The Nokia E52 measures 116mm tall by 49.9mm wide by 9.9mm thick and weighs 98g, and is therefore a 'sub-10mm, sub-100g' device. It's actually smaller and lighter than many 'feature phones' that pepper the mid-range of the consumer market.
The all-grey casing lends it a professional look, while the aluminium parts should help the phone withstand its share of drops and knocks. If we have a grumble about the colour scheme it's that the white of the key markings does not always stand out too well. In bright outdoor and dull indoor conditions, when the backlight is not activated, it can be difficult to distinguish their markings. The brilliant white backlight does a superb job when it's on, though.
Nokia has managed to fit in an impressively large number pad, with the largest keys almost 15mm wide and 6mm tall. The two outer columns of keys are slightly smaller than the inner one and the bottom row of outer keys is particularly curtailed, but all of the keys are relatively large.
The Symbian Series 60-based Nokia E52 offers a strong set of business-orientated features, but also has plenty for the crossover user. To this end, Nokia has integrated its dual home-screen system. We've seen this before in E-series handsets, but it remains a simple yet smart solution.
You can set up two different home screens, with different wallpapers and application shortcuts. Switching between them is a matter of choosing an option on the shortcuts menu. It's an easy way to switch between 'work' and 'play' modes.
The E52 is a quad-band GSM phone with GPRS, HSDPA (10.2Mbps max) and HSUPA (max 2Mbps) support. Despite Vodafone's recent announcement of a 14.4Mbps upgrade in some areas, this handset can be classed as capable of handling pretty much the highest mobile broadband connection speed available.
Battery life is startlingly good. Nokia says you should get up to 8 hours of GSM talk, 23 days on standby and up to 18 hours of music playback or 30 hours of FM radio listening. Our own test involved playing music continuously from a fully charged battery through the handset's loudspeaker. We had to conduct the test over several days, as the E52's 1,500mAh battery delivered an amazing 26 hours 19 minutes of music playback.
Wednesday, 11 May 2011
Mobile 3-D
Smart phones will take 3-D mainstream.
The Samsung B710 phone looks like a typical smart phone, but something unexpected happens when the screen is moved from a vertical to a horizontal orientation: the image jumps from 2-D to 3-D. The technology that produces this perception of depth is the work of Julien Flack, CTO of Dynamic Digital Depth, who has spent more than a decade perfecting software that can convert 2-D content to 3-D in real time. It could help solve the biggest problem with 3-D: the need for special glasses that deliver a separate image to each eye.
Flack's software synthesizes 3-D scenes from existing 2-D video by estimating the depth of objects using various cues; a band of sky at the top of a frame probably belongs in the far background, for example. It then creates pairs of slightly different images that the viewer's brain combines to produce the sensation of depth.
The technology can be used with the much-hyped 3-D televisions announced in January (which require glasses), but its biggest impact will be as a way to create content for mobile devices with autostereoscopic 3-D displays, which work by directing light to deliver different versions of an image directly to each of a viewer's eyes. The effect works best over a narrow range of viewing angles, so it is ill suited to television or cinema screens. But phones are generally used by one person at a time and are easily held at the optimum angle. That's why mobile multimedia devices are likely to win the race to bring 3-D into the mainstream.
The most exciting area for Flack right now is games. Hundreds of games actually simulate 3-D spaces internally to handle mechanics such as the path of a missile, and then convert those 3-D spaces into 2-D to display to the player. With his technology, he says, the 3-D geometry "available inside the game itself" can be made accessible to the display. DDD has already released software that converts games to 3-D on PCs and expects to have similar software running on mobile devices in the next year or two.
PHILIPS 9000
Good
Extremely deep black levels
Rich, vivid colours
Great picture-processing
Full internet access
Bad
Awkward remote and menu system
No 3D or HD tuner
The price
Bright lights
The telly certainly looks like a premium set thanks to the attractive brushed-aluminium finish and the thin transparent strip that runs around the outer edge of the screen. Philips' new three-sided Ambilight system can be seen when you peak around the rear of the TV. You'll find strips of lights arranged across the two sides and top of the telly. The Ambilight system, which projects colours onto a wall behind the set to match what's on screen, may sound like a gimmick, but once you've used it you'll appreciate just what an effective feature it is.
So far, it may sound like the set isn't worth the asking price, but where the 32PFL9705 really shines is in terms of picture and audio quality. On the picture front, its key feature is its direct LED backlighting. Most LED TVs have edge-mounted backlights that offer limited dimming control, but this set is lit by 1,000 LEDs behind the screen that are grouped into 224 individually controllable zones.
As a result, it allows one area of the picture to be completely black, while another adjacent area is operating at full brightness. It's as near to OLED technology as you can get from an LCD screen and the results are stunning. The set really is able to deliver the deep black levels of plasma displays, while retaining the aggressive brightness and colour of LCD screens. Subsequently, movies on Blu-ray look beautifully cinematic thanks to the filmic feel that the boost in contrast affords. There's a convincing amount of shadow detail in darker scenes, too, while skin tones and colours in outdoor scenes appear astonishingly rich and natural.
Sounds expensive
It's not just the pictures that are impressive on this telly, the audio is excellent, too. This seems to be partly due to the fact that Philips has a added a mini subwoofer to the rear of the set to boost the TV's ability to recreate bassier sound. It certainly works a treat. The TV really does have a surprising amount of low-end punch, while retaining exceptional clarity of dialogue.
Conclusion
There's no doubt that £1,300 is an outrageous asking price for a 32-inch TV, especially as it lacks 3D support and an HD tuner, but the Philips 32PFL9705 produces the most stunningly rich and cinematic pictures we've seen on a 32-inch set. Sometimes, if you want the best, you just have to pay for it.
SAMSUNG C8000
Good
Good 3D performance
Deep black levels
Sharp HD pictures
Great range of internet features
Gorgeous design
Bad
2D-to-3D conversion doesn't work very well
No 3D glasses included
Backlighting is not
Samsung has garnered a reputation for creating some of the most eye-catching sets around, and the UE46C8000 doesn't tarnish its good name. It uses LED backlighting, and Samsung has managed to make the telly super slim. In fact, it's a mere 24mm deep, which is pretty incredible for a TV of this screen size. It's not just the sheer slimness of the chassis that's impressive, it's also the classy design. The screen is edged by a brushed-aluminium bezel that's finished with a glass surround. The stand also looks gorgeous thanks to its distinctive X-shaped design and chrome finish. What's more, Samsung has graced the set with one of the best-looking remote controls we've come across. It has the same brushed-aluminium feature as the TV bezel, which sits above a membrane of buttons to give it a very industrial look. The remote is also backlit, so it's easy to see the buttons even when you've got the lights off.
The TV's range of picture-processing features is highly impressive, too. It includes Samsung's 3D Hyper Engine, which includes 200Hz picture-processing and a scanning backlight for smooth motion. There's also Smart LED backlighting, which dynamically adjusts the edge LEDs to deliver richer contrast and deeper black levels, while Samsung's Wide Colour Enhancer Plus technology helps to produce richer, more lifelike colours.
It's perhaps not surprising, then, that the TV puts in such an accomplished performance with both standard and high-definition material. Colours are rendered in a beautifully realistic way and motion is handled superbly -- although you do have to be careful with the smooth motion controls not to overly flatten the picture, especially on films.
Perhaps the set's key selling point is its 3D capabilities. The TV uses active 3D glasses, which are quite pricey. Glasses aren't included with the set as standard, and with each pair costing around £80, you're looking at shelling out a total of £320 on eyewear for an average family of four! Cost aside, the 3D performance is very good. The glasses are comfortable to wear, even over normal spectacles.
Conclusion
Nevertheless, the Samsung UE46C8000 is an easy TV to recommend. It looks absolutely gorgeous and is packed with great features. Its 2D performance is first-rate -- it delivers deep black levels and impressively vivid colours, and it also puts in the best 3D performance we've seen yet from an LED set.
The Samsung B710 phone looks like a typical smart phone, but something unexpected happens when the screen is moved from a vertical to a horizontal orientation: the image jumps from 2-D to 3-D. The technology that produces this perception of depth is the work of Julien Flack, CTO of Dynamic Digital Depth, who has spent more than a decade perfecting software that can convert 2-D content to 3-D in real time. It could help solve the biggest problem with 3-D: the need for special glasses that deliver a separate image to each eye.
Flack's software synthesizes 3-D scenes from existing 2-D video by estimating the depth of objects using various cues; a band of sky at the top of a frame probably belongs in the far background, for example. It then creates pairs of slightly different images that the viewer's brain combines to produce the sensation of depth.
The technology can be used with the much-hyped 3-D televisions announced in January (which require glasses), but its biggest impact will be as a way to create content for mobile devices with autostereoscopic 3-D displays, which work by directing light to deliver different versions of an image directly to each of a viewer's eyes. The effect works best over a narrow range of viewing angles, so it is ill suited to television or cinema screens. But phones are generally used by one person at a time and are easily held at the optimum angle. That's why mobile multimedia devices are likely to win the race to bring 3-D into the mainstream.
The most exciting area for Flack right now is games. Hundreds of games actually simulate 3-D spaces internally to handle mechanics such as the path of a missile, and then convert those 3-D spaces into 2-D to display to the player. With his technology, he says, the 3-D geometry "available inside the game itself" can be made accessible to the display. DDD has already released software that converts games to 3-D on PCs and expects to have similar software running on mobile devices in the next year or two.
PHILIPS 9000
Good
Extremely deep black levels
Rich, vivid colours
Great picture-processing
Full internet access
Bad
Awkward remote and menu system
No 3D or HD tuner
The price
Bright lights
The telly certainly looks like a premium set thanks to the attractive brushed-aluminium finish and the thin transparent strip that runs around the outer edge of the screen. Philips' new three-sided Ambilight system can be seen when you peak around the rear of the TV. You'll find strips of lights arranged across the two sides and top of the telly. The Ambilight system, which projects colours onto a wall behind the set to match what's on screen, may sound like a gimmick, but once you've used it you'll appreciate just what an effective feature it is.
So far, it may sound like the set isn't worth the asking price, but where the 32PFL9705 really shines is in terms of picture and audio quality. On the picture front, its key feature is its direct LED backlighting. Most LED TVs have edge-mounted backlights that offer limited dimming control, but this set is lit by 1,000 LEDs behind the screen that are grouped into 224 individually controllable zones.
As a result, it allows one area of the picture to be completely black, while another adjacent area is operating at full brightness. It's as near to OLED technology as you can get from an LCD screen and the results are stunning. The set really is able to deliver the deep black levels of plasma displays, while retaining the aggressive brightness and colour of LCD screens. Subsequently, movies on Blu-ray look beautifully cinematic thanks to the filmic feel that the boost in contrast affords. There's a convincing amount of shadow detail in darker scenes, too, while skin tones and colours in outdoor scenes appear astonishingly rich and natural.
Sounds expensive
It's not just the pictures that are impressive on this telly, the audio is excellent, too. This seems to be partly due to the fact that Philips has a added a mini subwoofer to the rear of the set to boost the TV's ability to recreate bassier sound. It certainly works a treat. The TV really does have a surprising amount of low-end punch, while retaining exceptional clarity of dialogue.
Conclusion
There's no doubt that £1,300 is an outrageous asking price for a 32-inch TV, especially as it lacks 3D support and an HD tuner, but the Philips 32PFL9705 produces the most stunningly rich and cinematic pictures we've seen on a 32-inch set. Sometimes, if you want the best, you just have to pay for it.
SAMSUNG C8000
Good
Good 3D performance
Deep black levels
Sharp HD pictures
Great range of internet features
Gorgeous design
Bad
2D-to-3D conversion doesn't work very well
No 3D glasses included
Backlighting is not
Samsung has garnered a reputation for creating some of the most eye-catching sets around, and the UE46C8000 doesn't tarnish its good name. It uses LED backlighting, and Samsung has managed to make the telly super slim. In fact, it's a mere 24mm deep, which is pretty incredible for a TV of this screen size. It's not just the sheer slimness of the chassis that's impressive, it's also the classy design. The screen is edged by a brushed-aluminium bezel that's finished with a glass surround. The stand also looks gorgeous thanks to its distinctive X-shaped design and chrome finish. What's more, Samsung has graced the set with one of the best-looking remote controls we've come across. It has the same brushed-aluminium feature as the TV bezel, which sits above a membrane of buttons to give it a very industrial look. The remote is also backlit, so it's easy to see the buttons even when you've got the lights off.
The TV's range of picture-processing features is highly impressive, too. It includes Samsung's 3D Hyper Engine, which includes 200Hz picture-processing and a scanning backlight for smooth motion. There's also Smart LED backlighting, which dynamically adjusts the edge LEDs to deliver richer contrast and deeper black levels, while Samsung's Wide Colour Enhancer Plus technology helps to produce richer, more lifelike colours.
It's perhaps not surprising, then, that the TV puts in such an accomplished performance with both standard and high-definition material. Colours are rendered in a beautifully realistic way and motion is handled superbly -- although you do have to be careful with the smooth motion controls not to overly flatten the picture, especially on films.
Perhaps the set's key selling point is its 3D capabilities. The TV uses active 3D glasses, which are quite pricey. Glasses aren't included with the set as standard, and with each pair costing around £80, you're looking at shelling out a total of £320 on eyewear for an average family of four! Cost aside, the 3D performance is very good. The glasses are comfortable to wear, even over normal spectacles.
Conclusion
Nevertheless, the Samsung UE46C8000 is an easy TV to recommend. It looks absolutely gorgeous and is packed with great features. Its 2D performance is first-rate -- it delivers deep black levels and impressively vivid colours, and it also puts in the best 3D performance we've seen yet from an LED set.
Samsung C8000
Good
Good 3D performance
Deep black levels
Sharp HD pictures
Great range of internet features
Gorgeous design
Bad
2D-to-3D conversion doesn't work very well
No 3D glasses included
Backlighting is not
Samsung has garnered a reputation for creating some of the most eye-catching sets around, and the UE46C8000 doesn't tarnish its good name. It uses LED backlighting, and Samsung has managed to make the telly super slim. In fact, it's a mere 24mm deep, which is pretty incredible for a TV of this screen size. It's not just the sheer slimness of the chassis that's impressive, it's also the classy design. The screen is edged by a brushed-aluminium bezel that's finished with a glass surround. The stand also looks gorgeous thanks to its distinctive X-shaped design and chrome finish. What's more, Samsung has graced the set with one of the best-looking remote controls we've come across. It has the same brushed-aluminium feature as the TV bezel, which sits above a membrane of buttons to give it a very industrial look. The remote is also backlit, so it's easy to see the buttons even when you've got the lights off.
The TV's range of picture-processing features is highly impressive, too. It includes Samsung's 3D Hyper Engine, which includes 200Hz picture-processing and a scanning backlight for smooth motion. There's also Smart LED backlighting, which dynamically adjusts the edge LEDs to deliver richer contrast and deeper black levels, while Samsung's Wide Colour Enhancer Plus technology helps to produce richer, more lifelike colours.
It's perhaps not surprising, then, that the TV puts in such an accomplished performance with both standard and high-definition material. Colours are rendered in a beautifully realistic way and motion is handled superbly -- although you do have to be careful with the smooth motion controls not to overly flatten the picture, especially on films.
Perhaps the set's key selling point is its 3D capabilities. The TV uses active 3D glasses, which are quite pricey. Glasses aren't included with the set as standard, and with each pair costing around £80, you're looking at shelling out a total of £320 on eyewear for an average family of four! Cost aside, the 3D performance is very good. The glasses are comfortable to wear, even over normal spectacles.
Conclusion
Nevertheless, the Samsung UE46C8000 is an easy TV to recommend. It looks absolutely gorgeous and is packed with great features. Its 2D performance is first-rate -- it delivers deep black levels and impressively vivid colours, and it also puts in the best 3D performance we've seen yet from an LED set.
Good 3D performance
Deep black levels
Sharp HD pictures
Great range of internet features
Gorgeous design
Bad
2D-to-3D conversion doesn't work very well
No 3D glasses included
Backlighting is not
Samsung has garnered a reputation for creating some of the most eye-catching sets around, and the UE46C8000 doesn't tarnish its good name. It uses LED backlighting, and Samsung has managed to make the telly super slim. In fact, it's a mere 24mm deep, which is pretty incredible for a TV of this screen size. It's not just the sheer slimness of the chassis that's impressive, it's also the classy design. The screen is edged by a brushed-aluminium bezel that's finished with a glass surround. The stand also looks gorgeous thanks to its distinctive X-shaped design and chrome finish. What's more, Samsung has graced the set with one of the best-looking remote controls we've come across. It has the same brushed-aluminium feature as the TV bezel, which sits above a membrane of buttons to give it a very industrial look. The remote is also backlit, so it's easy to see the buttons even when you've got the lights off.
The TV's range of picture-processing features is highly impressive, too. It includes Samsung's 3D Hyper Engine, which includes 200Hz picture-processing and a scanning backlight for smooth motion. There's also Smart LED backlighting, which dynamically adjusts the edge LEDs to deliver richer contrast and deeper black levels, while Samsung's Wide Colour Enhancer Plus technology helps to produce richer, more lifelike colours.
It's perhaps not surprising, then, that the TV puts in such an accomplished performance with both standard and high-definition material. Colours are rendered in a beautifully realistic way and motion is handled superbly -- although you do have to be careful with the smooth motion controls not to overly flatten the picture, especially on films.
Perhaps the set's key selling point is its 3D capabilities. The TV uses active 3D glasses, which are quite pricey. Glasses aren't included with the set as standard, and with each pair costing around £80, you're looking at shelling out a total of £320 on eyewear for an average family of four! Cost aside, the 3D performance is very good. The glasses are comfortable to wear, even over normal spectacles.
Conclusion
Nevertheless, the Samsung UE46C8000 is an easy TV to recommend. It looks absolutely gorgeous and is packed with great features. Its 2D performance is first-rate -- it delivers deep black levels and impressively vivid colours, and it also puts in the best 3D performance we've seen yet from an LED set.
Tuesday, 9 November 2010
THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME
Hi Everyone !
3 days ago i started reading this book by author "Mark Haddon" and it was really nice read turned out to be worth my time :) so i'm recommending it if you haven't read it already , thou many of you must have already read it cos it was released in 2003 so if you have been through it share your experience and leave comments . Here is a little review about the book which i felt interesting and went through it .
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Marc Haddon
pages 266
Published: June 13, 2003
Buy it from here : UK , France , Germany , Canada
This innovative novel made it to the long list for this year's Man Booker Prize: thoughtful, hugely entertaining and full of rich irony and delicious contradictions.
When fifteen-year-old Christopher finds his neighbour's dog dead on the lawn he sets in motion a series of events that will ultimately decide his future as well as those around him. Christopher has Asperger's syndrome, a form of autism and his decision to investigate the dog's death unearths deep, dark secrets that illuminate the mysteries and intricacies of his family life.
Like his fellow sufferers, Christopher has little time for people: they just don't think logically. But as he travels his self-made road he is forced to confront the reality that life does not follow a cold, well-ordered pattern, his alters consciousness imagines.
He does not like noise or people touching him and this makes his journey even more traumatic and remarkable. His quest is helped by his typically excellent memory and ability to solve problems. Yet his own problems go well beyond the limits of everyday life and his effect on those he encounters is seminal.
MARC HADDON specialises in innovative storylines in his work as an author, screenwriter and illustrator allied to his remarkable ability to demonstrate what it is to be autistic without sentimentality or exaggeration allied to a creative use of puzzles, facts and photographs in the text mark him out as a real talent drawing on a range of abilities. An excellent touch is that Christopher hates novels (too little logic), apart from Hound of the Baskervilles, but he is writing one about his investigations: some might call it faction. The same people might call Haddon's intriguing book the same.
3 days ago i started reading this book by author "Mark Haddon" and it was really nice read turned out to be worth my time :) so i'm recommending it if you haven't read it already , thou many of you must have already read it cos it was released in 2003 so if you have been through it share your experience and leave comments . Here is a little review about the book which i felt interesting and went through it .
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Marc Haddon
pages 266
Published: June 13, 2003
Buy it from here : UK , France , Germany , Canada
This innovative novel made it to the long list for this year's Man Booker Prize: thoughtful, hugely entertaining and full of rich irony and delicious contradictions.
When fifteen-year-old Christopher finds his neighbour's dog dead on the lawn he sets in motion a series of events that will ultimately decide his future as well as those around him. Christopher has Asperger's syndrome, a form of autism and his decision to investigate the dog's death unearths deep, dark secrets that illuminate the mysteries and intricacies of his family life.
Like his fellow sufferers, Christopher has little time for people: they just don't think logically. But as he travels his self-made road he is forced to confront the reality that life does not follow a cold, well-ordered pattern, his alters consciousness imagines.
He does not like noise or people touching him and this makes his journey even more traumatic and remarkable. His quest is helped by his typically excellent memory and ability to solve problems. Yet his own problems go well beyond the limits of everyday life and his effect on those he encounters is seminal.
MARC HADDON specialises in innovative storylines in his work as an author, screenwriter and illustrator allied to his remarkable ability to demonstrate what it is to be autistic without sentimentality or exaggeration allied to a creative use of puzzles, facts and photographs in the text mark him out as a real talent drawing on a range of abilities. An excellent touch is that Christopher hates novels (too little logic), apart from Hound of the Baskervilles, but he is writing one about his investigations: some might call it faction. The same people might call Haddon's intriguing book the same.
Tuesday, 2 November 2010
Room by Emma Donoghue
Published: 5:02PM BST 30 Jul 2010
Category : Drama , thriller .
Buy from here : Uk , France , Germany , Canada
A young woman imprisoned in a modified garden shed somewhere in America, regularly raped by her captor, but otherwise left alone, with enough food, a few books, a television. She becomes pregnant, gives birth. Emma Donoghue’s novel is clearly inspired by cases such as those of Elizabeth Fritzl, and Jaycee Lee Dugard in California, though what it made me think of most is the hundreds of identikit detective thrillers on our shelves boasting a gruesome serial killer and a helpless female victim in or near his clutches.Room turns this scenario inside out. It is all about the mother and is narrated by her five-year-old son, Jack.
The mother (“Ma” – we never learn her name) has kept herself sane by devoting all her energy to giving Jack as normal an upbringing as possible. Their average day in “Room” (their 12ft-by-12ft domain) is filled with “Phys Ed”, cooking lessons, model-making and, at night, standing under their skylight and screaming for help. Although they use the television for education and distraction, Jack has no idea that anything at all exists outside “Room”: the sun and moon are God’s two faces, and Jack is always safe asleep in “Wardrobe” when “Old Nick” comes in through “Door”.
This child’s-eye view of the world may sound kooky, but it reads as smooth as ice-cream, and Donoghue quickly builds a compelling view of this strange existence. So heroic is Ma, and so happy Jack, that it comes as a shock when, following their escape (that much I must let slip), we hear them described on the television news. “The despot’s victims have an eerie pallor and appear to be in a borderline catatonic state,” the reporter says, while Jack is a “malnourished boy, unable to walk”.
Donoghue treats the trials of “Outside” with the same sensitive imagination that she applied to “Room”. For Jack it’s rain, wind, germs and people touching him (“like electricity”); for Ma it’s relations with her parents, now separated, who seem to have worked through the loss of their 19-year-old daughter rather too thoroughly. There’s a brilliantly spiky television interview, too, with Ma skewering the interviewer at every turn.
“You breastfed him. In fact, this may startle some of our viewers, I understand you still do?”
Ma laughs.
The woman stares at her.
“In this whole story, that’s the shocking detail?”
Does the novel give a genuine insight into what it’s like to go through such an ordeal? Maybe that’s going too far, but as a life-affirming fable of parent-child love, and an antidote to the prurience of so much crime fiction, it’s a triumph, and deserves to be a hit.
Let's not forget to comment , i hope you like this read like me , surely its worth your time thats why its my latest recommendation :) keep smiling
Another Great Read ! "The Time Traveler's Wife"
"The Time Traveler's Wife"
Author: Audrey Niffenegger
Published by MacAdam/Cage
Category : Timeless love
Every so often, a novel lands in my hands as if it fell from the sky -- a happy surprise of literary delights, a book which transports and transfixes me, an original story which creates its own world with what seems like effortless artistry.
Audrey Niffenegger's remarkable debut, The Time Traveler's Wife, is just such a novel.
The Time Traveler's Wife is an infection that pleasantly invades your system and refuses to let go of the imagination even after you turn the last of its 518 pages and move on to the next book on your shelf.
It's the kind of word-of-mouth book that readers cheerfully spread, like a benign virus, to anyone around them willing to lose themselves in a hopelessly romantic story, forsaking most other obligations like work, family and personal hygiene.
Yes, The Time Traveler's Wife is that good.
And, yes, I'm a self-proclaimed die-hard romantic of the male species who's been known to openly weep at the end of Jane Austen movies, but I'm here to tell you that this chunky book is designed to please everyone in the room -- swooners and cynics alike. It's a love story concealed inside a suspense novel wrapped in a thin veneer of science fiction.
At the center of the story stand two characters, Henry and Clare. I'll let Henry explain their situation:
Confused yet? Don't worry, Niffenegger patiently and carefully guides the reader through the tangled narrative.
The story follows the lovers across a timeline shaped like a Mobius strip, alternating between their viewpoints. They do their best to live normal lives, going after the American Dream of steady jobs, witty friends and children of their own. Ultimately, their relationship turns as sweet and tragic as an Emily Dickinson poem.
As you can imagine, The Time Traveler's Wife has the potential to bend your mind with cosmic philosophies which pretzel-twist logic and reality. It's probably the only novel I've ever read which turns discussions about free will and determinism into page-turning entertainment.
Niffenegger never lets her carefully-designed world get out of control. There are certain "rules" to Henry's travel -- for instance, he tries not to tell anyone what will happen to them in the future for fear that he'll return to an altered world; he never travels far outside the time boundaries of his life (in other words, no dinosaurs or medieval knights make appearances in this book); and he revisits events in his life more than once, even if it means watching his mother die a horrible death over and over. He never knows exactly when he'll be taking a trip:
All in All was a wonderful experience , getting lost in love without time ! . Hope you like This read if you have already read it Share Comments . Keep Smiling :)
Audrey Niffenegger's remarkable debut, The Time Traveler's Wife, is just such a novel.
The Time Traveler's Wife is an infection that pleasantly invades your system and refuses to let go of the imagination even after you turn the last of its 518 pages and move on to the next book on your shelf.
It's the kind of word-of-mouth book that readers cheerfully spread, like a benign virus, to anyone around them willing to lose themselves in a hopelessly romantic story, forsaking most other obligations like work, family and personal hygiene.
Yes, The Time Traveler's Wife is that good.
And, yes, I'm a self-proclaimed die-hard romantic of the male species who's been known to openly weep at the end of Jane Austen movies, but I'm here to tell you that this chunky book is designed to please everyone in the room -- swooners and cynics alike. It's a love story concealed inside a suspense novel wrapped in a thin veneer of science fiction.
At the center of the story stand two characters, Henry and Clare. I'll let Henry explain their situation:
I met Clare for the first time in October, 1991. She met me for the first time in September, 1977; she was six, I will be thirty-eight. She's known me all her life. In 1991 I'm just getting to know her.Henry is a Time Traveler who drops in and out of various moments in his life -- sometimes back to the past, sometimes forward to the future. Clare leads a chronologically-normal life. The two of them intersect, in "real time," when Clare is 20 and Henry is 28; however, she's known him -- a much older-version, that is -- since she was a little girl. For years, she's known he was her future husband, so by the time she actually meets the real-time Henry (who's a little befuddled at this strange girl rushing up to him in the Chicago library where he works), Clare practically has their wedding already planned out.
Confused yet? Don't worry, Niffenegger patiently and carefully guides the reader through the tangled narrative.
The story follows the lovers across a timeline shaped like a Mobius strip, alternating between their viewpoints. They do their best to live normal lives, going after the American Dream of steady jobs, witty friends and children of their own. Ultimately, their relationship turns as sweet and tragic as an Emily Dickinson poem.
As you can imagine, The Time Traveler's Wife has the potential to bend your mind with cosmic philosophies which pretzel-twist logic and reality. It's probably the only novel I've ever read which turns discussions about free will and determinism into page-turning entertainment.
Niffenegger never lets her carefully-designed world get out of control. There are certain "rules" to Henry's travel -- for instance, he tries not to tell anyone what will happen to them in the future for fear that he'll return to an altered world; he never travels far outside the time boundaries of his life (in other words, no dinosaurs or medieval knights make appearances in this book); and he revisits events in his life more than once, even if it means watching his mother die a horrible death over and over. He never knows exactly when he'll be taking a trip:
Sometimes it feels as though your attention has wandered for just an instant. Then, with a start, you realize that the book you were holding, the red plain cotton shirt with white buttons, the favorite black jeans and the maroon socks with an almost-hole in the heel, the living room, the about-to-whistle tea kettle in the kitchen: all of these have vanished. You are standing, naked as a jaybird, up to your ankles in ice water in a ditch along an unidentified rural route…You've mislocated yourself again.Henry eventually seeks help from a doctor who, he hopes, can cure him of his chrono-displacement. The condition seems to be a physical one (no H.G. Wells contraptions or gigawatt-tripping DeLoreans show up in these pages):
I think it's a brain thing. I think it's a lot like epilepsy because it tends to happen when I'm stressed, and there are physical cues, like flashing light, that can prompt it. And because things like running, and sex, and meditation tend to help me stay put in the present.Niffenegger even allows Henry to visit himself in the past and engage himself in conversations and, briefly, a masturbatory sexual experience. The effect is funny and remarkably poignant at the same time:
I ponder my double. He's curled up, hedgehog style, facing away from me, evidently asleep. I envy him. He is me, but I'm not him, yet. He has been through five years of a life that's still mysterious to me, still coiled tightly waiting to spring out and bite. Of course, whatever pleasures are to be had, he's had them; for me they wait like a box of unpoked chocolates.The Time Traveler's Wife is like one of those chocolates nestled in brown paper cups -- a rare literary confection that melts in your hand, your mouth and your head. Die-hard romantics will be savoring this one for years to come.
All in All was a wonderful experience , getting lost in love without time ! . Hope you like This read if you have already read it Share Comments . Keep Smiling :)
Welcome to Books you Must Read !
Hello ! everyone , i try to find full-length reviews of books that help the reader gather the information they seek to determine if the book is worth their time. I prefer reviews that deal with each book at length, but sometimes settle for smaller reviews when lengthier ones are unavailable. For each book listed here, i try to find at least three reviews on different web sites. This way you can read as many of them as you'd like before deciding on a book. I also write my own book reviews.
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Here is My first Recommendation : "Moonlight Mile"
Category : Mystery , Drama , Thriller .
Buy From Here : UK , France , Germany , Canada
In Dennis Lehane's smart new crime novelMoonlight Mile, the young girl at the center of his 1998 novel Gone Baby Gone is gone again.
So hope you will enjoy This blog as much as i love doing it for you .
Here is My first Recommendation : "Moonlight Mile"
| ABOUT THE BOOK | |
Moonlight MileBy Dennis Lehane William Morrow, 336 pp |
Category : Mystery , Drama , Thriller .
Buy From Here : UK , France , Germany , Canada
In Dennis Lehane's smart new crime novelMoonlight Mile, the young girl at the center of his 1998 novel Gone Baby Gone is gone again.
If you haven't read Gone Baby Gone you may have seen the movie. The 2007 Ben Affleck-directed adaptation featured superlative performances by Casey Affleck and Michelle Monaghan.
To rehash: In Gone Baby Gone, private detectives/lovers Patrick Kenzie and Angie Gennaro are hired to find 4-year-old Amanda McCready, kidnapped from her mother's apartment in Dorchester, Mass., a working-class section of Boston.
The detectives are hired by Amanda's aunt and uncle — not by the little girl's neglectful mother, who frequently left her alone in the apartment to hang out with her druggie friends. The P.I.s recover Amanda but at the expense of the child's welfare when she's returned to her loser of a mother.
Back to the future. Moonlight Mile, set 12 years later, is a worthy follow.
Amanda, now 16, is missing. Kenzie and Gennaro are now married and have their own 4-year-old daughter. Gennaro is in grad school and Kenzie is taking on morally conflicting investigative jobs with a white-shoe law firm in order to support his family.
Kenzie has never regretted sending Amanda back to her mom. He was following the letter of the law. But he sees Amanda's latest disappearance as a chance to make things right for the teen — if he can find her.
A dogged hunt for Amanda entangles the P.I.s in a mystery that will circle back to the events in Gone Baby Gone and introduce them to some new villains, including organized crime types whose portrayal is a bit over the top. Call it comic relief.
Some of the grit that made Gone Baby Gone so compelling has been usurped (there's still plenty of blood and guts violence) by other, just as intriguing, colorations.
Kenzie and Gennaro can still get jacked up by the rough and tumble side of investigative work, but their love for each other and the welfare of their daughter are now the center of their lives.
In many ways, the novel is an homage to happy family life. It's a deft delivery system for a story that mixes guts, betrayal and the importance of good values. It's also a sublime love story about what really matters in the grand scheme of things.
Lehane says this may be the last novel he writes about Kenzie and Gennaro. It seems to wrap up the loose ends and set them on a more domestic path. If that's the case, it's a heck of a way to go out.
ok Guys thats some Cool info about the Awesome ! book , Hope you will read and share comments about this nice read . Thats All for today ! Keep Smiling :)
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