Lost in the Elysian Fields, Volume I
Lost in the Elysian Fields, Volume I

Author: Craig Bell

Publisher: Xlibris Corporation

Published: 2002-07-11

Total Pages: 578

ISBN-13: 1469122006

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This opening novel of a projected tetralogy called The Masters of Destiny examines the recurrent American conundrum, the issue of race. At the core stands two families related first by ownership and then, because of the infidelity of a plantation master, by blood, - establishing on a familial level an anguished, disorderly, and insoluble relationship paralleling the great forces of the historical. Fully engaging a social, sexual, and even violent milieu, the story portrays the clash of opposing cultures in scenes ranging from the American South to New England and Europe. The Civil War is made vivid by the sheer terror, horror, and confusion of both civilian and soldier. The book culminates with the journey made by a plantation 'heroine' and her aged slave through the collapse of the white Southern world - and the corollary release of the black - to Washington in search of her imprisoned Confederate husband. Part social mosaic, psychological analysis, historical study, and of course romance and drama, Lost in The Elysian Fields reveals the characters' personality by their response to these epical events which either compel them into action or sweep them into oblivion.

Elysian Fields
Elysian Fields

Author: Mark Gregory LaFlaur

Publisher:

Published: 2013

Total Pages: 399

ISBN-13: 9780615729862

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Named to Kirkus Reviews' Best Books of 2013. * Winner of rare "double crown" of starred reviews from both Publishers Weekly and Kirkus Reviews. * Publishers Weekly Featured Fiction selection. Simpson Weems is a 36-year-old aspiring poet whose life has been on hold -- to the breaking point. All he needs to fulfill his potential is to move to San Francisco, but he's torn between his long-held dream of being a great artist and obligations to his aged, ailing mother and his emotionally volatile brother, the all-demanding Bartholomew. Will someone in his family have to die before he can get to California? And how might that be arranged?Written "on location" in New Orleans and set shortly before Hurricane Katrina, Elysian Fields combines menace, the comic strangeness of Flannery O'Connor, and hints of magical realism to convey vivid, original characters and a Crescent City that is both recognizable and more offbeat and seductive than visitors usually see.PRAISE FOR "ELYSIAN FIELDS""A wholly involving story with Faulknerian characters in a fully realized setting. [A] tale of brotherly love and menace. . . . LaFlaur's descriptive talent shines. Fertile imagery drips like Spanish moss: the old buildings collapsing, 'as though the humidity-sodden bricks were returning to mud,' while 'cloud stacks glowed like the battlements of heaven.' [Main character] Simpson's mental landscape is equally vivid, drawn with such empathy and depth that readers will forgive his perpetual indecision and may even root for him to carry out the removal of his near-deranged brother." --Kirkus Reviews (starred review)"[R]eaders will find the author's portrayal of New Orleans convincing and his characters fascinating and fully developed. . . . Life in the Weems family of 1999 New Orleans is anything but Elysian in this engrossing Southern Gothic snapshot." --Publishers Weekly (starred review)"A stunning debut . . . shades of Tennessee Williams, Faulkner and John Kennedy Toole. . . . LaFlaur gently and expertly pulls readers along with his characters, never flinching in the face of their foibles . . ." --Antigravity magazine (New Orleans)"[A] wonderful debut novel, a southern gothic that is at times comedic, at times heartbreaking . . . In places Elysian Fields is as heavy as summer air in New Orleans, but it most definitely has a sense of humor. . . . [A]n impressive debut that will leave readers looking forward to LaFlaur's next offering." --Self-Publishing Review

Getting Off at Elysian Fields
Getting Off at Elysian Fields

Author: John Pope

Publisher: Univ. Press of Mississippi

Published: 2015-10-19

Total Pages: 484

ISBN-13: 1496803760

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No city in America knows how to mark death with more funerary panache than New Orleans. The pageants commemorating departed citizens are often in themselves works of performance art. A grand obituary remains key to this Stygian passage. And no one writes them like New Orleanian John Pope. Collected here are not just simple, mindless recitations of schools and workplaces, marriages, and mourners bereft. These pieces in Getting Off at Elysian Fields: Obituaries from the New Orleans “Times-Picayune” are full-blooded life stories with accounts of great achievements, dubious dabblings, unavoidable foibles, relationships gone sour, and happenstances that turn out to be life-changing. To be sure, there are stories about Carnival monarchs, great philanthropists, and a few politicians. But because New Orleans embraces eccentric behavior, there are stories of people who colored way outside the lines. For instance, there was the doctor who used his plasma to make his flowers grow, and the philanthropist who took money she had put aside for a fur coat to underwrite the lawsuit that desegregated Tulane University. A letter carrier everyone loved turned out to have been a spy during World War II, and a fledgling lawyer changed his lifelong thoughts about race when he saw blind people going into a Christmas party through separate doors—one for white people and another for African Americans. Then there was the punctilious judge who got down on his hands and knees to edge his lawn—with scissors. Because New Orleans funerals are distinctive, the author includes accounts of four that he covered, complete with soulful singing and even some dancing. As a popular, local bumper sticker indisputably declares, “New Orleans—We Put the Fun in Funeral.”

Unmasked: Poetry of Self Expression
Unmasked: Poetry of Self Expression

Author: Paul Kachoris

Publisher: Lulu.com

Published: 2012-01-08

Total Pages: 303

ISBN-13: 1300086459

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Paul J. Kachoris has given poetic voice to his deeply felt feelings, thoughts and dreams. His poetry is always inspired by the impact of significant events in his life. Paul has chronologically placed each of his poems under one of nine facets.

Lost Gardens of the World
Lost Gardens of the World

Author: Sandra Lawrence

Publisher: Frances Lincoln

Published: 2024-10-01

Total Pages: 194

ISBN-13: 1836003870

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A romantic illustrated journey through forty captivating gardens lost to time. All over the world, once-flourishing horticultural spaces have been abandoned and forgotten. From the once-crumbling grandeur of the Villa d’Este and the magic of the Lost Gardens of Heligan, to the sculptural surrealism of Las Pozas and the colourful rebirth of Le Jardin Majorelle, there are countless gardens around the world with fascinating stories to tell. Author and journalist Sandra Lawrence takes readers on a tour of 40 horticultural gems from around the world that have been lost either through neglect, abandonment or destruction. Many have been consigned to history, never to be seen again, while others have been revived and restored by the care and dedication of new owners and communities. These marvels of horticulture take many forms: stately homes, floating allotments, roof gardens and more. But all of them have one thing in common: the romance of paradise lost. Featuring commissioned illustrations of each garden by renowned artist Lucille Clerc, this book is a celebration of our love of nature, and the importance of keeping these oases of green alive and well – if not in reality, then at least on the page. These charming gardens are brought back to life, including: The Lost Gardens of Heligan, England Las Pozas, Mexico Le Jardin Majorelle, Morocco The Garden of Dreams, Nepal Villa d’Este, Italy Paleis Het Loo, Netherlands Crowninshield Garden, USA Discover the remarkable stories behind the creation, decline and occasional rebirth of these astonishing spaces, and meet the people and societies that first created and enjoyed them. The perfect gift for garden lovers, armchair travellers and cultural enthusiasts.

Baseball's First Inning
Baseball's First Inning

Author: William J. Ryczek

Publisher: McFarland

Published: 2014-11-29

Total Pages: 270

ISBN-13: 0786482834

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This history of America's pastime describes the evolution of baseball from early bat and ball games to its growth and acceptance in different regions of the country. Such New York clubs as the Atlantics, Excelsiors and Mutuals are a primary focus, serving as examples of how the sport became more sophisticated and popular. The author compares theories about many of baseball's "inventors," exploring the often fascinating stories of several of baseball's oldest founding myths. The impact of the Civil War on the sport is discussed and baseball's unsteady path to becoming America's national game is analyzed at length.

Last Car to Elysian Fields
Last Car to Elysian Fields

Author: James Lee Burke

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2003-09-23

Total Pages: 349

ISBN-13: 074326097X

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Sheriff Dave Robicheaux returns to New Orleans to investigate the beating of a controversial Catholic priest and murder of three teenage girls in this intense, atmospheric entry in the New York Times bestselling series. For Dave Robicheaux, there is no easy passage home. New Orleans, and the memories of his life in the Big Easy, will always haunt him. So to return there means visiting old ghosts, exposing old wounds, opening himself up to new, yet familiar, dangers. When Robicheaux, now a police officer based in the somewhat quieter Louisiana town of New Iberia, learns that an old friend, Father Jimmie Dolan, a Catholic priest always at the center of controversy, has been the victim of a particularly brutal assault, he knows he has to return to New Orleans to investigate, if only unofficially. What he doesn’t realize is that in doing so he is inviting into his life—and into the lives of those around him—an ancestral evil that could destroy them all. A masterful exploration of the troubled side of human nature and the darkest corners of the heart, and filled with the kinds of unforgettable characters that are the hallmarks of his novels, Last Car to Elysian Fields is Burke in top form in the kind of lush, atmospheric thriller that is “an outstanding entry in an excellent series” (Publishers Weekly).