MR

Wow! I finished this book in the bathtub this evening, and was ready to sink under the water, yet of course rise again- which seems to be much of what rhys' anti-heroine julia does again & again in this marvelous book.

I agree with another reviewer who wrote that this book goes beyond the 'woman condition' into the broader range of humanties inability to connect with one another. But I would also place this book high on the list of important women's literature.

Although published in 1930, Julia's inability to function in the way society wants & expects us to- struck a resonanting chord in me. It isn't that she is rebelling; she just isn't functioning- and I admit to feeling stuck in that same, frightening place. (although I don't hit strange men up for money).

This book should be placed in the literary canon, and discussed along with the rest of the 'big boys of literature' about what it means to be lost & meandering.

Highly recommended!

I completed this book on a flight from LA to NY on 10/11/2000. This was my first reading experience by Jean Rhys. I learned that Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis included Jean Rhys on her roster of favorite authors. That's why I bought the book. I was curious to learn what 'tickled her fancy'. At first...the book was 3 stars...but after a day or two had passed I realized that the book had quite an impact on me. I had just finished an A+ book (The Notorious Dr. August)...so, maybe that's why I didn't give this 5 stars. It explores loneliness, living on the edge, dealing with death, depression, the cheeriness of childhood, and the search for love. So, you can imagine why Jacqueline Kennedy loved this author. I felt the main character, Julia, was easily identifiable by Jackie. Mr MacKenzie was her Onassis and Mr. Horsfield was her own Mr. Tempelsman in many ways. Although, I saw Julia as a sort of prostitute "in cognito" style. I did gasp when I read 'She's gone'. 'Gone'. That was the word. It struck me because my own sister-in-law called me with those exact words when my mother passed away. And when she wrote 'Nothing matters. Nothing can be worse than how I feel now, nothing.' I gasped again because in my eulogy to my mother I started it with those two words "Nothing matters"...as that was how I felt initially. Therefore, if you know anyone dealing with grief this book should help during some trying moments. Overall, the book leaves you slightly depressed at the end. It went full circle. There were some extraordinarily good lines in this book. One favorite: Every day is a new day. Every day you are a new person.

After Leaving Mr. MacKenzie (1930) repeats the effective Jean Rhys formula: a broken woman of uncertain age, shattered by hypersensitivity, alcoholism, emotional abuse, vague mental illness, and other 'pathological cruelties of everyday life,' bravely attempts to face another day, suffering self-hatred and self-recrimination with each step of the way. The novel begins with anti-heroine Julia Martin in the last stages of a romantic affair with pompous, thick - skinned blowhard Mr. MacKenzie. MacKenzie has provided Julia with financial support since the termination of their dalliance, but now declines to continue to do so. Financially and emotionally destitute, Julia leaves Paris and returns to London, where, "hoping to rest," she unexpectedly discovers her extended family gathered around their dying mother.

Like Jean Genet, Rhys wrote a series of novels about permanent social outsiders and outcasts, and, like Genet, Rhys had only one dark if very human vision to express. Other novelists such as Erskine Caldwell and Muriel Spark similarly wrote novels of extremely narrow focus (Caldwell's Tobacco Road, Spark's Not To Disturb and The Driver's Seat), but were also capable of more varied, optimistic, and expansive works. The antiheroes in Genet's novels find a means of empowering and centering themselves through narcissism, violence, dominance, sexual expression, or mysticism; but Rhys' nonplussed female protagonists are perpetually at square one, never the better for their defeated plans or self-sabotaged efforts. Sadly, Julia finds relief only in brief moments of spontaneous rage or cruelty.

Rhys had an acute talent for portraying women in and under such conditions, but it's undeniable that Rhys' vision of harrowing experience, rote abandonment, and human indifference was projected outward onto every facet of her fictional landscapes. The curtains and wallpaper are always faded, the rented rooms shabby, the maids surly, the proprietresses petty and suspicious, the food tasteless, the milk rancid, relatives disdainful. In fact, Rhys created an entire universe of human desolation in each of her five novels, one from which none of the characters, young or old, male or female, wealthy or without means, are exempted; some merely play the game better and have more resources. One of the most satisfying elements in After Leaving Mr. MacKenzie is Rhys' brutal, very focused examination of those sides of human nature which Western societies prefer to privately deny and publicly avoid.

All of Rhys' anti-heroines are socially disenfranchised, emotionally wounded, needy, gullible, and financially insecure; but they are simultaneously often ill tempered, manipulative, callous, arrogant, amoral, and almost entirely self - absorbed. Julia Martin is Rhys' most hard-bitten protagonist, having none of the wisdom or humor that Sasha Jansen has in fourth novel Good Morning, Midnight, nor the innocence of Rhys' early ingénues. Somnolent and easily wounded Julia is acutely sensitive but only occasionally empathetic to the reality of others, unless, in the moment, she sees herself reflected within them. Julia is also a listless parasite and psychic vampire who lives off the emotions, energy, and money of the men with whom she has casual affairs; except for brief periods of work and a failed marriage, this is how she has provided for herself as an adult. In one grim but revelatory scene, the willful Julia indifferently tells the man she is about to lose that she can get another meal ticket any time she wishes, as she always has in the past. Is she speaking out of defensiveness, or simply telling the truth about her power and experience? For Julia, moments of happiness, enthusiasm, or pleasure are fleeting and as far away as the stars.

Readers may wonder exactly what is wrong with Julia; the answer is: almost everything. Self - hatred and clinical depression primarily, but Julia is also anxious, passive-aggressive, lonely, financially destitute, lazy, narcissistic, morbidly introverted, co - dependent, anemic, and probably suffering from borderline personality disorder. Julia 'can't be alone and can't be too close.' She is also aware and proud of her outsider status; confronting decent younger sister Norah, Julia smugly considers herself the better of the two, the one who has brazenly spit in the face of social convention and middle class morality. Sociopathically, Julia never considers that her rebellion has brought about the almost nihilistic sense of failure and low self - esteem from which she painfully suffers. Rhys, while never less than convincing, hangs so many internal and external albatrosses around Julia's neck that her unhappy existence seems almost fatally determined. Today, Julia would be receiving a maintenance course of serotonin inhibitors.

Feminists took up the Rhys cudgel early; indeed, superficially, Rhys' novels and short stories seem tailor made for the feminist cause. But Rhys' novels are no more primarily about the plight of women than Genet's were about the plight of criminal homosexual men. Rhys cast a wide net in conceiving her fictional worlds; her truths are universal truths that, for better or worse, apply to all. Readers will certainly recognize a kernel of themselves in Rhys' ambivalent, envious, bitter, forlorn, and greedy cast.

After Leaving Mr. MacKenzie ends with Julia enjoying a second Pernod in a Parisian café as twilight falls, a time of day Rhys refers to as "the hour between dog and wolf." Since Julia's life can be said to exist only between these two polarities - between the potentially threatening and the actively harmful - the metaphor is apt. Julia, both a continuous victim and a manipulator, if not an outright abuser, herself, is a creature by nature between dog and wolf. Highly recommended to those who enjoy gripping psychological fiction.

Like the other books in this series, this book focuses on a kid that buys a magic item. This item happens to be a ring, and it turnds the kid into a demon-like creature. This book was interesting and fun to read. I enjoyed it a lot.

I think the book was excellent because this kid Russell Crannaker turned into a demon-like creature. He bought a golden ring from a magician shop because he wanted to scare his bully, Eddie. Will Russell stay as a monster forever? Read this book to find out what happens with Russell.

This was one of the first books my son in second grade read on his own. He was quickly hooked on reading! A book like this that can challenge a 7 year old boy and draw him into a magical world where he is excited about reading deserves 5 stars. The plot is solid and not so predictable as many early reading series.

"Mr. Mani" is the story of a Sephardic family over a couple centuries, told via one side of conversations, and going backwards in time. Both devices are hoary. I didn't believe for a second that the characters were of their own time. They were not even three-dimensional moderns. The prose alternates between plodding and precious. It's beyond me why this novel is well-respected.

I love much experimental literature and MR. MANI is definitely a book that fits that category, if indeed, this masterpiece of fiction can be categorized at all.

MR. MANI concerns itself with six generations of a Sephardic Jewish family. One element that makes this book "experimental" is the fact that the author has chosen to trace the origins of the Mani family from modern times backwards. The book opens in modern day Israel, then moves backward to Crete, Jerusalem and even Basel, Switzerland before concluding during the days of the Ottoman Empire. I enjoyed this backward movement, although I know many readers who would find it distracting.

Another element that makes MR. MANI experimental is the author's stylistic choice of never letting the Mani men speak for themselves. We see them, and get to know them, but only through the eyes of others...others whose views may be distorted or skewed...or may be exactly on target. These "one-sided" conversations require the reader to fill in the missing pieces...something that may intrigue many readers and may irritate others. We also see the Mani men in different time periods, so that what defines one of them during one period may not do so in another.

Because of the stylistic devices employed to tell this story, the facts, the emotions and the ultimate truth are revealed little by little, like a set of Russian dolls. We learn the stories of many characters and their connections to the men in the Mani family. The whole book is something like a spiderweb of complex associations and relationships.

MR. MANI is a rather dark book and one must certainly concentrate when reading it. Yehoshua doesn't spell everything out for us in MR. MANI. There are many things are merely nuances and, in my opinion, this enriches the book rather than diminishes it.

If you're merely looking for light reading or entertainment, then MR. MANI certainly wouldn't be the book for you. If, however, you love experimental fiction and you love books to which the term "masterpiece" can easily apply, the MR. MANI would no doubt be perfect. Highly recommended for lovers of very intellectual, literary fiction.

I concur with other readers that "Mr. Mani" stands in a class of its own. The book, which spans centuries, manages to do so while remaining riveting and vivid. That I remember it years after re-reading it, that I am now trying to write my own novel allows me to now see how truly masterful this book is. If you don't write you may not realize how much had to go into the leaping stories, the profundity of character and the great subject this author took on and completed. Maybe a few on this earth are as blessed with the gift of creation, but they are very few indeed.

Have you ever had someone call you nice and then you try to prove the opposite? Well in the novel No More Mr. Nice Guy Brian's girlfriend tells him that she does not understand why she deserves such a nice guy like him. Brian is in high school and as most of the high school kids understand that high school is rough. When Brian heard this remark from his girlfriend he blew up. He wrote a song called "Too Nice". He changed his whole style; he got his hair cut and wore his brother's clothes. His girlfriend Kristin could not understand what got into him so she started to hang out with her best friend's cousin. When she goes to her friend's barbeque her friend Lacey tells her to go get Brian back. When Kristin goes to get Brian she hears the song "Too Nice." She gets very upset, because she realizes Brian is singing about her.

I loved this novel because I had something in common with one of the characters. I had a great reaction to the book. I liked the book because it was about teenage drama. It was also fast-paced. Another reason I loved the book was because there were a lot of romances developing in the novel while Brian and Kristin were going through hard times. If you are older and out of school you might not like the book because it is about teenage drama. I did not like how the book was set up ; it was formatted in diary entries and I really don't like reading journals or diaries. Overall it was a great book.

I think this book was pretty good. It wasn't the best SVJH book I have read but it is still good. Brian and Kristen are always the nicest ones in the books so i'm like "gosh how can they be so nice all the time!" And finally you see a book where they are not so nice. Its kinda like a mid-teen crisis for Brian. Find out what happens when ya read it! Also you never really hear from brian so it is cool hearing from his perspective. I'm goin into 7th grade so i luv readin the SVJH books

In "No More Mr. Nice Guy" Brian gets tired of being stepped on all the time by his friends and family. They always expect him to give in and take it because he's always so nice. He decides it's time for a change, especially after his girlfriend Kristin puts her best friend Lacey over him. So he and his band write a song called "Too Nice", about a guy getting really sick of being a human doormat and how it's time for change. Kristin hears it without Brian knowing, and she's furious because she thinks it's their break-up song, but things get much better in the end. While all this is going on Salvador is acting really strange around Elizabeth, always grilling her about hanging out with Blue, and Sal is wondering if maybe he doesn't like her all over again. The author (Jamie Suzanne, NOT Francine Pascal) did a great job of writing about very real situations, and with very believable characters.

I bought this book not knowing what to expect and I was very surprised. Within minutes I was laughing my head off and my family thought I was going crazy, highly recommended.

Austin Hyde donated his help and 'assets' to his half brothers fertility clinic. But things go a little wacky when Dr. Jack (Austins brother) uses Austins 'assets' without telling him. Austin feels compelled to meet and learn more about the woman who is going to have his baby. Candice needs a handyman/bodyguard and Austin fits the bill. The sparks fly as these two fun characters learn more about each other. It's lots of fun seeing them try to get out of the sticky web they have created. A lighthearted and enjoyable romp! KCS

I love Austin Hyde. I also love his mad-scientist brother, Jack. The book has some pretty funny conversations, and thoughts. The story has its heart-wrenching moments when Austin wistfully thought about being a good father to the unborn baby growing in Mrs Vanausdale's, a tycoon's widow, womb, who doesn't KNOW she was carrying Austin's baby, thanks to some manipulation at the in-vitro lab where Austin's brother, Jack, works.

Great fun!!

Jim Morrison is one of the most written about performers of rock n' roll and "Mr. Mojo Risin'" stands as one of the wildest, most poetic biographies ever produced on the self-proclaimed Lizard King. David Dalton writes in a rich, feverish style that makes the book just as enjoyable to read as it is to look at. He describes in great detail Morrison's influences such as Jack Kerouac, William Blake and Nietzsche. What we end-up with is an intellecual dissection of Morrison's art, his rise to legendary heights with The Doors, one of the most influential of all rock bands, is described in mythic fashion, which is fitting considering men like Morrison are like Che Guevara, they are the mythic figures of our time in our culture. The is very fascinating when concerning the literary influences that contribute to the great lyrics of classics such as "Break On Through" and "The End." This is significant because it helps understand why the music of The Doors does not decrease in popularity, with a rich literary force in the music, it survives as does good literature. "The End" remains as vital as Conrad's "Heart Of Darkness." Jim Morrison comes off not just as a tragic poet, but also as an artist looking for answers in that which is almost spiritual, he was the first performer in rock who used the concert setting as a seance, as a religious event more than just a fun time. Consider his shamanistic movements on stage and the invoking power of the music in numbers such as "When The Music's Over." Of course, this is lost today in most of Morrison's influence on modern music when you look at bands like Marilyn Manson, Godsmack and Disturbed, even older bands with The Doors influence stamped on them such as Iggy Pop & The Stooges and Alice Cooper are more about the shock viscera than deep poetic journey. Dalton's writing is also intellectual in it's insight, as when he rightfully writes about the conservative landscape being also a breeding ground for monsters and also describes in interesting fashion the 60's and radical art changes that occurred during the era. The true delight of this book is the words, Dalton writes with great poetic prose, describing everything with visceral energy and rich phrasing which is enhanced by the great selections of photographs showing The Doors on stage and individual shots of Morrison dressed all in black leather, looking like a rebel with the heart of a poet. He almost seems prophetic. This is a poetic read and a great tribute to The Doors, their time, their music and their timelessness.

"mr. mojo rising" is the best book on jim morrison to date. if you admire morrison and understand who the man was, you will appreciate the non-academic, poetic nature of this book that paints a picture of jim as a creative but also very human and flawed individual who dug his own hole and yet was still a well intentioned, noble young man full of talent and passion as well as self destructiveness and rebelliousness. although at times i was a little annoyed at dalton's slightly excessive cynicism and criticism, as a whole it strikes the balance perfectly between admiration and construtive commentary, giving the intelligent fan an imaginative rush and a glance into the underground literary/pop rock vision that is all too rare in the literature available about jim and the underlying message of his art. ignore dalton's occasionally arrogant dismissal of morrison's attempt to transcend rock and actually change things, and you will find that no other study of morrison is as penetrating into his motives and the inspirations that formed his attitude to authority and oppositional philosophy of life. a passionate study of a somewhat misguided but nonetheless truly great figure, the like of which popular culture will probably never see again. a must.

With a deft pen Mr. Dalton cuts through the man-made creation that many of us know as Jim Morrison to expose something more truthful. A tragic figure caught in the idealistic and pretentious 60's, trying to use music to transcend, yet ultimately defined and cliched, trapped in his own celebrity. Not always easy to stomach the book paints a picture of the rock scene and the 1960's far and away from the nostalgic musings we hear on the subject today, the picture the author paints is far more sinister. Yet through it all Morrison's music stands as a testament to his genius, and the often dark journey you take with the author serves the necessary task of shattering the creation that is Jim Morrison. When this was accomplished I felt I had an insight into Jim, a deep empathy and closeness that our pop culture seeks to conceal.

A friend recommended this book to me after I explained how much fun I was having after leaving work in DC, returning to Minnesota, playing with my kids, joining a mountain biking team and genuinely enjoying my unemplyed status for 9 months. She said it was a philosophical book.

I spent the entire book trying to figure out why she thought of this book after I got through telling her how great my life was at the present. Mr. Polly clearly was not living a great life and always seemed to be on the wrong side of circumstance. It wasn't until the very end of the book that I realized the context my friend applied to my happenings.

The book, for it's strange accents and period vocabulary, was as riveting as any Grisham or Baldacci novel. I don't really know why - but it was. And the last few pages makes one think very hard about the meaning of life, which even for an unemployed child-at-heart, is important to do now and again.

The climactic and hilarious confrontation between Mr. Polly and the low-life ruffian Uncle Jim is so masterful that one might forget all the other comic gems included in this novel. At the same time, the reader will feel the power of Wells' legendary intelligence on every page. The History of Mr. Polly is loaded with thought-provoking observations on the topics of marraige, love, business, education, friendship, insurance fraud and -- most of all -- happiness.

I finished reading this novella a few days ago. I must first admit that for the first 25 or so pages, I wasn't particulaly tuned into what the book was about. It is, as Wells mentioned, a history, so I was rather thrown at the beginning. Once I got the gist of it, particularly the gist of Mr. Polly and his eccentricities, I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

The only other Wells book I had read was the Island of Dr. Moreau, which, like his other romantic science-fiction novels he is famous for, was somewhat plot-driven rather than character-driven. This book, is, as the title would lead you to suspect, character-driven.

We begin our read with the bored, frustrated Mr. Polly, what he is feeling and how he deals with his life in general. Then the actual history starts, and Wells's beautiful, if somewhat excessive vocabulary answers the reader's question of who this Mr. Polly is. I found him to a be a very refreshing hero, being rather ordinary, and dealing with the concerns of anyone's life, particularly that of a middle-aged man. He does not "save the day" by perfoming any conventional (or even moral) acts, but this only makes him more real. Mr. Polly's passion for epithet is absolutely delightful, and gave me a great sense of pleasure to watch him go about his transformation.

This was a terriffic, merry little book, with a central character worthy of some of the finest in literature, at least from the limited literature I have read. Don't be fooled by the humorous facade however; there is a deeper message, one which will become relevant at some time in all our lives. It isn't one of Wells's most well known books, but it should be. A superb little gem.

At once a nice travelogue of Newport, Rhode Island, in the 1920's and a novel of human interaction, "Theophilus North" is a well-written and engaging (at first) book. It's just hard to understand why Wilder wrote it. There is so little of it in the way of dramatic or comic invention. The protagonist is a bodhisatva (a saint on earth) who spends his days doing good. All the time. You keep expecting some rising action - after 100 pages you yearn for it - but it never comes. Just one good deed after another. It isn't a bad read, and it might even be a good thing to put into the hands of teenagers (if you can get them to sit still for it). But there's no inner struggle going on in this first person narrative. And that makes ultimately for a weak plot. The book was something of a hit when it first came out, but it has since sunk to the obscurity it probably deserves. That saddens me, because I thought the author's "Our Town" and "Skin of Our Teeth" to be some of the finest writing this side of Heaven.

I read this book more than 20 years ago as a college student and I still find myself thinking about it now. I was a persnickety English student and I wouldn't have imagined the book was making much of an impression on me at the time. Maybe I needed to age considerably before I could appreciate Wilder's idea that you do get everything you wish for -- just not on your schedule, and seldom packaged as you may have hoped or expected.

this author, which has written books so beatiful, has given the world this one which is also beatiful, but pointless, i guess that the main character is himself. the book does not have a plot or at least is not going anywhere, but it is not boring, and it is a good read. i just loved it, even though when i finished i had the sensation of not being told anything new. the book has gone into oblivion and will propably stay there, the one i read i took it from the library and i was the only one who got it from the shelf in more than a decade, i guess it is there in the shelf at the library, waiting for another ten years until some reader will take it down, and write another pointless review about it....

LUIS MENDEZ luismendez@codetel.net.do

It's way too soon for a book about Mr Show. It only finished, what, 4 years ago? And there's nothing about WHY they finished, or what they did after the show (Run Ronnie Run etc). I would also like to read something a little more detailed about that BIZARRE fake newscast from the "Best Of Season 3" episode. Maybe in 10 or 20 years, someone can write a true history of this great show, along with its impact on subsequent comedy (which is still, at this point, comedy to come).

If you are saving your pennies, wait for the DVD of season 3 coming out in August. Otherwise, if you're like me, you'll want this book no matter how sucky it is.

A wonderful book. Even if you aren't a rich cable havin geek, you can at least appreciate the genius of these two men. This book is most interesting when it discusses L.A.'s alternative comedy scene. I guess these two exemplify(sic)belly laughs without the yuk yuk shave your chest yakov smirnov hullabaloo.

I'm actually an illiterate person (and former Hollywood star of shows like Coach and motion pictures like Poltergeist II: The Legacy), but one thing I do know about are books, meaning: I know what they are because I've seen them crammed on shelves in houses and ontop of television sets across this great land of ours and from coast to coast too. And one thing I've come to learn about this Mr. Show book is - it's got plenty of pictures. To me one good quality picture is worth a thousand misspelled words. You're probably wondering how I'm writing this review- well you let me just worry about that and buy yourself a book about this wonderful Johnny come lately tv series that got the corporate ax much too soon in this actor's opinion!

This is a serious work by a professor of history. It ISN'T filled with anecdotes ("And then Walter said to Bobby ..."), descriptions of shots ("Bobby then drilled a quail-high mashie between the towering pines ..."), gossip, swing analyses, etc. If this is what you're looking for, you'll be sorely disappointed. It's fairly dry -- make that extremely dry -- but is well-researched (hundreds of endnotes) and will be fascinating for anyone with an interest in the history of American golf. The format is a dual biography of Jones and Hagen in which their respective careers are compared and contrasted to give the reader an understanding of the rise of American golf in the era 1900-1930. The two men were so different in virtually every respect that this approach is very effective. Those who think golf began with Palmer, Nicklaus or Woods will gain an appreciation of what "gods" Jones and Hagen really were during the era in which they played. Hagen especially tends to be overlooked, but this book is an important reminder that he was one of the true greats of the game in addition to being one of its two or three all-time "characters." I didn't have the feeling that the author was particularly knowledgeable or avid about the game -- instead, this is a work of historical research, just as you or I might produce a history of badminton if we were willing to spend the time to do the research. When you're done, you won't "know" Bobby Jones as well as you'd know him if you read his and O. B. Keeler's own voluminous writings, and you won't be a fount of anecdotes, but you will have a solid grasp of Jones' and Hagen's place in history, how golf became an American obsession and how American golf eclipsed British golf. All of this for the price of a couple of dozen Top-Flite x-outs.

After reading this book, I found that Dr. Stephen Lowe really brings to life the lives of Bobby Jones and Walter Hagen. This book is written in a descriptive oriented reading. Before reading this book, I found that golf was not much of a sport. I found that there is truly a rich history in golf that I have come to respect and want to learn more about. I applaud Dr. Lowe and hope to read future writings.

A meticulously researched book, an asset to any avid golfers bookshelf.