus leaving me no clue as to whom had written it, never in a million years would I have guessed the author to be a man!
Brian Moore should be commended for his impressive ability at bringing to life the totally believable female character portrayed in this book. Few male writers can successfully execute on paper such a vivid and candid depiction of a middle-aged woman in turmoil--the revealing of her innermost thoughts about herself and the world around her as she grapples with the sensitive issues of aging and sexuality.

Anticipating her husband's arrival in France to celebrate their second honeymoon, Sheila Redden dreams of rekindling the passions and excitement once present in their stale, sixteen-year marriage. However, disillusioned by his many excuses for not showing up to meet her, Sheila soon becomes painfully aware that her husband's busy schedule with tending patients takes precedence over her happiness. Lonely and deeply hurt, Sheila does what I guess many emotionally-neglected wives would do--she has an affair. I don't think that she intentionally went out looking to get laid--it was just something that happened quite naturally given the vulnerable state of mind she was in at the time. What starts out as a seemingly innocent enough chat with a handsome young American in a Paris diner, suddenly magnifies into something far more serious. Riddled with guilt, yet driven by the desire to walk away from her loveless marriage in favor of a more independent life, Sheila confesses to her husband (over the phone!) that she is in love with another man. What follows Sheila's confession is an unexpected train of events that will drastically change the lives of all of those she touches.

As I've said before--Wow! What a book! This is one of those
'once upon a time' fairy tale romances, but one in which no one at the end rides off into the sunset happily ever after.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to just kick back and enjoy a good ole' fashioned, brilliantly-written romance novel. But be forewarned--some of the lovemaking scenes are quite explicit.

TWO THUMBS UP FOR THIS THOROUGHLY ENJOYABLE NOVEL!

Heartfelt reading
Wonderfully romantic reading, but not sappy or "unreal"......I loved this book from page one until the end.........a woman's awakening to her life.Highly recommend it.

A disturbingly real tale of a woman's awakening.
Smart, quiet, shy, too tall, Sheila had never been on her own. She went from dependence on her parents to dependence on a husband. After 15 years of marriage, a long-planned 2nd honeymoon sets into motion the chain ofevents which leads her away from her safe, ordered, boring existence, andawakens a desire for autonomy.

Moore's cool, precise, detached prosesteers the reader through an emotional storm. If anything, this coolnessenhances the intensely erotic scenes in the story.As always with BrianMoore, the tale seems to be driven by its own internal workings, and thepersonalities of its characters. Yet the ending is neither staid norpredictable. You will not be able to put this book down easily, or to putit out of your mind until long after you have finished reading it. ... Read more

Product Description
This volume is part of a series of novels, plays and stories at GCSE/Key Stage 4 level, designed to meet the needs of the National Curriculum syllabus. Each text includes an introduction, pre-reading activities, notes and coursework activities. Also provided is a section on the process of writing, often compiled by the author. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (33)

contemporary political fiction
If you like a terse writing style and a compelling story, this relatively short novel will suit you. Set in Northern Ireland during "The Troubles," the book presents a quintessential human dilemma that most of us have contemplated in our minds: Given the choice, would I save a single person that I know and love, or many people that I do not know? Moore's writing style reminds me of Ian McEwan, but with slightly less eloquence.

The author takes great risks and pulls it off...Wow!
This novel starts out at a deceptively languid pace and then rivets the tension up in an instant. Michael Dillon, an average hotel manager, is planning to ask his wife for a divorce. On the same evening, his life is turned upside down when two men burst into his home and hold his wife at gunpoint, asking him to carry a car loaded with a bomb to a specific destination - that or his wife will be killed.
If you think the plot sounds formulaic, think again. It veers off in all sorts of unpredictable directions as Dillon's private life suddenly becomes very public, his wife turns out to be far nobler than anyone might expect, etc.
Think about what sort of choices YOU might make if the eyes of the world were suddenly turned your way and every move you made was dissected and analyzed under a public microscope. Fascinating look at Irish politics and the tension between public and personal loyalties.

The Deadliest Sin
Moore was a first-rate writer in the Graham Greene mode who failed to engage the interest of the literati and is slowly fading away as a result. "Lies of Silence" is as good an example as any as to why he deserves better.

The theme is sloth, the unwillingness to spiritually engage with anything that matters. Moore takes a typical disoriented, rootless modern type and places him in a situation where he *must* engage, then ruthlessly portrays the consequences of his failure. Moore's inference that our inability to deal decisively with terrorism is directly related to the contemporary spiritual vacuum was years ahead of its time, and is not going to lose its pertinence any time soon.

Other outstanding works by Moore include "The Doctor's Wife", "The Mangan Inheritance", and "Black Robe".

Book review: Brian Moore - Lies of silence
Lies of silence is the most boring book i've ever read. What Brian Moore discribes on ca.130 pages could have benn written on max. 2 pages. In this book nothing really intersting happens. Anti-IRA-tirades, changing attitudes and two main characters who don't know what they really want. And this on 130pages repeating itself...

Thrilling to the end
Lies of silence is a really thrilling story about a hotel manager, Micheal Dillon who has to choose between the life of his wife and that of about a hundred other people. What will he do?
Brian Moore is a terrific writer, he describes everything in such a detailed way, you can almost feel the wind in your face as Micheal is walking around. The book gives you a lot of background information about the troubles in Northern Ireland and is written in such a way that you are drawn immidiatelly into it. The best thing about this story is that it makes you think: What would I do if I had to make these choices, would you do the same as Micheal? ... Read more

Product Description

Who knows what Brian May was thinking when he wrote "We Will Rock You" for Queen? As a lifelong astrophysics aficionado, he may have been thinking about the origins of the universe. He's certainly been thinking about it lately. May, a freshly minted astrophysics Ph.D., joins forces with legendary astronomer Patrick Moore and astrophysicist Chris Lintott in Bang! to consider the history of the universe from the Big Bang to Heat Death.

Space, time, and matter were birthed 13.7 billion years ago and will continue on longer than we are able to comprehend. Infinitesimally small at first, the Universe is immense and ever expanding. Bang! explains how it all started, takes you on a tour of what is known about the evolution of the Universe, and posits how the end of time will come about.

This fascinating book includes photographs, short biographies of key figures, an at-a-glance timeline, a glossary of terms, and suggested resources for further exploration.

Based on the work of history's most brilliant scientific minds, this amazing story features clear, straightforward discussions of the most perplexing and compelling aspects of existence -- from the formation of stars, planets, and other galactic bodies to black holes, quasars, anti-matter, and dark matter to the emergence of life and the possibility that it could exist elsewhere.

Pick up a copy of Bang! It will, it will rock you.

Customer Reviews (13)

Excellent Cosmology Book!
Sir Patrick Moore (an amateur astronomer and music composer) and his two colleagues Brian May (astronomer/guitarist/songwriter from Queen) and Chris Lintott (astrophysicist) combined forces to produce an excellent book on the history of the universe!

From the cool 3-D cover concept (designed by May) to the theory of the big rip about the end of the universe, the book contains detailed information about many different topics such as the sun, neutrinos, the discovery of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) that gave the big bang theory a boost, Sir Isaac Newton's prism experiment to split white light into its component colors, supernovae, gamma-ray bursts, the emergence of life, and not yet fully understood topics such as the mysterious dark matter and dark energy.
The book also features stunning color pictures by the Hubble Space Telescope, some made by the authors themselves, a glossary, and 'practical astronomy' section designed to help you make the best of your sky observations.

If you have an astronomy interest, then try this great book and learn about the leading theories about the universe's formation and how it may end!
Thanks for taking the time to read!
Later...

Perfect Introduction
This book is a perfect introduction to the science of cosmology for those with little or no knowledge or education on the subject. It explains the origins and evolution of the universe in a well written simplified but comprehensible manner and introduces complex theories such as inflation and even general relativity. The authors also successfully describe some of the relationships between cosmology and quantum/atomic physics, again in a manner comprehensible to the person with noscience education beyond high school. In fact even though I took a college level cosmologyclass years ago I found the book very interesting and useful in that it informed me of the latest theories and discoveries over the past years which I was not fully aware of. The illustrations and photographs are wonderful in themselves plus they add to one's understanding of the concepts discussed and described by the authors. Highly recommended for all ages and for all levels of education in this topic.

Awesome
Very comprehencive. Lots of great pictures and information. This book is geared to an adult mind. If you are looking for something to explain things to a younger mind you should keep looking. I, however, found it wonderful. (age 63)

2.nd edition
I expected to receive the first edition (as advertised) - more valuable as a collector item. Anyway - it is very well written and a truly enjoyable reading. In just a couple of days I changed my mind about my very own existence (and of the Universe), and ultimately it will be present in every key aspects of my life, just as I expected, and just as any well written Queen song I recall. It's an intriguing poetry-science book - pretencious in title, but absolutetly acessible to ordinary people.

It Will Rock You...!
I heard a Brian May NPR interview shortly after this book was published and was fascinated by his passion for both rock music and astrophysics - quite a combination. I'd known that May studied the subject before Queen hit the big time but hadn't heard him speak about it before so this book, and his Doctorate degree came as quite a surprise.

I was a bit skeptical about "Bang!! The Complete History of the Universe" but intrigued as well, especially when I saw the two co-authors, Patrick Moore and Chris Lintott, and I must say that the book did not let me down."Bang!" is a quite comprehensive, but very approachable primer on the latest 'birth of the universe' theories.Written in a highly engaging, but not simplistic, style and beautifully illustrated, it is an outstanding introduction to astrophysics for the novice and a great review of current theories for the more knowledgeable.

The fact that Dr. May's name on the cover may bring readers that would not normally pick up a book like this is just icing on the cake.

Kudos to all involved! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Eileen's education/vacation!
I love how Moore flings us headlong into the abrupt mid-action opening sentences of this story... "What do you mean there's no room for her?" Bernard said. "Didn't you get my letter?"

It's like that old television quip: "We now return you to programming already in progress..." The opening scene here is the front desk of a prestigious London hotel, within sight of Buckingham Palace. 34 year old Ulster businessman Bernard McAuley is straightening out what seems to be a screw-up in the reservations. Eileen Hughes, twenty years old and never before out of Northern Ireland, has just arrived with Bernard and his wife Mona, who are not only her employers but also, (she believes) her greatest friends. They've invited her on one of their jaunts. The worldly-wise Mona seems to have adopted the virginal-innocent Eileen as her special pet. Bernard is obsessed (in opposite ways) with BOTH of them... and for the time being, Eileen is completely unaware of the extent of Bernard's posessive love of her - expressed in his wish to give her everything she desires. She will not be unaware for long. Bernard soon goes against his better judgment and confesses that he wishes to posess her as one would posess a religious icon or aesthetic artefact.

The action of the book is compressed into two days (with an introductory day and a few brief scenes on later days) and during this time Bernard's excessive (and oddly platonic, or as Bernard refers to it "courtly") devotion to Eileen leads her to a sharp recognition of the madness in which she is trapped... and leads Bernard to drunken, suicidal despair. And what of Mona? Goodness... she's too busy shopping and courting her own lovers to be concerned with either of them!

Eileen discovers that nothing between the McAuleys, or between the McAuley's and herself, is as she imagined it to be. She is tempted... in many ways, and in many directions in the course of this vacation. She is bombarded with new experiences... including the initiation into marijuana and sex by a casual American stud/hippie whom she meets in the hotel.

What will she choose in regard to her temptations? The intoxicating adventure and glamour represented by European cities... held out to her on a platter by Bernard? Or a return to her dreary life in Lismore, Northern Ireland where she lives with her widowed invalid mother? How will her decisions affect her, and the other people involved? A great story, economically told. (only 200 pages). Ends before you want it to.

The Temptation of Eileen Hughes
The late, greatIrish Canadian writer Brian Moore wrote 19 anguished and profound novels in the middle third of this century.During his life, Graham Greene, no mean writer himself, referred to Mr. Moore as thegreatest living writer in the English language.Despite this and similarencomiums, few if any appear to read his novels now -- as witnessed by thefact that I seem to be the first reviewer for this book onAmazon.com.

The temptation of Eileen Hughes is told from her perspective,even though it is narrated in the third person.Eileen has been working asan assistant to a young, extremely wealthy woman barely older than herself,Mona McAuley. Eileen appears to be Mona's protégé.She has been working inMona's shop, and over the past several months, has been slowly promoted toa position of some authority and is apparently destined to be Mona's secondin command. When Mona and her husband Bernard go on vacation to England,Eileen is invited to company them, apparently on Mona's whim.As the novelbegins, the trio have just arrived in England and Bernard is displeasedthat Eileen has to stay in a small maid's room, because of a mix up overtheir reservations . Only as the novel unfolds do we realize that it isBernard who is infatuated with Eileen, and who has forced Mona to inviteEileen to join them, much to Mona's dissatisfaction.Brian is an elusivebut interesting individual and we learn about him slowly, but nevercompletely and always filtered through the prism of Eileen's perspective. At the beginning of the novel, she knows him only distantly, as Mona'ssuccessful husband -- the richest man in town, the owner of a prominentbusiness, the only Catholic in an exclusive residential neighborhood inLismore and sporting the requisite exquisitely beautiful young trophy wife.

Before long, we learn the reasons for Mona's displeasure over Eileen'spresence on the trip. For Mona has her own agenda.We learn that Brian hasnot had conjugal relations with Mona in a long time, apparently seekingsatisfaction in masturbation alone in his own room, surrounded by his booksand work. This has resulted, on an earlier occasion, in Monahaving anaffair with someone in Lismore.Despite their sexual incompatibilities,Mona is completely under Bernard's control for economic reasons. Bernardfinds the possibility of scandal resulting from Mona's affairs within theirown town unacceptable, and the couple have come to tacit agreement that shewill conduct her affairs only when to away from Ireland on their businessand vacation trips.Eileen witnesses Mona's sexual escapades early and isappalled by them.

The husband Brian is an ascetic, withdrawn from peopleaside from his business contacts.He is obsessed with religion and welearn that before returning home to his father's business, he had sought tojoin the seminary andthe priesthood.He has had a nervous breakdown inhis search of God. In one of his anguished speeches to Eileen towards themiddle of the book, he accuses her of spurning him just as God had doneearlier.His return to settle down into the mundane business of makingmoney has clearly been a hiatus in his grander quest.Something inEileen's beauty, purity and innocence triggers his more profound and deeplyingrained spiritual quest. He merely seeks to adore her, to construct anew, grand house as a shrine to her and to worship her from a far.He hasnot meant to reveal to her his infatuation with her.However, on one oftheir trips to a grand house in London, she tells them how wonderful itmight be to live in a grand house such as the one they have just visited. This causes him to blurt out to her his own plans of building her a largehouse where he, Mona and she can live together. The surprised anddistracted Eileen thinks to herself that this is the kind of declarationthat she would like to hear her from some boy her own age, not this man oldenough to be her father.The innocent, inexperienced and unsophisticatedEileen does not realize that Bernard's feelings for her are not ones thatcould be expected from a boy her own age.His longing for her is notsexual, it is of a neurotic nature, and it is the displaced passion of thereligious fanatic.Later, Eileen appreciates the level of despair thatBernard must feel, to realize that the object of his adoration does notreciprocate his passion even an iota.This appreciation makes her golooking for him and finds him in what could well be his second attempt atsuicide.Her refusal has caused Bernard to slide into a depressive episodesimilar to one that he has clearly experienced on earlier occasion. Eileenand her transient and somewhat ludicrous Americanboyfriend save him.Theanguished longing that Brian feels for Eileen is in stark contrast to thesuperficial but far more successful interest that the American young manfeels for her.For him Eileen is a beautiful young woman suitable for aquake romp in the hay.He seduction of Eileen is both comical and highly unrealistic.We had been told that Eileen is 20 years old and has neverhad boyfriend or any sexual experience.And yet, her very first sexualexperience is so casual and her seduction by this young American she hasmet for the very first time so effortless that it causes the reader toquestion the plausibility of the whole sequence.

When the Temptation ofEileen Hughes first appeared, it was reviewed as one of Brian Moore'slesser works.In a review in the New York Times Book supplement, JoyceCarol Oates suggested that anyone introducing himself or herself to theBrian Moore ouvre should choose a more profound book than this.Morerecent overviews of the Brian Moore canon in the London Times booksupplement barely mention the Temptation of Eileen Hughes in passing,noting its structural defects.There is little doubt but that there areproblems with this book.For one, the book is told from the viewpoint ofthe least interesting character.Eileen, apart from her apparent innocenceand great beauty, has little if any personality.Her reflections andthoughts are banal and her resistance to the temptations offered by herrich patrons appears to be basedmore on a childlike obstinacy than anydeeply felt philosophical or principled point of view... ... Read more

Product Description

The Practical Guide to Lightcurve Photometry and Analysis provides those with access to even a modest telescope and a CCD camera the background and detailed steps to take part in important astronomical research. Readers learn about the joint projects in which they can take part, as well as the techniques of gathering, analyzing, and then publishing their data. The primary market for this book is amateur astronomers, but undergraduate students will also find its easy going friendly style ideal for help with their studies in this subject. There is of course more to lightcurve photometry than simply taking pictures. For the results to be of value, the data must be gathered and processed in certain ways so that it is both meaningful and can be used by others for analysis. The book contains enough background material (theory) for the reader to understand – and avoid – the pitfalls in the process. More important, there are detailed examples provided for how to obtain data and, for many, the more exciting and rewarding effort of analyzing the data to determine various properties of the object being studied. Under "choosing the right software," the author looks critically at the commercially-available packages, providing screen shots and useful advice. Amateur astronomers who wants to go beyond mere imaging with a CCD camera will find everything ithat they need in the book to take a step into ‘real’ science.

Customer Reviews (5)

An Excellent Primer on Photometry
With a few hundred dollars of equipment and this book, a newbie amateur astronomer can make contributions to astronomy and science that were impossible just twenty years ago. Anyone who wants to go beyond the "Wow!" of Hubble pictures and explore the "How?" and "Why?" should read this book.

A Practical Guide to Lightcurve Photometry and Analysis
This is a useful book, but I find the number of typos in equations and the discussion of the text annoying. I say this after going through Henden and Kaitchuck, Hall and Genet, and Romanishin's textbooks on photometry and I can say I needed these references in addition to this book to get the most benefit from this book.The typos are being addressed by Brian Warner on his website (search minorplanetobserver to reach the site) and here is now an errata available in pdf format. This is to be applauded and will definitely make the book more useful. Kudos to Brian Warner for doing this. Springer should take more responsibility for this though since they publish these advanced amateur guides and charge textbook prices for them.Other books in the Springer series I have bought also suffer from more typos than average and this can only be attributed to lax editorial supervision.Springer should do better.

I like this book a lot, but it is short and the text needs supplementing with other sources.The author admits this and suggests Henden and Kaitchuck. There are references to sources in the text that are not in the index or the endnotes and an update to the index to fix this would help the book too.For example, the author cites the first edition of this book for a longer discussion of certain topics and then you find out that the first edition was privately published and is not easily found.I think you can request a copy from Brian Warner though.

There are few works aimed at this level though that discuss photometry with CCD's instead of older equipment so the book fills a valuable niche.There are worked examples in the appendices and the author shares his practical experience and workflow suggestions in the main text. These are worth the price of the book and make it one of the better guides out now for students and amateurs trying to start photometry.

I just wish the book referenced fundamental formulae more and depended less on references to commercial software products.It does assume the user will be using some commercial photometry package and Excel type spreadsheets for analysis and this is probably true for the intended audience.

Excellent publication
Can highly recommend this book. Has all the needed elements for getting started with photometry. In combination with the MPO software for photometry and telescope/camera control this book is a must.

Great Introduction to Photometry
This is a great book for the amateur astronomer who wishes to learn about photometry. It is well within the grasp of undergraduates and motivated high school astronomers. Warner's writing style is engaging and clear. The chapters are a step-by-step trip from an overview of how photometry is used in astronomy to the basics of photometry to publishing your results. Beginning variable star observers will find a wealth of excellent information. Those interested in asteroid lightcurves will find all the essentials. Warner shows how to analyze the data using standard tools such as spreadsheets. But, once you get serious, you should really consider obtaining Warner's Canopus program which is mentioned in the text.

quick intro to photometry
The book is all about combining a little optical telescope and a CCD camera to good effect. Plus a personal computer. Warner teaches the basics of photometry, without you needing a university lab. These days, the materials required for the book should be readily affordable to many readers, especially if they are already amateur astronomers.

Key concepts like air mass, and the signal to noise ratio and colour indices are used in a straightforward manner. Which greatly helps you learning these ideas.

The book is a little short, however. The lessons are in the first two thirds. While the last third of the book is various appendices. ... Read more

Product Description
Now available in a Fifth Edition, An Introduction to the Psychology of Hearing is the leading textbook in the field of auditory perception-also known as psychoacoustics. The Fifth Edition has been thoroughly updated, with more than 200 references to articles and books published since 1996. The book describes the relationships between the characteristics of the sounds that enter the ear and the sensations that they produce. Wherever possible these relationships are specified in terms of the underlying mechanisms. In other words, the goal is to impart an understanding of what the auditory system does and how it works. Topics covered include the physics of sound, the physiology of the auditory system, frequency selectivity and masking, loudness perception, temporal analysis, pitch perception, sound localization, timbre perception, the perceptual organization of complex auditory "scenes", speech perception, and practical applications such as hearing aids, cochlear implants, and high-fidelity sound reproduction. The book starts from basic principles, and does not assume prior knowledge about hearing. Research results are not just described, but are interpreted and evaluated. The book includes extensive references to recent research so that those interested in a specific area can readily obtain more detailed information.

Designed for advanced undergraduate and graduate level courses in psychology, speech and hearing sciences, and audiology

Will appeal to researchers and professionals involved in sound and hearing, such as audio engineers, otologists, hearing-aid designers, audiologists, and hearing aid dispensers

Emphasis on the mechanisms underlying auditory perception with key concepts clearly explained ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Great handy book
This is a really good book to give you an overview of hearing and different tests that are used in the field of audiology.

A Good One
This book is comprehensive and well-written.Difficult concepts are explained clearly.The word "Introduction" in the title is deceiving, as the book is very thorough.

Maybe the best
This book is one of my absolute favorites among the hearing research books. It covers all the basic themes and often gives very recent citations. So it is interesting to read that in some tinnitus patients ears the frequency is emitted from the ear! But together with this is the problem of the book associated: it is a little bit short. But all in all it is great to read and a wonderful inspiring book. Highly recommended also for beginners.

Must-read for those interested in auditory perception
This is the standard text for those interested in psychoacoustics.Inaddition to being authoritative, it is an excellent read.One of the fewtechnical books I've actually read cover-to-cover more than once, and aninvaluable reference. ... Read more

Product Description
One of the most famous Batman stories of all time is offered for the first time in hardcover in this special twentieth-anniversary edition.

This is the unforgettable that forever changed Batman's world, adding a new element of darkness with its unflinching portrayal ofThe Joker's twisted psyche.

Writer Alan Moore, acclaimed author of WATCHMEN and V FOR VENDETTA, offers his take on the disturbing relationship between The Dark Knight and his greatest foe.The Clown Prince of Crime has never been more ruthless than in this brutal tale.

This special new edition also includes a story written and exquisitely illustrated by Brian Bolland.Amazon.com Review
The Killing Joke, one of my favorite Batman storiesever, stirred a bit of controversy because the story involves theJoker brutally, pointlessly shooting Commissioner Gordon's daughter inthe spine. This is a no-holds-barred take on a truly insane criminalmind, masterfully written by British comics writer Alan Moore. The artby Brian Bolland is so appealing that his depiction of the Jokerbecame a standard and was imitated by many artists to follow. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (249)

The Inner Workings of Joker (Today)
What "The Killing Joke" does more than anything else is explore the inner workings of the Joker and the complex relationship that exists between Batman and Joker. There is a powerful story here about the line that separates a normal person from insanity, and the things that can make a person cross it. Of course, the Joker also learns a lesson here, or would if he was capable.

A Traditional Batman Story...For About Five Pages
"So when you find yourself locked onto an unpleasant train of thought, heading for the places in your past where the screaming is unbearable, remember there's always madness. Madness is the Emergency Exit. You can just step outside, and close the door on all those dreadful things that happened. You can lock them away. Forever."

The Killing Joke is the familiar story of Batman and the Joker. We see the Joker begin his plan, some hints at the Joker's origin, and then Comissionar Gordon and his daughter, Barbra, are at home, and the doorbell is ringing...

The Joker enters and, with no preamble whatsoever, blows both Barbara's spine and any pretences of the rules away.

The Killing Joke is a psychological battle a personal duel between Batman and the Joker, where the stakes are reality. Convinced that all the separates sane from insane, perception from reality, is "one bad day," the Joker puts Gordon through hell unimaginable. Shown photographs of his wounded, nude daughter. Stripped naked and surrounded by the deformed and the deranged. Subjected to the Joker's arguments and ministrations. By the end of it, the Joker knows, he will be insane.

The Joker is a mockery of everything that is human. Having seen beyond us, he is the master of everything that we are and hold dear. He is practically asexual himself, yet he strips Barbra and shows Gordon the pictures, all to destroy the man. At the height of his power in the novel, he speaks to his minions, those who have been enlightened, about humanity, and he does it by describing a creature in a cage, something obsolete, interesting in the same way as any specimen is, any part of the past, but something hopelessly inferior nonetheless. His expressions and poses are as manic as his dialogue. At times, he's scared and almost comically intimidated, at others he's maniacal, others terrified, and, at some times, he's simply hidden by shadow:


Of course, Batman shows up, invited by the Joker. The two are opposites, diametrically opposed and fated to clash again and again:

"I've been thinking lately. About you and me...We're going to kill each other, aren't we? Perhaps you'll kill me. Perhaps I'll kill you. Perhaps sooner. Perhaps later...Are you listening to me? It's life and death that we're discussing here. Maybe my death. Maybe yours."

Batman and the Joker are opposites, yes, but they are more than that. They are two heads of the same man, victims to that same One Bad Day, each taking a different lesson from their catalyst. The Joker dedicated himself to destroying that existence that he'd once had, proving to the rest of the world that darkness is all that matters. Batman dedicated his life to preserving the reality that he no longer shares.

The Killing Joke is marred by two flaws. The first, and the lesser, of the two, is Gordon's sanity at the end. Now, I'm not disputing the end result. What I do have a problem with is that we never really see him change, at all. I don't know if a man would truly break, no matter the man, in circumstances like those here, as the Joker claims, but it's clear that it would change him. While I'm sure that Gordon does change, in the course of the narrative, we don't see it. We see his horrified, naked figure as he's tormented, we see him a cage, and then, at the end, we see him say: "I want him brought in by the book." There's no indication that Gordon felt anything at all; we are kept entirely out of his head, leaving us with a perfect picture of both extremes, but nothing much in the middle, no real grasp of how the common man fits into the picture.

My other complaint stems from Gordon's aforementioned line. Let's look at that for a second: "I want him brought in by the book." Uh, by the book? Excuse me? I'm pretty sure that the book does not include a masked vigilante chasing down the criminals, beating them to a bloody pulp, and then handing over the leftovers. In fact, I'm pretty sure that that's as far from any police procedural as you can get.

The second flaw is far more important. The Killing Joke is a novel that explores the human psyche, but it's one that does so from firmly within the formula of its genre, and it even goes so far as to call attention to the tropes that it's obeying...because. At times, it's hard to feel like anything in The Killing Joke matters. Batman's sending Joker back to Arkham, but neither character even bothers to pretend it's the last time, and both of them openly acknowledge that there will be a final showdown someday, but certainly not here. The possibility that maybe Batman won't find the Joker, or that the Joker will win, or that he'll get away, none of that is even considered here.

The atmosphere and psychological aspects of The Killing Joke come off brilliantly, but the page turning suspense that one assumes to be the core of a super hero comic is totally missing. Still, if you're a Batman fan, or are just curious about the genre, this is an essential read.

Batman: The Killing Joke
For first timers: if you need to know how the Joker began, this sort of answered the questions for me when I obtained a copy of this book in 1988 when it was first released. (but in a modern replication of the originalJoker's beginning as shown in classic Batman & Joker stories by Bob Kane and his writers/ artists.. )
I still have it with me to this day among my collection. I think Brian Bollard's art is awesome, he also did a brilliant job on his front cover artworks of Wonder Woman comics in 1990s.
This book has become a memorable read.. I still think of its story in my mind without reading it.. the artwork of the raining creating puddles is inspiring.

I recommend it.

Short and sweet, with a twist. A new favorite!
I was expecting a graphic novel not a dinky little magazine. When I opened the package I felt ripped off. Basically the size is very disappointing. I'm new to the world of graphic novels, so, I'm used to getting a substantial book of sorts, which I've discovered is actually a series combined. Anyway - Decided to read it, and put it back up for resale.... After 30 minutes I put the appropriately named 'novel' right up beside my new collection including Year one and DKR. It manages to immerse you into the world of Gotham, quickly and efficiently. Then without compromise, and quite suddenly show you the true potential of The Joker.

It's a stretch to buy the hardcover in my opinion, unless you're diehard, but the softcover price was well worth the read. Not to mention, the Art is among the best I've seen in my short love affair of Graphic Novels.

Easily the best Joker story.
When I first started really getting into Batman, I kept hearing about the Killing Joke, and how great it was. I decided to check it out and realized it was very short. I still ended up buying it, hoping the story would be worth it. It very much was.Out of all my comics/graphic novels, I have read this one the most. The art is great, and the story is so good, it was written into continuity, even though it really wasn't supposed to. The hardcover also includes a quick story which is ok, but overall kind of forgetable. Definately pick this one up. You'll want to read it over and over. ... Read more

Product Description
Hearing is a comprehensive, authoritative reference work covering both the physiological and perceptual aspects of hearing. Intended for researchers and advanced students in the field of hearing, it reviews major areas of research in addition to new discoveries, including active mechanisms in the cochlea, across-channel processes in auditory masking, and perceptual grouping processes.

Key Features
* Covers both physiological and perceptual aspects of hearing
* Authoritative reviews by experts in the field
* Comprehensive up-to-date coverage
* An integrated work with extensive cross-references between chapters ... Read more

Product Description
Focusing on the critical years after the abolition of slavery (1838-1900), Brian Moore examines the interplay between diverse cultures and the impact of these complex relationships on the development and structure of a colonial multiracial society. ... Read more

Product Description
'They've kicked it away again, for God's sake!', 'You halfwit!', there's nothing traditional about Brian Moore's style of commentary but then there's not much that's traditional about the man. Brian Moore made his name, of course, as a take-no-prisoners hooker at the heart of the England rugby team's pack, one of the game's original hard men at a time when rugby was still an amateur sport. And since his retirement he has earned a reputation as a similarly unforgiving pundit, never afraid to tell it like it is and give an earful to anyone unlucky enough to meet with his disapproval.In this controversial, funny and forthright collection of thoughts and writings, Brian Moore sets the world to rights in his own inimitable fashion. Ranging from the problems with the England rugby team today to the 'soap opera' that is the FA, the feeble state of British tennis and the threats posed by corruption and drug-taking, Brian shares his unique insights and not-so-unique frustrations about the world of sport and beyond.The Thoughts of Chairman Moore is an engaging and outspoken collection of articles from one of our most admired commentators. ... Read more

Product Description
Since the first edition was published in 1998, considerable advances have been made in the fields of pitch perception and speech perception. In addition, there have been major changes in the way that hearing aids work, and the features they offer. This book will provide an understanding of the changes in perception that take place when a person has cochlear hearing loss so the reader understands not only what does happen, but why it happens. It interrelates physiological and perceptual data and presents both this and basic concepts in an integrated manner. The goal is to convey an understanding of the perceptual changes associated with cochlear hearing loss, of the difficulties faced by the hearing-impaired person, and the limitations of current hearing aids. ... Read more

Product Description
A beautitul woman in her early thirties, Mary Lavery, nee Dunne lives in New York and is happily married to a much feted British playing playwright. But before this there have been other lives, two previous husbands, and a Catholic girlhood filled with suppressed passion. A brief encounter with an old friend brings back a sudden flood of memories from the past - memories which confuse and disturb...

Female desire and sexuality, and the elusive nature of identity are brilliantly explored in this novel which glimmers with insight and truth. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Ahead of its time
This book, written in the late 1960s by a man, plumbs the depths of a woman's identity crisis. I remember reading it many years ago and being blown away by its insights. Rereading it, I was still impressed that a man could get into a woman's head so well. Affairs, vicious gossip, PMS, Catholic guilt, multiple marriages -- this book has it all, but it's no lightweight "chick lit" novel. I recommend it to anyone who wants to really think about how people relate to each other.

A Remarkable Book
On a whim, I purchased a frayed copy of this book in a thrift shop because it was published the year I was born, and I wanted to get a peek into the culture of that time. I certainly didn't expect to aquire one of the most affecting novels I've ever read. Moore, who also wrote the wrenching JUDITH HEARNE - - filmed as THE LONELY PASSION OF JUDITH HEARNE with Maggie Smith in 1987 - - has an elegant and inviting voice that immediately draws you into the persona of his heroine. (The book is told in the first person.) The writer displays subtle but complete authority as a storyteller, alternating humor with pathos, and reading this poignant and eerie character study is (to use a cliche) a treat....one that I would highly recommend.

Are you Mary Dunne, too? Internal and chilling.
Is this what the psychiatrists mean when they speak of character dissociation? Throughout a day spent in the emotionally vulnerable state of premenstrual stress, the protagonist continually runs up against remindersof the most trying times of her life, with disastrous emotionalechoes.

An amazing book. The story of Mary Dunne's life is told in thespace of just one day's meetings and memories. And over and over she asksherself the same question throughout the book that you must ask: Is shelosing her mind? Or is this just a bad and shaky moment, exacerbated byhormonal changes?

Any woman that has ever suffered through a day with theglibly labelled PMS will recognize Mary's Mad Twin. And among those, manyof us must also identify with her fearful sense of lost identity, and fearsof the wide open edges of mental dysfunction.

Frightening, internal,true-to-life - this is not a book to read in an off-balance moment. But itis an amazing internal portrait of a woman. It would be an amazing portraiteven if it was written by a woman; how much more so when written by a man!Yet Moore seems to effortlessly empathize completely and realistically. Hehas once again created a wholly believable and poignant character whom wemust follow through the toils of her personal hell. ... Read more