Jessicat

• Rated 3 stars

“There were moments that I laughed out loud, and then there were moments that I felt the copy dragged a little bit. But overall, not a bad read. Les, his pregnant girlfriend is amazingly tolerant. Thought it was strange that she felt that she couldn't stick around for the English-speaking monk in Greece
for fear that he might convert her, but then she volunteerily consumes a meal prepard by an obviously ill man in Turkey ("he wiped his nose on the back of his hand and continued to cook"). No big surprise that she turns up deathly ill the next day, but she wanted to maintain diplomacy. There were some great literary quotes in the book, references to Homer, and a lot of fun trivia. ”

Jessicat wrote this review Sunday, November 4 2007. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 5 stars

“Read this book in junior high, then again in my early 20s. I'm overdue for my third read. Sybolic, well written, thought provoking and always relevant.”

Jessicat wrote this review Sunday, November 4 2007. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 4 stars

“Angelica Kauffman lived in 18th century England and Rome, spoke five languages and is revered as an Old Master painter, a distinction dominated my men (women were not allowed to attend art school, but her father taught her everything he knew, which was obviously a lot).. When she married her deadbeat husband, she made him sign a predup (good thing, too, because they divorced). Talk about a liberated woman! This book showcases her paintings, which are quite lovely.”

Jessicat wrote this review Sunday, November 4 2007. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 5 stars

“Good read. I read this quite a few years ago and don't remember the particulars anymore, but I do remember that the story is told in the typical Henry Miller way, that is sarcastic and biting, which I love. He's totally against modernization, like air conditioning and land developing. Seems we are living the nightmare now more than ever. But I also remember that he was quite taken by Big Sur and a southern mansion. The copy I own has several places highlighted. This is not Miller's best book, but it won't dissapoint. ”

Jessicat wrote this review Sunday, November 4 2007. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 3 stars

“intersting places, cool pics, okay first-person story telling. ”

Jessicat wrote this review Sunday, November 4 2007. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 4 stars

“I read this book several years ago on the recommendation of a friend. It was okay. The first half of the book was great. But I think it really slowed down as you neared the end. The parts where he talks about being a little boy growing up in Ireland made me understand why George Bernard Shaw got out of his native country as quickly as possible. I probably won't read his follow up book.”

Jessicat wrote this review Sunday, November 4 2007. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 3 stars

“It reads like a text book. Dry and not very entertaining, but okay if you want to learn more about the country. A more entertaining read is Mao.”

Jessicat wrote this review Sunday, November 4 2007. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 5 stars

“This is one of my favorite books. My copy is filled with underlining and handwritten notes in the margins. He met some true characters in Big Sur and I enjoyed meeting them all in his book. Also, I've been up to Big Sur a few times since reading this book and actually had the opportunity to go the home he lived in set on a cliff. He described it so perfectly in his book, I recognized it the moment I saw it. If you get a chance to go to Big Sur, do check out the Henry Miller library, which is really a quirky book store. There's some good books there. And it's just beautiful. Thankfully, little has changed in Big Sur since this book was written. ”

Jessicat wrote this review Sunday, November 4 2007. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 5 stars

“That a 14-year-old girl could be so insightful is astounding. This book made me think of all the brilliant people -- poets, musicians, scientists, philosophers, and artists-- that humanity lost during the Holocaust. Made me wonder how different the world might be today if they lived long enough to have made their contribution to society. ”

Jessicat wrote this review Sunday, October 21 2007. ( reply | permalink )

0 of 1 members found this review helpful.

• Rated 1 stars

“By the time I finished reading this book, I wanted to kill myself. It was one of the most depressing books I ever read and will never pick it up again unless I want to feel sorry for myself. ”

Jessicat wrote this review Friday, October 19 2007. ( reply | permalink )