Watkins, Paul

Alternative Kilns & Firing Techniques: Raku * Saggar * Pit * Barrel (A Lark Ceramics Book)

Average customer rating:

Lots of great info and beautful pics
terrific!
Average...but can find same on internet
Alternative Firing Techniques
emphasis on firing techniques, not kilns

Alternative Kilns & Firing Techniques: Raku * Saggar * Pit * Barrel (A Lark Ceramics Book)
James C. Watkins , and Paul Andrew Wandless
Manufacturer: Lark Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1579909523

Book Description

Ceramicists searching for new ways to fire their creations now have a wealth of options. Authors James Watkins and Paul Wandless, along with a group of distinguished artisans, demonstrate in detail how to build low-cost, low-tech, yet high-quality kilns. The plans range from an easy, affordable, and versatile Raku Kiln to a unique wood-fueled Downdraft Stovepipe Barrel one. These clever devices make it possible to produce rich surface effects from alternative reduction firing techniques. In addition to showing the basic procedures for using each kiln, easy-to-follow directions for many fast-fire methods unfold in color photographs: You’ll see how to achieve terra sigillata surfaces with direct chemical application, and how to do traditional crackle-glaze raku and smoke finishes.

Customer Reviews:

Lots of great info and beautful pics.......2007-05-07

This is a great book on raku. it gives different views from different artists. The photography is good and shows many alternative ways to finish one's pottery other then the traditional glazing and firing. This book is a must for a potters reference bookcase.

terrific!.......2006-11-13

I was so hungry for the information provided by this book,I bought it up fast.It's exactly what I needed,it has basic and user friendly info,a really good value for what it costs.I took it to the studio,and had others look at it and drool,begging me for info as to where they could get a copy.I am really glad I have it!!!

Average...but can find same on internet.......2006-08-14

I was disappointed in this book as most of what is in it, you can find on the internet, and usually better information. It will make a pretty edition to my pottery library but I had hoped for more.

Alternative Firing Techniques.......2005-08-10

What a wonderful book. As a ceramic sculptor, I appreciate the Raku, Pit, Barrel and Saggar firing methods. It gives one enough of the technical details of the how-to's of each of the firing methods (and how to build a raku kiln, and barrel and pit kilns) to get one started. It also "fires" up one's imagination to expand the contents of the book and to push your work to another level. This book presents beautiful examples of what "Alternative Firing Techniques" can produce.

emphasis on firing techniques, not kilns.......2005-07-22

This is a very worthwhile and contentful book, just not what it seemed from the brief desciption. Hopefully this clarification is helpful to others:

This book's editorial description, along with the title, seem to suggest that its focus is in how to create various homemade ad hoc kilns (for those that don't have ready access to a kiln already). It talks about kiln building, and never uses the word raku.

Basically, however, this is a raku book, with lots of interesting variations. "Barrel" and "pit" kilns (mentioned in the subtitle) turn out to be just more forms of raku, rather than new kinds of homemade kilns. It contains many creative firing ideas with wonderful results, generously shared by a number of contributors. Along the way, of course, they do tell you how to put together firing chambers for these firing techniques. So it does provide some alternative kiln construction guidance with variations, but not the quantity I was expecting. And the firing techniques were an unexpected bonus.

In style, this is a thin "coffee-table book" - lots of great photos, widely set lines of type, artistic white space. But the content is fascinating and invaluable to anyone who wants to do firings that are more interesting than simply closing the door and turning on the heat. Initially, I was disappointed when I saw how the content of the book was padded out with white space, but after I started reading I realized how much great information was in it.

I would like to see much more expanded content (not counting the gallery & appendices, it is 89 pages). However, this does provide plenty of ideas to try for quite some while. I just need to find a different alternnative kiln book for when I'm not doing raku style firings. (The publisher could really help out here, by giving the table of contents, which really does give an accurate idea of the book content).

Average customer rating:

East German Agent Stranded in US when Wall Comes Down
A Haunting Quilt of One Man's Life
A Lesser Watkins
Watkins always pleases
The Cold War hots up

The Story of My Disappearance
Paul Watkins
Manufacturer: Picador USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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The Promise of Light: A Novel
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ASIN: 0312179952

Book Description

Although Paul Wedekind has found work as a fisherman along the coast of Rhode Island, he knows his new life is not yet his own. Years ago, as a patriotic young man in East Germany, he enlisted in its army, only to be recruited by the terrifying and omnipotent forces of the Stasi. On a tour of Afghanistan, he and a boyhood friend were taken prisoner and tortured by the Mujahadin - a nightmare that endlessly haunts him.

Years later, believing his friend dead, Paul is sent to America as an agent for the KGB, where his life is changed forever by one woman - a contact named Suleika. Soon, the violent events of the past will threaten their love, and their lives. On the dangerous waters off the New England coast, these two exiles must find the strength to satisfy the impossible demands of men who claim to own them.

An atmospheric, utterly gripping new novel by one of America's most acclaimed younger writers.

Customer Reviews:

East German Agent Stranded in US when Wall Comes Down.......2003-10-22

This is a believable and compelling story about the violent and dangerous life of East German agents, recruited under pressure; threatened and beaten to carry out their assignments. The assignment of this guy is to spy on a friend, and later to be a courier in disguise in Newport, R.I. (smuggling things to and from a Russian submarine). This is where he is when the Wall comes down and has to decide what the heck to do when stranded in a free country with a fake ID. Everything about this caught me by surprise.

A Haunting Quilt of One Man's Life.......2002-11-17

First, I do not believe there is anyone around right now who can write as well as Mr. Watkins. "Calm at Sunset, Calm at Dawn" I feel was his best, but this is darn close.

"My Disappearance" is written in the first person. The narrator (later named Paul Watkins) weaves the stories of his three lives - East German soldier/spy in Afghanistan, spy in America and lover in America - into a quilt made up of wonerfully woven words and twisting plotlines.

From the first page, Watkins interjects a mysterious tensionthat trails through the book as is a constant undercurrent adding significantly to this yarn of a spy left in the cold when the Berlin Wall falls.

I strongly recommend all of Watkins. This one should be one of the first and not to missed.

A Lesser Watkins.......2002-10-01

I have to say that I do enjoy Watkins work in general. Yet I felt this piece was a bit forced and unconvincing. The book has a nice start, raises ones curiosity quick then drifts a bit.

I think that the story was damaged by the use of a love story with Suleika. Her character was uninteresting, obstuctive, and could have been replaced with a good dog. It almost seemed as though Watkins felt forced to insert love scenes that went nowhere. Each mention of her seemed to bring about a roadbump in the story. I wonder if there was a rewrite that caused this. The death of her husband, with no explainations as to who he was, seemed unpolished. Was Watkins (character in the book) first supposed to be more of an outsider? That would make more sense then coming to town and having the other spy fall in love with you, being that her husband is dead and all.

I must also say that naming the main character the same as yourself is a bit much. It made me take pause and wonder if I should continue to the end.

In fairness I did enjoy the story itself. The interactions with the old friend and the days in camp were very interesting and well done. I would hope that this kind of detailing continues in his future work and that the heavy romance takes a back seat.

Watkins always pleases.......2002-03-25

What happens to spies whose country seizes to exist? This happened to those Stasi spies who were abandoned in America and elsewhere at the end of the Cold War. Paul Wederkin is just such as spy. The story tells how he came to be there, through his Afghani war experience, his friendship and the death of his friend. However, the real surprise is in the beginning when his dead fried walks into a Rhode Island bar and murders someone in front of him.

This story packs just a little too much action into too small a space for me. Its pace is a bit frenetic. However, the depth of character and prose lyricism remains strong as in all Watkins' books.

To give you an idea, before the story even opens, our hero, the East German Paul Wedekind has been a promising engineering student who has been recruited (coerced) by the secret police to spy on his friend, has served in Afghanistan, has been taken prisoner by the Afghans and has at last come to America as a spy for the Russians. Whew! And before dinner, too!.

But that's only the intro: the real story is about his work in America. The Cold War is over and he hopes he has been forgotten but that's overly optimistic. The adventure is grand and utterly amazing, but that's okay, because you love the story anyway.

His crisp and disciplined prose continues to delight me and I predict the day will come when folks quit comparing him to Hemingway and begin compariing Hemingway to him.

The Cold War hots up.......2000-11-04

You know how sometimes it takes several pages before you really get into a book? Well, this book only needed one sentence to get me nibbling at the bait, and two more paragraphs to have me completely hooked.

In the Newport, Rhode Island bar where Suleika and Paul were going through the death throes of their relationship, a sudden, brutal murder brought back into Paul's life a man who he had betrayed and long thought dead.

The central character is quickly revealed as an East German operative named Paul Wederkind, planted into the RI fishing community, shortly before the Berlin Wall came down. The old tub of a fishing boat he operates with Suleika, the widow of the man he secretly entered the USA to assist, also serves to covertly transport "cargo" to and from Russian submarines.

As the story unfolds, we learn about the machinations of the East German secret police, the war in Afghanistan, the Cold War - all things that normally would not interest me, but the writing is so compelling, I found myself just absorbing the story.

I've long been a fan of speculative fiction exploring alternate history, but in this book, the author seems to create an alternate biography. Partway through the book, Paul Wederkind changes his name to a more Americanised form, Watkins - is this really an autobiography? Well, the book jacket tells us Paul Watkins (the author) was born of Welsh parents and educated at Eton and Yale, so I guess not. Maybe this is his more exciting alternate life - I can associate with that. But he obviously has a Suleika in his own life - the author photo on the jacket is attributed to someone of that name.

Customer Reviews:

Major disappointment.......2007-03-26

I am an American lving in Norway. I bought the book based on the other reviews I found here, thinking it might give some fresh insight into my adopted country. Not so. It seems to be a chronicle of a two-week vacation in Norway, half of it driving around in a rented car and staying in expensive mountain hotels -- "Norway lite". Watkins didn't spend enough time here or get deep enough into the mountains to write about them with any real authority. The few nights he was actually out in a tent he camped a few hundred meters from a tourist hut, and his hikes were all day hikes that didn't take him all that far from the roads. He seems to avoid contact with the locals, and never really avails himself of Norway's marvelous huts, which make long treks possible with a reasonable measure of comfort and security. (In some of the less-visited mountain areas, it is common to have a comfortably furnished old farm buliding, built of logs and with a turf roof, all to yourself!) His gasping account of his ascent up Storronden makes it sound much more difficult than it is -- because it is located directly above one of the huts, it is a suitable hike for six year-olds. His descriptions of the mountains are sorely lacking -- Rondane and Jotunheimen are dramatically different mountain landscapes, but you would never know it from this book. Even the cover photo is a misleading composite that has little to do with the content of the book. Finally, he regularly misspells and misuses Norwegian words. Some proofreading by someone who knows the language should be a minimum requirement for a book like this. You are better off tracking down and reading some of the 'ghosts' of the title -- Three in Norway by Two of Them is an absolute classic. There are many other, better books about Norway and Norwegians.

Fantastic.......2006-08-26

If you're a travel buff or fantasize about travel, you'll find this tale of Watkins' journey through the mountainous terrain of central Norway a page turner. His descriptions of ladscapes are vivid. Additionally, he aquaints the reader with the people, customs, and foods of the area. In fact, he does a phenomenal job such that if you really get into the book, you'll feel as if you've traveled to central Norway yourself. He carries books by those before him who have already made the journey. He uses previous tales of Norwegian travels to guide his tour. These are his ghosts, i.e. the ones before him. He constantly refers to these previous works, giving the reader a synopsis of previous travels by others in addition to the vivid description of his own account. If you're a sightseer and enjoy the outdoors, you will likely enjoy Watkins' tale. If, on the other hand, you prefer to spend you time indoors and in the city, you might find his tale quite dull. I thoroughly enjoyed the book, but I love the outdoors, state and national parks etc.

An Inward Journey.......2006-07-24

Paul Watkins' "The Fellowship of Ghosts" is equal parts highly readable travelogue and introspective musings as the author hikes and travels through the mountains of Central Norway. The ghosts of the title are earlier, mostly English, authors who wrote about their travels in the mountains of Norway: Watkins travels much of the same ground and notes what has and has not changed. As an American graduate of an English boarding school, the author is in a position to critique his precessors.

Watkins' interest in Norway is stirred when, as a college student working on a fishing boat, he is injured in an accident. During his convalescence, a shipmate entertains him with stories of his Norwegian homeland. Watkins is enthralled by the stories and visits as soon as he is well. The experience never quite leaves him, and the present book is oriented around Watkins' second visit many years later.

The area of Watkins's travel is Central Norway, specifically the Rondale, Jotunheimen, and Dovrefjell ranges, beautiful and still largely underdeveloped country. Watkins' observant eye captures a series of vignettes of the fickle weather, the austere tourist facilities, the magnificent terrain, and of his sense of mysticism inspired by the experience of being there. In these mountains, man is not the center of the universe and defines himself against an epic natural landscape. Watkins finds both the outer beauty of the mountains and a measure of inner peace.

Part of Watkins's commentary is a comparison of the marauding Viking stereotype against the kind and honest, if stoic, Norwegians with whom he has contact. Watkins touches on the long history and extensive mythology of Norway in a manner that provides context to his travels and to the Norwegian customs he encounters. Watkins' prose is wry and entertaining, often at his own expense as an American who speaks virtually no Norwegian.

It is unfortunate that the book has only one map and a single photograph of the author in the mountains. This reviewer was able to follow Watkins' adventures with a medium scale map of central Norway.

This book is highly recommended to those who have visited central Norway or plan to do so. It is not meant to be a travel guide but will provide some perspective to enhance the experience of those who cover the same ground.

A trekk through a Nordic Wilderness.......2005-09-24

I just finished this travel memoir, THE FELLOWSHIP OF GHOSTS by Paul Watkins about his solitary hiking trip through the lesser traveled area of Norway that lies just below Trondheim. I gave it 3 stars in relative to a general audience, but for those who have a genuine interest in this type of trip, it is a definite 5 star find.

The title is derived from the guidebooks that inform his journey, all written by Englishmen long-dead. It seems there is precious little available on this region of the world other than books written 100 or more years ago.

The book itself is an inner exploration of a trekk. Words often fail this experienced writer as he attempts to convey the timelessness and the depths of silence that accompany him as he hangs suspended outside of the 21st century. He also explores the meaning of being a Norwegian, delving into our cultural differences and the meaning of Norway's Viking history.

Although I know Norway rather well, this Central region (Jotunheimen and Dovrefjell) was a bit of a no man's land in 1967 when I was there for extended studies. I did not see much of it, and was told it was a place for the hardiest of souls, or, alternatively, It was the realm of trolls and giants. It seems little tamed over the past 40 years by this account. I only wish I was strong enough now to attempt to emulate his itinerary!

The book is a refreshing change from the derring-do approach of many mountaineering books and may serve to initiate some young minds about the value of such travels----But I suspect the most receptive audience will be people like me, who have already trekked through vast wilderness areas. We will certainly sit in our armchairs and relive our travels as we read through this book----

Average customer rating:

Good imagery, failure to follow through...
Interesting premise
Good story in a dramatic, historic setting....
Art Meets Espionage in WWII Paris
A unique look at WWII Paris

The Forger: A Novel
Paul Watkins
Manufacturer: Picador
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0312276966

Amazon.com

"I reached Paris early in the summer of 1939," begins narrator David Halifax. Following in the footsteps of another generation of American expatriates, he has come to Paris for the sake of art (in his case, at the atelier of the temperamental and brilliant Alexander Pankratov). And like those earlier artists, he has arrived at a particularly crucial moment, as France is simultaneously preparing for and ignoring the threat of war. David vows to ignore the vagaries of the quotidian, however, immersing himself in his painting, down to <blockquote>the minutest detail, so that it would stop being the whole picture and would break down into its individual parts, which were different from what the parts had been in reality. Now they were fragments of a different thing, a thing all by itself. But the ghost of the canvas underneath, the reminder of it, would always bring you back into the world from which the painting had emerged, many incarnations ago.</blockquote>

And of course, he isbrought back to the world: far from being the muse of escape, his talent will be the siren that draws him irrevocably into the harsh world of war. When Pankratov recruits David as part of the movement to replace priceless French-owned paintings with forgeries before the Germans seize them, the young artist quickly becomes absorbed by the very idea of forgery, by the necessity to adopt another identity, to live and breathe and be the master he copies. But when their lives depend on a final forgery--one so audacious that it will strike to the core of Hitler's own artistic obsessions--philosophy gives way to breathless suspense, as the pair journey through Normandy at the moment of the Allied invasion, desperately searching for a treasured Vermeer.

The novel is so strong that its occasional moments of weakness seem an almost personal affront to the reader who has been bewitched by author Paul Watkins's quiet elegance. The narrative skims too quickly over David's life in Paris during the war years, and some of the most crucial facets of the generally well-balanced plot--Pankratov's diatribe to David on the German threat, for example, or David's decision to create that one last canvas--seem pale despite their avowed vigor. These moments feel as if Watkins has failed to prepare his own canvas properly, contenting himself with superficially dramatic strokes rather than carefully layering his foundation. But these flaws are minor detractions in an otherwise splendid work that balances canny portraiture with an unsentimentally evocative landscape. --Kelly Flynn

Book Description

At the turn of World War II, David Halifax is a young American painter who receives a scholarship to go to Paris. But as Nazi forces encroach, Halifax realizes the true purpose of his visit: to forge masterworks of the Paris museums. What evolves is a cat-and-mouse game through Pariss silent streets and eventually into the scorched country-side of Normandy.

Customer Reviews:

Good imagery, failure to follow through..........2006-03-08

One would think that after 6 years of being released, the publisher would have re-released a second version without typos. Just take a gander at the back of the book and while we should not judge books by their covers I find myself doing this constantly, but still enjoy reading very much. Back to typos... There is one located in the book where two words should be in each other's places and on the back the misspelled name of fascist dictator, Adolf Hitler is spelled as "Hilter." Honestly now, one would think after a few years after the release of said novel someone would have caught this. So that typo next to a pensive, brooding picture of Paul Watkins makes me want to laugh every single time I see it. It discredits him, his work, and I, as well as many others, found the book incredibly intriguing the first third of the time, second was ok, and the third just sucked. I could not wait to finish this book. An incredibly easy read, but I also had a hard time in the beginning with Watkin's imagery. While it was vivid and absolutely stunning, do painters really possess the ability to describe, in words, what they are seeing? I myself am not an artist, just an avid reader, but while it can be expressed through their hands in art, can it be shown in their words? I guess if you want an easy read that looks relatively good, buy it, read it, and give it to someone. But do not let this book disgrace your own collection.

Interesting premise.......2005-09-24

I owned this book for a long time before I could muster up the desire to read it. The premise sounded very interesting and the historical facts behind it were new to me, but something about reading about WWII sounded depressing.
The book was anything but depressing. It started off alittle slow and picked up great speed after Chapter 5 or so. The characters were well-developed, although somewhat stereotypical and predictable. The story was less about war than about loyalty and honor. I have to disagree with other viewers when they stated that too much detail was devoted to the descriptions of art and their forgeries-I found it all very interesting. The plot was quick-paced, but when I thought only days were passing, it turned out to be years.
I do recommend this book. I must admit that I did look forward to picking it up and continuing to read it once I started. While suitable for both, I think that men might find the plot and wartime atmosphere more appealing than women.

Good story in a dramatic, historic setting...........2004-06-26

This was the first thing I've read by Paul Watkins. It won't be the last. This is an engaging story with interesting characters who are caught, as everyone was, in the fast moving events of war in Europe.

It reminded me somewhat of Alan Furst, one of my favorite writers ("Dark Star", "The Polish Lieutenant", several others) Furst's work is darker, even more atmospheric and told from a stronger European perspective. "The Forger" is a lighter read, yet still has substance. I'd recommend this book for its story, characters, and the fascinating picture of certain aspects of the art world, forgery, etc.

Art Meets Espionage in WWII Paris.......2003-07-16

A semi-sequel to his book In the Blue Light of African Dreams, Watkins' literary (or rather painting) thriller tells the story of David Halifax (the son of the protagonist in that previous novel). David is a promising young American painter brought to Paris in 1939 via a mysterious scholarship which sets him up to study with a bizarre Russian painter, Pankratov. The first part of the story focuses on David's attempt to make it as an artist in Paris, living a spendthrift existence in a small apartment. Soon, however, he becomes friends with his two other fellow students and a shady gallery owner. One of the books' major strengths is how these characters-and all others, no matter how fleeting their role-spring to life under Watkins' pen.

Gradually the threat of invasion looms larger and larger, and David decides not to leave (sparking a major revelation that isn't as much of a surprise to the reader as Watkins probably intended). This leads to his involvement in an elaborate scheme to hide valuable French artwork from the Nazis, who have been systematically looting the countries they sweep though. The scheme involves forging old master paintings and trading them to the Germans for confiscated "degenerate" Impressionist and post-Impressionist masterpieces destined for destruction. It's a small-scale thriller, not end-of-the-world stuff, but perhaps richer for staying within reasonable bounds (although a late scene with Goering veers from the rest of the book). There's plenty of tension as David and his accomplices must walk a tightrope in dealing with and deceiving the dangerous Germans, and facing reprisal from the French who see them as collaborators.

The final third of the book feels a bit rushed, especially given the length of buildup, but the atmosphere is great throughout. From the dusty classroom, to David's damp apartment, to the cave-like forging studio, to smoky cafés, and occupied streets, the book is crammed with oppressive sets. Watkins writes in an understated but vivd prose that projects the images into the mind in cinematic fashion. The details of painting forgery are intriguing, and the psychology of why men (and women) would risk their lives for art is handled very well. The book is not quite a masterpiece, but it is a very solid tale that will appeal to art lovers, WWII buffs, and general readers.

A unique look at WWII Paris.......2002-10-18

Although not a sequel per se, this book follows the story of David Halifax (who's father was the main character in Paul Watkins' previous novel, "In The Blue Light of African Dreams") as he travels to WWII Paris to pursue his art education under the direction of the famous teacher, Alexander Pankratov. Like its predecessor, the plot of "The Forger" is very loosely based on actual events.

Perhaps no painter has been as successfully copied as Jan Vermeer. In the early 1940's, Hans van Meergeren, another (less talented) Dutch painter, claimed to have discovered several lost paintings by the master Vermeer. A rare (and valuable) find since only about 35 originals are know to exist. He sold these "lost paintings" to Hermann Goering and was put on trial by the Dutch after World War II for selling national treasures to the Nazis. Van Meergeren eventually proved himself innocent by painting another "Vermeer" in his jail cell.

Paul Watkins' fictional narrative of these events is skillfully told through the eyes of the likable protagonist, David Halifax. He presents his time and place with eerie clarity, capturing the essence of living in the world's most beautiful city during the ugliest time in its history. And he does this while showing us that great forgery is an art unto itself.

Stand Before Your God: A Boarding-School Memoir
Average customer rating:

Going along for the ride

Truly moving coming-of-age memoir

Stand Before Your God: A Boarding-School Memoir
Paul Watkins
Manufacturer: Random House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Night over Day over Night

ASIN: 0679420568
Release Date: 1994-02-15

Book Description

At the age of seven, Paul Watkins was roughly transplanted from his home in Rhode Island to England's Dragon School. He was greeted by a delegation of bullies who, in time, would become his friends and whose rules would become his own. For at Dragon, and later at Eton, "there was no middle ground. You could not go here and come out not caring one way or the other. You had to stand before your God and commit."

In this enthralling and sometimes harrowing memoir, the acclaimed author of The Promise of Light gives us a masterly companion to such classics as Brideshead Revisited and A Separate Peace. Here are the masters who paddle boys for small infractions and then offer them sweets; the seniors who pamper pretty favorites and subject all others to humiliating servitude; the deep friendships and sudden, devastating betrayals. Above all, here is the exhilaration of a boy discovering own capacities for learning and creativity, in a book that conveys with astonishing insight the pangs of growing up.

From the Trade Paperback edition.

Customer Reviews:

Going along for the ride.......2005-04-14

It was a very moving and yet calm memoir. Thankfully, it didn't use a calendar and go month by month but had a smooth flow of relative time. There were parts that made you laugh outloud and others made you pause to take them in. He doesn't present himself as a saint or demon. This book isn't a rip on English public schools (we'd call them private schools here in the US) nor does it unashamedly praise them. I think it would do the students a lot of good at English public schools and American private schools to read this. I'd even go so far as recommend that it be mandatory reading for first-years at those schools.

I would have given it five stars if it had a better ending telling what was the current status of the boys and teachers he told about in the book. It being written ten years after he graduated from Eton. If there is ever a new edition, I hope such an epilogue is added. Or...

I would enjoy it if the author were to make a sequel where he goes around and interviews his old school chums after these many years. To gain their reflection. To exchange school tales. To get a perspective on each other. To find out what happened to them ... both the living and the dead. Even going so far as doing a bit of private investigation work to verify facts and claims. I think that would be a very interesting and engaging read.

Truly moving coming-of-age memoir.......1998-02-02

Paul Watkins's Stand Before Your God tells the story of his 10 or so years in two of Britain's top boarding schools - Dragon and Eton. This memoir tells of his coming of age in the all male environment of the British boarding school.

By his own admission, Watkins's coming of age did not occur gradually, but the growth came in "jolts, from one suddenly realized thing to another ... It seems that in some years I would stay the same and at other times, I would be jolted four times in a week." (pg. 144) Since his memoir chronicles these jolts that occurred during his boarding school years, there is a lack of smooth flow in the book. That is not to say it is bad in anyway, but it isn't a biography of his boarding school years. It isn't a book about what it's like to attend Dragon or Eton. On many occasions, the reader hardly knows what year Paul is in school. Traditions and idiosyncracies of the schools are mentioned in passing, but rarely explained.

It is a book about what it was like for Paul Watkins to grow up at Dragon and Eton. It is a truly moving coming-of-age story. Watkins demonstrates an amazing memory, and the first chapters (his early years) seem to be spoken by a scared and lonely six-year-old boy. He eloquently describes the events that shaped his life including his father's death from cancer during his first year at Eton.

The one thing I found to be lacking was a conclusion saying where his friends are now. Perhaps that is because Watkins doesn't know himself. Since the memoir is about his coming-of-age, friends and family only appear on the peripheral. I was also left with the impression that Watkins had few close friends. Three, in particular though, were important enough in his life to make an impression on me as a reader. I was left wondering where they might be now. That is a very minor point though and may not have served the book well after all.

That aside, this is a very good book. I couldn't put in down and suffered for that lack of will power the next day. It was not so much that I was engrossed in what was happening, but I needed to find out what was going to happen to Paul. I couldn't wait to find out how he made it through school. I recommend this book.

Lonely Planet New Zealand
Average customer rating:

Good travel guide

NZ Tour Guide

More than complete!

Perfect for the budget traveller

Essential travel book

Lonely Planet New Zealand
Paul Smitz , Martin Robinson , Nina Rousseau , Richard Watkins , James Belich , Julie Biuso , Russell Brown , Vaughan Yarwood , and David Millar
Manufacturer: Lonely Planet Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

New Zealand | Australia & South Pacific | Travel | Subjects | Books
General | Australia & South Pacific | Travel | Subjects | Books
Guidebooks | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books
Lonely Planet | Guidebook Series | Travel | Subjects | Books
General | Travel | Subjects | Books
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The Rough Guide To New Zealand 4 (Rough Guide Travel Guides)

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Straying from the Flock: Travels in New Zealand

ASIN: 1740597664

Book Description

Find out what all the fuss is about. Experience the natural and human wonders of New Zealand: green national parks and towering mountain backdrops plus a vibrant cultural scene with wining and dining to write home about. Be inspired with this bestselling, independent guidebook in hand.

• DISCOVER the best of wild-and-wonderful New Zealand with the help of our new colour highlights and outdoors sections and suggested itineraries <BR>• CONNECT with the Kiwis (and a kiwi), with history, culture and environment sections written by experts <BR>• GET AROUND the country with the help of over 120 detailed maps <BR>• TREAT YOURSELF to fine seafood, great wines and other gastronomic delights, following our expert foodie's advice on where and what to eat and drink <BR>• SEE THE SIGHTS along our city walking tours, with or without kiddies in tow

Customer Reviews:

Good travel guide.......2007-05-18

So far what I've read the book has a wealth of travel info.

NZ Tour Guide.......2007-05-13

NZ definition of luxury is different from USA definition. Stayed in Victorian Hotel in Rotorua that got rave review in this book, the room we had was very ordinary and the bathroom was very old and run down. Very disappointing. Even though the hotel is about 100 yrs old, it does not have to look rundown.
Stayed in Boutique hotel in Hamilton, very nice but not up to US Boutique standards. Best hotel on the trip was in Auckland by the sailing harbor, room modern but parking situation is pathetic. Only have room for 10 cars or so, for a large hotel. Except for the first night, had to park several blocks away in a municipal parking garage (car park), at the same price as at the hotel. Very inconvenient, we were there in summer, would be a miserable walk in the winter.
Great information about things to do in each city.

More than complete!.......2007-02-12

Great book, the information is accurate, complete and extremely useful at the time of choosing NZ as a travelling destination. plus, its ad free. just excellent.

Perfect for the budget traveller.......2007-01-10

This is the must have book for anyone doing NZ on the cheap, although NZ aint that cheap.

If you're doing a driving tour with your 78 year old Mum, you might want to look at something a little more middle of the road, but it worked for Mum & me.

Lot's of detail, but activities seems a bit more geared to the adrenaline junkie, then again, with 2 weeks to TRY and see both islands, I didn't have a lot of time to read the book.

Plan at least a month if you want to see both islands and not wipe yourself out.

Lonely Planet guides are my first choice. South America on a shoestring got me around the whole place, no worries...

Big and heavy. If you're backpacking with a friend, rip it in half and share the load. Just make sure you rip between chapters, not half way through!

Essential travel book.......2007-01-09

This latest edition of New Zealand is a very good read. Typically LP, it is really essential when travelling as a backpacker. Because besides all the recommended highlights it has plenty of city maps and the very usefull section getting there and around. But what is absolutely perfect about this guide book is the sense of humour in the texts. It let's you read and travel always with a smile on :-)

Average customer rating:

Finally, a new book with substance and character formation.
A Phoenix defined.
An interesting "read" that takes you into new territory

BLUE LIGHT AFRICAN DREAM
Paul Watkins
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0395551366

Customer Reviews:

Finally, a new book with substance and character formation........1999-10-19

I'm looking forward to reading more of Paul Walkin's books

A Phoenix defined........1998-05-14

A great read. The main character finds peace at the end of his lengthy journey. Watkins posesses a wonderful feel for use of symbolism in flight and the exotic landscape of Morrocco and France. A powerful journey from nothing to rebirth. In the Blue Light...possess great imagery and movement of time.

Never have I thought I could identify with a pilot from World War I. Much like Robinson Carusoe, Charlie Halifax, pushed towards the end of his moral and isolational limits, has estblished a friendship with a foreigner friend, becoming travel partners, like Crosby and Hope. Halifax remained passaionate yet myopic on his goal until the end, finally realizing new horizons lay ahead.

This book is every bite as unique as his Archangel. Also look for Peter Gadol novels.

An interesting "read" that takes you into new territory.......1998-05-13

I thoroughly enjoyed this book --found it an interesting read, though it did remind me, in parts, of The English Patient. The characters were quite well drawn out and I look forward to reading other books by Paul Watkins (which is why I am here at the site to begin with).

Average customer rating:

I'm no expert, but Paul Watkins may be the best writer alive
Outstanding young author

The Promise of Light
Paul Watkins
Manufacturer: Random House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Night over Day over Night
Calm at Sunset, Calm at Dawn: A Novel
The Story of My Disappearance: A Novel
The Ice Soldier: A Novel
Stand Before Your God: An American Schoolboy in England

ASIN: 0679419748
Release Date: 1993-01-26

Book Description

It is 1921, and young Ben Sheridan's Irish-American father mysteriously dies in their small Rhode Island town.Determined to learn the truth about his family's cloudy past, he sets sail for Ireland, and quickly becomes involved in a struggle between soldiers of the newly formed Irish Republican Army and the brutal British troops.

Customer Reviews:

I'm no expert, but Paul Watkins may be the best writer alive.......2002-01-03

I wasn't really excited about the subject of the book, but I bought it anyway because I've loved everything else that I've read by this author. I could not put it down.
This book is so real, so true, that you feel like these characters might still be alive; like you could meet them and shake their hands and have a conversation with them. And better yet, Watkins gives his characters and stories a moral core, so much so that you start to admire them, forgetting that they are not real people.
Do yourself a favor and find out why so many people consider Paul Watkins to be the greatest writer of his generation. Start with his acclaimed memoir, "Stand Before your God", to find out about his growing up, then move on to his great novels, like this one.

Outstanding young author.......2000-10-13

Paul Watkins is not just the best young writer we have, he may well be our best living writer, period. His first book, Night Over Day Over Night, published when he was just 23, was nominated for the Booker Prize. Since then he has added a series of excellent novels and one brilliant memoir, Stand Before Your God, that have earned him the reputation of a modern Hemingway or Conrad. His work certainly warrants these lofty comparisons and his omission from Granta's Twenty Best Writers Under Forty casts a shadow on the whole list.

Promise of Light opens, in 1921, with Ben Sheridan taking a ferry back to his home in Jamestown, Rhode Island. He has just secured a long sought job in a bank and his whole future seems open before him. But by the end of the night, his fireman father will lie dead as the result of a blood transfusion from Ben, which reveals that Ben was not his son. In fulfillment of his "father's" dying wish, Ben takes his ashes back to Ireland, where he hopes to discover his real parents. But before he even reaches land, he is embroiled in the bloody Irish Rebellion, as it turns out that his father was a legendary IRA gunrunner who, like a figure out of myth, was expected to return one day.

Watkins brilliantly combines Ben's search for his true identity with rousing action sequences, indeed the final fifty pages of the book depict a running battle between Ben's band of IRA gunmen and the dread English Black and Tans as they race to the farmhouse where the man Ben now believes to be his father is holed up.

The comparisons of Watkins and Hemingway are based on both the settings of his novels (in wartime, on fishing boats, in Africa) and the clarity of his prose. Here he describes Ben's reaction to the death, in battle, of a lobsterman named Tarbox:

I knelt with the others, dew soaking through my trousers, and I tried to remember a prayer. But nothing came to mind, not even a song. All I could think of were Tarbox's bright-painted crab-pot floats, bobbing in the water off Lahinch. And now Mrs. Fuller's words sank into me, about whole generations dying out. I saw how it would be. Tarbox's wife would move away and their tin-roofed shack would fold back into the earth. There would be no children to inherit the land and keep the name alive. The faint scratches that Tarbox had left on the earth would be rubbed out by a year or two of wind and rain.

I had not liked him much. If he had lived and I'd gone back home again, I would not have remembered him kindly. But now I cried for Tarbox and for his wife, because I had been jealous of how much they were in love.

The reasons for comparison to Conrad are evident in his description of the brutal fanatic leader of the IRA cell that Ben joins up with:

I couldn't imagine a childhood for Clayton. I couldn't imagine him younger or older or any way except the way he was now. To me, Clayton had begun to make sense. He didn't try, like the others, to live as if the war could be forgotten from time to time in the dark-paneled walls of Gisby's pub or in front of a fire at night. Clayton lived in black and white. He saw no boundary to violence. The war never quit and his instincts for war never rested. he had no other instincts. Everything else had been put away in a warehouse in his mind. he claimed no friends or love of family because he could be hurt by people who hurt them.

Such are the men that Conrad warned us of, time and again.

The other thing that makes Watkins' work exceptional, is a moral core which seems increasingly rare in our society, never mind in our literature and culture in general. His characters recognize that their actions have consequences and behave as if they cared about those consequences. They are capable of making ethical judgments--a quality that seems to be disappearing elsewhere.

I urge anyone who is not familiar with the work of this great young author to remedy that situation post haste.

GRADE: A+

The Ice Soldier: A Novel
Average customer rating:

"In the mountains you learned who you were, for better and for worse."

Three Mysteries in the Ice

The climb

another of Watkins' adventures for boys

"There are those who climb and those who dream of climbing"

The Ice Soldier: A Novel
Paul Watkins
Manufacturer: Picador
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Action & Adventure | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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Night over Day over Night

ASIN: 031242650X
Release Date: 2006-12-12

Book Description

After barely surviving his tour as a mountaineer in the Italian Alps of the Second World War, William Bromley settled down and made a quiet life for himself: teaching history at a London boarding school, reading, a few drinks at the pub on Friday nights. That all ends when a soldier from Williams mountain regiment reappears, calling in a bargain struck during the war. William must return to that perilous ground, reliving the terror of the war and confronting new dangers in a narrative so strong in imagery and detail that the reader can almost feel the gusts of an Alpine blizzard (Library Journal).

Customer Reviews:

"In the mountains you learned who you were, for better and for worse.".......2006-12-13

In 1950, William Bromley is still haunted by his tour as an army mountaineer during World War II, but does his best to create a new life teaching history at a London boarding school and idling his spare hours away with lifetime friend Stanley, with whom he has formed "The Society of Former Mountaineers". Stanley's uncle, the legendary mountaineer Henry Carton, has been a force in William's life since the war, when he induced William and his fellow climbers to undertake a particularly dangerous, but vitally important mission, planting a honing device that would allow Allied planes to navigate safely home through the Alps. Carton is deeply disappointed by his nephew's refusal to join the army with his friend and the mission falls squarely on William's shoulders, their route filled with the extraordinary treachery of the majestic terrain and near Carton's Rock, Henry's one claim to mountaineering fame upon which he has built his career.

Bromley believes he has finally escaped the horrors of the past, but upon Henry Carton's death he is thrust back into the emotional abyss by an unexpected request to return to the scene of his disgrace: Carton's final wish is to be buried at Carton's Rock. With no intention of ever climbing again, or revisiting the scenes of his nightmares, William is thrust into confusion, suffering recurrent memories of the failed foray to plant the transmitter, losing most of his men in the short, deadly battle. For William, the past mixes with the present in a hallucinogenic fugue. After much contention, with Stanley by his side, Bromley sets out to face the past and claim the future, fully aware of the dangers that await, the two men dragging Carton's weighty coffin in their wake. While Stanley hopes to prove himself to the woman he loves, William is after more elusive truth, yearning to recover an identity besmirched by self-doubt and the fallen bodies of his comrades-in-arms.

The emotional terrain of the novel is as strewn with obstacles as the landscape the men traverse, dragging their incredible burden to its final resting place, the icy wind howling a lament for the lost souls, storms obliterating the treacherous landscape, blinding the climbers pitted against the implacable grandeur of the Alps. Watkin's prose is chilling, the recreation of their endeavor palpably atmospheric, filled with authentic historical detail and the hollow desperation of man against nature, Bromley's courageous journey to reclaim his broken spirit. Luan Gaines/2006.

Three Mysteries in the Ice.......2006-10-29

The protagonist of Paul Watkins' excellent novel "The Ice Soldier" is one William Bromley, a decorated veteran of the Second World War and former mountaineer, now working as a schoolteacher in London and living with some uncomfortable memories. In June of 1950, his seemingly settled life comes unglued in the face of three mysteries. Watkins will unspool these mysteries in parallel in the course of his narrative.

The first mystery is what actually happened on a military operation in the Italian Alps in which Bromley led his pre-war climbing team. Bromley was decorated for his leadership but is haunted by his memories of the operation.

The second mystery concerns the uncle of his best friend, who sent Bromley on his wartime mission and who is famous as the sole survivor of a fatal climbing accident during the conquest of a peak in the Italian Alps. His unexpected suicide places an stunning obligation on Bromley.

The third mystery is the outcome of a journey of redemption undertaken by Bromley and his best friend, each for his own reasons, on behalf on the dead uncle.

Watkins' narrative follows Bromley on his journey in the present, periodically circling back to his wartime journey to the Italian Alps. Watkins's prose and grasp of telling details in set-piece vignettes are often pitch-perfect, whether the action takes place in a London Club, an English boarding school, an Italian village, or the wreckage of a plane in the Italian Alps. His description of an alfresco meal in a field in Italy is an example of a simple but memorable piece that adds surprising depth to the narrative.

The storyline is complicated by the need to account for the interactions of multiple characters. Watkins does very well when his characters interact face to face, but less well when the storyline is stitched together by sometimes awkward chunks of exposition.

This novel is highly recommended to the reader looking for an entertaining story, especially those with an interest in climbing and the changes mountains make in people's lives.

The climb.......2006-05-11

THE ICE SOLDIER, by Paul Watkins.

The story is set six years after the Second World War. It deals primarily with two characters, William Bromley and his colleague Stanley Carton. William is the main character. The story is told through him. Both William and Stanley were involved in a disastrous mission during the War. In which they had to climb the Alps, to set up a beacon which would assist the navigation of Allied bombers.

After the war, William decides never to climb again. Yet the memories from this ill-fated mission are engrained in his mind. So that when he is asked, together with Stanley, to once again climb the Alps, he sees this as the chance to rid himself of all his self-doubts and illusions. To forever banish the demons that his mind has conjured since the events of that war-time mission.

The relationship that William shares with his Father, has a bearing on William's decision to once again journey to the Alps.

Pringle, an eccentric and rather annoying character in his own right, holds a life-time grudge against Stanley's Father, Henry Carton. It is the death of Henry Carton that is the prime factor in motivating William and Stanley to undertake this difficult and challenging climb. Their task - to reach the peak of a mountain in the heart of the Alps, known as Carton's Rock. Taking with them, a special and rather macabre piece of `luggage`

It is with the start of the actual climb, that the story takes on it's true dimension. I suppose the novel could be described as being in two parts. The not always plausible sequence of events, and rather eccentric characters that lead up to the eventual climb. And the subsequent narration by Paul Watkins of the bid to reach the summit of Carton's Rock. The author's narrative of the glacier as well as the mountain - it's savagery as well as alien beauty - is as powerful as it is engrossing. He writes with such persuasion that it is easy to be part of this climb. Along side William and Stanley. To experience with them, the hostile environment of the glacier. To share their deprivations of hunger and exhaustion. To witness with them, the fury of the ice storm. To feel their fear of the hidden crevasse and to marvel at their endurance.

another of Watkins' adventures for boys.......2006-04-26

Watkins does a good job writing a boys' own adventure, with a stock female character as plot device, some cool descriptions of mountain climbing, the typical boy's fascination with weapons (including an intact B-24 frozen in glacier), and an utterly incredible attempt to manhandle a coffin up a previously unclimbed mountain (the boys attempt to do the impossible--heroic!). Despite these fun features, the novel has its share of longueurs.

"There are those who climb and those who dream of climbing".......2006-03-09

Reminiscent of the adventure novels of Alistair McLean and even Joseph Conrad, Paul Watkins' the Ice Soldier is a rousing, stirring adventure tale, a story of heroism, comradeship and love that takes place high atop the windswept pinnacles of the Italian Alps. The novel opens in 1950 when ex-mountaineer William Bromley is trying to put the ghosts of the War behind him whilst quietly forging a career as a schoolteacher in central London.

For William, mountain climbing has been a lifelong fascination, he and his friends once indelibly drawn to "the stony rafters of the world," not just worlds of rock, snow and ice, but worlds of bleak and unforgettable beauty." But when a war time expedition to place a radio beacon on Carton's Rock, the highest point on the Alps, goes horribly wrong, and results in the death of three of his mountaineering comrades, William's climbing days become a thing of the past.

All that is left are weekly drinking binges at the Montague Hotel where William and his best friend Stanley Carton, join the Society of Former Mountaineers, and reminisce about bygone days. Both realize they have become, each in their own way, outcasts from the mountaineering community.

William travels home to Gloucestershire, hoping his father's kindly advice will help him temper some of the regret and guilt. Yet he can't help but stand on the verge of oblivion, clinging to symbols of those old days when he had taken life for granted, certain that he would climb again and again. When Stanley's uncle, the feisty Henry Carton commits suicide, he makes a posthumous request, instructing his lawyer to tell William and Stanley they must climb, and that his body be returned to that fateful alpine peak named in his honor.

For Henry Carton, even in death, the Alps remains the ultimate proving ground, convinced that only by climbing the mountains again could William and Stanley find any hope of redemption and freedom from guilt. It is only through placing his body high atop Carton's rock - the view from the top one of the greatest wonders of the world - that these two men will be able to free themselves from the constrictions of the past, up here you are "all that one could be," and where all that one was becomes clear.

William and Stanley's adventures as they retrace their steps up through the rocky peaks, the desolate valleys and the snow-covered glaciers, are extraordinary and full of tension, far removed from the structures of their comfortable life of London. Both are upstanding and essentially "British" chaps who value loyalty and integrity, fanatically hold onto their youthful dreams, and both are of the belief that up atop the mountains no climber can ever afford to be sheltered by his wealth, his social connections, or by his clever turns of phrase. On the mountains, "you learned who you were, for better or for worse."

Watkin's prose is vital, precise and accessible; he taps into the mechanics of mountain climbing, yet the novel never gets bogged down in excessive detail. There's clarity of thought that comes from climbing, from being in a world not clogged by a grid-work of roads and playing fields; where life is infinitely simplified. Aside from an ice axe, "a few carabiner loops and a length of rope," there is nothing to rely on but yourself and those with whom you climb.

The author also excels in describing the beautiful desolation and the unique grandeur of the mountains: The freezing night, the dripping icicles, true snow glittering like broken glass, the steel-blue light thrown down by the moon. On the glacier's ice there is "only the angry sun or the blind eye of the moon," enough to make a person feel as though they were marooned on an empty planet, alone.

The war and the changes it has bought to William's life remove any plan for the future, even the future itself, now the past and the future are endlessly spinning around like the streams of time itself. Only by returning to this sacred ground can William - and Stanley - come to terms with their newfound fears of climbing and perhaps take back their lives. Mike Leonard March 06.

Average customer rating:

Wonderful and poignant!

On Borrowed Time.
Paul Osborn , and L. E. Watkins
Manufacturer: Dramatist's Play Service
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

jp-unknown2 | Specialty Stores | Books

General | Drama | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
ASIN: 0822208474

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful and poignant!.......2007-04-04

Paul Osborn's On Borrowed Time was first produced on stage in 1938 and it is the dramatization of the novel by Lawrence Watkin. It is sweet and sentimental with a tweak of reality roughness.

Julian Northrup (Gramps) and Nellie Northrup (Granny) are left to raise their young grandson, Pud when his parents, Northrups' son, a doctor, and his wife were killed.

At the onset of the drama we learn the special loving relationship Gramps has with Pud, and the strong influence Gramps has over Pud. And Granny is is always trying to stop Gramps from name calling and cursing as the boy has picked up the same language and bad behavior. Granny, concerned about the bad influence, has suggested to Gramps nemesis, Aunt Demetria that she might do well raising the boy "the way God wants him to be".

The antagonist, Aunt Demetria, learns that with Pud heir to $58,000 life insurance from the parents, she could afford to raise him in the manner he was used to and her mission is to adopt Pud, against Gramps' wishes.

Gramps ordeal begins with Mr. Brink (death) comes calling for him and he fends him off, but soon Grannny is ill and dies. Now the trouble really starts for Gramps as he fends off Mr. Brink again and he puts him Mr. Brink up in a tree until he is ready for him. And with the fight for custody, Gramps is not ready for Mr. Brink to take him away. To add to that battle, Aunt Dementria, and other influentials are committed to have him "committed"!

This is a lengthy, entertaining play!.....MzRizz

Authors:

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