Serial, of redemption of man, relationships
592269
I finished each section too quickly--when the next episode was published, I had
to review for continuity.  It did keep my interest--I loved the characters,  and
how their relationships changed, and morphed as they continued to relate to
each other.
3430370
Why does Dick and Nicole's marriage disintigrate?  Because Dick is haunted by his loss of integrity for marrying Nicole as much for love as for money?  Because Dick, above all else, needed to be needed, and as Nicole's mental health improves after his many years of care and attention, he is no longer needed as much?  As evidenced by his post-divorce aimlessness and professional failure, was Nicole his only true life's work?  And the descent into alcoholism and Dick's preoccupation with Rosemary, the "other woman" - why?

After much reflection I concluded that, not only did all of the foregoing factors contribute, but another factor exists, a great overarching truth for which neither Dick nor Nicole are responsible, and which Fitzgerald so delicately articulates.  That truth is that we simply get older, and as youth recedes, so does starry-eyed optimism.  A man and a woman become familiar to one another; their marriage routine.  And a man like Dick, who thrives on attention and excitement, becomes trapped and miserable in the commonplace.  He self-medicates through drink and reaffirms a flattering sexual self-image through the attention of a much younger, adoring woman, even if he eventually loses her, too.  Ultimately, Dick is a caged animal who must have out - for what uncertain destiny is beside the point.

TENDER IS THE NIGHT is, perhaps, the most psychologically complex novel I have ever read.  Fitzgerald captures the ephemeral ebb and flow of human emotion within the context of the closed circle of intimacy with stunning accuracy, realism, and beauty.  Apart from the immediate plot concerning Dick and Nicole, TENDER IS THE NIGHT is also a vivid portrayal of Fitzgerald's generation and stratum of society abroad in the 1920s.  In this way it is similar to Flaubert's SENTIMENTAL EDUCATION:  both are love stories set against backgrounds of social upheaval wrought by a new prosperity, replete with hustlers, strivers, and posers, all on the make.

In an Amazon review of James Joyce's ULYSSES a few years ago, I criticized Fitzgerald's work for being "dated".  Well, it is; and TENDER IS THE NIGHT is, in many ways, dated; but it was a product of its time, and it is easy to be critical about a preceding generation's values, now discredited.  That said, however, Fitzgerald's preoccupation with wealth and class nevertheless borders on the pathological.  And, unless it is merely to illustrate his characters' limitations, his tiresome Anglophilia and alarming antipathy toward (of all people!) the Italians is pure racism.  I often found myself thinking that Fitzgerald was a far better writer than his characters deserved.

Insofar as lanuage, vocabulary and style, TENDER IS THE NIGHT is demanding.  Read it slowly and re-read passages you fail to fully absorb on the first go-round.  Fitzgerald's vocabulary is sophisticated, so use a dictionary.  Finally, this book is ethereal:  it is poetry and must be approached as such.
3882600
Well-done portrayal of the fragility yet strength of relationships.  Spanning time and continents, the relationships are scarred and shaped by choices made of necessity or of opportunity. The author does very well to show human perception of  contentment as influenced by experience and acceptance of circumstance.  The more I think about the intertwining of personalities, promises broken, injustices committed, personal revelations, small victories, restoration and loss, the more I like this novel!
726377
A young man, sentencing himself to a self-imposed exile, writes a book tracing his infatution with boys. It all begins fairly innocently, with his first glimpse of a nude young man while out hunting. The sight and sensations he feels cause him to faint.
Wanting to learn more about his attraction, he tries to trick a young servant into allowing him to experience what he has seen.  And, in school, he develops an interest in one of the other students, Dargelos, who is very manly for his age, wearing trousers and an open-necked shirt. This infatuation ends in tragedy and haunts the young man for the rest of his life.
Realizing that his desires are too different from what is considered normal and accetpable, he attempts to hide his true feelings through a series of failed love affairs: a relationship with an actress named Jeanne whom he discovers to be a Sapphist; befreinding a prostitute named Rose and her "brother" Alfred, with whom he begins an affair behind Rose's back; the beautiful young sailor PAS DE CHANCE who painfully reminds him of Alfred.
Seeing no end in sight to his aching, the young man tries to find solace with the church. This proves difficult when he falls for a young man on a beach, who believes in God but not in religious dogma. Their relationship is put to the test when the young man discovers his new love's infidelities with women.
...  But, it is more of a statement against society at large for creating the negativity.  At the end, the young man exiles himself, leaving the book behind as a reminder that "I am not exiling a monster, but a man whom society will not allow to live" and a plea for tolerance and acceptance.
1833328
This is an excellent comedy/drama about a man who was released after eight months in a mental hospital for treatment of bipolar disorder.  He intended to rebuild his life by becoming the man that he believed his estranged wife wanted him to be.  This was probably not a good plan, but he couldn't see that.  However, he got lucky and found his "Silver Lining" another way.
4557901
A novel about family relationships, loyalty, forgiveness, the inability to forget and forgive and how it changes those involved. The setting is at the core of the story.
818709
A good read, set in a background as familiar to every reader as their own library.  Redemption shows how some of America's best-known and loved cultural icons might have gone on to further adventures, how they might have fared in the great upheaval that was the US civil war, and explored the west.  Fans of any western serial will enjoy this book, where the depth of the characters comes from the original Twain masterpieces and uniquely form Mr. Joyce's reinvention.  I enjoyed this book and look forward to many more.
11928
The AIDS-ravaged landscape of gay America in the 80s sets the stage for a sprawling, complex drama of love, betrayal, and redemption.  There are too many characters and intersecting subplots to address in a brief review; this is a substantive work that will surely reveal fresh dimensions and new insights on repeated viewings.  Writer Tony Kushner and director Mike Nichols seem to be suggesting that, although the human race has attained a critical mass of loneliness and pain, we must go on struggling with existence because life itself, however agonizing, is still desireable.  Love and loyalty make it bearable, even pleasureable.  It's a beautiful theme.  I feel sorry for those who watch a film like this and see nothing but a soap opera about a bunch of liberal fags.
4614097
Start with Season 1, then see this one, and then wait expectantly for Season 3, due out next year. This series is more than just a British crimmy. There's a crime to solve, to be sure--with the storyline running more than one episode--and the depiction of life in post-War England is revealing--so much for the notion of the fifties as the good old days--but the relationship between the detective and the priest is central, each suffering with personal demons and in desperate need of a friend. Other issues are explored, such as homosexuality (not these two, though), loneliness, abortion, infidelity, domestic abuse, alcoholism, the death penalty. These two guys, easy on the eyes--but romantic comedy this ain't.
4687372
A. short story about a man who thinks,so little about himself until he is pushed to carry out the wishes of his family and the preacher.  As you read on there is the hope that the innocent individual will be free, in the end he prove he was not "just like a dog".  He is set free by a man who felt trapped in the community he was working and living in.  Both me find meaning to there situation.
3742666
RPW does a good job in describing how a well-intentioned citizen, seeking to right wrongs in society, becomes corrupted by power.  He does it with excellent prose and a moving storyline.  A good exercise in describing the human condition.
2822257
This is a wonderful series of romance, deception, and the champion of the average man.  The characters are likable.  The acting is great.  If you're a romantic at heart, you will like this series.
3839618
Our story begins in Islington, England, in April 2011, when a young woman named Maya, in a state of inebriation and possible confusion, steps in front of a bus and is killed.

Adrian Wolfe was her husband, but she was his third wife. Like a serial adulterer or serial monogamist, he had the ability to move on whenever he felt as though the bloom had faded from his love life. Never mind that he had a total of five children: Luke and Cat with his first wife, Susie, and Otis, Pearl, and Beau with his second wife Caroline.

Now with Maya's death on his conscience, we see Adrian wallowing in his grief and asking the unanswerable questions. Did Maya purposely step in front of the bus, or did some action by others drive her to it? When Adrian finds out about a series of vicious e-mails that someone had been sending to Maya, addressed to "Dear Bitch," he wants to learn more.

When a mysterious woman who calls herself Jane appears in his life, on the pretext of adopting Maya's cat, he wonders if there is a connection somehow.

A sweeping tale about learning to live with the consequences of one's own actions, and also figuring out how to reinvent one's own life in light of this learning,&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/The-Third-Wife-A-Novel/dp/B00P42WVUQ/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">The Third Wife: A Novel</a>&nbsp;has multiple narrators and time periods that flow back and forth, from 2010 to the present. As the story unfolds, we learn more about each of the characters and begin to understand more about Maya's actions, her thoughts, and what was going on with her at the end. We also see Adrian coming to terms with his own behavior and how he reframes his choices in order to make them fit with the fairytale narrative he has written for himself. A 5 star read for me, it will appeal to those who enjoy stories about family and relationships.
3444180
A story of pain and suffering. A story of loss and humiliation. But, in the end, a story of forgiveness and redemption. And, a story of love and finding the one whom you are meant to be with for all eternity. And, isn't that why we are all here?
3299484
This couple, through their (at first) sham marriage, followed by an awakening of love and desire for each other, came to understand more about the nature of love and its personal meaning to them, as well as to be transformed by it and each other.  I recommend it.  Mature audiences, due to graphic sex scenes.
4163486
Kent Anthony designs a computer program for banks. the promise of a twenty million dollar bonus for the program sends his family packing for a long vacation after he does this one presentation. That quickly fades when the phone call comes that his wife is in the hospital. Her death sends his mind and emotions crashing down. His son, Spencer, still has to be raised.

Spencer becomes the one person that holds Kent together. until one morning Kent leaves angry and frustrated with his son. He sits down that morning to work at the bank. He gets the phone call saying his son is dead. He lost his only hope ho;ding him together.

Besides the twenty million dollar bonus being taken by his bosses, His wife and son die. He becomes a desperate, lonely man. but there is a wager for his soul. Now every action he takes is watched by demons and angels alike.

Helen, his mother-in-law, starts walking and praying every day. In all of her eccentric ways, she seems to be the only one bringing him to God. Lacy, an x-girlfriend from the past, suddenly falls back into his life with similar life experiences. She becomes much more to him even though he doesn't want it to.

He sought revenge in the only way he knew. He inserted a programmers back door in the program. through the next months he plans the perfect robbery. While he planned it all, The Christians planted in his life could not be cast out nor considered in the plan.

the plan was activated and now in progress. To keep him calm he turned to tequila, it continues to eat at him. Helen reenters his life after his supposed death one more time. Can God work through Helen to bring him to Jesus?

Christian Fiction author Trainer trilogy
2723041
The story of a man whom his wifes, all three of them, finally identify as a sociopath. He is even cagier than they realize, for he finds out that they have met and continue to meet. Eventually he realizes they plan to kill him. This is their story told through differing points of view: the eyes of each of the three wives individually, the daughter of the first wife, the officer who investigates, and eventually of the man himself. The ending was a revelation. Fabulous read.