ECA Books

I had read this book before and misplaced it, so I was happy to find another copy to read again. This is a great book. Victoria Holt combines historical accuracy with a bit of fiction, and the result is a book that is informative as well as interesting.

I've yet to find a Victoria Holt book that I don't like. This was a great historical biographical novel. The historical research was accurate. This book made the triangle between Elizabeth I, Robert Dudley and LetticeDudley come alive. Highly recommended.

This is, by far, one of the best books, if not the best, I have ever, ever read. Victoria Holt really did her research on this book, and it is a pleasure to read both from the fiction-lover's viewpoint, and from the biographers. Be forewarned, however, that if you are not already in love with Robert Dudley and Elizabeth I, you will be no later than halfway through the book.

Interesting read, I was fascinated to learn more about Lettice Knowles. From previous books I have read about the period, I had heard Lettice's name occasionally, and knew there was some speculation about whether or not Henry VIII fathered her mother during his affair with Mary Boleyn. We'll never know.

All in all an enjoyable read - not the greatest in the historical fiction genre, but worthwhile to learn more about the secondary players in the times of Elizabeth I.

I have to say, it's kind of sad that history has all but forgotten Lettice Knollys. She was, according to this book, one of the most vibrant and influential people of the day. But she also made a terrible enemy of her queen, perhaps explaining why more people don't know about her.

Everyone who knows something about Queen Elizabeth I knows that she loved a man named Robert Dudley, a man she gave great honors to and had known all her life. Some historians even believe that he killed her wife so he could marry the queen, and that they may have had a son together. But Elizabeth remained unmarried all her days (and supposedly a virgin) while Dudley had two wives in his life.

The second was Lettice. She was the Queen's cousin and possible her niece as her mother was popularly believed to be Henry VIII's daughter through Mary Boleyn. She came to court when Elizabeth came to the crown and soon fell in love with Robert Dudley. Later they would become lovers and eventually marry. But always it was a relationship of three people, the Queen, Robert and Lettice. Later on, the Queen would give her son from her a previous marriage great honors, and eventually was forced to behead him when he led an uprising against the crown. In that relationship too was the Queen, Lettice's son the earl of Essex, and Lettice.

This book is her story. It's a little dry at times, being a supposed memoir Lettice writes before her death at the age of ninety six, but overall not bad. I do like to think of Robert Dudley as an entirely different person as described in this book, but hey, this was the authors vision and if she saw him as grabbing for power (which he was, true) and not truly loving Elizabeth for herself not just for the crown, that's her choice.

The only bad thing about this book is the most annoying way Lettice constantly says how beautiful she is and how she's so much prettier than the queen and all men love her and bla bla bla. It gets old fast. But hey, a vain women would probably write her life story like that.

Other than that, I just like to view Elizabeth and Dudley in a more romantic way then this book does. Possibly I'm deluding myself. But if you're like me, then read this, because its not a story I was familiar with and I bet most people aren't either, and then read the secret Diary of Anne Boleyn, for the very sweet scenes between Elizabeth and Dudley (part of the book takes place right after Elizabeth becomes Queen).

This is a work that in its day was seriously underrated because of what was considered its "unbalanced", "confused" structure (a mix between genre comedy with an attempt with serious historical reconstruction and Biblical criticism). But then it is actually a "premature" postmodern novel, reflecting good humouredly on the relations between truth and lie, history and legend, reality and writing. Therefore the fact that what could not be fully appreciated in the late XIXth Century, and that it should be universallt praised in the early XXIst. Century.

This is not, in my opinion Eça's best book. But for me everything he wrote has to be "5 stars" rated. it's a shame other books of his are not available on amazon.com. I consider Eça de Queiroz to be the best Portuguese novelist so my suggestion is that you discover his magnificence through those I consider to be his best novels: (I'll translate them but I'm not sure these are their titles) "Cousin Basílio", "The Maias", and "Cousin Basilio" (you can see this is my favourite). If you want to know about the Portuguese society of the late 18th century you'll find it all there. It's not that it had much to be proud of...

It is closing time at a New York Museum. Two brothers are lost in the long corridors and hallways of the big museum. They find a stair case leading to the dark subbasement. One boy pleads not to go down, but the other says that they are going. Then they go down, not knowing they will never return. This is a very good and very intense. If you are into horror and suspense, read it! It is not for the squemish, and it is very long read. It is told in such detail that you feel you are in the story. The movie and book have no compare, the book rocks, and is the best read i ever read!

Actually, I just want to correct the first on-line review about Eça's The Relic. That review or whatever that is does NOT refer to Eça's book. There must have been some kind of mistake. There are no brothers, haunted museums or anything of that sort in Eça's Relic which I, as a Portuguese enthusiastic reader and...professor of Literature, have read several times and studied/taught in College. Eça is unique, his writing equals only Saramago and Pessoa and he is the best possible approach to the Portuguese masterpieces of literature. I discovered his work when I was in my early teens and that decided my career. Please try to find a good translation of The Maias, Cousin Bazilio, The Sin of Father Amaro, The Illustrious House of Ramires or The City and the Mountain and bring them to the american public. I know some good translations by Carcanet Press in Manchester, UK. But please,correct your on-line review!

One has to be very cautious when reviewing this book, since there is much to give away about the plot and then ruin the reading for people. Teodorico Raposo becomes orphan as a child and is sent to Lisbon to live with his aunt, a terrible, unlikable and tyrannical religious fanatic who terrorizes everybody around her with her puritanism and obsessions. But she happens to be very rich and Teodorico her only relative alive. So he has to pretend ALL the time that he is just as fanatic as her aunt, while living a double life of pleasure and sin. One day, his aunt decides that before dying someone has to go to the Holy Land and get her some authentic relic of Jesus' times. And guess who she chooses to go there.
So Teodorico embarks towards Egypt and Palestine in what becomes a very funny adventure alongside his companion, the wise scholar Dr. Topsius. To go further would, as I said, risk giving away parts of the plot which are really unexpected and good. Suffice it to say that the travel includes a wonderful, colorful and vivid narration of the day when Jesus was crucified. It turned out to be a very enjoyable book by one of the best writers of the XIX century.

The books of Eca De Queiros are not easy to find. I read about him a long time ago and then slowly began picking the books up as I found them one by one. Three so far but there are others. This is the most polished of the three but the other two I have, The Relic(now available)& The City and the Mountains(availability uncertain), are really good too. I have to say my favorite is The City and the Mountains because it so funny. This novelist is funny & not many 19th century novelists are. In The City and the Mountains those two locations are compared by the wealthy protaganist to see which one suits him better, neither location is spared this novelists eye for comedy which one can tell gave him a lot of pleasure, the laughs in this book make you glad to be human. The Illustrious House of Ramirez is a more serious work. It has some funny parts but the comedy is of a higher nature. Since HISTORY is one of its topics both national identity and personal identity are subjected to this fine writers sympathetic ridicule but you feel the tragedy of those topics too while you are laughing at how clever the whole plot is. It is a grander work, further reaching than the one I mentioned as my favorite, and will probably appeal to more readers who want significant, not just hilarious, fare. However, if you read Illustrious House and still want more find the others too. Eca De Queiroz writes as well as any other 19th century writer judging by the translations I've read. Of them I think he is most often compared to Flaubert, he certainly sees through all the passing fads and illusions of the day in the way that one did. As for the Relic it is a very clever plot which hinges on a find which draws into question our religious heritage. More HISTORY but unless you can enjoy the opulent prose for its own sake its kind of a one idea book. Clever idea though it is. I think it said above that this novelist was for people with large foreign lit. collections. I will agree with that. But if you've read all the big names at least once you will just appreciate this rare find all the more.

The books of Eca De Queiros are not easy to find. I read about him a long time ago and then slowly began picking the books up as I found them one by one. Three so far but there are others. This is the most polished of the three but the other two I have, The Relic(now available)& The City and the Mountains(availability uncertain), are really good too. I have to say my favorite is The City and the Mountains because it so funny. This novelist is funny & not many 19th century novelists are. In The City and the Mountains those two locations are compared by the wealthy protaganist to see which one suits him better, neither location is spared this novelists eye for comedy which one can tell gave him a lot of pleasure, the laughs in this book make you glad to be human. The Illustrious House of Ramirez is a more serious work. It has some funny parts but the comedy is of a higher nature. Since HISTORY is one of its topics both national identity and personal identity are subjected to this fine writers sympathetic ridicule but you feel the tragedy of those topics too while you are laughing at how clever the whole plot is. It is a grander work, further reaching than the one I mentioned as my favorite, and will probably appeal to more readers who want significant, not just hilarious, fare. However, if you read Illustrious House and still want more find the others too. Eca De Queiroz writes as well as any other 19th century writer judging by the translations I've read. Of them I think he is most often compared to Flaubert, he certainly sees through all the passing fads and illusions of the day in the way that one did. As for the Relic it is a very clever plot which hinges on a find which draws into question our religious heritage. More HISTORY but unless you can enjoy the opulent prose for its own sake its kind of a one idea book. Clever idea though it is. I think it said above that this novelist was for people with large foreign lit. collections. I will agree with that. But if you've read all the big names at least once you will just appreciate this rare find all the more.

This is a classical case of "anguish of influence" as Eça is attempting, above all,when portraying the chief character, to write an ersatz Mediaeval historical novel in the manner of his great predecessor and adversary, the great Romantic writer Alexandre Herculano. One could say that Eça had, late in life, made peace with something he had spend all his adult life refusing to admit as deserving of praise, and when he finally surrendered, to have done so by means of a kind of "fanfic". However, this fanfic was rendered by Eça in his costomary -and wonderful - ironic manner, as the glories of the Portuguese past portrayed in the short novel written by the hero are each moment contrasted to the pettiness and mediocrity of the present. Neverthless, Eça closes the novel by meking peace with the Portuguese bourgeois society of his day, ultimately proposing a kind of future Portuguese "Manifest Destiny", consisting in the making of a Portuguese African Empire (anyway, one can say that his support of such Portuguese colonial adventures is half-hearted, to say the least). Despite this obvious political blunder - even at the time - Eça as always excels in his usual ironic qualities, tempered in this late novel by a quality of kindness not to be found so easily in his previous novels. Deserves to be read and known in English grab.

The sin of Father Amaro is one of the best books I've ever read. Simple, realistic, the picture of the society made by Eca de Queiros is perfect.

I WANT TO READ IT AGAIN BUT IN PORTUGUES

A classic, incredibly powerful book. How has it remained outside the group of classics widely read and taught here in the U.S.? It seems that the English-speaking world has been ignoring Portugal to its detriment! Both a rich, descriptive and entertaining novel and a scathing indictment of the hypocrisy of 19th century Catholic Portuguese society. I wish I could pass several copies of this book on, so more people could come to know this great author!

Many European and American anthropologists have argued that doubts on interpretation of cultures could only be made clear by autochthonous studies, written by autochthonous scholars. Okot p'Bitek represents the raise of African voice against European anthropology. Having studied with Evans-Pritchard, his work is a critical review of the misrepresentation and misinterpretation of African culture and religion in European studies. With reference to the study of African religions, he argues that European scholarship is responsible for what he calls "hellenization of African Gods", and for the creation of concepts such as "animism", which do not correspond to African reality: and he firmly affirms that there are no "animists" in Africa. This book forces the reader to consider anthropological studies in relation to the cultural and religious background of European scholars, thus stimulating a critical history of anthropological thought. Its only limit is that, being p'Bitek an African by birth, but an European by education, he is nevertheless conditioned by Western culture. So that the existence of an "African religion" is never debated: nor it is the necessity of recognizing a "religion" in a "culture", which has its origins in Christian culture.

Many European and American anthropologists have argued that doubts on interpretation of cultures could only be made clear by autochthonous studies, written by autochthonous scholars. Okot p'Bitek represents the raise of African voice against European anthropology. Having studied with Evans-Pritchard, his work is a critical review of the misrepresentation and misinterpretation of African culture and religion in European studies. With reference to the study of African religions, he argues that European scholarship is responsible for what he calls "hellenization of African Gods", and for the creation of concepts such as "animism", which do not correspond to African reality: and he firmly affirms that there are no "animists" in Africa. This book forces the reader to consider anthropological studies in relation to the cultural and religious background of European scholars, thus stimulating a critical history of anthropological thought. Its only limit is that, being p'Bitek an African by birth, but an European by education, he is nevertheless conditioned by Western culture. So that the existence of an "African religion" is never debated: nor it is the necessity of recognizing a "religion" in a "culture", which has its origins in Christian culture.

I was so happy to know that truth. Massey tells us the truth on the racial origin of the humanity, when he told to the pagge 29-30, that the white was a creation of the black people so-called egyptians. Now, I'am free of all complex, I'am free because Massey with the book of the beginnings, gave me the freedom. Thank you Massey, one black people of the louisiane. (01/02/2000) timec@caramail.com

This is the first of three great books by Gerald Massey on the relation between all the world's religions, cultures and languages and the ancient Egyptian that is, in itself, rooted in the lake region of Central Africa at the source of the Nile. In the first volume of this book, Massey discusses the extremely ancient origins of Egypt and then goes into great detail and depth in showing how the British Druidic culture is Egyptian in its origin. Volume two does the same for the ancient Hebrew culture. These books are a gold mine, They are filled with detail upon inspiring detail. See my review of *Natural Genesis.* Massey's books are indespensible for anyone interested in the great African cultures, the British Druidic culture, the origins of the Hebrew culture, the problems of Christianity, the origins of Buddhism, and the origins of all the world's myths, including the biblical legends, and languages; he shows Egyptian words that show up in a very large number of languages including even the American Indian, Maori, Japanese, Chinese, European, African and so on. Massey focuses through his volumes on the British Druidic, Hebrew, and Christian traditions, and explores in extraordinary depth the Egyptian, and its root culture deep in Africa. Anyone who studies the African traditions can easily see the connections of Massey's findings with the African traditions. Egypt goes back hundreds of thousands of years and comes from the same root as all the other African traditions. All of Massey's books are published by BCP (Black Classics Press).

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R2AMXBVJUZPG49 Check out my video review.

THIS IS A RELATIVELY SHORT BOOK ABOUT IMHOTEP (WHO SHOULD FILL VOLUMES OF TEXTS). THE PROBLEM IS THAT IMHOTEP DOES NOT HAVE A LOT OF DOCUMENTATION ABOUT HIS LIFE. THIS BOOK SEEMS TO BE VIRTUALLY ALL THAT IS KNOWN ABOUT THIS HISTORICAL FIGURE. IT IS WELL ORGANIZED AND IS A STIMULATING AND WELL WRITTEN TEXT. A MUST FOR MEDICAL OR EGYPTIAN HISTORIANS.

I ordered this by chance, to read during a holiday in Lisbon. What a revelation! This is a great late XIX Century novel about bourgeois adultery. It belongs on the same shelf as Madame Bovary and Anna Karenina, but it is even closer to Emile Zola's "La Curee." Luiza, a lovely young wife, is led into temptation by her worldly cousin Bazilio, an awful rake. Consequently, Luiza is blackmailed by her ghastly maid Juliana. The struggle between the two women goes ever deeper. I won't betray any more of the plot, except to say that there are many wonderful secondary characters, several hilarious moments (although the whole novel is built toward a tragic ending), and a lot of political subtext. Reading it in Lisbon was a extra-special treat, as I carried the book through the very streets where it takes place.
Once I was done with it, I picked up another Queiroz at the Lisbon FNAC for the flight back, translated in French this time. Wow! What a letdown: all choppy and strangely overdone. That proved to me - a contrario - that Margaret Jull Costa did a fantastic job translating Cousin Bazilio. I never was conscious I was reading a translation. I will read more novels by Queiroz, but only if translated by Margaret Jull Costa.

This book deals with the reception of works by Offenbach in Lisbon in the 19th century such as it is reflected in the literary works by the Portuguese writer Eça de Queirós (or Queiroz)(1845-1901). The strategies of communication in both authors (the composer and the novelist) are compared, and it is shown, how Queiroz' approach is different from Zola's Realism or Naturalism and similar to Offenbach's theatre. Sarcasm, irony, mediated by the narrator, generate in Queiroz (like in Offenbach) a caricature of real life. Hidden or explicit quotations (intertextuality)by Queiroz of Offenbach's operettes make still clearer this relationship between music theatre and literature. On the contrary, Zola was a severe critic of Offenbach.

This book is an excellent example of what dangers are present when people don't use names that they control.