Customer Reviews (4)

This Biography of Lilias Trotter is Unique and Definitive
As the premier art critic in Victorian England, John Ruskin was the arbiter of taste. In 1883 he revealed a hard-to-believe prejudice: "For a long time I used to say . . . that except in a graceful and minor way, women could not draw or paint." Ruskin then discounted this view, based on his reaction to the art of a young woman named Lilias Trotter: "I'm beginning lately to bow myself to the much more delightful conviction that no one else can" draw or paint.

In a 1960s book, RUSKIN TODAY, Sir Kenneth Clark mentioned Trotter as someone lost to history. But Clark hadn't turned over every leaf, as has biographer Miriam Rockness, who discovered Trotter through bequeathed volumes of her out-of-print illustrated books.

A bright, talented daughter of a prominent stockbroker in London, Lilias Trotter (1853-1928) was comfortable in the company of privilege. At age 21 she was among guests, including George MacDonald and Bishop Wilberforce, invited to a religious retreat, the forerunner of the Keswick Conferences.

Spiritually stirred by this and the preaching of Dwight Moody, Lilias grew discontent with the in-vogue "charity from a distance." For more than 10 years in London, she devotedly worked to help establish a hostel for working women, the forerunner of the YWCA.

During this time, while on vacation in Venice, her meddling mother asked Ruskin to look at Lilias's watercolor paintings --- a request that led to art lessons, weekend invitations, and extended conversations and correspondence between the Miss and the Master, who claimed she could be the greatest painter of her generation if she would "give herself up to art." To the dismay of many, Lilias turned her back on Ruskin's challenge: "I cannot give myself to painting in the way he means and continue still to 'seek first the Kingdom of God.' "

When Lilias was 35, this whole-spirited commitment dramatically "called" her to mission work in northern Africa. With two female colleagues --- none knowing Arabic, none robust enough to pass physicals required by established mission boards --- she sailed for Algeria, where she lived a life of saintly proportions until her death, at age 75.

Two-thirds of Rockness's biography delves into the Algerian years. Learning Arabic was the first of many challenges: Muslim resistance to a Christian message, French resistance to British interlopers, male resistance to a female witness. And yet under Trotter's leadership, the original missionary band and later recruits translated portions of scripture, distributed literature, befriended women and children, opened cafés for men, and hosted summer camps for nomadic families.

There are no imagined conversations in this book; there's no mistaking it for a novel. This is history, relying largely on journals, with some analysis and helpful foreshadowing. Ever aware of Lilias the artist, Rockness faithfully describes the palette of the desert so well that it's hard to distinguish Lilias the missionary from Lilias the artist.

In time Lilias envisioned a "new approach to Arab literature": writings that would speak to Algerians, instead of what Trotter called the "hitherto translated stories of Jacks & Bobs whose surroundings are as foreign to children of the east as their names" and finding an affordable means of color printing, so as to attract people who delighted in color. To meet these goals, Lilias wrote and illustrated nature parables that may soon be back in print, thanks to Rockness's persistence.

Some of the biography's most interesting material comes toward the end. In her last decade, Trotter won the respect of a group of Sufi (male) mystics. "The artist in her responded to the artist in the Sufis," notes Rockness. "Yet she never lost her spiritual focus." Confined to bed in the last two years, she wrote THE WAY OF THE SEVENFOLD SECRET, explaining to them seven "I Am" claims of Jesus --- as she managed what had become an extensive mission outreach.

Trotter's printed word and art can indeed inspire a new generation. But only those who knew her can appreciate "perhaps her most palpable legacy": her love. As an obituary noted, "No wonder that Catholics and Jews and Moslems, as well as Protestants, are mourning her loss, for love, in the end, wins love."

--- Reviewed by Evelyn Bence

A real life of faithfulness
There are few things that inspire me more than a true story of a child of God who is faithful in the face of success and apparent failure. I see the reality of this woman's walk with God to be the challenge and encouragement. The accounts of her passion, travels, and encounters challenge my perspective on missions. I don't believe I had a real grasp on missions until I read this book. The quotations of her own journals and other writings bring a special feeling of knowing Lilias by the end of the book. This is a book I highly encourage all believers to read.

Christian artists and creative types will love this book
I am a voracious reader of non-fiction (particularly Christian non-fiction), but out of thousands of books I have read, this biography captivated me like no other. Perhaps because I am a writer and artist, I could identify with Lilias and her passions. Ultimately, however, this is a story of adventure, sacrifice, surrender and uncompromising dedication to Jesus Christ, all set against the exotic backdrop of Algeria. I can't wait to meet Lilias in heaven and tell her how she inspired me. Of course, I also look forward to meeting the authors someday because they brought Lilias to life. The narrative is as lovely as Lilias' art! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. (Isabella Lilias),   2. 1853-1928   3. Algeria   4. Artists   5. Biography   6. Biography & Autobiography   7. Biography / Autobiography   8. Biography/Autobiography   9. England   10. General   11. Missionaries   12. Trotter, I. Lilias   

Subjects:  1. Asia - China   2. Asia - Tibet   3. Essays & Travelogues   4. Travel   5. Travel - General   

Customer Reviews (3)

Adventurous Life
Every book by Isabella is an adventure. This book is wonderful to read during and after a trip to the islands. It makes great bedtime reading and is a book that you can stretch out for a long time and read again and again.

Quite enjoyable and I regretted the book ended
The steamer Nevada left Auckland New Zealand in January of 1873. Onboard are a number of travelers including Isabella Bird, who is traveling for her health. When another passenger takes ill, his Mother asks Isabella to disembark with them at Honolulu so they are not in a foreign land all alone. Thinking she will be there a short while, she actually begins a six-month journey, which she chronicles in a series of unabridged letters to her Sister back home. For those who have visited Hawaii or those who wonder what the islands were like before being annexed to the United States, these writings are pure joy.

Isabella arrives as a foreigner, but in a short time learns of the beauty of the various islands and begins to understand the diverse culture of the people.

She travels as an unescorted woman in a country, which has recently converted from aboriginal customs and inter-island wars, to the relatively peaceful paradise known in modern times. From simple observations of looking down at clouds on Maui at sunrise, to the unexpected earthquakes while standing next to a bubbling caldron of creation itself, you follow her adventures in well-written communications, which inform and entertain.

As she stood in snow, gazing down at the crater 800 feet below her, she wrote "The mystery was solved, for at one end of the crater, in a deep gorge of its own, above the level of the rest of the area, there was the lonely fire, the reflection of which, for six weeks, has been seen for 100 miles."

What she witnessed upon King Lunalilo's arrival in Hilo, brought tears to my eyes. Although they were beginning life under a form of government, the natives treated their king to a touching procession unlike anywhere else in the world. Many of the citizens had little or no money for clothes and wore what they had to meet him.

Some also brought gifts as Isabella writes: "One woman, sorely afflicted with quaking palsy, dragged herself slowly along. One hand hung by her side helpless, and the other grasped a live fowl so tightly that she could not loosen it to shake hands, whereupon the king raised the helpless arm, which called forth much cheering." A poor cripple who had only the use of his arms, drug himself two miles to lie for a moment at his kings feet. He too carried a gift.

Reading Isabella Birds' letters allows you to see first hand the magic the islands has on a visitor's soul and how easy it is to fall under the spell of the Hawaiian people.

I highly recommend the book with only one useful hint. That is to find a detailed map and refer to it during the travels. Unfortunately, the maps in the book are not clear enough to use for this purpose.

A must for anyone who loves hawaii
A beautifully written first hand description of the hawaii of the 18th. century. The book is a series of letters written by a 40 year old english women to her sister in england. During her stay in the islands, she had the opportunity to travel to all of the main islands, and the stories of her experiences are most vividly described. For those of us who love the islands, it's people and their culture this is the book for you. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography / Autobiography   2. General   3. Photo Essays   4. Photography   

Subjects:  1. Art   2. Art & Art Instruction   3. Collections, Catalogs, Exhibitions - Museum   4. Exhibitions   5. Individual Artist   6. Owens, Laura   

Customer Reviews (2)

Naughty boys need love too
In "Isabella", we meet our heroine (Isabella, of course) who is a plain girl of six-and-twenty with no hopes of every marrying. When she travels to London to chaperone her young cousins, it is ISABELLA who is sought after my London's beaux. In particular, she receives the attentions of two cousins, who could not be more different from one another. One is Basil Trevelyan, a wily & wicked fortune hunter. The other is Lord Hartleigh, staid and proper, who is looking for a mama for his young ward.

But who will Isabella end up with? And whose intentions are honourable? "Isabella" is an exceptional book with lots of surprises and plenty of laughs. In fact, it was one of the funniest books I have read in a long time. Both of Isabella's suitors were fascinating (in their own ways). This book (5 stars) made me an instant fan of Loretta Chase.

"The English Witch," the second book in this compliation, features Isabella's rejected suitor from the first novel. He meets his match in Alexandra, a girl he must rescue from amorous suitors. I can't really go into great detail without giving anything away, but this book was also a delight. I'd give it 4 stars.

Overall, this a wonderful 2-in-1 novel that I would recommend to any Regency reader.

Logical pairing but a mixed bag
Dont get me wrong, I'm a big fan of Loretta Chase's writing but only half of this combination delivers.
Isabella, to my knowledge, is Chase's first book. Unfortunately it shows; the plot is badly realised, the main characters tissue paper and the contrivances of their romance grow tedious well before they are over (she is whimpy, he is stuffy and the only reason they dont manage to get together for 168 pages is because they're both stupid too). As a regency romance this would be the worst bog standard - there would be nothing Loretta Chasenish about it! - without 3 secondary characters who do their best to hijack story. Chase bravely wrestles to keep the Villain, his (and the hero's) Aunt and the heroine's Mother from running the show here but they are so strong that she has to consent to give them their own book...
Thus behold the English Witch! AND HERE WE READERS GET LUCKY INDEED! It is funny and sexy and fresh as a - well, a new born Loretta Chase Romance. If this is her second novel - boy, does the lady learn fast! The hero (the ex-villain) has a heroine to match, and as the proverbial sparks fly the sly sense of humor in the writer's voice is there. As is the no-nonsense sensuality that manages simultaneusly hit the funnybone and the slightly lower regions... although much more chaste than Chase's later work, it even has an unbuttoning scene all of its own to challenge Jess and Dain (Lord of Scoundrels) that leaves reader hoping that the book would indeed be a later work: less chaste and twice as long. It is - as the blurb says- a jewel. Not yet cut perfect but full of lively fire. And who could have though that the quintessential character of the tall dark villanous hero is at his best when served shorter, blonder and wickedly chatty.

Isabella is mildly relevant as a back story and, for those interested, a look into the difficulties of writing as the writer in vain struggles to breathe life in to the principals while the secondary elements effortlessly jump off the pages.
But it is the English Witch that is worth the price of both! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Fiction   2. Fiction - Romance   3. Romance - Adult   4. Romance - Regency   5. Romance: Regency   

Customer Reviews (1)

360 degree Perspective
The book provides a 360 degree perspective on business alliance. It captures both the difficulties and opportunities involved in developing business alliance. It also outlines the resources and skills needed. The values of business alliance are also incorporated into the competitive advantage framework. The book is filled with detail to 'walk the talk', but the content tend to be ocasionally repetitive. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics   2. Business / Economics / Finance   3. Business/Economics   4. Case studies   5. Entrepreneurship   6. Executive Management   7. International - General   8. Mergers & Acquisitions   9. Strategic alliances (Business)   10. Business & Economics / General   11. Business strategy   12. Ownership & organization of enterprises   

Customer Reviews (17)

A fascinating narrative with a flawed style
What a shame this book is so poorly written. Isabella Stewart Gardner was a fascinating woman, and Shand-Tucci brings insight to her story, but the style is so intrusive as to be distracting.

Mrs. Jack, a New Yorker transplanted to Boston by marriage and alienated from the Brahmins by character, was often generous but not always kind. She acted as mentor and patron to outcasts of the time -- homosexuals, Jews, artists and (to a lesser extent) women -- but she was also quick to reject those she considered beneath her interest. She built Fenway Court, a truly unique and visionary museum, for the people of Boston; but she would also have her carriage park on the sidewalk in inclement weather even though many pedestrians were inconvenienced.

Furthermore, the enigmatic Mrs. Gardner destroyed many of her letters and papers shortly before her death, so the fact that Shand-Tucci's insightful speculations about her seem plausible is no small feat. That is why it is particularly tragic (perhaps too strong a word, but close) that the reader can never forget the presence of this heavy-handed narrator. Here is a sample sentence (page 158):

"Though stimulated by her patronage-Gardner was one of the first to see Loeffler not only as a virtuoso but as the composer he wished to be and increasingly today is regarded as-Loeffler grew to feel at one point distinctly imposed upon by Gardner, who seemed to him possessive and only too willing to "show him off" in Ralph Locke's words, as "a kind of in-house virtuoso" in the Gardner music room, all of this, or (sic) course, quite classic behavior on the part of humble but artful, trustworthy but vain, kind but cruel and rampagingly dominant Isabella!"

One can open the book to almost any page, as I did with this example, and find sentences as bad or worse. The jacket states that the author won an award for a previous book, but that is difficult to imagine. It is almost unreadable, and I put the book down twice before I finally finished reading it. On the other hand, it did make me want to revisit Fenway Court (now the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum) in Boston, so the content is great but the style is almost insurmountable.

why oh why?
when i set out to write a research paper about Isabella Stewart Gardner, i decided to read her biographies. i opted to read them in chronological order, starting with Morris Carter's published in 1925. i was having a ball learning about such an interesting woman, until i got to the Shand-Tucci biography. this book confused me so much, not only because of it's writing style, but also because of it's content. Mr. Shand-Tucci presents information completely opposite to the info in Morris Carter and Louise Hall Tharp's biographies. these differences were so extreme that i ended up writing my research paper about them. no joke. three thousand words later, and i still feel i could write more on the faults of this book.

Just a side note, i talked to a friend who works at the Gardner Museum, and they stopped selling this biography in the museum shop because its allegations against Mrs. Gardner are so farfetched. if you want to read a good biography of Isabella Stewart Gardner, i highly recommend "Mrs. Jack" by Louise Hall Tharp.

The sentences that never end...
I am an avid reader and I find the subject of Bella Gardner fascinating, and I was incredibly excited to find yet another book about her amazing life! Yet, little did I know that it would take me almost three weeks to slog through this terribly written piece! With little organization and darting from one thought to another, it is barely held together. But, dear reader, the worst is yet to come. Let me give you an example of just one of the "typical" sentences that make up the writing found within, and remember this is just one sentence: "Perhaps her most vivid counsel ever as muse and mentor, into which central venue of Isabella Gardner's life first James and then Crawford and now Sargent have conducted us, that advice reflects the fact that just as it has been argued of Alfred, Lord Tennyson's friendship with Arthur Hallam that although their relationship lasted a mere four years, those "four years probably [were] the equal in psychic importance to the other seventy-nine of Tennyson's life," so with act one of Gardner's and Crawford's affair, which lasted barely two years."
Now I realize how incredibly terrifying this is, and believe me, I have left punctuation, wording and phrasing exactly as they are found in the book. This is but one of three hundred pages of such dismal phrasing. Get the point... ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Art   2. Art Museums And Galleries   3. Artists, Architects, Photographers   4. Biography   5. Biography & Autobiography   6. Biography / Autobiography   7. Biography/Autobiography   8. Business   9. Collectors and collecting   10. Historical - U.S.   11. United States   12. Women   13. Women And Art   14. Women art collectors   

Subjects:  1. Italy   2. Travel writing   

Subjects:  1. (Isabella Lucy),   2. 1831-1904   3. Biography / Autobiography   4. Bird, Isabella L   5. Correspondence   6. England   7. General   8. Historical - British   9. Specific Groups - Special Needs   10. Travel   11. Travelers   12. Voyages around the world   13. Women travelers   14. Women's Studies - General   

Customer Reviews (3)

THE KING WHO WOULD BE QUEEN...
Jean Plaidy, noted for her historical fiction, is also known to her legion of fans across the world as Victoria Holt. Ms. Plaidy has written many enjoyable works of historical fiction, and this, her eighth book in her Plantagenet saga is no exception.

Here, Ms. Plaidy tells the story of King Edward II who, as did his ancestor Richard the Lionhearted, preferred the company and affections of men over that of women. Unlike his ancestor, who was married to the complaisant and submissive, Berengaria, who did not make waves about Richard's lack of attention, Edward II had a wife that was secretly infuriated by her husband's predilection for young men. Interestingly enough, nowhere in this work of historical fiction does the author make use of the work homosexual, though that is really the only inference a reader may draw about the romantic proclivities of Edward II.

The book focuses heavily upon the attachment had to Piers Gaveston, a young man, son of a Gascon knight, who had grown up with Edward, and the young and handsome Hugh the Dispenser, the courtier who eventually took Gaveston's place in the king's affections after Gaveston was murdered. The book chronicles the unfortunate relationship that Edward II had with his wife, the beautiful and strong-willed Isabella, daughter to Philip, King of France. Edward II did his duty, however, while Isabella suppressed her hatred and contempt of him, and together they managed to produce an heir, a son who would one day be crowned Edward III under unusual circumstances, as well as three other children.

Edward II, as foolish and weak as his father was wise and strong, allowed Robert the Bruce of Scotland to flourish. Scotland, which had been crushed into submission by Edward I, who had been known as the Hammer of the Scots, now became a force with which to be reckoned under the strong leadership of Robert the Bruce. Meanwhile, England, under the reign of Edward II, became weaker and vulnerable, losing its Scottish castles and strongholds one by one. At the battle of Bannockburn, Edward II would receive a stunning defeat at the hands of Robert the Bruce, losing forever that for which his father, Edward I, had fought so hard.

Eventually, Queen Isabella, who was disgusted by her husband's proclivities and weakness, took a lover, Roger de Mortimer. Together, Isabella and Roger plotted and schemed against Edward II, who was a inept ruler whose kingdom always seemed to be on the cusp of civil war. Their schemes came to fruition when Edward III was crowned King while his father, now a prisoner of Isabella and Roger, still lived. This untenable situation would not last long, as Edward II would meet a most cruel and ignominious death while held captive at Berkeley Castle.

The author brings to life these royal personages, political intrigues, and historical events, weaving them into a well-written tapestry of historical fiction. Set amidst the political turmoil of fourteenth century England, peppered with names of those who would have lasting historical impact, it is an entertaining, as well as informative, treasure trove of historical facts that are melded together into a most enjoyable book.

Whoa, awesome book!
This book was an awesome book! It was a little weird at first, but it got a whole lot better each page turned! My favorite character was of Isabella, new Queen of England. She was definitely a cunning character in how she plotted slowly and quietly against her husband, Edward, the weak king. Just like her, I absolutely HATED Gaveston and loved that the barons had the soldiers chop his head off. Ha ha, down with one more cocky weirdo. I loved Warrene too, and I loved how he helped someone else in a situation just like him. Otherwise, this book had a good developing plot, setting the characters up with backrounds and such. But I would recommend it only to people who have patience with books, because at times the description gets pretty boring. Cool!

Blew me away!
This book was just fabulous. Henry II, the effeminate and unworthy ruler of England, is bested by his high-spirited and beautiful wife Isabella of France. Jean Plaidy is the best! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1284-1327   2. Edward   3. Fiction   4. II,   5. King of England,   6. Isabella   

Subjects:  1. Cookery, British   2. Cooking   3. Cooking / Wine   4. Regional & Ethnic - English, Scottish & Welsh   

Customer Reviews (1)

the queens cross
this is one of larence schoonover best historical novels. it is another one that you won't want to put down. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1852-1932   2. 19th century   3. 20th century   4. Authors, Irish   5. Biography   6. Biography / Autobiography   7. English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh   8. Gregory,   9. Gregory, Isabella Augusta Persse, 1852-1932   10. Historical - General   11. Ireland   12. Lady,   13. Literary Criticism   14. Women   15. Women Authors   16. Women theatrical producers and directors   17. Friends and associates   18. Gregory   19. Yeats, W. B   

Customer Reviews (2)

THE POWER BEHIND THE THRONE...
In this, her fifth book in the Plantagenet series, Jean Plaidy, renowned writer of historical fiction also known to her devoted fans as Victoria Holt, tackles the two most powerful women of the early thirteenth century, Isabella of Angouleme, the Dowager Queen of England, and Blanche, the Dowager Queen of France.

The heartbreakingly beautiful and sensual Isabella, a woman with little motherly instincts, had been married to King John of England, the most depraved, dissolute, and evil tyrant ever to rule over England, when she was just a child of twelve. John had been the youngest son of Eleanor of Aquitaine and King Henry II of England. Unfortunately, he did not follow in the footsteps of his father in terms of his ability to govern his widespread kingdom. When John died a mysterious death, both Isabella and England were freed from his tyranny, and his and Isabella's eldest son, though a mere boy of nine at the time, became King Henry III of England. Isabella was now the Dowager Queen of England.

Meanwhile, across the English Channel in France, Blanche, the granddaughter of Eleanor of Aquitaine and King Henry II of England, had married Louis VIII of France. Her grandmother, Eleanor of Aquitaine, had handpicked her for that explicit purpose, as Eleanor had sensed in Blanche one such as she, a person with the wit and drive to be a strong queen. The marriage of Blanche and Louis had been a happy one, until an untimely death took Louis, who had been a well-meaning, though weak, king. Their handsome son, Louis, would become King Louis IX of France at the age of twelve. The beautiful Blanche, a virtuous and regal woman, was now the Dowager Queen of France.

When Isabella and Blanche would meet, it was clear that neither woman had much love for the other. When King John of England died, Isabella remarried Count Hugh of Lusignan, the man to whom she had originally been betrothed a lifetime ago, before King John had abducted her and made her his child bride. The fact that Joanna, her daughter with John, was now betrothed to Hugh did not deter Isabella from her determination to marry her first love. So, in addition to being the Dowager Queen of England, Isabella became a Countess through her marriage to Hugh, who was a vassal of France.

This was an untenable situation for Isabella, who despised Blanche and refused to give her and her son the homage that they were due. Isabella ruled her husband Hugh through her ability to provide many amorous and sensuous delights, causing him to commit many grave errors in judgment that were to cause much disharmony in his life. Isabella was single-minded in her determination to cause Blanche as much trouble as possible. She plotted and intrigued against the French crown and no perfidy was too great, encouraging her son, Henry, to try to regain the lands that his father, King John, had recklessly lost to the French. Blanche, however, was not oblivious to Isabella's hatred of her and, being a clever woman, made the necessary moves to keep her in check. One day, however, Isabella went too far and attempted the ultimate act of treason. It was an act that was to cause the tempestuous Isabella of Angouleme to come to an ignominious end.

This is a well-written and interesting work of historical fiction, revolving around two women who wielded a great deal of influence in early thirteenth century England and France. Replete with historical detail, the author paints a living picture of the political intrigues of the day. Historical figures are made three dimensional, adding a vibrancy to this enjoyable book, which those who love historical fiction of this period should enjoy.

Jean Plaidy Does it again!
This is a wonderful book! it is part of the plantagenet series and as the rest is beautifully written and full of historical information. Highly reccomended! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Bargain Books   2. Blanche,   3. English Historical Fiction   4. Fiction   5. Isabella,   6. Queen, consort of John, King o   7. d. 1246   8. Blanche   9. Isabella   

Customer Reviews (4)

D&G Rules!
Utilizing their fascination for traditional rural fashions, the designing dream team of Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana has captured the fashion world by storm. Since their company's inception in 1982 to the present, Dolce & Gabbana has made Italian fashion look so wearable.

This book, which celebrates their first 10 years in business, is a collection of past ad campaigns and a plethora of celebrities that normally would make a coffee-table book about fashion appealing. With a foreword by Isabella Rossellini, and appearances by many top name fashion models, Dolce & Gabbana's vision of incorporating Sicilian (Dolce is orginally from Palermo, Sicily) & rural styles is genius. Their tribute to Madonna, who gave them the brand-name notoriety they deserve, is great (Dolce & Gabbana got big press for designing the outfits for Madonna's "Girlie Show" tour). Their recent work with Whitney Houston on her world tour was also spectaclar as these gentleman know how to make a woman look and feel like one.

I am so happy that Dolce & Gabanna, wo are my all-time favorite designers have been in the fashion business for over a decade already. I hope to see a followup of this book very soon, whenever they reach their 20th anniversary. An excellent tribute to a talented duo.

D&G
Great pictures of famous people in their D&G clothes. Advertisements with Linda Evangelista (great!) and Madonna, Demi Moore and many others. A must have!

bellisimo!
I consider Dolce & Gabbana to be among the very best designers of our time- very much in the same class as the late Gianni Versace, a fellow Italian designer.

The photography in this book is very, very good most of the time. My favorite pictures are from a Fall 1995 ad campaign that featured my favorite, Linda Evangelista. Here she is, with her trademark Sassoon angled bob, one of her best looks ever. Another favorite set are of Nadja Auermann and Kate Moss, from a 1992 campaign. So over the top!

Also included are some celebrities, like Demi Moore and Madonna, who had D&G design her Girlie Show costumes.

You don't have to be a fashionista to appreciate this folio. I think this book would look great on ANYONE's coffee table. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th century   2. Antiques & Collectibles   3. Antiques/Collectibles   4. Art   5. Art & Art Instruction   6. Commercial - Fashion Design   7. Costume design   8. Design - Textile & Costume   9. Fashion   10. Fashion designers   11. History   12. Italy   13. Photoessays & Documentaries   14. Pictorial works   

Customer Reviews (1)

Excellent and Engaging
This is a fabulous book, the type that you can sit with for hours and enjoy. It is reminiscent of Sante D'Orazio's first book, but on a much simpler scale. The photos are great, the commentary a little bare-bones but interesting. As a photographer, it's also interesting to see how different photographers have captured the same subject, sometimes more than once. Highly recommended and nicely published. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Collections, Catalogs, Exhibitions   2. Criticism   3. Photo Essays   4. Photoessays & Documentaries   5. Photography   6. Subjects & Themes - Fashion   

Customer Reviews (4)

Prescott revisited
Any potentional historian of Spain must contend with the work of William Prescott. Though cutting edge historians of Spain dismiss Prescott as old fashioned (he wrote over 150 years ago), his work can still be read with pleasure and little awe (particulalry when one remembers that Prescott was blind when he was active as a historian.

Nancy Rubin makes use of Prescott and in a sense pours old wine in new bottles. Her Isabella is more acceasable than Prescott's pius queen. She also very ably puts Isabella in the proper perspective as the co-founder of modern Spain (at least from a geographic perspective). Isabella's reputation rests on her funding of the voyages of Columbus, but as Ms. Rubin's book ably demonstrates, she was much more than that. In a time when political couples (like FDR and Eleanor) are described as "political partners" Isabella and Ferdinand were true co-equals. He fought the wars and she tended to the quartermaster functions. No wonder they were a magnificent success.

If this book has one problem it is the rather ambiguous relationship between Isabella and the Jews and Moslems of Spain. Though she made use of the former throughout her career (particularly early on), she later was a willing participant in their forcible conversion. Perhaps this subject requires a book of its own.

Surpisingly Easy to Read!
Nancy Rubin's work on Isabel la Católica was very refreshing and difficult to put down. As a Spanish Literature student at UCLA, I recommend this book to anyone interested in the brightening their knowledge of this great woman. The chronology was consistant and the surrounding facts of the Catholic Queen were just the right size. It emphasized the rennovations that the queen implemented on the broken kingdom and the tenacity of her character, all fueled by her faith.

"Not one of the better quincentennial Isabella books "
1492 was one of the most significant years in world history. Isabel and Fernando by completing the Reconquest of Spain and sending Columbus on his search for the Indies commanded events that shaped the modern world and made Spain (Castile+Aragon)a world superpower. In "Isabella of Castile" Rubin takes a quincentennial look at arguably the most significant female monarch of all time. Rubin's approach to Isabel's life covers all of the important events--war of succession, restoring law and order, the Reconquest of Granada, the Inquistion, and of course, Columbus--with a consistent objectiveness. After the first chapter, however, I expected more argumentative discussions on all of the sources that Rubin used and of the possible motivations that Isabel might have had in some of the monumental events she participated in. For instance, a more thorough discusion of the possible reasons for implementing the Inquisition would have been appropriate. Overall the book seemed to promise slightly more than it delivered, but was still very enjoyable and a decent account of a remarkable monarch to say the least. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1451-1504   2. Biography   3. Biography / Autobiography   4. Biography/Autobiography   5. General   6. Isabella   7. Queen of Spain,   8. Queens   9. Renaissance   10. Spain   11. Spain And Portugal - History   

Customer Reviews (1)

The most haunting book I've ever read
I first read this book when I was fifteen, and never for a moment has it left my subconscious. Even had I never reread it, I would still remember a lot of things about it in vivid detail, and when I do reread it, I am still taken on am emotionally haunting journey. It has left an eternal imprint on my heart and soul, an eternal echo in my mind. I'm even seriously considering possibly naming one of my future daughters, when I have kids, Isabella, after this amazing woman.

What makes this book different from many other Holocaust books is that most of the chapters are merely fragmented memories and incidents, not full-blown detailed accounts of every little thing that happened, in the death train, in their first day in Auschwitz, what their Barracks were like, their friends in the camp, when they got to eat, what kind of work they were doing, any physical abuse they may have received, nothing but a powerful tale of fragmented memories and incidents. What makes it so unforgettable is the love between the four remaining sisters, how they stayed together and alive despite incredible odds, buoyed one another's spirits, and stayed alive for one another, because of one another. Recently I found out on the US Holocaust Memorial Museum's website that the oldest of the sisters, Cipi, was 28 and 29 years old during the eight months she is together with her three younger sisters who later escaped...never once when reading this book would I ever have guessed that the oldest of the sisters was a grown adult woman, nearly thirty years old, old enough to be a mother to Regina, the youngest, since the relationship described is so close-knit and emotional, not at all like I would have pictured a woman that old relating to and caring for a teenage sister and two in their early twenties. I was so emotionally involved with this book that I felt as though I had lost my own sister when only the three of them manage to run away during the death march, and hoping they had eventually found her, even decades later. It's that gut-wrenchingly emotional.

There are some things about the book that leave me wanting more, like how Isabella doesn't give the ages of all of her siblings (particularly her two older sisters; I was shocked to discover just how old the oldest really was), and how there aren't more chapters dealing with everything that happened in Auschwitz. But we already have more than enough books dealing with how the newly-arrived prisoners were processed, what kinds of work they were forced to do, and life in the Barracks. This story is special because of the emotions, love, loyalty, devotion, and delight in life involved, not more concrete details about everything that happened before their liberation. I also would have liked, in the pictures section, to see what Isabella's brother and two remaining sisters looked like when they got older, a picture of her brother-in-law Jack, a picture of their father, and a mention of the names of her other siblings' spouses and their children.

These sisters shared an incredible bonding experience, one which mere words cannot communicate. This is a beautiful testament to love and the will to survive, even among a group of sisters who weren't all close in age. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography   2. Biography / Autobiography   3. Biography/Autobiography   4. Historical - Holocaust   

Customer Reviews (1)

Every home should have one!
The complete guide to pretty much everything involved in running a household in the early half of the 20th century, and many of the instructions in this book still hold true today. Whether you want to know the correct way of writing to the Queen, or just want to know how to make a nice dessert it's all covered here. No home should be without this! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cookery   2. Cookery, English   3. Cookery, International   4. Cooking   5. Cooking / Wine   6. Home Management   7. Home economics   8. Regional & Ethnic - English, Scottish & Welsh   

Subjects:  1. 1474-1539   2. Fiction   3. Fiction - Historical   4. Historical   5. Isabella d'Este,   6. Italian (Language) Contemporary Fiction   7. Italy   8. Nobility   9. consort of Francesco II Gonzag   10. Isabella d'Este