5 comments about The Devil's Dictionary (Large Print).

1. .
   If you, from time-to-time, need a little whimsy in your day; a little humor to add a smile when else it would not shine, then open to any page and read at will. You will be rewarded with a chuckle and perhaps a laugh and perhaps a new perspective on the word you just learned.
   
   If you think you have a potent vocabulary, read this book; because you will get the most from it. These definitions, while not literal, are in fact most accurate and as it seems, timeless.
   
   It must have been a great privilege to know and converse with such a man as Ambrose Bierce.



2. Also known as "The Cynic's Workbook" this collection is classic and belongs in any library. Ambrose Bierce, like Mark Twain and few other of his contempories, had a biting wit that always left a mark.
   Here is just a taste of his humor.
   
   Philosophy: A route of many roads leading from nowhere to nothing.
   
   Eulogy. Praise of a person who has either the advantages of wealth and power, or the consideration to be dead.
   
   The large font is a plus in this book. Good illustrations.
   
   Good good stuff.



3. Ambrose Bierce obviously had some fun at the expense of his fellow 19th century Americans with the cynical and sarirical word entries in his wicked dictionary.



4. A GREAT read! Just open the book anywhere and peruse the definitions. Bierce is satirical and puts his finger right on the nub of the thing!



5. The Devil's Dictionary / 0-19-512627-0
   
   DICTIONARY, n. A malevolent literary device for cramping the growth of a language and making it hard and inelastic. This dictionary, however, is a most useful work.
   
   This "dictionary" by Ambrose Bierce is witty, scathing, and totally hilarious. In his characteristic style, he dishes out his contempt and distaste for those societal norms which he sees as foolish, hypocritical, and dangerous. This is not a book to read, but - truly - a dictionary to reference whenever the mood takes. The aphorisms ring true, even today, and the only real complaint is that we would wish for so much more - the dictionary is "only" 219 pages long, and while that is quiet a fair lot of words, oh, we wish he could have left us even more...

5 comments about The Place He Made.

1. The love between Edie and Paul is one that we all should experience in our lifetime. I cried tonight as I finished the book, feeling the love and pain Edie and Paul shared and as death approached, I am certain Paul felt his life was complete, as he experienced true love, unconditionally. There are few books in my life that have such a profound effect on my being.



2. Not knowing the subject matter, I happened to buy this book while recovering from a bone marrow transplant. What should have been depressing instead was a gift of wonder and beauty at a time I needed it most. I can't find words to express how this book moved me. Edie Clark writes with an almost exacting clarity combined with extraordinary love and tenderness. Consider it a privilege to be allowed to share in the incredible story of Paul and Edie.



3. I have never before felt the urge to write to an author to tell her how much I enjoyed her beautifully written book. I was touched very much by this story and highly recommend it.



4. I had no idea what this story would be about when I picked it up, but once I started reading I knew I wasn't going to be able to put it down. I read it in a day, and couldn't believe how profound this story was. By the time I was finished, I wanted to hold my husband and not let him go. In a world where we all tend to focus on big homes, big cars, big jobs, big money, etc., the simple thread that wove through this wonderful story was the simple love that Edie found with Paul. Paul may have been a simple man, but I wonder how many of us in our lifetimes ever feel the true love and tenderness that they shared. This is a story that I will always remember. I truly hope I precede Edie to heaven so I can witness their reunion.



5. Even though this book is out of print, you should own a copy, it is so emotional and heartwarming, after I read this book about Edie and her husband and the experiences she went through with him, I had to write her a email and tell her about how well I enjoyed this book, she wrote me back with a response and said she was working on a new book, this was a year or so ago and I am still waiting. I can't wait. I hope her new book is as great as this one.

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5 comments about Patrimony : A True Story (Curley Large Print).

1. With such clarity, love, and understanding of both sides, Philip Roth writes an autobiographical account of his relationship with his father, who is 86 years old at the time the book begins. Philip Roth is to be commended for showing not only the duality in taking on such a role, but also how roles reverse...This is a must read for those who are in the role reversal, and coming to terms with a parent!



2. Heard the CD version of PATRIMONY: A TRUE STORY
   by Philip Roth, the touching story of how his 86-year-old
   father battles with the brain tumor that eventually kills him.
   
   If you've ever been in the situation where you have had a parent
   or grandparent get old right before your eyes, then this
   is a book for you . . . it will help you deal with the situation
   better and, also, to understand the aging process.
   
   I really felt I got to know Herman Roth and enjoyed in
   sharing his reminisces about growing up in Newark, as
   well as about life.
   
   In addition, I could relate to the difficulties that Philip Roth
   was going through in attempting to care for his
   father--especially when he, too, had to deal with a serious
   illness during the process.
   
   The narration by George Guidall was excellent . . . his interpretation
   of the elder Roth's voice was truly amazing.



3. It assumes a certain degree of risk for one of the most successful writers of the last half of the 20th Century to expose his personal life for the approval of the public. Perhaps crossing a barrier into intimacy in "Patrimony", Philip Roth tells of the story of the death of his father.
   
   It is difficult to be judgmental about biographical account of of somebody's life or in this case death while not being overly critcal of the person. Yet while I found this book to be humorous at points, the story was just not what I had hoped to read. I am a fan of many of Philip Roth's other books. I knew this book would be unlike his other books and risked alienating Roth's fan base. This makes me wonder why Roth ever wrote or published this book.
   
   While it is personal and exhibits good storytelling, it never engaged me as a reader. To be cliche, I never felt Roth's pain. In this regard, this book is somewhat of a lemon.



4. There is something sad, something utterly painful about book tributes to fathers. When reading Wiesel's "Night", Franzen's "My Father's Brain" or Roth's "Patrimony", one comes to grips with a difficult reality, of the unnatural heart ache and grief that accompany aging and what they do in the mean time to the father-son relationship.
   
   "Patrimony" offers a glimpse of this aging, of the deterioration of the body. As one reads, one physically partakes into the burden of loosing a loved one, of facing the difficult decisions of what comes next, of recalling memories, of learning to struggle, of the heartbreaking doctor appointments...Philip Roth never holds back. He doesn't protect from the sorrow, or grief. He tells his life's story with honesty and shameless openness that requires not only brilliant clarity, but also the strength of love, love of the kind passed down from a good father to a worthy son.
   
   This is a difficult book with an extraordinary writing and should be considered by anyone who has, is or will ever care for an aging parent.
   
   - by Simon Cleveland



5. I like Philip Roth as an author. This book is really a tribute to his father not so much his mother. It seems that he was closer to his father, Herman Roth who he calls the true Bard of Newark, New Jersey. While his son, Philip Roth, has continued to become one of America's top authors and was almost short of winning the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2005, Roth is hardly known or as popular as he should be. This book tells the story of how he copes and deals with his father's illness and death. I wished he would explain more about his relationship with his mother because I think it's key to explaining the troubles in his relationships with women. Twice divorced Roth lives alone in rural Connecticut. At the time of this book, he was with British actress Claire Bloom. Sadly, the relationship dissolved. Roth's own relationships with his brother and nephews are never really expanded or explained. Roth is quite a literary figure maybe a giant but he has problems which most literary geniuses have in their own personal life. Roth's loving book is a tribute to his father, Herman Roth, who was his greatest inspiration. The photo of him and his two sons on the cover was taken at Bradley Beach where Newark Jewish residents rented cottages or bungalows down by Bradley Beach in New Jersey during the hot summer months. I like Roth and have studied and read his books. He can make you feel pride about being from New Jersey in his works.

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