Peony in Love
I finally understand what the poets have written. In spring, moved to passion, in autumn only regret. For young Peony, betrothed to a suitor she has never met, the lyrics from The Peony Pavilion mirror her own longings. In the garden of the Chen Family Villa, amidst the scents of ginger, green tea, and jasmine, a small theatrical troupe is performing choice scenes from this epic opera, a live spectacle few girls, even women, have ever seen. Like the heroine in the drama, Peony too is cloistered and from a wealthy family, trapped like a good-luck cricket in a bamboo-and-lacquer cage. Though raised to be obedient, Peony has dreams of her own. Peony',s mother is against the production: ?Unmarried girls should not be seen in public.? But Peony',s father prevails, assuring his wife that proprieties will be maintained. Women will watch the opera from behind a screen to hide them from view. Yet through its cracks, Peony catches sight of an elegant, handsome man with hair as black as a cave -- and is immediately overcome with too many emotions. So begins Peony',s unforgettable journey of love and destiny, desire and sorrow -- as Lisa See',s haunting new novel takes readers back to 17th century China, after the Manchus seize power and the Ming dynasty is crushed. Steeped in traditions and ritual, this story brings to life another time and place -- even the intricate realm of the afterworld, with its protocols, pathways, and stages of existence . . . a vividly imagined place where one?s soul is divided into three, ancestors are worshiped, misdeeds are punished, and hungry ghosts wander the earth. Based on a true story, Peony in Love uses the richness and magic of the Chinese afterlife to transcend death and explore the many manifestations of love. Ultimately, it?s about universal themes: the bonds of female friendship, the power of words, the desire all women have to be heard, and finally those emotions that are so strong that they transcend time, place, and perhaps even death. czytaj opis »
The Lost City
As an AmeriCuban who remembers her visits to Cuba as a small child, I was very touched to see on screen the Cuba that I knew was not just in my dreams. What an excellent job in picking places that can make you really think it was filmed in Havana! You can feel as if you are really there! There are those who wonder how Andy Garcia could have portrayed Cuba so realistically when he left the island as a 5 year old child. But it is at those very young tender years that impressions are made that stay throughout ones lives. My early trips to Cuba have remained very vivid in my mind. I understand him so well. You can feel that he put his all in this movie. Countless Cubans can relate to the story that is told. What a heart-wrenching moment when he leaves Cuba and his only keepsake is taken away from him! How many Cubans must have passed through this same scene? The music warmed my soul. I would listen to it over and over. czytaj opis »
Crusade
Robyn Young was born in Oxford in September 1975, the only child of a civil engineer father and an artist and folk singer mother. She now lives in Brighton and writes full time. Her first novel Brethren was a big success. 1274 and the war in the Holy Land has not gone well for the crusaders. The fortified city of Acre is the last major stronghold of the Crusader and an epic conflict is just about to start. Will Campbell is a Templar Knight trained in the art of war, but as a member of the mysterious group known as the Brethren he is also a man of peace. After years of useless bloodshed the Brethren have helped to create a truce between the Christians and the Muslims, if a somewhat tentative one. Will now has fears that they have been betrayed by their most trusted patron, Edward of England. The English king has made a promise to the pope that he will lead a new Crusade. On top of that a group of powerful merchants who will make a huge profit if the conflict were to continue have devised a plan that will ensure the war continues. They will then profit from selling arms to both sides and also ensuring that the slave trade continues . . . czytaj opis »
Captain Kirk's Guide to Women
When it comes to legendary men of romance, Casanova, Don Juan or James Bond might spring to mind. But there is only one who can honestly boast that his powers of seduction have taken him where no man has gone before -- Captain James T. Kirk. Captain Kirk',s status as an Interstellar Stud is proven by his ability to seduce any woman, any situation, in any part of the galaxy. From high society princesses to slave girls and from blood sucking shape-shifters to emotion-deprived androids -- they all swoon, acquiesce, and malfunction from just one kiss. But a single question remains in the minds of millions of Star Trek fans: how on earth does he do it? Whether your mission is To Boldly Go in pursuit of conquest or in search of love, Captain Kirk',s Guide to Women will tell you how to Explore Strange New Worlds by getting out of your current surroundings and how to Seek Out New Life and New Civilizations by meeting new people and listening to new ideas. And whether you',re a guy who wouldn',t be caught dead in the self-help aisle or a girl looking for a gift to give a socially-impaired male friend, this quirky book has the answers. czytaj opis »
Most Starożytność Przewodnik dla licealistów
Seria książek pomocniczych do języka polskiego w liceum i technikum. Kolejne tomy poświęcone są poszczególnym okresom historycznoliterackim. Zawierają szkice prezentujące najważniejsze problemy epoki, omówienia dzieł sztuki, przykładowe interpretacje utworów. W książkach z serii ",Most", znajdują się również wzorcowe wypracowania oraz testy sprawdzające umiejętność czytania ze zrozumieniem wraz z propozycjami odpowiedzi. ",Most", pomaga uczniom w syntezie materiału przed powtórzeniem i pracą klasową, ułatwia uzupełnianie braków i zaległości, uczy swobodnego formułowania wypowiedzi ustnych i pisemnych, przygotowuje do matury nowego typu. czytaj opis »