Sex between Life and Death
936272
I liked this film far better in retrospect- particularly after watching the interview with the director Jacques Rivette, although the irritating interviewer couldn't begin to grasp the sagacious Rivette's quasi mystic vision. It's amazing how many of the directors of the French New Wave- Resnais, Roehmer, Rivette. Godard, Chabrol- are still making films 50+ years from when they started, and Rivette's current films may be the best now; are there any American directors who have made films for 50 years?

By non art film standards this is very long, and maybe even by those standards it still drags on. In fact, to many people this could be a yawner. However, the acting of- and the chemistry between- Emmanuelle Beart and Jerzy Radziwilowicz is riveting. There is much suspense here; and the minimalism of the film is classic new wave. The ghost(s)- caught between the living and the dead- (reminded me a little of the film "Ghosts" with Demi Moore) is interesting, mysterious and, perhaps, universal. However, the film still does drag a bit. However,the last half hour really speeds up, although the possible ghost redemption of Marie (Beart) is a little confusing. Moreover, steamy, erotic, and hauntingly verbal sex with a beautiful ghost does add interest to the first two hours. Five stars with more cutting- four stars as is.
1450904
The ordinary and sublime can be found in this excellently crafted book of short stories. Sex and Death gives us up front, poignant, and real experiences of the most basic and deeply felt human rhythms of life.
342450
"And death shall be no more, death thou shalt die." I found this play to be simply exquisite. The themes and notions of death and dying are truly poignant and most thought provoking. Every time I read it life seems so much the more precious and kind. Margaret Edson wonderfully biographizes the story of a truly witty, sharp scholar-a master piece in short.
542389
A great compliment to 'Death & Dying'. I recommend this book to anyone with a loved one near the end of their life or struggling with their own mortality. I also recommend it for anyone in the medical field.
1636076
Book Review - Death with Dignity
Robert Orfali

Death is the final separation. When a loved one passes on, it is difficult enough dealing with the trauma; but how much worse is it when your loved one suffers from a terminal illness before their time comes? How do you handle caring for a loved one knowing that, as Pink Floyd put it, `.... you're older and shorter of breath and one day closer to death.' Modern medicine has made it possible to cling on to life that little bit longer but( in some cases) at what cost?

Robert Orfali rests his case for legalising physician assisted dying or what we know as euthanasia in his book Death with Dignity. He says in his book, that we cannot choose how and where and to whom we are born  and most often we cannot choose how to die. But sometimes with the help of modern medicine, we are sustained and forced to live longer than we would care to. Orfali states, ` modern medicine has the technology to sustain us past the point of awareness.' We are told to fight to the very end but if that fight is wrought with immeasurable pain and suffering, then what good is that life? Hospices are a slightly better option only because the focus is more on comfort care rather than constant medical interventions and intubations in a cold and clinical ICU.

Robert Orfali was a software expert and he and his wife and soul mate Jerri dealt in programming and distributing software systems. They co -authored books and lived the idyllic life till Jerri was diagnosed with cancer. Then Robert became her sole caregiver and helped her cope with her day to day life.

Jerri's cancer progressed and soon it was evident that things were going downhill. Jerri was a strong, clear headed woman who knew exactly what she wanted and she wanted death without pain.

The state of Oregon in the United States has legalised physician assisted dying and this is what Robert is advocating. He believes that the option to have the administration of a lethal dose of the barbiturate Nembutal along with the option of palliative care will improve the choices that terminally ill patients can have. It will give them the choice of a painless dignified death. And a person who still has all his cognitive capabilities intact should be allowed to make that choice. In order to state his case Robert not only cites many istances from around the world where Nembutal has been recognised, but also gives options and solutions as to how physician assisted dying can and should be made legal. `Nembutal provides another palliative care option -an alternate way to die. It allows us to combine the beautiful hospice end-of-life experience with a gentle and easy death.'

This is an explosive topic and no one knows that better than Robert Orfali. He has been there, done that. He has endured the incredible pain of seeing his partner die. There are obviously many hurdles before euthanasia or physician assisted dying can be legalised in most parts of the world, but it is a matter which is very much worth pursuing. After all we are all headed to that destination one way or another.
1610848
If you have ever wanted to read a book about tragic deaths read,Somewhere Between Life and Death. One of the characters in the book was dying and her sister had to decide in whether she wanted to donate one of her sisters organs. A girl named Amy, died one night when it was raining and pouring and she went out to get sodas for a dance party that a teacher was having one night. She went out and didn't return. Her sister became worried about her. She called around and her house helper told her that her sister was in the hospital. She went to visit her sister in the hospital and found out that she was in a coma. Amy was living only by machines because they pronounced her brain dead. Her sister Erin, had to decide whether she wanted her sisters organs donated because her mother and her father had already agreed on it.
 This book was a very good source of information. It talked about comas and the type of treatments that are available for comas. You will learn a lot about comas and learning makes the book interesting. The only thing that was problematic in the book was when the Character, Travis,Amys boyfriend,turned on Erin and Amy. After Amy had been in a coma, he visited her once and never came back to visit her. In the beginning he acted as a nice, joyful, and fun person to be with. He acted as if he enjoyed the time he spent with Amy. Then all of a sudden Amy gets in a accident and he just doesnt care anymore. It was a great shift in the story that was very unnecessary. Doing things like that can throw a reader off track.
3133026
A woman dies and awakes in a pre-heaven state.  She is required to view and experience her past four life's.  These four stories teach her how her soul has evolved.  This is an interesting book,  regardless of your beliefs.
683300
"Nothingness!  To accept the great nothingness of life seemed to be the one end of living.  All the many busy and important little things that make up the grand sum-total of nothingness!"

Constance Chatterley had never thought much about sex until she had to live without it.  Her husband, a respectable nobleman, returns from the first World War paralyzed from the waist down.  Now Lady Chatterley has to care for her disabled husband and live a passionless, pointless existence.  Clifford settles as a writer, seeking what he calls the "Bitch Goddess" of success.  He also tells his wife that he wants to have a child, even if she has to sleep with another man in order to have one.  Her life couldn't be emptier and lonelier.  The only things going for her are the fascinating discussions between Clifford and his friends.  But then things change when she meets the somewhat taciturn gamekeeper.  A tumultuous and intense affair ensue between the gamekeeper and his mistress.  But will Lady Chatterley find happiness and satisfaction in living two separate lives?  Will she find the fulfillment she needs, or will she be left all the more bereft?

First published in 1927, Lady Chatterley's Lover is D.H. Lawrence's most accomplished novel.  He succeeds in bringing out the psychological and emotional implications brought on from a sexual affair.  He also questions morality and people's individual take on sexuality.  The Second Lady Chatterley's Lover is the uncensored edition -- the version that was never intended to be shown.  I couldn't put it down.  This is one of the most intelligent erotic novels I have ever read.  No wonder this is such a celebrated classic.  It opened the doors to authors like Anais Nin (Delta of Venus) and Pauline Reage (The Story of O).  I'm glad I got a copy of this edition.  I will keep it in my library for future rereads.
4182972
What a great read  I couldn't put this book down and read it as often as I could even part way through the night.  The violence is just in reporting deaths not descriptive of the deaths, and the sex is in a marriage and not graphic..  I will be looking for more reads by this author
382035
On the TV show, Whose Line Is It Anyway?, there's an improvisational game called, "If You Know What I Mean..." This short novel reminded me of that since it's jam-packed with sexual double entendres. It's presented as a ghost story, but it's really about sex, both homo and hetero. The title, for example, can be taken at face value as ratcheting up the drama. On another level, "screw" is a slang term for sexual intercourse. I interpreted the turn, therefore, to mean the conversion or changing of Miles from homosexual to heterosexual orientation by his governess.

Homosexuality, or "queerness" as Henry James puts it obliquely, was viewed as a sickness at best, a monstrosity at worst. Indeed, up until the late 1960's, it was viewed as a crime in England. Infamously, Alan Turing and many others were given the option of jail time or hormone therapy as a cure. Thus, it isn't surprising that James chose the horror novel as a vehicle for his meditations. In fact, he prefaces the story by having the storyteller call it "general uncanny ugliness and horror and pain."

This is a riveting book (no pun intended) that can be read in a night. It successfully conveys sexual desire, repression, awakening, and the prevailing social notion that homosexuality must be "cured" or exorcised like a demon.
2806025
There's nothing like a erotic romance about the grim reaper and a sexy female Ferryman. A little mystery, a little sex, and a very interesting afterlife!
4462903
If you are a person who reads the obituaries then this book is for you!  And not because you have a morbid fascination with death, but most likely as a result of your interest in life. How long did they live?  What did they accomplish?  How did it end?  Was it too soon?

This book is about living, or as Rev. Church says, "To live in such a way that our lives will prove worth dying for."

Having Church as a spiritual guide is not unlike going on field trip with Mark Twain, with observations such as "A proportional relationship exists between the fear of death and the fear of life" seamlessly sharing space with his great-grandfather's three major food groups (tobacco, baked beans and whiskey).  When people tell him proudly that they don't believe in God, he likes to ask them to tell him a little about the God they don't believe in, for he probably doesn't believe in him either.  Church has a deft touch whether he's talking about Princess Diana, civilization versus anarchy, sad movies, or Plato.

Longtime leading light in the world of Unitarian Universalism, Rev. Church has picked up his pen to tackle many subjects including the Founding Fathers, the Jefferson Bible, freedom from fear, and liberalism versus fundamentalism, but this journey of the mind, body and soul proves his best and most provocative.  Though Church of course says it better:  "Life is filled with danger.  That's just the way it is.  Finally, the Titanic always hits the iceberg.  Hence this simple, if imprudent, bit of advice: Before it does, pick up the phone. Pick up the gauntlet. Do whatever it takes.  Take a few chances.  Dare to live before you die."

And I might add, Dare to read this book!
3179975
As a fan of Erotica I found this book to be very tastefully written with more of a Victorian flavor than 21st Century contemporary erotica. I learned some things about reincarnation and past life experiences that I hadn't considered before.

Makes one wonder just what life (and death) are all about.
3246494
Life and death and cancer and a doctor and a patient. Great read.
4380563
Typical Hollywood movie about dying and going to heaven. Fictional writers have no idea about what is going on there. I recommend that all writers about to tackle that subject should die, then come back to do the writing about the subject. At least we would not be subject to the non-sense about their limited ideas.
2841907
Ian McEwan has a way about taking a heightened sexual moment and writing a story about how it forever affects the people's lives of those involved. In this book, he writes about a wedding night whose honeymoon is taking place on Chesil Beach. From this night, he projects forward and backward revealing the spouse's lives before they met, their courtship, and the fate that is to befall both of them. Perhaps you find yourself reading these digressions to learn whether their first time in bed together is a success, but you end up with a deeper, poignant understanding of the events that transpire.
3251969
Her Dead Husband is the story of a man and woman in an age and place that remains unclear and undefined, a metaphor for the nature of true love triumphing the boundaries and borders of time and geography. It is Love alone that can defeat Time, Fate, and Death, as the romance between these two characters shows the readers of this story.

The story is reminiscent of Gabriel Garcia Marquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude, in which de Sev evokes a literary style evocative of Marquez's magical realism, as well as that of Coelho's Fifth Mountain. The narrative's landscape is bare, allowing us to engage with the main characters and the passionate movement of their undying love for each other throughout time and place.

The manuscript itself, de Sev claims, was found after a long, tireless search into the nature of the human soul and the bearing it has on the purpose or meaning of life. The story is concerned with the parallel lives of two immortal souls that live through several incarnations until they are eventually reunited, having been parted by death in an earlier existence together. In the end, the narrative resolves itself with an unexpected, charming beauty, without the flowery, artificial language of sentimentalism and mass-market romance.

Her Dead Husband examines the power of love over death, time, and fate. It is a story that asks its readers the one question philosophers and psychologists have faced for centuries: is there a destiny set before us, or do we have the power to choose, to break the straitened path circumscribed for our lives by Fate, and so remake the pattern and progress of that path?

No matter where the thread of our lives leads, is it Fate or ourselves, our own will and action, that has lead us to that ending? These are the questions that Her Dead Husband leads us to ask, leaving us with faith and hope in the indestructible power of love.