Letto in una sera, molto scorrevole, ben scritto. Fin dalle prime pagine si intuisce che è una storia che necessita di una tragedia per stare in piedi.Letto in una sera, molto scorrevole, ben scritto. Fin dalle prime pagine si intuisce che è una storia che necessita di una tragedia per stare in piedi. Ed infatti. Personaggi molto stereotipati, "il buon pastore", "l'hippie errante", "il padre burbero". Oh ci sta eh, ma mancano di profondità totalmente! Troppi dettagli funzionali alla storia (come viva la coppia nell'alpeggio? come facevano la lavatrice? boh!), troppa accondiscendenza (Bruno che mai ha uno scoppio d'ira, un momento che vuol mandare in mona questo suo amico hipster e manierato?). Finale come da premesse tragico, buttato via in mezza pagine letteralmente e che lascia aperte tante porte, in contrato con il piglio "verista" dell'opera. ...more
Awful book, awful trylogy. All the highlights are resolved with deus ex machina. literally all the good guys are immortal and invincible (LITERALLY, youAwful book, awful trylogy. All the highlights are resolved with deus ex machina. literally all the good guys are immortal and invincible (LITERALLY, you'll find out). Narration suitable for middle school kids, I don't mean that as an insult, but from like the 17th tome of a saga I expect something more, even Harry Potter has evolved over time! While these characters are all crystallized in clichés and catch phrases like "ah the smelly orcs arrr arrr". The beginning is poor, the ending is disappointing. TRULY POINTLESS. PS to the end of the saga: The only likable character is OBOULD THE ORC. Actually I'd freaking like to have a trilogy out of him!! Anybody else agree? Also: how did the totally idiotic captain of Nesmè did not die? ...more
Awful book, awful trylogy. All the highlights are resolved with deus ex machina. literally all the good guys are immortal and invincible (LITERALLY, youAwful book, awful trylogy. All the highlights are resolved with deus ex machina. literally all the good guys are immortal and invincible (LITERALLY, you'll find out). Narration suitable for middle school kids, I don't mean that as an insult, but from like the 17th tome of a saga I expect something more, even Harry Potter has evolved over time! While these characters are all crystallized in clichés and catch phrases like "ah the smelly orcs arrr arrr". The beginning is poor, the ending is disappointing. TRULY POINTLESS....more
Awful book, awful trylogy. All the highlights are resolved with deus ex machina. literally all the good guys are immortal and invincible (LITERALLY, youAwful book, awful trylogy. All the highlights are resolved with deus ex machina. literally all the good guys are immortal and invincible (LITERALLY, you'll find out). Narration suitable for middle school kids, I don't mean that as an insult, but from like the 17th tome of a saga I expect something more, even Harry Potter has evolved over time! While these characters are all crystallized in clichés and catch phrases like "ah the smelly orcs arrr arrr". The beginning is poor, the ending is disappointing. TRULY POINTLESS. ...more
The very worst book of the whole trilogy; barely readable.
After the decent plot of the second book, and the reasonable growth of our main character, PThe very worst book of the whole trilogy; barely readable.
After the decent plot of the second book, and the reasonable growth of our main character, Paks once again becomes a flat, one-dimensional, flawless character. Never a mistake, never a misstep, just virtue, light, grace, selflessness, heroism.
At every moment Gird is summoned and it all becomes a sort of epic against evil. The plot is extremely predictable, but obsessive detail is kept on tedious conversations. One therefore has the urge to skip sections, meanwhile you already know where this is going.
The ending is really glued together, a sense of "is this all there is? Did I really read a thousand pages to get to this?" remains.
The impression I got is that Moon almost wanted to cut it short at the end.
Many pieces of the trilogy are resolved, but not all; are they left on the road?
Moon's obsession with torture scenes verges on sadism here, really heavy to read; I understand and like the need for realism, but then let's devote the same love for detail to character introspection, growth, reflections. Not just gore.
The trilogy was only an enjoyable read in parts, much however marred by this very poorly thought out epilogue.
I finally read the whole trilogy and reviewed here on Goodreads all the books and the trilogy itself:
Marked improvement over the dragging I was feeling in the first episode. Finally Paks although shyly begins to outline himself as a person with desireMarked improvement over the dragging I was feeling in the first episode. Finally Paks although shyly begins to outline himself as a person with desires, weaknesses, will.
The story moves away from the militaristic slant and embraces the classic canons of the D&D adventure: ruined dungeons in the woods, improvised companions, monsters of various kinds, wandering.
There's a good deal of story believability in the tale, although Moon's still juvenile edge emerges here as well. In particular, I can't understand why she insisted on cutting it short in all the situations critical to the protagonist: (view spoiler)[ - Trapped in a dungeon with a strong mage, can't figure out how she wakes up on the grass, all enemies dead. - grappling with a strong mage in a dungeon, can't understand why a deity intervenes and everything ends. - in a convulsive fight to the death, again she wakes up outside in her sleeping bag. (hide spoiler)] WAT! Dear Moon, couldn't you have spent a little more time resolving these situations instead of having them end with a deus ex-machina? (view spoiler)[ Some points are then lacking: - how come the Duke stays weeks at his side in Gird's fort? - What happens to her horse, her magical weapons? She did not care about losing her magic ring? - why do all his friends and companions end up dying in some way? (hide spoiler)] However, the book captures the audience and reads pleasantly, but unfortunately the disappointment remains for what could have been a great story, if better told.
I finally read the whole trilogy and reviewed here on Goodreads all the books and the trilogy itself:
Not an easy starter for the trilogy; I got stuck at chapter 30 for a while, then managed to end it out of sense of duty and read thru the whole trilogNot an easy starter for the trilogy; I got stuck at chapter 30 for a while, then managed to end it out of sense of duty and read thru the whole trilogy in the end.
This first chapter set the main flaws that will scout us thru the whole saga:
- the plot is extraordinarily predictable from day one: that's fine, the protagonist has to live a great adventure, but she is simply a chick who is saved by some ex machina deity without any particular meaning. She just did what she has been told, the end.
- there is no gray in this world: the villains wore black, are evil, absolutely terribles. The good guys wear gold, are clear, clean. Either 1 or 0.. It feels like a video game where the good guys have to kill "the enemies," as they are called throughout the book, just for the plot to happens.
- the main character is super flat: you don't understand why she does what she does. She has extremely childish characterizations that don't change throughout the book and that are never explored.
- the events happen "because they do", and are not explained in the book: they just happen because elizabeth moon has decided that she has to write 1000 pages out of them.
- there's a magnifying glass set on how many potholes there are in the street, but friends and characters literally die in three lines, or entire months are skipped, just like that.
- you invest 10 pages explaining 10 minutes, and then it goes to "three months later" and you don't understand what the hell happened.
- you go from one battle to another, and you struggle to figure out when one starts and when the other ends.
- there is an annoying sense of wanting to make Christian morality, then let's face it, easy to believe in a god that every 5 seconds comes and saves your ass as happens to the protagonist.
- the main character is a woman but in reality this aspect is never explored: she has no gender, no mentality, no distinguishing features. As far as we are concerned she might as well be an amoeba. She doesn't interact in the world around her as a woman, she seems to be passing through.
- I feel like Elizabeth Moon has some unresolved issues with sex: rape as main story angle and a man got castrated as a side quest, WTF
I finally read the whole trilogy and reviewed here on Goodreads all the books and the trilogy itself:
I am an avid D&D and MTG player, as well as a voracious reader. This trilogy, that I found on a Reddit thread, looks like the perfect book for the XMaI am an avid D&D and MTG player, as well as a voracious reader. This trilogy, that I found on a Reddit thread, looks like the perfect book for the XMas Holiday.
I wrote a first review after being stuck at chapter 30 of the first book, but then I managed to end the whole trilogy so I am now providing an update.
OVERALLY LIKED: - realism and attention to details - care in creating a credible fantasy world - feeling of immersion in the story (you can feel the taste of stew, the annoyance of wet clothes. If you fight with a sword you get hurt, always. It is a hard and dangerous life and people die in spite of everything). - people are on average poor (buying weapons, sword, armor is exceptional, not like in other books where everyone is always armed to the neck) - the style is refined, well written - the main character is a woman and great space is given to female characters, which is an uncommon theme and one that I really enjoyed.
OVERALLY DISLIKED - 99% of climax events are solved via divine intervention, WTF! Poor story development! And predictable after a couple of event. You just know it will be going to happens. - unaddressed major flaws of the main characters (will, identity, feelings, relationships). They look like robots following a script already written (one for all: Barra's plot). - sex issue: the book has 3 rapes and one castration. The main character, on the other hand, is an asexual virgin. A little bit obsessed? -the book has an obsessive focus on minimal details but then entire sections are left out, or left unresolved (background of Paks and his family, history of secondary characters, moments in the book that are glossed over) - the geography is very hard to understand. In which kind of world are we living into? - Paks never decided with her head once. Just following order of commanders of the gods. - willingness to evangelize about army and religion
BOOKS I: Hard to finish. Very militant. Paks is a flat typeface in a two-color world: either black or white. Utterly predictable after just ten pages.
BOOKS II: Best of the series. A true fantasy book, full of adventures and twists and turns. The underlying problems remain, but it really does get read in one sitting. Could have been the premise on which to base the entire trilogy. Paks finally shows a weak and human side.
BOOKS III: What. Terrible. A very long series of predictable dialogue and divine intervention, with the inevitable torture scene. An ending that leaves you bitter and disappointed.
OVERALL: I wouldn't read it again. Heavy, very long, predictable. If it had been written in the 2000s it would have remained the work of an amateur.
I finally read the whole trilogy and reviewed here on Goodreads all the books and the trilogy itself:
Libro trovato casualmente in cantina, ho iniziato a sfogliarlo per caso e in un paio d'ore me lo sono letto tutto, anzi, divorato letteralmente. Avevo Libro trovato casualmente in cantina, ho iniziato a sfogliarlo per caso e in un paio d'ore me lo sono letto tutto, anzi, divorato letteralmente. Avevo in mente l'anime degli anni '90 che dipingeva una Judy Abbot debole e incline al pianto, mentre la protagonista del romanzo originale è una moderna eroina più simile alla Kinsella di I Love Shopping.
Il libro è scritto magistralmente, alcuni passaggi sono anche molto profondi (dubito che un bambino delle elementari o medie possa comprenderne le dinamiche!!), le lettere di Judy sono pungenti, piene di ironia, piacevoli davvero! Vorrei aver avuto un'amica così!
Forse anche segno dei tempi, il finale l'ho trovato un po' inquietante, ciò questo soggetto alla fine è un forte manipolatore, assai poco trasparente, in quanto sotto mentite spoglie approfitta di ciò che sa sulla protagonista per farla innamorare di sè e in parte manovrarne le decisioni di vita.
Questo non so, mi sembra un po' superato come concetto, l'idea del principe azzurro salvatore.
The story I think is well known. I really enjoyed it.
As I read it though, something didn't quite add up. An afternoon in Suwarrow narrated in dozens oThe story I think is well known. I really enjoyed it.
As I read it though, something didn't quite add up. An afternoon in Suwarrow narrated in dozens of pages, 6 years in Racatonga go by in two minutes. It is then discovered at the end of the book thanks to an epilogue written by his daughter(!!) (who is still alive and has a family), Tom Neale had married and still left his wife and two children to go to the island the second time. How this doesn't appear in Tom's book leaves me dumbfounded and cast a dark shadow over the entire tale.
It no longer seemed to me a gesture of freedom and a living in contact with nature but rather an extremely selfish escape from reality.
As others have said, he lives in a heavenly place but spends all his time talking about his chicken coop and his primitive oven. I think Tom has really been too self-focused without looking for a gesture of rebirth.
I think he is also a product of another time, today impossible to think of going to a desert island and start killing everything that moves on there with impunity. Still feel sad for that turtle!
I bumped into The Hundred Page Machine Learning Book (actually being a little more than 100 pages :)) by chances on Linkedin (some of my peers suggestI bumped into The Hundred Page Machine Learning Book (actually being a little more than 100 pages :)) by chances on Linkedin (some of my peers suggested me to take a look). I've been able to "follow" the author journey since he released chapter by chapter via email. Was amazing to see how the project grown and took momentum. The book itself is then very good, from a very technical\scientific PoV I found it to be very precise and well written, but also viable from whom is approaching ML at first or doesn't have an accademic background. it's not the kind of intimidating book, it's not a chore reading but somehow entertaining. Give it a try on http://themlbook.com/wiki/doku.php...more
examples are straight from 80's- such as door to door selling and stuffs. Also, all the examples he gave have been very very deeply explored Outdated.
examples are straight from 80's- such as door to door selling and stuffs. Also, all the examples he gave have been very very deeply explored and commented. nothing new here. plus the book is a compendium of fucking examples over and over, what the hell, is this a newspaper or a damn book? i got it dude! please go on! looks like after all these examples, he never reach a conclusion.
Per un lungo periodo (oltre un anno) non mi sono avvicinato a libri di narrativa, prediligendo un gran numero di biografie e saggi. Ho trovato questo Per un lungo periodo (oltre un anno) non mi sono avvicinato a libri di narrativa, prediligendo un gran numero di biografie e saggi. Ho trovato questo titolo però in offerta su Amazon Kindle e mi sono fatto tentare, anche grazie alle numerose recensioni positive un po’ ovunque.
Inizialmente, delusione cocente. Ma valicata la metà dell’opera, mi sono fatto conquistare invece dalla progressiva maturazione ed acquisita tridimensionalità dei personaggi, in conclusione rendendo la lettura piacevole oserei dire “nonostante tutto” (piccolo dettaglio: ho letto questo libro interamente in barca sperduto in mezzo al Mediterraneo. Perfettamente a tema quindi!)
Evito il paragone con il capolavoro di R.L. Stevenson, che nasce in altre epoche, con altri fini, con altri mezzi. Credo anche ragionevolmente BJ abbia usato l’espediente non tanto perché interessato a ribaltare il punto di vista de “L’isola del tesoro” (che infatti nell’opera è trattato in modo superficiale e pur potendo non risolve quelli che erano i punti più lacunosi nel testo originale) ma piuttosto per avere un personaggio si letterario (e quindi libero da vincoli reali e vicende storiche) ma nello stesso tempo perfettamente definito e dotato di fama propria, e quindi appetibile stilisticamente. Insomma una sorta di teatro dove i personaggi sono fittizi con la pretesa di esser reali (si veda in tal senso la lunga parentesi, anche poco azzeccata stilisticamente, e poco piacevole dal punto di vista narrativo, con Daniel Defoe).
Il testo non va affatto inteso come “letteratura per ragazzi” (ricordiamoci che in Italia testi “sacri” come Moby Dick o Martin Eden vengono considerati alla stregua di favolette per scolari…impallidisco), sia per le sue sfumature psicologiche sia per la crudità di diversi passaggi (violenza, sesso) e pertanto va approcciato e analizzato con consapevolezza.
La narrazione parte brillante, coinvolgente. Si combatte, si ricorda, si soffre. Avventure in successione, non importa come o perché (immancabile il paragone proprio con il citatissimo Robinson Crusoe). Paesaggi puntuali, riporti storici esatti e verificati. Chi scrive non si improvvisa, conosce la storia e la storia della pirateria, e conosce anche il mare e la navigazione. Qui sta un grande punto di forza dell’opera, in quanto fornisce uno spaccato attendibile sulla nascita e sugli sviluppi della pirateria nel 1600, includendo gli avvenimenti politici in Europa, la tratta degli schiavi, i traffici con le colonie.
Abbiamo poi a mio parere una caduta di tono e di stile. Diverse pagine di pensieri filosofici abbozzati, che vorrebbero far riflettere su libertà e libero arbitrio, ma ahimè scalfiscono appena un tema complesso e risultano infine molto stereotipate. Sceneggiatura che a mio parere vacilla per credibilità e cade nel banale con espedienti prevedibili e triti. Soprattutto il personaggio principale, Long John Silver, invece che conquistare, delude. Se il tentativo era di disegnare un leader pericoloso ma affascinante, beh, a mio avviso qui BJ fallisce miseramente. Vedo in LJS un povero svitato, vigliacco ed egoista, che pur “avendo cara la pelle” si caccia in situazioni grottesche per via della sua scelleratezza, ed infine comunque non coltiva alcun vero legame in tutta la sua esistenza
(INIZIO SPOILER):
- Ricercato dalle guardie per ammutinamento; si spende tempo per trovare un’identità fasulla; appena la guardia chiede il suo nome, dà il nome vero! Nella successione di eventi poco dopo ucciderà il suo amico\salvatore come nulla fosse dimenticato chissà dove la donna amata per cui poche pagine prima aveva perso quasi il senno.
- Si prende una punizione pazzesca per aver superato una riga bianca senza motivo e senza scopo alcuno. I fatti che seguono sono casuali e disordinati, si salva grazie a diversi deus ex-machina evitabili.
- Gira il mondo in lungo ed in largo, ma state pur certi che ci sarà sempre il suo nemico Deval ed il suo amico Jack pronti ad aspettarlo, ad aspettare proprio lui! Poco credibile!
- Organizza un ammutinamento e cosa fa sul più bello? Si mette a dormire! Poco credibile! Scelte dell’autore per permettere che accadano determinati fatti e prosegua l’intreccio, ma non c’erano soluzioni più eleganti e verosimili?
- Uccide persone a sangue freddo come mosche, perché non uccide il suo arci-nemico Deval, visto che gliene combina di ogni e ne avrebbe più volte occasione?
- Elisa, la sua prima amante, sparisce nel nulla. Ad un certo punto avrebbe modo di risolvere l’enigma, ma uccide colui che sta per rivelarglielo. Perché? Non lo capisco.
- Dolores: chi è? Cosa fa? Cosa fanno insieme? Il personaggio, pur in teoria la spalla femminile del protagonista, è appena abbozzato ed in modo del tutto elementare.
(FINE SPOILER)
Potrei forse procedere con altri esempi, a mio avviso piccoli passi falsi dell’autore.
Ma nella seconda parte e nel finale il libro prende un ritmo più snello, meno pretenzioso, più giocoso ed avventuroso. Ecco che dismessi i panni dello “storico dei pirati”, BJ si mette quelli del romanziere e dà il meglio di sé. Long John smette di fare il filosofo e torna a fare quello che sa, ossia arringare folle di pirati ed andare a caccia di tesori. Il finale è malinconico, dolce, direi quasi poetico, l’ho addirittura riletto più volte. In appendice interessante richiamo ai fatti storici trattati nel libro, alcuni devo dire al limite dell’incredibile ed interessanti letture di approfondimento.
Alla fine, mi sento di consigliarlo! All’arrembaggio!
just a bunch of very basic notions about typography, really nothing new if you're just that bit into the topic already.
1/3 of twhat a waste of time!
just a bunch of very basic notions about typography, really nothing new if you're just that bit into the topic already.
1/3 of the book is about grids and text formatting, to be honest i couldn't care less, there are tons of better books about grid system in design. Also the "editing" section was poor and out of context.
the book isn't very long and almost half of its space is for crappy images and snapshot of books.
Save your money; you can find the same info in just 10 minutes of googling.
"Weniger, aber besser" (ossia meno, ma meglio) è una citazione attribuita a Dieter Rams, il celebre designer di Braun, tra i grandi mentori di Steve J"Weniger, aber besser" (ossia meno, ma meglio) è una citazione attribuita a Dieter Rams, il celebre designer di Braun, tra i grandi mentori di Steve Jobs.
Mi ispiro a tale motto scrivendo tale recensione: questo libro è davvero oro puro.
Vale quanto pesa (e pesa molto)
imprescindibile se avete un qualsiasi prodotto apple in casa
imprescindibile per capire la genesi dietro uno dei brand più consistenti del nostro millennio
imprescindibile per comprendere cosa vuol dire "customer care" e "customer centricity".
Vale più di molti manuali di marketing.
scrittura scorrevole e piacevolissima.
ps. io sono un "detrattore" del business model apple, per intenderci.
I approached this book with the highest expectation possible. Been looking for it for a while and eventually i was able to purchase the kindle editionI approached this book with the highest expectation possible. Been looking for it for a while and eventually i was able to purchase the kindle edition. I am the archetypal Patagonia's customer: audacious mountaineer, climber, greenpeace activist, but also with an income that allows me to purchase a 500 usd jacket. To be honest, I'm not a fanboy of the brand and i don't own anything of them, but i just thought i would enjoy reading the book.
The story start from the early Yvon Chouinard's experiences, when he started to forge climbing pitons in a garage and almost dirbagging West outdoors. This part of the book is entertaining and helps to understand what shaped Yvon character. But it's, like, 12% of the whole book.
Suddendly, and I still don't know exacly how, his company, that probably worth some pennies, became one of the first outdoor selling brand in the US, and later in Europe too, earning trucks of dollars.
The whole book then revolve around the "I was just like a dirtbag and ...uhm....i randomly own a billionary company. But guys I still sleep in the wood, i ensure you". I'm not really buying this one (Chouinard's net worth in 2016 is like 200 usd millions), and the story slows we read about details of furnitures, storages, etc. A pretty few lines are for an objective view of the business, and, most important, this is not entertaining anymore.
Looks like a giant Patagonia Ads. We're so clean, so durable, so hot, such a big family (but as soon as the first troubles arised, they fired like 20% of the working force in a blink).
I appreciated the whole sustainability issue, but i can just read about it on the web. Plus, it's not just the story of a businessman, it's the story of a company.
I run into James Altucher by chance and finding out his ebook are sold for cheap, immediatly bought a pair of them.
However my high expectations haven'I run into James Altucher by chance and finding out his ebook are sold for cheap, immediatly bought a pair of them.
However my high expectations haven't been confirmed.
The book is far too long given the argument, and it ends like repeating itself over and over. 10 ideas...the four principles...ok man we got it first time, no need to repeat them all over the whole book.
Suggestions and ideas are good here and there but the books gives ton of un-necessary poor humor (toilet humor and so on..) and also stupid examples, such as cryogenetic stuff, solar panel all over the globe and so on. I mean, man you're writing a freaking book, couldn't you really come up with a pair of DECENT ideas as example? If they're meaning to make us laugh, ok, they're not.
The good idea are not really new: you can find tons of the same topics just randomly reading Medium post. The bad ones are dangerous: jump one meal, go to bed at 8pm and wake up at 4 am...that makes no sense.
Altucher blog could be fine, but looks like the books is just a sort of copy-paste with a few values added.
good things, is really cheap and at least i've been able to exercise my english!...more
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