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Wiliam Boyd, winner of the Whitbread and Somerset Maugham Awards, introduces unlikely heroes desperate to redeem their unsatisfying lives.

From California poolsides to the battlegrounds of Vietnam, here is a world populated by weary souls who turn to fantasy as their sole escape from life's inequities.Stranded in an African hotel during a coup, an oafish Englishman impresses a young stewardess with stories of an enchanted life completely at odds with his sordid existence in "The Coup."In the title story, an arrogant, sadistic American pilot in Vietnam underestimaets the power of revenge when he relentlessly persecutes a member of his maintenance crew.With droll humor and rare compassion, Boyd's enthralling stories remind us of his stature as one of contemporary fiction's finest storytellers. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Much more than a short story
On The Yankee Station by William Boyd is a series of short stories, the longest of which provides the title for the set. This particular story is a superb piece of short fiction, much more than a short story, confronting, in less than twenty-five pages, several big issues and, at the same time, drawing its characters in considerable, complex detail.

Set on an aircraft carrier in the South China Sea during the Vietnam War, it describes the antagonistic relationship between two crew members. Pfitz is a pilot, conscious of and grateful for his perceived and actual status, a status he does not hesitate to assert to his advantage. But this tendency is sometimes exercised to excess. It is as if he needs to feel the elevation of his status in order to bolster his own self image. In short, he is a bully. This characteristic begins to dominate his thoughts and actions when events conspires to question his own competence, his right to that nourishing status.

Lydecker is a member of Pfitz's ground crew. Suffice it to say that Lydecker is not at the intellectual end of the fighting machine. Neither does he hail from privilege. Quite the contrary, in fact. Lydecker, had he not joined the navy, would probably have grown into a complete bum, at best one step up from a down-and-out. Even in the armed forces he can only aspire to the most menial of tasks, but he is at least thorough and tries to keep his nose clean. But for Lydecker events conspire to heap suspicion on his competence, a suspicion constantly fuelled by a torrent of abuse and accusation that flows from Pfitz, the pilot it remains his responsibility to service.

Pfitz likes his job. That much is clear. He takes a particular liking to napalm and delights at the idea of heaping tons of the stuff from his jet onto the population of rural Vietnam. He takes involved interest in technical improvements to his preferred weapon, improvements that ensure the fireball sticks firmly to anything it encounters, thus guaranteeing that it will burn right through. If he were closer to the action, one feels that Pfitz would delight in the smell, the mixture of burning organics saucing the suggestion of roast pork emanating from oxidised human flesh. He takes that kind of pride in a job well done.

Lydecker is demoted, effectively humiliated by the time he gets an opportunity for some shore leave. During his week in Saigon he remorselessly pursues two forms of recreation, one out of a bottle, the other between whatever sheets are on offer. But there is one girl who is different, staying remote from the business of others, busying herself about her own affairs. She is treated with apparently universal and complete contempt and she alone amongst the bar hangers-on is never on the menu, her meat not for sale. Bullied himself in the workplace, one might expect Lydecker to sympathise with her plight. But he treats her with as much - if not more - disdain than the rest and, eventually, it is more out of spite than either sympathy or desire that he insists on a session with her, forces himself on her merely to underline his right to assert assumed control. What Lydecker subsequently experiences with that girl changes his view of the world just a little, but enough to influence events elsewhere, his new-found conscience constructing a plan he might employ back on board.

In a short story, William Boyd illustrates class systems embedded in the USA's professedly classless society. He confronts the so-called clinical nature of modern warfare by identifying the blunderbuss of terror that maims everything in its indiscriminating line of fire. He characterises sadism, vengeance, conscience and retribution. He draws sketches of exploitation, both economic and social, and illustrates how communities, even whole societies,can be seen as built on a crass and ruthless assertion of domination for domination's sake. And all of this happens in less than twenty-five pages.

Other stories in the set are also of a very high standard. To review them all would reproduce the book, no less, for they are succinct, often surprising, sometimes humorous pieces which together form a supreme achievement.

Brilliant piece of expository writing on a controversial war
Of all of the millions of words written about the contoversial war in Vietnam the ones in this book ring truest! Cdr. Nichols, a veteran of over 300 combat missions flown from carriers in the Tonkin Gulf and over 3,000hours in the Crusader, knows how to bring the reader right into the cockpitwith him. What a spectacular true story of a truly unusual war! Read it!!! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

It is hard to become of age!
A collection of stories about initiation. Killing Lizards is a marvellous story about a young boy shifting from killing lizards, as phallic symbols, to blackmailing his mother to get the love he wants from her, especially since the blackmailing tool shows the father does not control the mother any more.

I also loved Hardly Ever, as a frustrated initiation to sex for a teenager. His initiation is purely superficial, unable that he is to go through it, in spite of a real possibility he goes to sleep on (he goes to sleep, with a girl, when that girl is ready for more), but it is always compensated verbally by some bragging about with his school pals.

Gifts is even stranger. The young student is unable to get through his initiation and has to satisfy himself with some gifts. Everyone of his conquests presents him with personal or confidential elements. His poverty, caused by some postal strike, makes this experience even funnier, funny-strange, because the poorer he gets, the more private gifts he receives.

Boyd is a strange writer about frustrated, and even twisted, initiation for teenagers. Fascinating how they can live on this frustration that becomes their everyday food, or even fodder, the brain being more or less negated.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU

Fabulous book of short stories
This book was given to me by my college English professor.Even though it is out of print, it is worth finding and reading.The stories are short and reflect upon what emotions and feelings one goes through while growingup and going through this thing called life.I enjoy reading this bookwhile around the pool and relaxing since the stories are short and notdemanding of hard concentration.The reading is at a moderate level andthe plots often provoke an assesment of the readers' own life and hisreactions to situations. A very good book! ... Read more

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Word count: 5524. ... Read more

Product Description
Publisher: Durham, N.C. Seeman PrinteryPublication date: 1913Subjects: United States -- History Civil War, 1861-1865 Personal narratives, ConfederateNotes: This is an OCR reprint. There may be numerous typos or missing text. There are no illustrations or indexes.When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. You can also preview the book there. ... Read more

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Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone! ... Read more

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This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger Publishing's Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature. Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone! ... Read more

Product Description
This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process.We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide.We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

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Many Americans have been aware that the Princess of Wales had genealogical linksto this country. Not only was she one-eighth American, but she also had ancestors who lived insix of the original thirteen colonies, near relatives throughout this country, several hundreddistant kinsmen well known in American history, and probably between twenty and thirtymillion living distant American cousins, including most people named Strong, Hibbard,Newbold, Coggswell, Holton, Clapp, and Waldo, and many named Hart, Parke, Morgan,Stanton, Avery, Lyman, Hunt, Tuttle, Dennison, and Huntington. This work will make itpossible for the reader to determine if he or she has any relationship with the Princess. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Di's American background
It should come as no surprise that the late Princess Diana had strong American connections through her Spencer heritage and Roberts skillfully outlines the most important and useful links among her estimated 20 million living American relatives. Di had ancestors in six of the thirteen colonies, so non-New Englanders need not despair. The principal author is well known for his work at the New England Historic Genealogical Society and this not-large volume is crammed with useful gateway ancestors in abbreviated and modified Register format. ... Read more

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Contains two plays for television about the vicissitudes of public schools, together with a 20,000 word introduction by the author, who has also written "Brazzaville Beach", "A Good Man in Africa", "An Ice-Cream War", "Stars and Bars", "The New Confessions" and "On the Yankee Station". ... Read more

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This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

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Subtitle: With Historical Sketches of the Ancient Family of Boyd's in Scotland From the Year 1200, and Those of Ireland From the Year 1680, With Records of Their Descendants in Kent, New Windsor, Albany, Middletown and Salem, N. Y., Boston, Mass., Northumberland County, Pa., and Sketches of Those From the Southern and Western States From 1740 to 1912General Books publication date: 2009Original publication date: 1912Original Publisher: John P. Smith Printing Co.Subjects: Reference / GenealogyNotes: This is a black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustrations and there may be typos or missing text.When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free.Excerpt: CHAPTER IVHistory Of The Old And Ancient Family Of Boyds In Scotland According to the ordinary genealogical authorities as given us, the Ancient family of Boyds, sprang from a younger son of the illustrious Lord, the first High Steward of Scotland. Some writers maintain the idea that the first settlers of this romantic country came from Ireland. Others hold that the Scotch race came from Normandy, prior to the Norman Conquest of 1066. If this is the case we are unable to say, and will leave the same too the kind investigation of our readers. About this time there was found in Scotland a noble and brave warrior named "Alan" who was created Lord High Steward of his country, who was a son of Fleance, the latter a son of Thome, who had descended from King Kennith III that was murdered by Macbeth the usurper of 1043.Alan married for his wife, Margaret, a daughter of Tergus, the Earl of Galloway, and by him had five children. The eldest we know but a little of. It may have been a female or died young. The second child was named Walter, of whom the family of Stewarts of Scotland descended. The third son was named Simon, who was the progenitor of the noble family of Boyds. The f... ... Read more

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The book has no illustrations or index. It may have numerous typos or missing text. However, purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original rare book from the publisher's website (GeneralBooksClub.com). You can also preview excerpts of the book there. Purchasers are also entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Original Publisher: Rochester, N.Y., John P. Smith printing company; Publication date: 1912; Subjects: History / General; Reference / Genealogy; ... Read more