Books

  1. The New Rector (Tales from Turnham Malpas)

    The New Rector (Tales from Turnham Malpas)

  2. Talk of the Village (Tales from Turnham Malpas)

    Talk of the Village (Tales from Turnham Malpas)

  3. A Man Most Worthy

    A Man Most Worthy

  4. The Friends of Rathlin Island

    The Friends of Rathlin Island

  5. Almost a Crime

    Almost a Crime

  6. And the Ass Saw the Angel

    And the Ass Saw the Angel

  7. Guardians of the Lost: The Sovereign Stone Trilogy (The Sovereign Stone Trilogy)

    Guardians of the Lost: The Sovereign Stone Trilogy (The Sovereign Stone Trilogy)

  8. Eight Million Ways to Die (Matt Scudder Mystery S.)

    Eight Million Ways to Die (Matt Scudder Mystery S.)

  9. The Stories of Eva Luna

    The Stories of Eva Luna

  10. A Sense of Belonging

    A Sense of Belonging

  11. A Civil Contract

    A Civil Contract

  12. Wycliffe and the Guild of Nine

    Wycliffe and the Guild of Nine

  13. New Spring: A Wheel of Time Prequel

    New Spring: A Wheel of Time Prequel

  14. Two Lives: "Reading Turgenev" and "My House in Tuscany"

    Two Lives: "Reading Turgenev" and "My House in Tuscany"

  15. Body of Glass

    Body of Glass

  16. City of the Mind

    City of the Mind

  17. King Solomon's Carpet

    King Solomon's Carpet

  18. Leaf Storm (International Writers)

    Leaf Storm (International Writers)

  19. In Evil Hour (International Writers)

    In Evil Hour (International Writers)

  20. One Hundred Years of Solitude (International Writers)

    One Hundred Years of Solitude (International Writers)

  21. Such a Perfect Sister

    Such a Perfect Sister

  22. The Collected Short Stories of Roald Dahl: An Omnibus Volume Containing; Kiss Kiss; Over to You; Switch Bitch; Someone Like You; & Eight Further Tales of the Unexpected

    The Collected Short Stories of Roald Dahl: An Omnibus Volume Containing; Kiss Kiss; Over to You; Switch Bitch; Someone Like You; & Eight Further Tales of the Unexpected

  23. Dark Horse

    Dark Horse

  24. Pale as the Dead

    Pale as the Dead

  25. When Christ and His Saints Slept

    When Christ and His Saints Slept

The Rector of Justin: A Novel
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Auchincloss - One of the Top 10 Writers in the 20th Century!
  • Creative and Clever, But With Unresolved Tension
  • Five Narrators Too Many
  • what is a Christian gentleman?
  • This one needs more than five stars!
 The Rector of Justin: A Novel
Louis Auchincloss
Manufacturer: Mariner Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

United StatesUnited States | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books | 18th Century | 19th Century | 20th Century | African American | Asian American | Classics | Collections & Readers | Drama | General | Hispanic | History & Criticism | Humor | Jewish American | Letters & Correspondence | Native American | Poetry | Short Stories | Women Writers
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Auchincloss, LouisAuchincloss, Louis | ( A ) | Authors, A-Z | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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  1. East Side Story: A Novel
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ASIN: 0618224890

Book Description

Regarded as one of Louis Auchincloss's most accomplished novels, THE RECTOR OF JUSTIN centers on Frank Prescott, the founder of an exclusive school for boys. Eighty years of his life unfold through the observations of six narrators, each with a unique perspective on the man, his motivations, and the roots of his triumphs and failings.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Auchincloss - One of the Top 10 Writers in the 20th Century!.......2006-07-11

This is #6 on the bestsellers list in 1964, the year I was born. I had a hard time at first getting into the story but it was magnificent! Auchincloss is a tremendous writer and probably, in my humble opinion, one of the best writers in the 20th century. He has a unique writing style. This book is unusual in the fact that it is told by 6 different individuals. This is the story of a man from schoolboy age to his death at age 85.

Frank Prescott was a man of God and of honor. His calling to be a minister and of a teacher was fulfilled and he was very successful in building his dream of a Christian boy's school, although it was not exclusive to that religion. Dr. Prescott had respect for any boy of any religion. He was diligent, proud, and yet humble. He was willing to admit his faults and apologize for his mistakes. A respected man like this is very hard to find in this day and age. Dr. Frank Prescott was revered by any who met him, even if they disliked him.

This was my favorite line & one of the last: "Dr. Prescott was greater than the school which he created and by which he was ultimately disillusioned, and it is my ambition to distill for future generations of Justin boys some bit of the essence of that greatness."

I highly recommend this book to anyone who has lost someone in their lives they truly admired; it will open your heart to the sentiment of greatly appreciating those who have gone before us to set a pure example of respect & honesty.

4 out of 5 stars Creative and Clever, But With Unresolved Tension.......2005-11-04

Louis Auchincloss recommended The Rector of Justin to me as a starting point, as I was unfamiliar with his writing. Then he chuckled and said that he doesn't claim that it's his best, only that it has enduring popularity and is the most commercially successful of his novels. The story portrays the fictional biography of an exclusive New England prep school's willful headmaster, Francis Prescott, and it portrays, too, the characters who "live under the shadow of the Prescott legend." The story is related through six persons in that shadow. They are a former student, Brian Aspinwall, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees, David Griscam, an old friend, Horace Havistock, his youngest daughter, Cordelia Turnbull, her common law husband, Charlie Strong, and another student, Jules Griscam, son of the above-mentioned trustee. Each relays impressions of the great man which derive from their own association with him. These glimses portray Prescott's multifaceted character, yet the portrait which emerges leaves the reader unsatisfied, as with a puzzle in which there are not only missing pieces, but also duplicate pieces. Auchincloss' writing is creative, and very clever, and there are hundreds of sentences which beg to be re-read, and which are every bit as fresh on the return leg. Another characteristic of the author's prose is numerous references. He invokes authors, their characters, and countless others: Omar Khayyam, King Lear, Meissonier, Parsifal, Steinbeck, Tom Brown and Arnold, Marlowe and Webster, the Count of Monte Cristo, Anne Boleyn, Rupert Brooke, Mrs. Browning, Billy Budd, Walter Gay, Tannhauser, Freud, Molvina Hoffman, Plantaganet Palliser and Lady Cora, Joseph Andrews, Henry Thoreau... And here are a few examples of the author's craft: "I am the youngest child of a marriage of June and January, and, alas, I cost June her life." "He had all the jauntiness, guile, and charm of a papal bastard in the Renaissance." "We became well-known hosts to the floating expatriate world that made a fetish of disillusionment." "I had not expected that so little oil would settle such troubled waters." "He was uneasy with children, for like a dictator visiting a free country, he knew that his power was suspended." "He knew that his God was as mean as himself, and would never let him get away with anything as easy as that." Unfortunately, though, the story's denouement fails to resolve its creative tension. The eclipse of Prescott's power, in his old age, is portrayed as dramatic and illuminating, but it is neither. Prior to the conclusion our protagonist is a self-absorbed demigod. In that conclusion he becomes yet more self-absorbed, though mortal, and simply fades away. A God as mean as himself, however, would not have let him get away with anything as easy as that.

3 out of 5 stars Five Narrators Too Many.......2005-03-01

Although _The Rector of Justin_ is considered by many as Auchincloss' best novel, I didn't like it as much as some of his other books. It uses six narrators to tell the story of the Reverend Francis Prescott, D.D. -- founder and rector (headmaster) of Justin Martyr, a fictional school for boys in Massachusetts. The narrative structure seems contrived to me; Auchincloss used it better in later books like _The House of the Prophet_. You never get to know Prescott well enough to decide whether you like or dislike him, although maybe it is Auchincloss' intention to create the uncertainty. None of the narrators arouses your sympathy (the main one is just plain annoying), and the book has no trace of sentimentality in it. In Auchincloss' autobiography, _A Writer's Capital_, he says the character of Prescott is based more on Judge Learned Hand than on Endicott Peabody, the headmaster of Groton where Auchincloss went to school.

4 out of 5 stars what is a Christian gentleman?.......2003-12-24

This book surprised me by having a lot of substance. This multiple-narrator novel provides a shifting portrait of a fictional New England Episcopal boarding school headmaster - a legend in his time. It's like a Tom Brown's School Days for early 20th century New England, from the point of view of the headmaster. There is no TGI whatsoever, but the book provides an interesting contrast to the English Public School novel. Among its questions: what does it mean to be a church school? How should we educate boys into men, and what is a man? Ultimately, it examines the uneasy tension between the idealistic, fervently faithful (and rather Puritanical) founder and the materialistic boys, parents, and board that make up the school.

5 out of 5 stars This one needs more than five stars!.......2002-09-11

Louis Auchincloss is always dead-on in his fine wrought character portraits throughout his prolific oeuvre. Here, in what is likely his finest work, that, along with all his other formidable storytelling gifts, the characterization is at its lofty apex. He also experiments a bit with form, going beyond the usual fictional biography techniques by including pertinent conversations and writings by former students (a brilliant few chapters!), family, and associates. Indeed, there is a certain irony in his biographer's comments late in the book: "But my trouble is precisely that I am not interested in writing a biography. I am interested in inspiring my reader, and I am much at odds with my century in believing that to demonstrate the best by itself is more inspiring than the best with the worst." We get an entirely balanced portrait of a great man of ideas who, joyously, is ultimately as human and full of foibles as the boys he so carefully nurtures. This is awesome, hopeful, faith-inducing, awesomely inspiring and fun read.
The New Rector (Tales from Turnham Malpas)
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Tales from Turham Malpas
 The New Rector (Tales from Turnham Malpas)
Rebecca Shaw
Manufacturer: Orion mass market paperback
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

ContemporaryContemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:
  1. Talk of the Village (Tales from Turnham Malpas)
  2. Village Matters (Tales from Turnham Malpas)
  3. Country Passions
  4. Village Gossip (Tales from Turnham Malpas)
  5. Intrigue in the Village

ASIN: 0752827502

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Tales from Turham Malpas.......2006-10-27

In the village of Turham Malpas in Great Britain, there is a buzz in the air. After years of having an elderly, staid minister, there is a new, young rector in town. As the book progresses, the reader is introduced to the people of Turham Malpas, their stories, their histories, and become invested in their futures. There's romance, drama, suspense, intrigue, etc, etc.

I absolutely love this book (and the series that go with it). I read it for the first time when I was traveling Europe and it was the first English novel my poor hands had managed to find in weeks, and I was indescribably enthused . . . and this excellent first impression has never died. I don't think I could read the whole series back to back without getting tired of it, but I love to pick one up every now and then. The look into the life of a little British village (and all the drama it contains) is just plain fun. It is filled with quirky characters, well-rounded imperfect main figures, the good, the bad, the mysterious. Yay.
Anne Elizabeth's Diary: A Young Artist's True Story
Average customer rating: 3 out of 5 stars
  • A great story but beware, the diary has been embellished
 Anne Elizabeth's Diary: A Young Artist's True Story
Kathleen Krull , and Catherine Chermayeff
Manufacturer: Little, Brown Young Readers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

ArtArt | Biographies | People & Places | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
HistoricalHistorical | Biographies | People & Places | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
NonfictionNonfiction | Girls & Women | People & Places | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
1900s1900s | United States | History & Historical Fiction | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0316072044

Book Description

any girls have dreamed that their diaries would someday be discovered and published, and that's just what has happened with this gem! Found in the attic of the house in which Anne Elizabeth Rector grew up, Anne Elizabeth's Diary is both a glimpse into what life was like for a 12-year-old girl in early-twentieth-century New York City, as well as a portrait of the early development of a young artist. Anne's wry entries are accompanied by her own exquisite illustrations, as well as sidebars that further explore details of America in 1912--from the toys (kaleidoscopes, ouija boards) to the clothes (hats with feathers, pink dresses), and much more. Fans of the Dear America and American Girl series will relish this book's rich history and detail.

Customer Reviews:

3 out of 5 stars A great story but beware, the diary has been embellished.......2005-07-07

Anne Elizabeth's Diary is a collection of diary excerpts written and illustrated by Anne Elizabeth Rector at age 12. The diary was written in 1912 while Anne Elizabeth was growing up in New York City. The book contains an Introduction with information about Anne Elizabeth's childhood and her love of drawing. There are also sidebars featured throughout the book providing more information about things Anne Elizabeth mentions, such as life in the early 1900s, New York culture, events, and the role of women in society. In addition, at the end of the diary entries there is a section titled, "What Happened Next?," detailing Anne Elizabeth's adult life as an artist and her marriage to Edward Duffy, a Pulitzer Prize-winning political cartoonist. Other features include a note from Anne Elizabeth's granddaughter, tips on keeping a diary, an index, and an author's note.

I truly enjoyed this book until I read the author's note written by Kathleen Krull on the last page. Krull indicates that because women weren't raised to show feelings during this time period, Anne Elizabeth did not reveal enough information about her feelings. Krull remedied this by adding "interpretations, continuity, and emotion" based on interviews with her daughter and granddaughter. I would have preferred that either the diary excerpts stay true to the original form or that this information would have been given in the introduction to the book.

This book would be appropriate for ages 8 through 12. Children in this age range who are interested in biographies and life in the past will enjoy reading about Anne Elizabeth's life growing up in the early twentieth century. The fact that she overcame the odds and became a successful artist will be inspiring to children with dreams and goals for their own future careers. In addition, children these ages will be able to identify with Anne Elizabeth's difficulties in getting her family to understand her. I would recommend that this book be used with students studying famous artists or life in the early twentieth century. The book features photographs of Anne Elizabeth and her family, providing readers with an authentic glimpse of her life. Original drawings from her diary are also included. Although the book does not reproduce the original pages from her diary, the text is in a handwritten typeset, giving the book the feel of a real diary.
American Prodigal (New Criticism Series)
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • A work of rare genius.
 American Prodigal (New Criticism Series)
Liam Rector
Manufacturer: Story Line Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

20th Century20th Century | Poetry | United States | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Poetry | United States | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Poetry | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
United StatesUnited States | Single Authors | Poetry | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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  1. The Executive Director of the Fallen World (Phoenix Poets)

ASIN: 0934257221

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars A work of rare genius........2001-07-24

I had the pleasure of reading Mr. Rector's book in college several years ago. I can honestly say that his poetry touched me deeply and inspired me. Mr. Rector's poetry allows the reader a reminder of the proverbial American dream- both the triumphs and the tragedies. His work is a pleasure to read.
RECTOR'S RESIGNATION COULD LEAD TO RESOLUTION OF PROLONGED STRIKE AT UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL AUTONOMA DE MEXICO. : An article from: SourceMex Economic News & Analysis on Mexico
Average customer rating: Not rated
    		RECTOR'S RESIGNATION COULD LEAD TO RESOLUTION OF PROLONGED STRIKE AT UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL AUTONOMA DE MEXICO. : An article from: SourceMex Economic News & Analysis on Mexico

    Manufacturer: Latin American Data Base/Latin American Institute
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Digital

    GeneralGeneral | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
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    ASIN: B00099829I
    Release Date: 2005-07-28

    Book Description

    This digital document is an article from SourceMex Economic News & Analysis on Mexico, published by Latin American Data Base/Latin American Institute on November 17, 1999. The length of the article is 710 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

    Citation Details
    Title: RECTOR'S RESIGNATION COULD LEAD TO RESOLUTION OF PROLONGED STRIKE AT UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL AUTONOMA DE MEXICO.
    Publication: SourceMex Economic News & Analysis on Mexico (Magazine/Journal)
    Date: November 17, 1999
    Publisher: Latin American Data Base/Latin American Institute
    Page: NA

    Distributed by Thomson Gale
    The rectors of Manchester,: And the wardens of the Collegiate church of that town (Remains, historical and literary, connected with the palatine counties of Lancaster and Chester. new ser)
    Average customer rating: Not rated
      		The rectors of Manchester,: And the wardens of the Collegiate church of that town (Remains, historical and literary, connected with the palatine counties of Lancaster and Chester. new ser)
      Francis Robert Raines
      Manufacturer: Printed for the Chetham society
      ProductGroup: Book
      Binding: Unknown Binding

      EnglandEngland | Europe | History | Subjects | Books | 18th Century | 19th Century | 20th Century | Ancient | General | London | Medieval | Norman | Tudor & Stuart
      GeneralGeneral | Ministry & Church Leadership | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
      ASIN: B00087CD8W
      Henry Augustus Coit,: First rector of Saint Paul's school, Concord, New Hampshire,
      Average customer rating: Not rated
        		Henry Augustus Coit,: First rector of Saint Paul's school, Concord, New Hampshire,
        James Carter Knox
        Manufacturer: Longmans, Green, and Co
        ProductGroup: Book
        Binding: Unknown Binding
        ASIN: B00086ZPZQ
        Dedication of Hoffman and Eigenbrodt Halls, General Theological Seminary, Chelsea Square, New York Wednesday, 30 May, MCM [1900]
        Average customer rating: Not rated
          		Dedication of Hoffman and Eigenbrodt Halls, General Theological Seminary, Chelsea Square, New York Wednesday, 30 May, MCM [1900]
          D.D. Oxon., D.C.L., Rev. Morgan (Rector of Tr Dix
          Manufacturer: Privately Printed / Printed By General Theological Seminary
          ProductGroup: Book
          Binding: Hardcover
          ASIN: B000KU6PCC
          El nuevo rector, ¿vale la pena? (nombran a Francisco Barnés de Castro nuevo rector de la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México)(TT: The new Chancellor, ... of Mexico): An article from: Siempre!
          Average customer rating: Not rated
            		El nuevo rector, ¿vale la pena? (nombran a Francisco Barnés de Castro nuevo rector de la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México)(TT: The new Chancellor, ... of Mexico): An article from: Siempre!
            Alberto Domingo
            Manufacturer: Edicional Siempre
            ProductGroup: Book
            Binding: Digital
            ASIN: B00096Q2JS
            Release Date: 2005-06-01

            Book Description

            This digital document is an article from Siempre!, published by Edicional Siempre on December 19, 1996. The length of the article is 396 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

            Citation Details
            Title: El nuevo rector, ¿vale la pena? (nombran a Francisco Barnés de Castro nuevo rector de la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México)(TT: The new Chancellor, is he worth it?) (TA: Francisco Barnés de Castro is appointed new Chancellor for the National Autonomous University of Mexico)
            Author: Alberto Domingo
            Publication: Siempre! (Refereed)
            Date: December 19, 1996
            Publisher: Edicional Siempre
            Volume: v43 Issue: n2270 Page: p80(1)

            Distributed by Thomson Gale
            Labor, management and national defense under new deal legislation,
            Average customer rating: Not rated
              		Labor, management and national defense under new deal legislation,
              Harvey Boston Rector
              Manufacturer: Law research service
              ProductGroup: Book
              Binding: Unknown Binding

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              ASIN: B0007EUPJU

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              3. The Warrior
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