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Title: Loud and Clear by ANNA QUINDLEN ISBN: 1-4000-6112-1 Publisher: Random House Pub. Date: 06 April, 2004 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.8 (5 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: Entertaining, Thought-Provoking and Self-Assured
Comment: Anna Quindlen --- or perhaps someone who works for her publisher --- seems to have a curious affinity for the word "loud." Her last two books of collected columns were respectively titled LIVING OUT LOUD and THINKING OUT LOUD. Now comes another serving from the same pot, LOUD AND CLEAR.
A curious choice of word --- for Quindlen does not come across as a loud literary voice.
The 65 short pieces in LOUD AND CLEAR are drawn from her popular columns in the New York Times and Newsweek. Two or three of them are obviously speeches that she delivered on unspecified occasions. They deal, from her own very personal standpoint, with a nicely varied array of subjects, many of them geared especially to women readers: childrearing, feminism, health care, welfare reform, women in the workplace. There are also comments on such issues as gay rights, gun control, the death penalty, school prayer, the sexual problems in today's Roman Catholic church, 9/11 and politics in general. Her stance is pretty much on the liberal side, but she generally avoids the hectoring, sermonizing tone that can alienate even a sympathetic reader.
Certain moments in her personal life seem to bulk large in Quindlen's thoughts --- the early death of her mother, her relationships with her siblings and with her own children, her decision to leave a dream job at the Times to become a freelance novelist. These subjects pop up in different contexts throughout LOUD AND CLEAR. The pieces are not arranged in any chronological order but only loosely by subject matter. The reader must note the date on each one to orient himself. A few of the pieces bear no date, but are still certainly worth reading.
Quindlen is a bright and quotable writer. Even those who may disagree with her views, if they appreciate good writing, will enjoy reading this book. She pleads, for example, for American kids in the midst of their frantic and over-scheduled lives, to be given "the gift of enforced boredom" --- i.e., time to simply sit back, do nothing much and savor the life around them. "From one generation to another," she observes pertly, "the complaint is always the same: They are not like us." You can call this book a bag of literary popcorn, if you wish --- available in bite-size pieces and hard to resist --- but, unlike popcorn, these small essays do make you think about life --- hers and your own.
One of the best pieces in this book is a reflection inspired by a production of Waiting for Godot, in which Quindlen's son was appearing. The lesson drawn from Beckett is that young people should look within themselves, to their own dreams and capabilities, for direction in life, and not wait for the arrival of some external event, person or seal of approval. It is a worthwhile lesson, deftly expressed.
The book is certainly not free from clichés, and Quindlen's reflections on 9/11, written immediately after the event, seem inadequate at a distance of two-plus years --- but so of course do the reflections from that time of many other writers.
Anna Quindlen's large fan club will not be disappointed in this latest potpourri of her pieces. Most of them retain their whimsy and freshness nicely between hard covers. One only hopes that her next collection will not be titled FOR CRYING OUT LOUD.
--- Reviewed by Robert Finn
Rating: 5
Summary: A Winner!
Comment: The essays in LOUD AND CLEAR cover a variety of subjects from motherhood, welfare, and feminism in an engaging and witty way.
If you enjoyed Anna Quindlin's columns in Newsweek or the NYTimes, or just enjoy great writing, you'll definately enjoy this book. Debbie Farmer, author of 'Don't Put Lipstick on the Cat!'
Rating: 5
Summary: The Missing Wise Woman in Your Life
Comment: Every woman wishes she had an "Anna Quindlen girlfriend," that wise woman who is living the same life you are, but sees the real meaning behind everyday events. Loud and Clear is the next best thing, a collection of columns and speeches that reflect her unique gift. You trust her because her values and love for her family shine through. Use it for your book group to weed out the people you don't like -- they won't get it. Give it to the women you do like -- they will.
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Title: A Short Guide to a Happy Life by ANNA QUINDLEN ISBN: 0375504613 Publisher: Random House Pub. Date: 31 October, 2000 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
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Title: The Amateur Marriage: A Novel by ANNE TYLER ISBN: 1400042070 Publisher: Knopf Pub. Date: 06 January, 2004 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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Title: Living Out Loud by Anna Quindlen ISBN: 0804105278 Publisher: Ivy Books Pub. Date: 30 September, 1989 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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Title: The Art of Mending : A Novel by ELIZABETH BERG ISBN: 1400061598 Publisher: Random House Pub. Date: 13 April, 2004 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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Title: Islands by Anne Rivers Siddons ISBN: 0066211115 Publisher: HarperCollins Pub. Date: 06 April, 2004 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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