1999, ISBN: 9780246138200

Tor Books. Very Good. 1.4 x 6.5 x 9.5 inches. Hardcover. 1992. 375 pages. <br>Forty-five years after he lost his parents, wife, and child in the U.S. attack on Hiroshima and Nagasa… More...

Tor Books. Very Good. 1.4 x 6.5 x 9.5 inches. Hardcover. 1992. 375 pages. <br>Forty-five years after he lost his parents, wife, and child in the U.S. attack on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Isowa Nak kamura gathers a cadre of Eastern Bloc assassins to help him wrea k similar havoc on Los Angeles and San Francisco Editorial Revie ws From Publishers Weekly The author of Crossfire sets his fast- paced new thriller in motion with an exciting scenario: an embitt ered Hiroshima survivor's attempt to explode nuclear devices in S an Francisco and Los Angeles on the anniversaries of the two atom ic bomb attacks that ended WW II. In Paris, former CIA assassin K irk McGarvey sees his lover's plane shot down by a Stinger missil e fired by a team of East German assassins in the employ of madma n Isowa Makkamura. Seeking revenge, McGarvey begins to pick up Ma kkamura's trail after a brutal killing in Tokyo, but the East Ger mans kidnap his ex-wife and daughter to throw him off the track. The bloody effort to rescue the two women obscures the main plot line for a while, but McGarvey eventually confronts Makkamura in Tokyo, then joins him on a deadly flight across the Pacific befor e the book's final crisis, which is resolved only in the final se ntence. McGarvey may be a little too superhuman--and the villains too evil by half--to be believed, but tension never lags in this certified page-turner. Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information , Inc. From Kirkus Reviews Vengeful Japanese cowboy/industrialis t seeks to build A-bomb; vengeful American cowboy/agent seeks to thwart same--in this expert rouser from dependable Hagberg (Count down, 1990; Crossfire, 1991). After losing his parents in Hiroshi ma and his wife and daughter in Nagasaki, Isawa Nakamura resurfac es decades later as a self-made computer kingpin with the clout t o take out three inconvenient CIA men on a Swissair jetliner with a surface-to-air missile. Also aboard is Marta Fredericks, girlf riend of retired Company op Kirk McGarvey, who goes on a cold-kil ling rampage. Nakamura's goons kill American agents by the carloa d, kidnap McGarvey's estranged wife Kathleen and adoring daughter Elizabeth, and use them as bait in a killing trap--since they na turally know who's on their trail and how fearsome he is. There m ust be a hundred killers, armed with the latest high-tech weaponr y, arrayed against McGarvey, but they haven't got a prayer. (As E lizabeth ``confidently'' tells a kidnaper: ``My father is going t o tear you a new asshole, sweety.'') Nothing can stop McGarvey: c ertainly not the French and American spooks set on his trail (he thumbs his nose at them, then signs on under his own terms), or a CIA info blackout (a Twinkie-loving hacker lets him in the back door), or the trap set by chief henchmen Ernst Spranger and icy l esbian temptress Liese Egk (McGarvey shrugs off the Navy SEALS di spatched to the Greek islands to help him--they naturally blunder into the trap in his place--and takes out the last thug with his last bullet), or the resulting wounds, which are supposed to kee p him bedridden--and the bomb assembly thereby on track--for six weeks (he's en route to Japan two days later for the equally pred ictable showdown). Japan-bashing at its most cartoon-heroic, writ ten with an eye for the fast clich?. Not really good for you, or for international relations, but there's no point in fighting Hag berg's crudely effective force. -- Copyright ®1992, Kirkus Associ ates, LP. All rights reserved. ., Tor Books, 1992, 3, Doubleday. Very Good. 6 x 1.25 x 8.5 inches. Hardcover. 1999. 352 pages. Dj lightly worn<br>The dark and dirty secrets of the m ating and dating scene are exposed as Courtney Weaver hears all f rom her friends--and tells a few secrets of her own--in this true -life Bridget Jones meets Tales of the City. Sexuality in the '9 0s is a different animal: While men and women have been given the tools to communicate, they haven't been given the instructions. With audacious, witty, and sometimes scandalous writing, Courtney Weaver's Unzipped follows her life and those of her friends as t hey attempt to navigate the waters of intimate relationships with out paddles. Weaver, whose column Unzipped was Salon magazine's most popular feature, lends an indulgent ear to her friends as th ey wrestle with the lure of having sex with exes, predict bedroom prowess from kisses, and search for the most tactful way to recl aim favorite pieces of clothing left behind after messy breakups. Harriet is convinced that a concrete set of '50s-era rules is th e only way to catch a mate, while Jemma turns to her own shocking set of rules in order to fulfill her desires. Meanwhile, Weaver' s single-mom hairstylist Marie lends a sympathetic ear and an ace rbic tongue when she too uncovers a sexual scandal in her own bac kyard. In the tradition of Tales of the City, but peopled with c haracters you might actually meet, Unzipped is a work of narrativ e nonfiction that explores all the complexities of sex in the '90 s. Editorial Reviews From Publishers Weekly Salon Web site colu mnist Weaver brings her Unzipped column into print with this epon ymous work, which chronicles her own and her well-educated, 30-so mething friends' search for love and the perfect mate (and the oc casional one-night stand along the way). Surprisingly, this San F rancisco-based cast is entirely heterosexual, although their stor ies are anything but traditional. From a not-quite-divorced, post punk mother who rediscovers the thrills and pitfalls of sleeping around, to a nanny who finds satisfaction in S&M clubs, to men wh o are desperately searching for a woman willing to commit, the ch aracters endure a slew of intriguing sexual misadventures. Weaver also offers a peek into her own often lonely life as a successfu l freelance writer, portraying herself in her darker moments as t hat most solitary of creatures: the Internet addict. As she exami nes the reasons why she has not found a partner and wonders what her life would be like if she did, the writing occasionally gets bogged down in maudlin self-analysis. Still, the bulk of this hum orous narrative is well spun and will appeal to Gen-X readers wit h even the slightest of voyeuristic tendencies. (Dec.) Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Library Journal This book eavesdrops play by play on the sex-and-love lives of the aut hor and her friends as they share gossip, stories, laughter, and tears. By turns hilarious, banal, and rather sad, her chronicle s hows women and men working valiantly at mating in a culture witho ut universal consensus or rituals, where bottles, beds, and bodie s are shared but rules and expectations are not. Her portraits ar e vivid, and the book is an entertaining read rather in the style of a nonfiction American Bridget Jones's Diary. Weaver, a journa list, wrote the column Unzipped for Salon magazine for several ye ars. For libraries in large, cosmopolitan citiesAespecially New Y ork and San FranciscoAand with collections specializing in contem porary culture and sexuality.AMartha Cornog, Philadelphia Copyri ght 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Kirkus Reviews A v oyeuristic journey into the love lives and sexual escapades of a group of 90s men and women. Salon columnist Weaver wants to bare everything about herself and her friends as they struggle through intimate relationships. Mixing a potent cocktail of sensitivity and sarcasm, Weaver's prose amuses and provokes while describing a world that seems largely peopled by perpetual adolescents ``in search of good stuffed animals, not suitable life partners.'' Mar ie, Courtney's chatty Valley Girl hairdresser, tires of sex with her husband, Gavin, soon after giving birth. Giving him carte bla nche to have sex with anyone, a shattered Marie has to sleep arou nd after Gavin falls in love during one of his ``casual'' affairs . Harriett, the ``rules chick,'' is convinced she will land a hus band only after strictly following the ``rules.'' And so she does after years of dating. Most of the others ignore all the rules, and their relationships founder. Jemma, Weaver's most troubling e xample, walks out of a dream marriage to become the masochistic ` `slave'' of an unimpressive lover. With Jemma, Weaver comes close st to offering the reader some insight into her self-destructive peers. She visits their s&m sex clubs in a game attempt to unders tand them. Sadly, she never comes up with more than a superficial explanation why an intelligent, attractive woman would want to b e so passive or seek such an aberrant relationship. Weaver is no more perceptive about her own unfulfilling love life. When she is not obsessively involved with men who reject her, she is overly involved with herself. She speaks not only for herself but for he r peers as well when she tells her single mom, ``I'm not afraid o f committingI just can't seem to make an intimate emotional conne ction.'' A vivid, sobering glimpse into the sexy but sterile live s led by too many entrapped in the mating game. -- Copyright ®199 9, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. Review Salon-colu mnist Weaver seems to imagine that bored housewives in Peoria wil l read about her randy exploits with envy. But beneath Unzipped's glamorous sheen lies a thick layer of despair. .... Her mothers sighs and asks, How did my generation raise you kids to be so afr aid of commitment? I'm not afraid of committing, Mom, Weaver says . I just can't seem to make an intimate emotional connection. Ins tead of forging that connection, Weaver throws a party. When the party's over, Weaver is left with only her telephone, her Interne t portal, and her crisp white sheets. She peers into her almost b are refrigerator and thinks, This is my life.... I am here, alone .... I think about if there were someone else here, someone who l ived in this apartment with me, who was not a cat or a bird but m y partner. ....Weaver's moment of self-pity, though not unmoving, isn't enough to provide ballast for this cliché-ridden romp. -- From Beliefnet Ultimately, Unzipped feels less like a book than a conversation. At least it's a conversation with a charming pers on. -- The New York Times Book Review, Jenny Lyn Bader From the Inside Flap dirty secrets of the mating and dating scene are expo sed as Courtney Weaver hears all from her friends--and tells a fe w secrets of her own--in this true-life Bridget Jones meets Tales of the City. Sexuality in the '90s is a different animal: While men and women have been given the tools to communicate, they hav en't been given the instructions.  With audacious, witty, and som etimes scandalous writing, Courtney Weaver's Unzipped follows her life and those of her friends as they attempt to navigate the wa ters of intimate relationships without paddles. Weaver, whose co lumn Unzipped was Salon magazine's most popular feature, lends an indulgent ear to her friends as they wrestle with the lure of ha ving sex with exes, predict bedroom prowess from kisses, and sear ch for the most tactful way to reclaim favorite pieces of clothin g left behind after messy breakups. Harriet is convinced that a c oncrete set of '50s About the Author Courtney Weaver wrote the p opular column Unzipped for Salon magazine for over two years. She graduated from Brown University with a degree in semiotics and l ater received an M.A. in creative writing from New York Universit y. She has worked for the San Francisco Chronicle and the BBC, an d is a regular contributor to The New York Times. In addition to appearing on ABC-TV's Politically Incorrect, she has written for the Washington Post, Allure, Marie Claire, and the San Francisco Examiner. Unzipped is her first book. Excerpt. ® Reprinted by pe rmission. All rights reserved. A year later I came in from a run on that Jeep Cherokee route and was just gathering up a pile of s melly, dirty clothes to lug, Santa-like, to the corner laundry wh en I glanced in the bathroom mirror and nearly screamed. The sigh t was horrible: frizzy curls sticking out at odd angles, little n ascent gray hairs pricking through my cowlick, a red face, last n ight's mascara in a streak down my left cheek. The face could be washed, and for that matter, the hair--but it was clear that a vi sit to Marie was in order. Quickly. I looked at my ugly sports w atch. It was six o'clock in the evening--if I left the apartment right this second and ran all eleven blocks down to Hayes Valley, I might just catch her at her salon before she left for the day. If I called first, it would be easier for her to postpone the ha ircut to a later date, by which time the sense of urgency would b e gone, as well as the conviction that all I needed was a trim to make my entire life more manageable, interesting and indeed fulf illing. I dumped all the dirty laundry back into the hamper and g rabbed my wallet and keys, but not before dabbing on some lipstic k--MAC Pecan Tone. One couldn't look completely bedraggled in fro nt of one's hairstylist, if only as a remark of respect. Good Go d, Marie said when I burst into the salon some fifteen minutes la ter. Despite my optimistic canter down the hill, I hadn't really expected that she would take me--more often than not, two or thre e women in white-toweled turbans sat around the perimeter of the cavernous space poring over Elle or In Style, patiently waiting t heir turn--but when I came in, breathless and sweating, Marie was alone and leafing through her heavily marked appointment book, w riting in names and crossing things out. Even Eve, the violet-coi ffed shampooist/receptionist, had left for the day. I really app reciate this, Marie, I said after a few minutes of wheedling and cajoling. I hopped up into the bright purple leatherette chair th at was the shape of a hand. You know how it is when your hair get s to that point and you just can't take it anymore. She eyed me i n the mirror with some doubt. Okay, well, maybe not you, I allowe d. Marie inspected the ends of my hair as distastefully as possi ble. Hmmm. You girls with long hair. Why wait this long? I hope y our life is looking better than your ends. As a matter of fact, I don't mind my split ends, as a concept, I said. They remind me that I get a free therapy session and a haircut. Marie waved that compliment away as if she were shooing away a fruit fly. Marie and I had known each other a long time, so there was no need for useless preamble. Just the usual, I said happily. You know--a qua rter-inch trim that still allows it to be long while transforming it into something shiny, swinging, trendy and completely fabulou s every hour of the day. As it happens, I was speaking to her rum p at that point--she'd bent down and was rummaging through her li ttle trolley, collecting aluminum clips and sliding them into her thick red hair, which was tied on top of her head, giving her th e appearance of a rather hip pineapple. The miracle cut, she sai d. Always a favorite. But as long as no one asks for the Jennifer Aniston hairdo, I'm happy. Thank God that fad passed. Now, where is that damn clarifier? This is great stuff, by the way--gets ou t all that goo and products so you can really have a nice clean s calp. She straightened up and eyed my head. You like products, ri ght? Same as the next gal, I said. That last stuff you gave me-- what was it, the orange syrupy gel in the black tube? Well, it se riously changed my life. Potion Number Nine, she said confidentl y. Yup. They've discontinued it. I nodded. That figures. Marie fingered a lock and let it drop unceremoniously. It has been almo st three months, according to your card. She stood behind me and untwisted my hair band, trying to work her fingers through. Well, how are you doing anyway, besides trimming your hair with manicu re scissors? I'm pretty good, I said. And I don't do that anymor e. A vision of Harriet, counseling frugality, as she snipped her bangs in her credit-card-size mirror in her closet-size bathroom popped into my head. Obviously it had been a mistake to tell Mari e last time of Harriet's helpful economic tips. Marie never seeme d to forget anything. I think the last time I saw you, you were dating some guy who made pastry? she prodded. Flowers, I said. H e was a florist. Pastry, flowers, I knew it was something girlie . She hitched up her black jeans and began to secure a towel unde r the neck of my orange smock. Some atmospheric humming began to waft out of nowhere. Is that the pygmy music I've been reading ab out? I asked. Marie ignored me and settled right into business. It was penitent/confessor time, which of course was 99 percent of the reason why most women enjoyed getting their hair cut. Now, w ho was the one who hated Valentine's Day? That would be the flor ist, I said. That was never going to last, she said. She stopped fussing with my hair and looked at me. You aren't going out with him anymore, I take it? Uh-uh, I said. Actually, it ended fairl y recently. She met my eyes in the mirror and I hastily added, No , it's okay. It was one of those Duty-Free Relationships, as my f riend Harriet calls them. I'd had a few of these involvements sin ce Sean but nothing that merited too many tears or self-esteem pl ummets. I took it as a good sign that I remained friends with mos t of these men, although it did occur to me that that might be be cause the relationships never should have been anything but frien dships in the first place. Okay, say no more. One of my clients calls them the Acapulco Relationships. Warm, relatively cheap, a little tacky, and then you gotta go home and face reality. Anyway , he didn't understand your needs, Marie said. Also, never trust a straight man who sells flowers. She began flattening my hair ag ainst my scalp, pulling it down on either side of my head in that unflattering way that hairstylists do for no apparent reason. I could have saved you a lot of time and heartache. I know, I said . Money too, probably. It's expensive to date somebody nowadays. I don't know ho, Doubleday, 1999, 3, HarperCollins Publishers LTD. Very Good. 6.26 x 1.54 x 9.45 inches. Hardcover. 1993. 368 pages. <br>All were orphans when they met in their teens in t he late seventies, and they vowed to be a family. As they reunite at a film party in London, it is Rosalind Madigan, the angel of the title, who holds them together. An Academy Award-winning desi gner blessed with innate goodness, Rosie is troubled by commitmen ts that leave her feeling estranged from herself and her friends: Gavin Ambrose, a Hollywood megastar, a brilliant actor/producer whose personal life is not as successful as it appears (Nell Jeff rey, head of an international public relations firm and Rosie's b est friend, a glamorous woman having a secret love affair (and Ke vin Madigan, Rosie's brother, an undercover cop in the NYPD Crime Intelligence Division who specializes in fighting organized crim e, an assignment that threatens his life. Into their midst come a dashing French aristocrat and the world's most successful popula r singer, two men who disrupt--and irrevocably transform--the fam ily.... ANGEL Told with the power that only Barbara Taylor Bradfo rd can bring to the page, this stunning novel is about a group of friends--and also about individuals who, facing their own mortal ity, must reevaluate their lives and strengthen their commitments . Exciting and moving, it will fascinate you from beginning to en d. Editorial Reviews Review `The storyteller of substance' The Times`Vintage Barbara Taylor Bradford.'Sunday Express`Queen of th e genre' Sunday Times`Few novelists are as consummate as Barbara Taylor Bradford at keeping the reader turning the page. She is on e of the world's best at spinning yarns.' Guardian --This text re fers to the mass_market edition. From Publishers Weekly Once aga in Bradford's ( A Woman of Substance ) characters are purely seco ndary to the settings--rather like Architectural Digest married t o Vogue . No matter what disaster strikes plucky heroine Rose Mad igan--and there are many--every item of her apparel is minutely d escribed, with particular attention paid to its label. This trick goes a long way to cover up the basic superficiality of the dram atis personae. Rosie is a world-famous costume designer for the s creen and the sister of an undercover policeman named Kevin. In t heir early youth, the two were part of a circle of six friends wh o banded together against the vicissitudes of their respective fa mily lives. One has been lost to drugs, one has vanished without a trace, another, Nell Jeffrey, is a high-powered theatrical agen t, and the last, Gavin Ambrose, has become a major movie star. Ga vin and Rosie, currently friends and co-workers, were once lovers , as Kevin and Nell are now; Gavin is unhappily married and Rosie is strongly tied to her estranged French husband's family, whose members live in a lavishly appointed chateau. Rosie scuttles off to France whenever she can to offer emotional and financial supp ort to her in-laws. Meanwhile, she makes the acquaintance of rock music megastar Johnny Fortune, who showers her with gifts and pa ssionate declarations of love, little suspecting that her brother is involved in an investigation which will bring disaster to Joh nny's mafioso family. The dialogue is even more unbelievable and studded with cliches, while the love scenes are unintentionally h ilarious. This is the '90s, though, and at least everyone uses pr otection as they go from bed to bed. Those who thrive on fantasie s about the rich and famous will lap this up. Major ad/promo. Co pyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers t o the mass_market edition. About the Author Barbara Taylor Bradf ord was born in Leeds, Yorkshire, and was a reporter for the York shire Evening Post at age sixteen. By the age of twenty, she had become both an editor and a columnist on London's Fleet Street. I n 1979 she wrote her first novel, A Woman of Substance. Since the n she has published thirty more works of fiction. Many have been made into television miniseries and movies of the week. Her novel s have sold more than 63 million copies in thirty-nine languages worldwide. She lives in New York City. --This text refers to the mass_market edition. From AudioFile Rose, Gavin, Neil and Kevin were all orphaned as teens and have bonded into a family. Neil an d Rose learn to accept love into their lives as Gavin and Kevin f ace their limitations. Lorelei King provides a glowing voice and suitable accents for the characters, ranging from French and Brit ish to New York Italian. (Her British pronunciation sometimes tri ps on American words.) King smoothly moves from scene to scene an d wraps this romantic tale in sweet tones that transport the list ener. M.B.K. (c) AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to the mass_market edition. From the Inside Flap All were orphans when they met in their teens in the late seventies, and they vowe d to be a family. As they reunite at a film party in London, it i s Rosalind Madigan, the angel of the title, who holds them togeth er. An Academy Award-winning designer blessed with innate goodnes s, Rosie is troubled by commitments that leave her feeling estran ged from herself and her friends: Gavin Ambrose, a Hollywood mega star, a brilliant actor/producer whose personal life is not as su ccessful as it appears (Nell Jeffrey, head of an international pu blic relations firm and Rosie's best friend, a glamorous woman ha ving a secret love affair (and Kevin Madigan, Rosie's brother, an undercover cop in the NYPD Crime Intelligence Division who speci alizes in fighting organized crime, an assignment that threatens his life. Into their midst come a dashing French aristocrat and t he world's most successful popular singer, two men who disrupt--a nd irrevocably transform--the family.... ANGEL Told with the powe r that only Barbara Taylor Bradford can bring to the page, this s tunning novel is about a group of friends--and also about individ uals who, facing their own mortality, must reevaluate their lives and strengthen their commitments. Exciting and moving, it will f ascinate you from beginning to end. --This text refers to the mas s_market edition. ., HarperCollins Publishers LTD, 1993, 3<

1999, ISBN: 9780246138200

Doubleday. Very Good. 6 x 1.25 x 8.5 inches. Hardcover. 1999. 352 pages. Dj lightly worn<br>The dark and dirty secrets of the m ating and dating scene are exposed as Courtney Weaver… More...

Doubleday. Very Good. 6 x 1.25 x 8.5 inches. Hardcover. 1999. 352 pages. Dj lightly worn<br>The dark and dirty secrets of the m ating and dating scene are exposed as Courtney Weaver hears all f rom her friends--and tells a few secrets of her own--in this true -life Bridget Jones meets Tales of the City. Sexuality in the '9 0s is a different animal: While men and women have been given the tools to communicate, they haven't been given the instructions. With audacious, witty, and sometimes scandalous writing, Courtney Weaver's Unzipped follows her life and those of her friends as t hey attempt to navigate the waters of intimate relationships with out paddles. Weaver, whose column Unzipped was Salon magazine's most popular feature, lends an indulgent ear to her friends as th ey wrestle with the lure of having sex with exes, predict bedroom prowess from kisses, and search for the most tactful way to recl aim favorite pieces of clothing left behind after messy breakups. Harriet is convinced that a concrete set of '50s-era rules is th e only way to catch a mate, while Jemma turns to her own shocking set of rules in order to fulfill her desires. Meanwhile, Weaver' s single-mom hairstylist Marie lends a sympathetic ear and an ace rbic tongue when she too uncovers a sexual scandal in her own bac kyard. In the tradition of Tales of the City, but peopled with c haracters you might actually meet, Unzipped is a work of narrativ e nonfiction that explores all the complexities of sex in the '90 s. Editorial Reviews From Publishers Weekly Salon Web site colu mnist Weaver brings her Unzipped column into print with this epon ymous work, which chronicles her own and her well-educated, 30-so mething friends' search for love and the perfect mate (and the oc casional one-night stand along the way). Surprisingly, this San F rancisco-based cast is entirely heterosexual, although their stor ies are anything but traditional. From a not-quite-divorced, post punk mother who rediscovers the thrills and pitfalls of sleeping around, to a nanny who finds satisfaction in S&M clubs, to men wh o are desperately searching for a woman willing to commit, the ch aracters endure a slew of intriguing sexual misadventures. Weaver also offers a peek into her own often lonely life as a successfu l freelance writer, portraying herself in her darker moments as t hat most solitary of creatures: the Internet addict. As she exami nes the reasons why she has not found a partner and wonders what her life would be like if she did, the writing occasionally gets bogged down in maudlin self-analysis. Still, the bulk of this hum orous narrative is well spun and will appeal to Gen-X readers wit h even the slightest of voyeuristic tendencies. (Dec.) Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Library Journal This book eavesdrops play by play on the sex-and-love lives of the aut hor and her friends as they share gossip, stories, laughter, and tears. By turns hilarious, banal, and rather sad, her chronicle s hows women and men working valiantly at mating in a culture witho ut universal consensus or rituals, where bottles, beds, and bodie s are shared but rules and expectations are not. Her portraits ar e vivid, and the book is an entertaining read rather in the style of a nonfiction American Bridget Jones's Diary. Weaver, a journa list, wrote the column Unzipped for Salon magazine for several ye ars. For libraries in large, cosmopolitan citiesAespecially New Y ork and San FranciscoAand with collections specializing in contem porary culture and sexuality.AMartha Cornog, Philadelphia Copyri ght 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Kirkus Reviews A v oyeuristic journey into the love lives and sexual escapades of a group of 90s men and women. Salon columnist Weaver wants to bare everything about herself and her friends as they struggle through intimate relationships. Mixing a potent cocktail of sensitivity and sarcasm, Weaver's prose amuses and provokes while describing a world that seems largely peopled by perpetual adolescents ``in search of good stuffed animals, not suitable life partners.'' Mar ie, Courtney's chatty Valley Girl hairdresser, tires of sex with her husband, Gavin, soon after giving birth. Giving him carte bla nche to have sex with anyone, a shattered Marie has to sleep arou nd after Gavin falls in love during one of his ``casual'' affairs . Harriett, the ``rules chick,'' is convinced she will land a hus band only after strictly following the ``rules.'' And so she does after years of dating. Most of the others ignore all the rules, and their relationships founder. Jemma, Weaver's most troubling e xample, walks out of a dream marriage to become the masochistic ` `slave'' of an unimpressive lover. With Jemma, Weaver comes close st to offering the reader some insight into her self-destructive peers. She visits their s&m sex clubs in a game attempt to unders tand them. Sadly, she never comes up with more than a superficial explanation why an intelligent, attractive woman would want to b e so passive or seek such an aberrant relationship. Weaver is no more perceptive about her own unfulfilling love life. When she is not obsessively involved with men who reject her, she is overly involved with herself. She speaks not only for herself but for he r peers as well when she tells her single mom, ``I'm not afraid o f committingI just can't seem to make an intimate emotional conne ction.'' A vivid, sobering glimpse into the sexy but sterile live s led by too many entrapped in the mating game. -- Copyright ®199 9, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. Review Salon-colu mnist Weaver seems to imagine that bored housewives in Peoria wil l read about her randy exploits with envy. But beneath Unzipped's glamorous sheen lies a thick layer of despair. .... Her mothers sighs and asks, How did my generation raise you kids to be so afr aid of commitment? I'm not afraid of committing, Mom, Weaver says . I just can't seem to make an intimate emotional connection. Ins tead of forging that connection, Weaver throws a party. When the party's over, Weaver is left with only her telephone, her Interne t portal, and her crisp white sheets. She peers into her almost b are refrigerator and thinks, This is my life.... I am here, alone .... I think about if there were someone else here, someone who l ived in this apartment with me, who was not a cat or a bird but m y partner. ....Weaver's moment of self-pity, though not unmoving, isn't enough to provide ballast for this cliché-ridden romp. -- From Beliefnet Ultimately, Unzipped feels less like a book than a conversation. At least it's a conversation with a charming pers on. -- The New York Times Book Review, Jenny Lyn Bader From the Inside Flap dirty secrets of the mating and dating scene are expo sed as Courtney Weaver hears all from her friends--and tells a fe w secrets of her own--in this true-life Bridget Jones meets Tales of the City. Sexuality in the '90s is a different animal: While men and women have been given the tools to communicate, they hav en't been given the instructions.  With audacious, witty, and som etimes scandalous writing, Courtney Weaver's Unzipped follows her life and those of her friends as they attempt to navigate the wa ters of intimate relationships without paddles. Weaver, whose co lumn Unzipped was Salon magazine's most popular feature, lends an indulgent ear to her friends as they wrestle with the lure of ha ving sex with exes, predict bedroom prowess from kisses, and sear ch for the most tactful way to reclaim favorite pieces of clothin g left behind after messy breakups. Harriet is convinced that a c oncrete set of '50s About the Author Courtney Weaver wrote the p opular column Unzipped for Salon magazine for over two years. She graduated from Brown University with a degree in semiotics and l ater received an M.A. in creative writing from New York Universit y. She has worked for the San Francisco Chronicle and the BBC, an d is a regular contributor to The New York Times. In addition to appearing on ABC-TV's Politically Incorrect, she has written for the Washington Post, Allure, Marie Claire, and the San Francisco Examiner. Unzipped is her first book. Excerpt. ® Reprinted by pe rmission. All rights reserved. A year later I came in from a run on that Jeep Cherokee route and was just gathering up a pile of s melly, dirty clothes to lug, Santa-like, to the corner laundry wh en I glanced in the bathroom mirror and nearly screamed. The sigh t was horrible: frizzy curls sticking out at odd angles, little n ascent gray hairs pricking through my cowlick, a red face, last n ight's mascara in a streak down my left cheek. The face could be washed, and for that matter, the hair--but it was clear that a vi sit to Marie was in order. Quickly. I looked at my ugly sports w atch. It was six o'clock in the evening--if I left the apartment right this second and ran all eleven blocks down to Hayes Valley, I might just catch her at her salon before she left for the day. If I called first, it would be easier for her to postpone the ha ircut to a later date, by which time the sense of urgency would b e gone, as well as the conviction that all I needed was a trim to make my entire life more manageable, interesting and indeed fulf illing. I dumped all the dirty laundry back into the hamper and g rabbed my wallet and keys, but not before dabbing on some lipstic k--MAC Pecan Tone. One couldn't look completely bedraggled in fro nt of one's hairstylist, if only as a remark of respect. Good Go d, Marie said when I burst into the salon some fifteen minutes la ter. Despite my optimistic canter down the hill, I hadn't really expected that she would take me--more often than not, two or thre e women in white-toweled turbans sat around the perimeter of the cavernous space poring over Elle or In Style, patiently waiting t heir turn--but when I came in, breathless and sweating, Marie was alone and leafing through her heavily marked appointment book, w riting in names and crossing things out. Even Eve, the violet-coi ffed shampooist/receptionist, had left for the day. I really app reciate this, Marie, I said after a few minutes of wheedling and cajoling. I hopped up into the bright purple leatherette chair th at was the shape of a hand. You know how it is when your hair get s to that point and you just can't take it anymore. She eyed me i n the mirror with some doubt. Okay, well, maybe not you, I allowe d. Marie inspected the ends of my hair as distastefully as possi ble. Hmmm. You girls with long hair. Why wait this long? I hope y our life is looking better than your ends. As a matter of fact, I don't mind my split ends, as a concept, I said. They remind me that I get a free therapy session and a haircut. Marie waved that compliment away as if she were shooing away a fruit fly. Marie and I had known each other a long time, so there was no need for useless preamble. Just the usual, I said happily. You know--a qua rter-inch trim that still allows it to be long while transforming it into something shiny, swinging, trendy and completely fabulou s every hour of the day. As it happens, I was speaking to her rum p at that point--she'd bent down and was rummaging through her li ttle trolley, collecting aluminum clips and sliding them into her thick red hair, which was tied on top of her head, giving her th e appearance of a rather hip pineapple. The miracle cut, she sai d. Always a favorite. But as long as no one asks for the Jennifer Aniston hairdo, I'm happy. Thank God that fad passed. Now, where is that damn clarifier? This is great stuff, by the way--gets ou t all that goo and products so you can really have a nice clean s calp. She straightened up and eyed my head. You like products, ri ght? Same as the next gal, I said. That last stuff you gave me-- what was it, the orange syrupy gel in the black tube? Well, it se riously changed my life. Potion Number Nine, she said confidentl y. Yup. They've discontinued it. I nodded. That figures. Marie fingered a lock and let it drop unceremoniously. It has been almo st three months, according to your card. She stood behind me and untwisted my hair band, trying to work her fingers through. Well, how are you doing anyway, besides trimming your hair with manicu re scissors? I'm pretty good, I said. And I don't do that anymor e. A vision of Harriet, counseling frugality, as she snipped her bangs in her credit-card-size mirror in her closet-size bathroom popped into my head. Obviously it had been a mistake to tell Mari e last time of Harriet's helpful economic tips. Marie never seeme d to forget anything. I think the last time I saw you, you were dating some guy who made pastry? she prodded. Flowers, I said. H e was a florist. Pastry, flowers, I knew it was something girlie . She hitched up her black jeans and began to secure a towel unde r the neck of my orange smock. Some atmospheric humming began to waft out of nowhere. Is that the pygmy music I've been reading ab out? I asked. Marie ignored me and settled right into business. It was penitent/confessor time, which of course was 99 percent of the reason why most women enjoyed getting their hair cut. Now, w ho was the one who hated Valentine's Day? That would be the flor ist, I said. That was never going to last, she said. She stopped fussing with my hair and looked at me. You aren't going out with him anymore, I take it? Uh-uh, I said. Actually, it ended fairl y recently. She met my eyes in the mirror and I hastily added, No , it's okay. It was one of those Duty-Free Relationships, as my f riend Harriet calls them. I'd had a few of these involvements sin ce Sean but nothing that merited too many tears or self-esteem pl ummets. I took it as a good sign that I remained friends with mos t of these men, although it did occur to me that that might be be cause the relationships never should have been anything but frien dships in the first place. Okay, say no more. One of my clients calls them the Acapulco Relationships. Warm, relatively cheap, a little tacky, and then you gotta go home and face reality. Anyway , he didn't understand your needs, Marie said. Also, never trust a straight man who sells flowers. She began flattening my hair ag ainst my scalp, pulling it down on either side of my head in that unflattering way that hairstylists do for no apparent reason. I could have saved you a lot of time and heartache. I know, I said . Money too, probably. It's expensive to date somebody nowadays. I don't know ho, Doubleday, 1999, 3, Tor Books. Very Good. 1.4 x 6.5 x 9.5 inches. Hardcover. 1992. 375 pages. <br>Forty-five years after he lost his parents, wife, and child in the U.S. attack on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Isowa Nak kamura gathers a cadre of Eastern Bloc assassins to help him wrea k similar havoc on Los Angeles and San Francisco Editorial Revie ws From Publishers Weekly The author of Crossfire sets his fast- paced new thriller in motion with an exciting scenario: an embitt ered Hiroshima survivor's attempt to explode nuclear devices in S an Francisco and Los Angeles on the anniversaries of the two atom ic bomb attacks that ended WW II. In Paris, former CIA assassin K irk McGarvey sees his lover's plane shot down by a Stinger missil e fired by a team of East German assassins in the employ of madma n Isowa Makkamura. Seeking revenge, McGarvey begins to pick up Ma kkamura's trail after a brutal killing in Tokyo, but the East Ger mans kidnap his ex-wife and daughter to throw him off the track. The bloody effort to rescue the two women obscures the main plot line for a while, but McGarvey eventually confronts Makkamura in Tokyo, then joins him on a deadly flight across the Pacific befor e the book's final crisis, which is resolved only in the final se ntence. McGarvey may be a little too superhuman--and the villains too evil by half--to be believed, but tension never lags in this certified page-turner. Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information , Inc. From Kirkus Reviews Vengeful Japanese cowboy/industrialis t seeks to build A-bomb; vengeful American cowboy/agent seeks to thwart same--in this expert rouser from dependable Hagberg (Count down, 1990; Crossfire, 1991). After losing his parents in Hiroshi ma and his wife and daughter in Nagasaki, Isawa Nakamura resurfac es decades later as a self-made computer kingpin with the clout t o take out three inconvenient CIA men on a Swissair jetliner with a surface-to-air missile. Also aboard is Marta Fredericks, girlf riend of retired Company op Kirk McGarvey, who goes on a cold-kil ling rampage. Nakamura's goons kill American agents by the carloa d, kidnap McGarvey's estranged wife Kathleen and adoring daughter Elizabeth, and use them as bait in a killing trap--since they na turally know who's on their trail and how fearsome he is. There m ust be a hundred killers, armed with the latest high-tech weaponr y, arrayed against McGarvey, but they haven't got a prayer. (As E lizabeth ``confidently'' tells a kidnaper: ``My father is going t o tear you a new asshole, sweety.'') Nothing can stop McGarvey: c ertainly not the French and American spooks set on his trail (he thumbs his nose at them, then signs on under his own terms), or a CIA info blackout (a Twinkie-loving hacker lets him in the back door), or the trap set by chief henchmen Ernst Spranger and icy l esbian temptress Liese Egk (McGarvey shrugs off the Navy SEALS di spatched to the Greek islands to help him--they naturally blunder into the trap in his place--and takes out the last thug with his last bullet), or the resulting wounds, which are supposed to kee p him bedridden--and the bomb assembly thereby on track--for six weeks (he's en route to Japan two days later for the equally pred ictable showdown). Japan-bashing at its most cartoon-heroic, writ ten with an eye for the fast clich?. Not really good for you, or for international relations, but there's no point in fighting Hag berg's crudely effective force. -- Copyright ®1992, Kirkus Associ ates, LP. All rights reserved. ., Tor Books, 1992, 3, HarperCollins Publishers LTD. Very Good. 6.26 x 1.54 x 9.45 inches. Hardcover. 1993. 368 pages. <br>All were orphans when they met in their teens in t he late seventies, and they vowed to be a family. As they reunite at a film party in London, it is Rosalind Madigan, the angel of the title, who holds them together. An Academy Award-winning desi gner blessed with innate goodness, Rosie is troubled by commitmen ts that leave her feeling estranged from herself and her friends: Gavin Ambrose, a Hollywood megastar, a brilliant actor/producer whose personal life is not as successful as it appears (Nell Jeff rey, head of an international public relations firm and Rosie's b est friend, a glamorous woman having a secret love affair (and Ke vin Madigan, Rosie's brother, an undercover cop in the NYPD Crime Intelligence Division who specializes in fighting organized crim e, an assignment that threatens his life. Into their midst come a dashing French aristocrat and the world's most successful popula r singer, two men who disrupt--and irrevocably transform--the fam ily.... ANGEL Told with the power that only Barbara Taylor Bradfo rd can bring to the page, this stunning novel is about a group of friends--and also about individuals who, facing their own mortal ity, must reevaluate their lives and strengthen their commitments . Exciting and moving, it will fascinate you from beginning to en d. Editorial Reviews Review `The storyteller of substance' The Times`Vintage Barbara Taylor Bradford.'Sunday Express`Queen of th e genre' Sunday Times`Few novelists are as consummate as Barbara Taylor Bradford at keeping the reader turning the page. She is on e of the world's best at spinning yarns.' Guardian --This text re fers to the mass_market edition. From Publishers Weekly Once aga in Bradford's ( A Woman of Substance ) characters are purely seco ndary to the settings--rather like Architectural Digest married t o Vogue . No matter what disaster strikes plucky heroine Rose Mad igan--and there are many--every item of her apparel is minutely d escribed, with particular attention paid to its label. This trick goes a long way to cover up the basic superficiality of the dram atis personae. Rosie is a world-famous costume designer for the s creen and the sister of an undercover policeman named Kevin. In t heir early youth, the two were part of a circle of six friends wh o banded together against the vicissitudes of their respective fa mily lives. One has been lost to drugs, one has vanished without a trace, another, Nell Jeffrey, is a high-powered theatrical agen t, and the last, Gavin Ambrose, has become a major movie star. Ga vin and Rosie, currently friends and co-workers, were once lovers , as Kevin and Nell are now; Gavin is unhappily married and Rosie is strongly tied to her estranged French husband's family, whose members live in a lavishly appointed chateau. Rosie scuttles off to France whenever she can to offer emotional and financial supp ort to her in-laws. Meanwhile, she makes the acquaintance of rock music megastar Johnny Fortune, who showers her with gifts and pa ssionate declarations of love, little suspecting that her brother is involved in an investigation which will bring disaster to Joh nny's mafioso family. The dialogue is even more unbelievable and studded with cliches, while the love scenes are unintentionally h ilarious. This is the '90s, though, and at least everyone uses pr otection as they go from bed to bed. Those who thrive on fantasie s about the rich and famous will lap this up. Major ad/promo. Co pyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers t o the mass_market edition. About the Author Barbara Taylor Bradf ord was born in Leeds, Yorkshire, and was a reporter for the York shire Evening Post at age sixteen. By the age of twenty, she had become both an editor and a columnist on London's Fleet Street. I n 1979 she wrote her first novel, A Woman of Substance. Since the n she has published thirty more works of fiction. Many have been made into television miniseries and movies of the week. Her novel s have sold more than 63 million copies in thirty-nine languages worldwide. She lives in New York City. --This text refers to the mass_market edition. From AudioFile Rose, Gavin, Neil and Kevin were all orphaned as teens and have bonded into a family. Neil an d Rose learn to accept love into their lives as Gavin and Kevin f ace their limitations. Lorelei King provides a glowing voice and suitable accents for the characters, ranging from French and Brit ish to New York Italian. (Her British pronunciation sometimes tri ps on American words.) King smoothly moves from scene to scene an d wraps this romantic tale in sweet tones that transport the list ener. M.B.K. (c) AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to the mass_market edition. From the Inside Flap All were orphans when they met in their teens in the late seventies, and they vowe d to be a family. As they reunite at a film party in London, it i s Rosalind Madigan, the angel of the title, who holds them togeth er. An Academy Award-winning designer blessed with innate goodnes s, Rosie is troubled by commitments that leave her feeling estran ged from herself and her friends: Gavin Ambrose, a Hollywood mega star, a brilliant actor/producer whose personal life is not as su ccessful as it appears (Nell Jeffrey, head of an international pu blic relations firm and Rosie's best friend, a glamorous woman ha ving a secret love affair (and Kevin Madigan, Rosie's brother, an undercover cop in the NYPD Crime Intelligence Division who speci alizes in fighting organized crime, an assignment that threatens his life. Into their midst come a dashing French aristocrat and t he world's most successful popular singer, two men who disrupt--a nd irrevocably transform--the family.... ANGEL Told with the powe r that only Barbara Taylor Bradford can bring to the page, this s tunning novel is about a group of friends--and also about individ uals who, facing their own mortality, must reevaluate their lives and strengthen their commitments. Exciting and moving, it will f ascinate you from beginning to end. --This text refers to the mas s_market edition. ., HarperCollins Publishers LTD, 1993, 3<

2008, ISBN: 9780246138200

Knopf Books for Young Readers. Very Good. 5.93 x 1.11 x 8.52 inches. Hardcover. 2008. 320 pages.<br>Helen Lowe reimagines the Sleeping Beauty story fro m the point of view of the pr… More...

Knopf Books for Young Readers. Very Good. 5.93 x 1.11 x 8.52 inches. Hardcover. 2008. 320 pages.<br>Helen Lowe reimagines the Sleeping Beauty story fro m the point of view of the prince who is destined to wake the enc hanted princess in this lush, romantic fantasy-adventure. Prince Sigismund has grown up hearing fantastical stories about enchant ments and faie spells, basilisks and dragons, knights-errant and heroic quests. He'd love for them to be true--he's been sheltered in a country castle for most of his life and longs for adventure --but they are just stories. Or are they? From the day that a my sterious lady in a fine carriage speaks to him through the castle gates, Sigismund's world starts to shift. He begins to dream of a girl wrapped, trapped, in thorns. He dreams of a palace, utterl y still, waiting. He dreams of a man in red armor, riding a red h orse--and then suddenly that man arrives at the castle! Sigismu nd is about to learn that sometimes dreams are true, that the wor ld is both more magical and more dangerous than he imagined, and that the heroic quest he imagined for himself as a boy . . . begi ns now. Editorial Reviews From Booklist Confined to a country c astle while his father fights in the south, bored Prince Sigismun d dreams of adventures he believes happen only in stories. The ne arby Wood is the source of most of his fantasies; it's been forbi dden since his great grandfather's time, and stories abound as to why. No one visits the castle, and the gates rarely open, so whe n Sigismund spies a wealthy carriage on the road, he rushes to me et it and is flung headlong into an adventure involving the dange rous Wood, an enchanted palace, and a princess sleeping among tho rns. Aided by a dragon and other allies, his own magic, and a leg endary sword, Sigismund must break the spell before the evil fair y who cast it can gain enough power to take over his world. This reimagining of Sleeping Beauty follows the prince as he develops from a wistful little boy who longs for his stern father's approv al into the worthy hero he is destined to be. This version fittin gly has more swordplay and dangerous escapades than romance, but it still ends happily ever after. Grades 4-7. --Krista Hutley Re view A quiet hero anchors this nicely crafted blend of fairy tale and dreamscape. . . . A narrative that begins as an exploration of fairy-tale archetypes thus moves into a very human and neverth eless magical drama. Thoughtful and understated. --Kirkus Reviews The charming modifications hang together nicely with the tradit ional elements of the story, and romance readers as well as fairy -tale aficionados will delight in this deft handling of the tale. --The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books This reimagin ing of 'Sleeping Beauty' follows the prince as he develops from a wistful little boy who longs for his stern father's approval int o the worthy hero he is destined to be. --Booklist Review This S leeping Beauty retelling skillfully expands the basic story of th e uninvited guest seeking revenge into a full-blooded tale of amb ition and romance . . . romance readers as well as fairy tale afi cionados will delight in this deft handling of the tale. This 'S leeping Beauty' retelling skillfully expands the basic story. Rom ance readers as well as fairy-tale aficionados will delight in th is deft handling of the tale. Confined to a country castle while his father fights in the south, bored Prince Sigismund dreams of adventures he believes happen only in stories. The nearby Wood i s the source of most of his fantasies; it's been forbidden since his great grandfather's time, and stories abound as to why. No on e visits the castle, and the gates rarely open, so when Sigismund spies a wealthy carriage on the road, he rushes to meet it and i s flung headlong into an adventure involving the dangerous Wood, an enchanted palace, and a princess sleeping among thorns. Aided by a dragon and other allies, his own magic, and a legendary swor d, Sigismund must break the spell before the evil faie who cast i t can gain enough power to take over his world. This re-imagining of Sleeping Beauty follows the prince as he develops from a wist ful little boy who longs for his stern father's approval into the worthy hero he is destined to be. This version fittingly has mor e swordplay and dangerous escapades than romance, but it still en ds happily ever after. -- Krista Hutley Review Crown prince Sigi smund is tired of being sequestered in a castle far away from his father and the court, but he is fascinated by local legends of t he ancient wood that borders royal lands. People are fporbidden t o enter the wood, which is said to have a castle at its heart, an d none can say whether the occupants of the mysterious castle are friends or foe; Sigismund himself encounters a lady through the castle gate who is clearly gifted with power as well as beauty. W hen Sigismund is finally allowed to come to court, he takes part in a hunt that claims the life of one of his retainers, and his g rief distracts him so that he finds himself captured and imprison ed in a fairy hill ... This Sleeping Beauty retelling skilfully e xpands the basic story of the uninvited guest seeking revenge int o a full-blooded tale of ambition and romance. Additional richnes s accrues from the prince's having magical powers of his own, and the loopholes in the sleeping counter-spell that allow prince an d princess to meet before her awakening are clever indeed. The ch arming modifications hang together nicely with the traditional el ements of the story, and romance readers as well as fairy tale af icionados will delight in this deft handling of the tale. Review Prince Sigismund always dreamed of a life of heroism, adventure, beasts, and fair maidens in need of rescue. What little boy hasn 't? But, in Helen Lowe's first novel, she takes a behind-the-scen es look at the classic Sleeping Beauty and puts it in the perspec tive of the prince, the one who awakens her from her sleep. With engaging characters and an energetic and magical plot, this book should capture the attention of all readers, breaking away from i ts genre of Young Adult. This book honors prince Charming's quali ties, and does not damage the old story in any way. With a handfu l of plot twists and dangers lurking behind every page, this book will keep the reader engaged well after the final page, and Hele n Lowe will be sure to have a cult following waiting anxiously fo r her next installment in her fantasy series. Book Description A ward-winning poet Helen Lowe's first novel, Thornspell, is a poet ically and dramatically rich fairy tale. Her magical suspense sto ry parallels the German epic poem and opera, Parsifal, a man's se arch for the Holy Grail, as well as the film, Sleeping Beauty. It is an imaginative story with distinctive and complex plots and e xtraordinary characters. Sequestered within the castle walls fo r his own protection, young Prince Sigismund spends his time dayd reaming about the enchanted world of King Arthur's knights, unawa re that soon he will embark on a quest of his own. As the prince approaches his 18th birthday, a carriage with the evil fairy (fai e), Margravine zu Malvolin, arrives at the castle gates. She atte mpts to entrap the prince. This bold move prompts the King to ass ign Balistan, master-at-arms, to prepare his son for the inevitab le. The prince discovers, with meditation and interpretation of d reams, his own magical powers. The prince learns that Margravin e placed an evil spell a hundred years ago on a kingdom in the Wo od where a princess remains asleep. Sigismund, a true-blood princ e, is the only one who can rescue the sleeping princess and her f amily. If Margravine can control Sigismund, she will have a power over both the fairy and mortal world. Sigismund goes against Mar gravine's strong magic. He discovers his own strength, and with t he help of a magic sword, Quickthorn (like King Arthur's Excalibu r), he is able to escape Margravine's control and lift the spell. Lowe suspends the reader's reality and thrusts us into an imag inary world with vivid descriptions and lyrical language such as the final confrontation. Sigismund sees Margravine floating in th e air, her hair streaming out like a banner and billowing into th e growing storm. Shadows flared on either side of her like the ba twings he remembered, and the clouds rolled close, dark as nightf all with lightening at their heart. This young readers book is a thrilling read. Like the story of Parsifal, it conveys messages of compassion and honor. --Kate Padilla From the Publisher I'm always amazed by the power of a fairy tale and the many ways it can be told and retold. Just when you think you've read every pos sible variation on a story, some wonderful new author arrives to spin it fresh and make it new again. Such was the pleasure of rea ding Helen Lowe's remarkable Thornspell--a new take on the Sleepi ng Beauty story--for the first time. By approaching the story fro m the point of view of the prince who is destined to wake the sle eping princess, she found a whole new way to send shivers up my s pine. Her language is rich and romantic and there is a perfect ma gical kiss at the end. But this is very much the prince's tale. I t's a swashbuckling story, filled with sword fights and danger an d dragons that will keep readers' hearts racing. --Nancy Siscoe From the Publisher I'm always amazed by the power of a fairy tale and the many ways it can be told and retold. Just when you think you've read every possible variation on a story, some wonderful new author arrives to spin it fresh and make it new again. Such w as the pleasure of reading Helen Lowe's remarkable Thornspell--a new take on the Sleeping Beauty story--for the first time. By app roaching the story from the point of view of the prince who is de stined to wake the sleeping princess, she found a whole new way t o send shivers up my spine. Her language is rich and romantic and there is a perfect magical kiss at the end. But this is very muc h the prince's tale. It's a swashbuckling story, filled with swor d fights and danger and dragons that will keep readers' hearts ra cing. --Nancy Siscoe About the Author Helen Lowe won the inaugur al Robbie Burns National Poetry Award in 2003 and was the recipie nt of a New Zealand Society of Authors/Creative New Zealand award for emerging writer. For Thornspell, she received the Sir Julius Vogel Award for best young adult novel. She received a second Vo gel Award as best new talent in the fantasy field. In addition t o her writing life, Helen has a second-dan black belt in aikido a nd represented her university in the sport of fencing. She lives in a ninety-year-old house with a woodland garden in Christchurch , New Zealand, which she shares with her partner, Andrew, and two cats. Excerpt. ® Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. The Silent Wood A boy was lying on his stomach on the topmost to wer of a small, square castle, basking like a lizard in the sun. There was a book open on the lichened stone in front of him, and one slightly grubby finger traced the illuminations on the page. Neither he nor the book was supposed to be there at all, but he h ad slipped away from his many guardians to lose himself in the en chanted world of Parsifal and the Grail quest. When he was done w ith reading, he would simply doze on in the warm afternoon sun or look out, lofty as a falcon, over the world that surrounded the castle. Even from the high tower it was a small enough world, fo r the castle, the gardens, and the parkland that surrounded it we re contained by a high stone wall. The wall snaked for miles betw een the park and the white dusty road, and even the local village lay inside the great wrought-iron gates. Sigismund, for that w as the boy's name, couldn't remember the gates opening since the day his father had first brought him to the castle, several years before. He supposed they must open sometimes to let his father's couriers pass, and the merchants who brought luxuries from the c apital, but he had never seen it happen, not even when he raced t o the top of the tower to watch a departing caravan. There was al ways something that distracted his attention at the critical mome nt--or the dust in summer, or snow of winter, would be too thick for him to see the gate at all. Sigismund could lie for hours wa tching the road and imagining the long leagues to the capital, wi th all the towns and great houses, woods and fields, along its le ngth. He would daydream of the adventures that might befall a tra veler along the way, for there were still tales told of both faie and ogres dwelling in these remoter provinces. Sigismund's tutor , Master Griff, might look down his nose at such tales, but Sir A ndreas, the castle steward, would shake his head and say that you couldn't take anything for granted, not in this country. Sir And reas himself would never say more, but Wenceslas, who worked in t he stable and was a particular friend of Sigismund's, said that S ir Andreas's own father had been killed fighting ogres. He too ha d been the King's steward and led his men against the ogres when they began killing travelers and raiding outlying farms. This st ory always gave Sigismund a shiver down his spine, because it was both exciting and sad at the same time. He liked to imagine ridi ng out in the same way when he was older, protecting the people f rom outlaws and monsters, except that in these daydreams Sigismun d always overcame his opponents and set any wrongs done to right. His favorite dream, however, was of the day when his father woul d come riding back from the endless rebellions and outright wars in the southern provinces. Then, thought Sigismund, his eyes half shut against the sun's glare, they would go adventuring together --perhaps along the fabled Spice Road and into the Uttermost East , where dragons flew like silken banners in the noonday sky and m en spoke in strange tongues. He didn't like to think about what would happen if his father never came back, if he was killed figh ting in the south. Sigismund supposed that he would have to retur n to the capital if that happened and be crowned king in his turn , although he would much rather ride out alone, like Parsifal on the Grail quest. I could be a knight-errant, he thought, and make my own way in the world, as princes used to do in the high days of King Arthur--or the Emperor Charlemagne, when Roland held the pass at Roncesvalles. But not crown princes, Master Griff had sa id on the one occasion when Si, Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2008, 3, HarperCollins Publishers LTD. Very Good. 6.26 x 1.54 x 9.45 inches. Hardcover. 1993. 368 pages. <br>All were orphans when they met in their teens in t he late seventies, and they vowed to be a family. As they reunite at a film party in London, it is Rosalind Madigan, the angel of the title, who holds them together. An Academy Award-winning desi gner blessed with innate goodness, Rosie is troubled by commitmen ts that leave her feeling estranged from herself and her friends: Gavin Ambrose, a Hollywood megastar, a brilliant actor/producer whose personal life is not as successful as it appears (Nell Jeff rey, head of an international public relations firm and Rosie's b est friend, a glamorous woman having a secret love affair (and Ke vin Madigan, Rosie's brother, an undercover cop in the NYPD Crime Intelligence Division who specializes in fighting organized crim e, an assignment that threatens his life. Into their midst come a dashing French aristocrat and the world's most successful popula r singer, two men who disrupt--and irrevocably transform--the fam ily.... ANGEL Told with the power that only Barbara Taylor Bradfo rd can bring to the page, this stunning novel is about a group of friends--and also about individuals who, facing their own mortal ity, must reevaluate their lives and strengthen their commitments . Exciting and moving, it will fascinate you from beginning to en d. Editorial Reviews Review `The storyteller of substance' The Times`Vintage Barbara Taylor Bradford.'Sunday Express`Queen of th e genre' Sunday Times`Few novelists are as consummate as Barbara Taylor Bradford at keeping the reader turning the page. She is on e of the world's best at spinning yarns.' Guardian --This text re fers to the mass_market edition. From Publishers Weekly Once aga in Bradford's ( A Woman of Substance ) characters are purely seco ndary to the settings--rather like Architectural Digest married t o Vogue . No matter what disaster strikes plucky heroine Rose Mad igan--and there are many--every item of her apparel is minutely d escribed, with particular attention paid to its label. This trick goes a long way to cover up the basic superficiality of the dram atis personae. Rosie is a world-famous costume designer for the s creen and the sister of an undercover policeman named Kevin. In t heir early youth, the two were part of a circle of six friends wh o banded together against the vicissitudes of their respective fa mily lives. One has been lost to drugs, one has vanished without a trace, another, Nell Jeffrey, is a high-powered theatrical agen t, and the last, Gavin Ambrose, has become a major movie star. Ga vin and Rosie, currently friends and co-workers, were once lovers , as Kevin and Nell are now; Gavin is unhappily married and Rosie is strongly tied to her estranged French husband's family, whose members live in a lavishly appointed chateau. Rosie scuttles off to France whenever she can to offer emotional and financial supp ort to her in-laws. Meanwhile, she makes the acquaintance of rock music megastar Johnny Fortune, who showers her with gifts and pa ssionate declarations of love, little suspecting that her brother is involved in an investigation which will bring disaster to Joh nny's mafioso family. The dialogue is even more unbelievable and studded with cliches, while the love scenes are unintentionally h ilarious. This is the '90s, though, and at least everyone uses pr otection as they go from bed to bed. Those who thrive on fantasie s about the rich and famous will lap this up. Major ad/promo. Co pyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers t o the mass_market edition. About the Author Barbara Taylor Bradf ord was born in Leeds, Yorkshire, and was a reporter for the York shire Evening Post at age sixteen. By the age of twenty, she had become both an editor and a columnist on London's Fleet Street. I n 1979 she wrote her first novel, A Woman of Substance. Since the n she has published thirty more works of fiction. Many have been made into television miniseries and movies of the week. Her novel s have sold more than 63 million copies in thirty-nine languages worldwide. She lives in New York City. --This text refers to the mass_market edition. From AudioFile Rose, Gavin, Neil and Kevin were all orphaned as teens and have bonded into a family. Neil an d Rose learn to accept love into their lives as Gavin and Kevin f ace their limitations. Lorelei King provides a glowing voice and suitable accents for the characters, ranging from French and Brit ish to New York Italian. (Her British pronunciation sometimes tri ps on American words.) King smoothly moves from scene to scene an d wraps this romantic tale in sweet tones that transport the list ener. M.B.K. (c) AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to the mass_market edition. From the Inside Flap All were orphans when they met in their teens in the late seventies, and they vowe d to be a family. As they reunite at a film party in London, it i s Rosalind Madigan, the angel of the title, who holds them togeth er. An Academy Award-winning designer blessed with innate goodnes s, Rosie is troubled by commitments that leave her feeling estran ged from herself and her friends: Gavin Ambrose, a Hollywood mega star, a brilliant actor/producer whose personal life is not as su ccessful as it appears (Nell Jeffrey, head of an international pu blic relations firm and Rosie's best friend, a glamorous woman ha ving a secret love affair (and Kevin Madigan, Rosie's brother, an undercover cop in the NYPD Crime Intelligence Division who speci alizes in fighting organized crime, an assignment that threatens his life. Into their midst come a dashing French aristocrat and t he world's most successful popular singer, two men who disrupt--a nd irrevocably transform--the family.... ANGEL Told with the powe r that only Barbara Taylor Bradford can bring to the page, this s tunning novel is about a group of friends--and also about individ uals who, facing their own mortality, must reevaluate their lives and strengthen their commitments. Exciting and moving, it will f ascinate you from beginning to end. --This text refers to the mas s_market edition. ., HarperCollins Publishers LTD, 1993, 3<

2000, ISBN: 9780246138200

Hardcover

Don Mills, ON, Canada: Harlequin Enterprises, Limited, 2000. Book. Very Good Plus. Soft cover. First Edition. Silhouette Desire paperback romance, 1st printing 12/00 in very good plus con… More...

Don Mills, ON, Canada: Harlequin Enterprises, Limited, 2000. Book. Very Good Plus. Soft cover. First Edition. Silhouette Desire paperback romance, 1st printing 12/00 in very good plus condition. One crease down spine. Some edge wear, corners bumped. Pages tight and clean, cover art bright and glossy..............WRAPPED IN A PLASTIC BAG TO PROTECT CONDITION OF BOOK........We have other titles in this genre in stock and give discounts in shipping on additional books sent in the same package, ...........Summary - Million Dollar Men series...YOU'RE NO LONGER MY ASSISTANT. YOU'RE GOING TO BE MY WIFE! CEO Michael Hawkins had mad an executive decision. After making his secretary, Kate Adams, pregnant in an unexpected night of passion, Michael asked for her hand. Late didn't want to be viewed as just another business interest. Could she convince her boss she would be as indispensible in his heart as she was in his office?., Harlequin Enterprises, Limited, 2000, 3, HarperCollins Publishers LTD. Very Good. 6.26 x 1.54 x 9.45 inches. Hardcover. 1993. 368 pages. <br>All were orphans when they met in their teens in t he late seventies, and they vowed to be a family. As they reunite at a film party in London, it is Rosalind Madigan, the angel of the title, who holds them together. An Academy Award-winning desi gner blessed with innate goodness, Rosie is troubled by commitmen ts that leave her feeling estranged from herself and her friends: Gavin Ambrose, a Hollywood megastar, a brilliant actor/producer whose personal life is not as successful as it appears (Nell Jeff rey, head of an international public relations firm and Rosie's b est friend, a glamorous woman having a secret love affair (and Ke vin Madigan, Rosie's brother, an undercover cop in the NYPD Crime Intelligence Division who specializes in fighting organized crim e, an assignment that threatens his life. Into their midst come a dashing French aristocrat and the world's most successful popula r singer, two men who disrupt--and irrevocably transform--the fam ily.... ANGEL Told with the power that only Barbara Taylor Bradfo rd can bring to the page, this stunning novel is about a group of friends--and also about individuals who, facing their own mortal ity, must reevaluate their lives and strengthen their commitments . Exciting and moving, it will fascinate you from beginning to en d. Editorial Reviews Review `The storyteller of substance' The Times`Vintage Barbara Taylor Bradford.'Sunday Express`Queen of th e genre' Sunday Times`Few novelists are as consummate as Barbara Taylor Bradford at keeping the reader turning the page. She is on e of the world's best at spinning yarns.' Guardian --This text re fers to the mass_market edition. From Publishers Weekly Once aga in Bradford's ( A Woman of Substance ) characters are purely seco ndary to the settings--rather like Architectural Digest married t o Vogue . No matter what disaster strikes plucky heroine Rose Mad igan--and there are many--every item of her apparel is minutely d escribed, with particular attention paid to its label. This trick goes a long way to cover up the basic superficiality of the dram atis personae. Rosie is a world-famous costume designer for the s creen and the sister of an undercover policeman named Kevin. In t heir early youth, the two were part of a circle of six friends wh o banded together against the vicissitudes of their respective fa mily lives. One has been lost to drugs, one has vanished without a trace, another, Nell Jeffrey, is a high-powered theatrical agen t, and the last, Gavin Ambrose, has become a major movie star. Ga vin and Rosie, currently friends and co-workers, were once lovers , as Kevin and Nell are now; Gavin is unhappily married and Rosie is strongly tied to her estranged French husband's family, whose members live in a lavishly appointed chateau. Rosie scuttles off to France whenever she can to offer emotional and financial supp ort to her in-laws. Meanwhile, she makes the acquaintance of rock music megastar Johnny Fortune, who showers her with gifts and pa ssionate declarations of love, little suspecting that her brother is involved in an investigation which will bring disaster to Joh nny's mafioso family. The dialogue is even more unbelievable and studded with cliches, while the love scenes are unintentionally h ilarious. This is the '90s, though, and at least everyone uses pr otection as they go from bed to bed. Those who thrive on fantasie s about the rich and famous will lap this up. Major ad/promo. Co pyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers t o the mass_market edition. About the Author Barbara Taylor Bradf ord was born in Leeds, Yorkshire, and was a reporter for the York shire Evening Post at age sixteen. By the age of twenty, she had become both an editor and a columnist on London's Fleet Street. I n 1979 she wrote her first novel, A Woman of Substance. Since the n she has published thirty more works of fiction. Many have been made into television miniseries and movies of the week. Her novel s have sold more than 63 million copies in thirty-nine languages worldwide. She lives in New York City. --This text refers to the mass_market edition. From AudioFile Rose, Gavin, Neil and Kevin were all orphaned as teens and have bonded into a family. Neil an d Rose learn to accept love into their lives as Gavin and Kevin f ace their limitations. Lorelei King provides a glowing voice and suitable accents for the characters, ranging from French and Brit ish to New York Italian. (Her British pronunciation sometimes tri ps on American words.) King smoothly moves from scene to scene an d wraps this romantic tale in sweet tones that transport the list ener. M.B.K. (c) AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to the mass_market edition. From the Inside Flap All were orphans when they met in their teens in the late seventies, and they vowe d to be a family. As they reunite at a film party in London, it i s Rosalind Madigan, the angel of the title, who holds them togeth er. An Academy Award-winning designer blessed with innate goodnes s, Rosie is troubled by commitments that leave her feeling estran ged from herself and her friends: Gavin Ambrose, a Hollywood mega star, a brilliant actor/producer whose personal life is not as su ccessful as it appears (Nell Jeffrey, head of an international pu blic relations firm and Rosie's best friend, a glamorous woman ha ving a secret love affair (and Kevin Madigan, Rosie's brother, an undercover cop in the NYPD Crime Intelligence Division who speci alizes in fighting organized crime, an assignment that threatens his life. Into their midst come a dashing French aristocrat and t he world's most successful popular singer, two men who disrupt--a nd irrevocably transform--the family.... ANGEL Told with the powe r that only Barbara Taylor Bradford can bring to the page, this s tunning novel is about a group of friends--and also about individ uals who, facing their own mortality, must reevaluate their lives and strengthen their commitments. Exciting and moving, it will f ascinate you from beginning to end. --This text refers to the mas s_market edition. ., HarperCollins Publishers LTD, 1993, 3<

1993, ISBN: 9780246138200

HarperCollins Publishers LTD. Very Good. 6.26 x 1.54 x 9.45 inches. Hardcover. 1993. 368 pages. <br>All were orphans when they met in their teens in t he late seventies, and they vo… More...

HarperCollins Publishers LTD. Very Good. 6.26 x 1.54 x 9.45 inches. Hardcover. 1993. 368 pages. <br>All were orphans when they met in their teens in t he late seventies, and they vowed to be a family. As they reunite at a film party in London, it is Rosalind Madigan, the angel of the title, who holds them together. An Academy Award-winning desi gner blessed with innate goodness, Rosie is troubled by commitmen ts that leave her feeling estranged from herself and her friends: Gavin Ambrose, a Hollywood megastar, a brilliant actor/producer whose personal life is not as successful as it appears (Nell Jeff rey, head of an international public relations firm and Rosie's b est friend, a glamorous woman having a secret love affair (and Ke vin Madigan, Rosie's brother, an undercover cop in the NYPD Crime Intelligence Division who specializes in fighting organized crim e, an assignment that threatens his life. Into their midst come a dashing French aristocrat and the world's most successful popula r singer, two men who disrupt--and irrevocably transform--the fam ily.... ANGEL Told with the power that only Barbara Taylor Bradfo rd can bring to the page, this stunning novel is about a group of friends--and also about individuals who, facing their own mortal ity, must reevaluate their lives and strengthen their commitments . Exciting and moving, it will fascinate you from beginning to en d. Editorial Reviews Review `The storyteller of substance' The Times`Vintage Barbara Taylor Bradford.'Sunday Express`Queen of th e genre' Sunday Times`Few novelists are as consummate as Barbara Taylor Bradford at keeping the reader turning the page. She is on e of the world's best at spinning yarns.' Guardian --This text re fers to the mass_market edition. From Publishers Weekly Once aga in Bradford's ( A Woman of Substance ) characters are purely seco ndary to the settings--rather like Architectural Digest married t o Vogue . No matter what disaster strikes plucky heroine Rose Mad igan--and there are many--every item of her apparel is minutely d escribed, with particular attention paid to its label. This trick goes a long way to cover up the basic superficiality of the dram atis personae. Rosie is a world-famous costume designer for the s creen and the sister of an undercover policeman named Kevin. In t heir early youth, the two were part of a circle of six friends wh o banded together against the vicissitudes of their respective fa mily lives. One has been lost to drugs, one has vanished without a trace, another, Nell Jeffrey, is a high-powered theatrical agen t, and the last, Gavin Ambrose, has become a major movie star. Ga vin and Rosie, currently friends and co-workers, were once lovers , as Kevin and Nell are now; Gavin is unhappily married and Rosie is strongly tied to her estranged French husband's family, whose members live in a lavishly appointed chateau. Rosie scuttles off to France whenever she can to offer emotional and financial supp ort to her in-laws. Meanwhile, she makes the acquaintance of rock music megastar Johnny Fortune, who showers her with gifts and pa ssionate declarations of love, little suspecting that her brother is involved in an investigation which will bring disaster to Joh nny's mafioso family. The dialogue is even more unbelievable and studded with cliches, while the love scenes are unintentionally h ilarious. This is the '90s, though, and at least everyone uses pr otection as they go from bed to bed. Those who thrive on fantasie s about the rich and famous will lap this up. Major ad/promo. Co pyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers t o the mass_market edition. About the Author Barbara Taylor Bradf ord was born in Leeds, Yorkshire, and was a reporter for the York shire Evening Post at age sixteen. By the age of twenty, she had become both an editor and a columnist on London's Fleet Street. I n 1979 she wrote her first novel, A Woman of Substance. Since the n she has published thirty more works of fiction. Many have been made into television miniseries and movies of the week. Her novel s have sold more than 63 million copies in thirty-nine languages worldwide. She lives in New York City. --This text refers to the mass_market edition. From AudioFile Rose, Gavin, Neil and Kevin were all orphaned as teens and have bonded into a family. Neil an d Rose learn to accept love into their lives as Gavin and Kevin f ace their limitations. Lorelei King provides a glowing voice and suitable accents for the characters, ranging from French and Brit ish to New York Italian. (Her British pronunciation sometimes tri ps on American words.) King smoothly moves from scene to scene an d wraps this romantic tale in sweet tones that transport the list ener. M.B.K. (c) AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to the mass_market edition. From the Inside Flap All were orphans when they met in their teens in the late seventies, and they vowe d to be a family. As they reunite at a film party in London, it i s Rosalind Madigan, the angel of the title, who holds them togeth er. An Academy Award-winning designer blessed with innate goodnes s, Rosie is troubled by commitments that leave her feeling estran ged from herself and her friends: Gavin Ambrose, a Hollywood mega star, a brilliant actor/producer whose personal life is not as su ccessful as it appears (Nell Jeffrey, head of an international pu blic relations firm and Rosie's best friend, a glamorous woman ha ving a secret love affair (and Kevin Madigan, Rosie's brother, an undercover cop in the NYPD Crime Intelligence Division who speci alizes in fighting organized crime, an assignment that threatens his life. Into their midst come a dashing French aristocrat and t he world's most successful popular singer, two men who disrupt--a nd irrevocably transform--the family.... ANGEL Told with the powe r that only Barbara Taylor Bradford can bring to the page, this s tunning novel is about a group of friends--and also about individ uals who, facing their own mortality, must reevaluate their lives and strengthen their commitments. Exciting and moving, it will f ascinate you from beginning to end. --This text refers to the mas s_market edition. ., HarperCollins Publishers LTD, 1993, 3<