Cloudstreet - A Review and Analysis

Cloudstreet – A Review and Analysis

I suppose this text is deeply influenced by the rather in vogue traditions of Post colonial literature; that body of work finding a voice for those traditionally silenced in the traditional and mainstream body of literature. Cloudstreet provides a voice and in the process romanticizes the ordinary lives of working class, largely uneducated, insular yet genuine and honest people.

Cloudstreet also provides a really vivid and moving, symbolic representation of Aboriginal Australia in the almost magical appearances of the ‘Blackfella’ as a type of moral compass and ‘Gandalf/Dumbledore’ ‘agent of wisdom’ device. The ‘Blackfella’ provides advice to characters, suggesting Quick return home and warning Sam against selling Cloudstreet, ‘Too many places are busted…places are strong…important’. This also reflects Winton’s use of Traditional Aboriginal attitudes towards ‘place’ as part of identity and a broader collective soul and belonging.

The images of totem spirits and the ghosts or spirits living within Cloudstreet also reinforce Aboriginal conceptions of time as a non-linear, polychrome and interactive entity. Imagery of Totem spirits is developed, for example where an aboriginal is perceived as ‘much a bird as a man’, and another spirit who acts as Fish’s guardian angel is described as: ‘A dark man comes flying by a tree, you see the whites of his eyes and tingle with rumours of glory’, and just before Fish’s death and spiritual salvation, ‘a black man leaves the trees like a bird and goes laughing into the sun with a great hot breeze that rolls off the roof of the world.’

Context

Firstly the text was written during the later 1980′s, you will find some similarities between the texts memorable and at times comic subversion of traditional gender roles and archetypes and the ideas promoted as part of third wave Feminism…which rejected any hard and fast, dogmatic notion of female identity. Third Wave feminism differs from other previous feminist movements, intellectually, in its promotion of a diffuse, open and all embracing idea of feminine…This resonates particularly with Winton’s acceptance of his two extreme females who dominate much of the novel…in accepting the sexual and alcoholic excess of Dolly and the authoritarian excess of Oriel.

Secondly, Winton was part of a subversive discourse celebrating ‘Aboriginality’ and the publishing of Cloudstreet coincided with a broad change in Australian attitudes towards aboriginals best signified by the historic Mabo case establishing native title in 1992 and rejecting the legal principle of Terra Nullius.

Another important aspect to Cloudstreet is undoubtedly Winton’s deep although at times unorthodox Christian faith, this is reflected in the continual references to bible stories, and even at times Winton’s language resonates with a succinct yet profound style perhaps mirroring the bible. You, the reader, are given enormous scope to take what you will from these references…for example I have been told Quick’s characterisation mirrors that of the story of the ‘Prodigal Child’ and perhaps his departure from home reflects Christs ‘years in the wilderness’…and then the reader is challenged with the more explicit biblical references, for example the images of holy communion in the car with Quick and the ‘Blackfella’, The ‘Blackfella’s walking on water and Quick’s luck with catching the fish….the list goes on…I suppose for me, forgive me for being blunt, but the central ‘message’ is undoubtedly what the reader will make of this intertwining of Spiritual and real within Cloudstreet…I felt this was the central conflict if you like within the text symbolised with Fish’s struggle with the dichotomy of the Real and the Spiritual…This is further evidenced by the union of the title Cloudstreet symbolising the final resolution/compromise or reconciliation between the ethereal, magical and spiritual with the mundane reality of a life geared around the material.

The Question of Literary Status

You would think this eternal question and apparent subjectivity in answer about whether any text constitutes literature would feature more prominently in any sort of appraisal of any text. For a change I would suggest as the foremost evidence for Cloudstreet’s status as a seminal and profound part of the Australian and indeed English speaking literary cannon is its success spanning over thirty years, proving it was not simply successful as some sort of political manifesto for the changing social attitudes and perceptions during the 80′s and 90′s to do with gender, class, spirituality and Aboriginality…it has captured the soul of Australian life through its unnerving attention to detail and its unique ‘localness’…it has truly established a claim to reflect the universal…

Final Review

Cloudstreet is one of my favourite books, there is something appealing to its grounded approach to heady questions of spirituality, something comforting in its central juxtaposition of the magical beside the mundane, perhaps there is room for spiritual renewal in all our daily lives…

I’m not sure my whole article/ramble has done much in terms of analysis in its superficial glossing over… of the incredible polysemy within Cloudstreet and even less justice to the idea of a ‘review’ with its implicit expectation of some form of judgment or appraisal… but I feel the best I can do in terms of ‘finding a negative’ in Cloudstreet is identify to you what was not comforting to me… the aspects to the text which were faintly off putting… and I would remind you of the highly subjective and in the end meaningless value of such a sentiment… yet I will persist a little more in trying to convey it to you…

What put me off was the implicit endorsement of social stratification found in the text, very similar to One Day of the Year, in the way Cloudstreet identifies and then valorises the Working Class…but in the end the way Quick and Rose are coerced back into the fold of their family… forced away from dreams of a move up on the rung of the social hierarchy… I take issue with the one sided rejection of middle class values as pretentious in the characterisation of Toby Raven… Of coarse the suggestion here is class is in the end a meaningful and rightful delineation of humans based upon compatibility… Rose can’t connect with Toby…No she can only connect with ‘her own’….her fellow working class… Is this not a little unjust… And then there is this idea of the author taking a slightly patronising position as already part of the hegemony perpetuating stratified class, as a means of maintaining an obedient, uneducated and insular labour force….

I thank you for your attention, if you have managed to subject yourself to the entirety of my meandering, infuriatingly fragmented diatribe…I would only suggest in my defense that I have done exactly that capture fragments of my reaction and reading of Cloudstreet, it being impossible to do much more with such an open, diverse and meaningful text. Cloudstreet will undoubtedly remain a classic in the Australian canon of literature, and Winton’s place among our country’s authors is undoubtedly a unique and deeply respected one…I truly enjoyed reading this ripper of a novel!

Cloudstreet - A Review and Analysis

The Jewish Pilgrimage - Book Review

The Jewish Pilgrimage – An Exploration of Reality, Mainly in Verse

The Jewish Pilgrimage by Geoffrey Hoffman is clearly written to inspire philosophical discussion. This book depicts the author’s personal journey to find some form of understanding about man, our various versions of God and how this effects society and the use of its knowledge. He debates moral issues and provokes deep thinking in several areas that will never leave my mind as I travel along my own road.

Geoffrey questions the justness of creation itself and the gift of consciousness. Also he cleverly uses metaphors when he depicts various pieces of himself by using the universe, planets and astrological colors. Without a doubt this student of life, takes joy in nature. Throughout the book the author makes his awe in the vastness of the universe quite apparent.

My personal favorite piece was Beautiful Among The Buildings, which used powerful visual statements like:

“Night sprawls among the broken lives that line the broken street; The lonely and unpitied men whose waste is our defeat. Men stagger from dank cellars; men, imprisoned in their cars, Go roaring into sightlessness – unmindful of the stars.”

And the equally powerful anti-war piece, No Frontiers:

“The father carrying the limp body of his child, The soldier staring at his amputated hand, The little girl among the bloodied pieces of her parents -What does it matter if they are of one side or another? Dogma cannot grieve. It is the pain of individuals that sears.”

I also really appreciated Half Sight, which discussed the inability to witness the good and love in life when there is so much horror to distract us from it. Today Near Watford Market was a very moving piece for me in that it was so visual. It describes an event where the author witnesses a man speaking to the public about his lack of belief in religion. And “circling like wolves, the true-believers snarled, snapping at both his arguments and him.” Yet nearby an elderly women fell, sprawling her shopping items on the ground around her. The non-believer ran over to her side and helped her on her way, “jostling to her assistance through unmoving ranks of true-believing ice”. It is a beautiful story about seeing God where you least expect it.

In the later part of the book, the author moves away from poetry and gets in to verse debating who the Jewish people are, what they are perceived as being and the persecution of this group of people through the ages. His interesting look at the holocaust does not dwell on the sorrow or loss of the people – rather it centers on the people themselves.

By far, Jewish people are not the only race of people who have suffered at the hands of man and I think the author means to use the example as a tool to accelerate the intellectual growth of mankind.

ISBN#: 1-4137-7281-1
Author: Geoffrey Hoffman
Publisher: Publish America

The Jewish Pilgrimage - Book Review

Review - Nancy Spellman and the Forest of Fear

Nancy Spellman and the Forest of Fear, P.J. Tye, 2011 (Kindle e-book)

First in a series, this book is about your average British schoolgirl thrust into a very strange situation. The fate of an entire world rests on the shoulders of her and her friend.

Nancy Spellman has decent, normal parents, and an older brother who has discovered the female gender. She has been reading a fantasy book bought by her mother about a planet called Hooth. It includes pictures of a giant half-horse/half-dinosaur named Rascal. After several nights of strange, troubled dreams, Nancy wakes up one night at midnight. Looking out her window toward the woods across the street, she sees Rascal, in the flesh.

The next morning, Nancy’s friend Mary comes over and hears the whole story about the book, and the sighting. They immediately head for the woods to investigate and find hoofprints that are bigger and deeper than normal hoofprints. Going farther into the woods, they are suddenly caught in a force-field, surrounded by twinkling lights, and find themselves on Hooth.

Meeting Gretchen, Matgrin and Satgrin (all wizards), the girls are told that another wizard, a well-meaning bungler of a wizard named Albert, has accidentally brought three Earth children to Hooth. They are being held prisoner in a heavily guarded castle. It is guarded by creatures called spigworts, prowlers and dragonbirds, all with very nasty dispositions, who have been enslaving the human population. The magic of the wizards goes only so far, so Nancy and Mary, helped by invisicloaks, have to rescue the children by themselves. Things go bad pretty quickly, but everyone makes it out in one piece. The three children are returned to Earth, with that part of their memories conveniently erased.

Nancy and Mary also return to Earth, only to find that Mary’s book has changed. It was titled The Forest of Fear, and now it is called Hooth and Hope, including pictures of their adventures. They are returned to Hooth, and told that much activity has been going on inside the castle, which is very bad news for the rest of Hooth’s inhabitants. It is up to Nancy and Mary to find out just what is going on, and, if possible, throw a spanner into the works.

Any young person who is looking for something to read after Harry Potter would do very well to look here. It is easy to read, and just weird enough and it is really worth the reader’s time.

Review - Nancy Spellman and the Forest of Fear

Multiple Streams of Internet Income Book Review

Multiple Streams of Internet Income by Robert G. Allen is a book about the fundamentals of making money online. It combines both wealth training (at the beginning of the book) with internet strategies to teach anyone how they can make significant amounts of money online.

This was the third book of Robert G. Allen’s that I have read and let me just say that it does not disappoint. The tips you find within this book are second to none and many I have not read anywhere on the internet. It gives you a fresh look at making money online which goes beyond the ‘blog-o-sphere’ and steps into a world where it is simple to become a millionaire online. All you need is 10,000 names.

Chapter 1 – Show Me The E-Money

Robert G. Allen is famous for the challenges he sets himself. This was one of his biggest challenges yet. To earn $24,000 online in just 24 hours. In this chapter he shares his story on how he set this challenge for himself and achieved it.

Chapter 2 – Crossing The Digital Divide

If you’re not savvy on internet marketing (let’s face it not many of us are) then in this chapter Robert shows you how you can fast track your success with little or no experience at all by utilizing other people’s email lists. He shows you how he himself used a list to make around $100,000 in 24 hours.

Chapter 3 – Internet Marketing 101: A Few Simple Strategies Can Make You Rich

In this chapter Robert talks about the marketing basics that everyone needs to know if they want to be successful as an online marketer. Great chapter full of huge insights that can turn your product into cash.

Chapter 4 – Internet Marketing 201: 12 Powerful Principles for Creating a Feeding Frenzy

In this chapter Robert shows us how to get people to beg for our products, how to get people to buy and buy again and how to get people to tell their friends about their products.

Chapter 5 – Internet Marketing 301: Going Deep – The Secret to Online Streams of Income

Big advertising companies run a mile wide and an inch deep to make a lot of money. Here Robert teaches you to go an inch wide and a mile deep by focusing on niches to make money

Chapter 6 – Netpreneurs, Start Your Search Engines!

Search engines are what will drive most of your traffic. Here Robert talks about the importance of search engines and how we can use them to make money

Chapter 7 – Online Mar-Ka-Ching!

Your web page is the portal through which you will attract multiple stream of income into your life. Here Robert explains the six major ways to make money from your website (which he goes into more detail on later)

Chapter 8 – Beyond Stickiness

Big companies and websites focus on stickiness. When starting out you have to focus on quickiness if you want to make any money fast. Here Robert shows you how to quickly convert visitors into lead and then customers.

Chapter 9 – Ready. Set. Launch: How fast can you go from zero to cash?

If you started from ground zero how soon could you start making money? This chapter gives you details on how to start making money quickly from scratch.

Chapter 10 – Online Stream #1. Joint Ventures

Teaming up with others you can achieve greater success than going it alone. This chapter shows you how to join up with others to create a win win situation.

Chapter 11 – Online Stream #2. Affiliate Programs

You can make a lot of money by selling other people’s products. You don’t even need anything to start with, just some guts. This chapter shares the ins and outs of affiliate marketing

Chapter 12 – Online Stream #3. Selling Information

You can create your own information and sell it to make some easy money. This chapter shows you how to effectively make a stream of income from affiliate marketing.

Chapter 13 – Online Stream #4. Eyeballs for Sale

Advertising is how most companies make their money. When you start out you may not make a lot through advertising but you can make a little bit (and more once you become more successful). This chapter shares with you how.

Chapter 14 – Online Stream #5. Picks and Shovels

There is a lot of money to be made from the real estate of the internet. Things such as domains and hosting you can make money from. This chapter explains this in more detail.

Chapter 15 – Online Stream #6. Treasure Hunting

This chapter talks about online auctions (such as eBay) and how to make money from them. It even talks about starting your own auction website.

Chapter 16 – Automatic Pilot: Making Money 24/7/365

The best thing about making money online is you can make money while you sleep.

Overall Review

This book as a must have for all internet marketers. It has the easiest ways to make money online and explains them in an easy to read format. I would recommend this book to anyone trying to find their wealth online. The miss reading this book would be similar to missing $1,000,000 if someone offered it to you on a silver platter…no joke this book is awesome.

Multiple Streams of Internet Income Book Review

Something to Cheer About While the Economy and Nearly Everything Else Tanks: A Superb New Book

The news is really grim these days. No, not “very large meteor heading this way” kind of grim or “Al-Qaeda terrorist group gets nuclear weapons supergrim” or, worst imaginable scenario of doom but still quite grim. Grimness includes Bernanke going Greek tragedy on us, forecasting anemic growth, hiring approaching Depression-era levels, Congressional budget talks going nowhere, politicians sending body part pics to strangers, debt ceiling immovable with attendant default fears, housing in the dumps, flooding here, volcanoes, fires, drought and tsunamis there and so on. What’s next – the Rapture?

Fortunately, all this is offset to a considerable extent by the publication of Dr. Steven Jonas’ latest book, “101 Ideas and Insights for Triathletes and Duathletes” (Healthy Learning/ Coaches Choice, Monterrey, CA., 118 pages, $19.95). This is the much-anticipated sequel to the landmark work “Triathloning for Ordinary Mortals.” The latter led thousands, perhaps tens of thousands, of novice athletes into the sport of triathlon, rendering the experience both enjoyable as well as successful.

In 101 Ideas, Dr. Jonas serves up comprehensive guidance with factual information and insights based on his extensive involvement with triathlon and its little sister sport, duathlon. (The latter, in case you didn’t know, consists of a run, bike and run. I don’t care for the name so much. Since the swim is missing, I favor “dryathlon.” However, nobody listens to me so duathlon it is.) The nine chapters address motivation (i.e., why exercise, race and “tri the tri and du?”), getting started, variety of race options, training, equipment, race day details and strategies, nutrition, injury prevention and management and staying with it. Each chapter has from five to twenty sub-chapters pertinent to the featured topics. If you have a question about how to prepare for a triathlon or duathlon that Dr. Jones has not addressed, you are probably worrying too much. Read 101 Ideas and you can safety, assuredly and productively be happy with no worry in either or both of these two exciting sporting events.

While every page has tidbits and, as often as not, big chunks of material attractive for the experienced as well as the novice multi-sport participant, all readers will have their own favorite sections. Among mine were the following:

* The discussion about getting started. Everyone, without exception, was a novice at one time. In fact, one of the most popular (i.e., most participant) categories in recent years has been the exclusive, much cheered novice category. Unfortunately for those who have a wonderful experience racing their first tri or du in the novice division, you can only be part of this elite group one time. Choose your event wisely – in some races, the management makes first timers feel like rock stars.

* The principles for training. Dr. Jonas offers eight of them, all broad and common sense in nature (e.g., regular rest is key) but easily neglected.

* Detailed training programs for varied distance multi-sport events. Many beginning and even experienced athletes just make up their own routines or go along with others. Ad hoc routines are seldom as efficient or effective as evidence-based regiments such as Dr. Jonas offers for all level participants.

* A sense for the costs of being a triathlete and/or duathlete. These costs, estimated in the range of $1400 to $2500, will vary enormously in accord with one’s budget and ambitions. This range, however, is fair enough for the entry-level participant for whom the book is primarily intended.

* The occasional special treat. There are many throughout the work, but my favorite came on idea number 77 wherein Dr. Jonas describes the fascinating happenings known only to those like him at the back of the pack. The last point made says it all: “Finally, it’s so much better to be at the back of the pack than to not be in the race at all.” Even my wellness hero Robert Green Ingersoll would have been challenged to say it better.

* Idea number 73. Dr. Jonas describes his experience in Tuscaloosa, Alabama in 2009 at the National Sprint Triathlon Championship. As long as there are triathlons, this race will be recalled for the infamous “uphill swim” all participants had to endure. Not the strongest or fastest swimmer in the world, Dr. Jonas entertainingly describes his two-hour-plus ordeal fighting a current of Biblical proportion, so to speak. I was in that race, and had quite a struggle with the current (caused by the opening of a dam upriver), but not quite so much as the good doctor. When I entered the transition area after the bike ride, he was entering after the swim! Yet, here what I most vividly recall: Though I was about half a morning ahead of him, Dr. Jonas was having a great time, smiling and being all cheerful whereas I was breathing heavily, stressed and in a foul mood! And he had the nerve to try to cheer me up! And he did! After the race and ever since, it’s clear to me who between the two of us has more fun doing triathlons. He does. Recalling that occasion, however, I have worked on lightening up.

Finally, mention should be made of the personal nature of how information is conveyed in 101 Ideas. Dr. Jonas has so much experience – he has completed over 200 races. In a tri and du career that began in 1983 at Sag Harbor, NY in an event called “The Mighty Hamptons Triathlon” (sounds a bit intimidating to me), he has come to know nearly all the main characters that have shaped multi-sport. This knowledge shows on every page, in anecdotes and illustrations and, most enjoyably, in countless asides of personal perspective. Dr. Jonas does not regret or shy from the fact that he is not the world record-setting type; au contraire, he revels in it. By the end of the book, readers might think to themselves, “Hey, if this old guy can do triathlons and duathlons and enjoy the two sports so much, I think I can do OK at this, too,” or thoughts along those lines.

If that’s what readers think, nobody will be happier about it than Dr. Jonas.

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Something to Cheer About While the Economy and Nearly Everything Else Tanks: A Superb New Book

Something to Cheer About While the Economy and Nearly Everything Else Tanks: A Superb New Book

The news is really grim these days. No, not “very large meteor heading this way” kind of grim or “Al-Qaeda terrorist group gets nuclear weapons supergrim” or, worst imaginable scenario of doom but still quite grim. Grimness includes Bernanke going Greek tragedy on us, forecasting anemic growth, hiring approaching Depression-era levels, Congressional budget talks going nowhere, politicians sending body part pics to strangers, debt ceiling immovable with attendant default fears, housing in the dumps, flooding here, volcanoes, fires, drought and tsunamis there and so on. What’s next – the Rapture?

Fortunately, all this is offset to a considerable extent by the publication of Dr. Steven Jonas’ latest book, “101 Ideas and Insights for Triathletes and Duathletes” (Healthy Learning/ Coaches Choice, Monterrey, CA., 118 pages, $19.95). This is the much-anticipated sequel to the landmark work “Triathloning for Ordinary Mortals.” The latter led thousands, perhaps tens of thousands, of novice athletes into the sport of triathlon, rendering the experience both enjoyable as well as successful.

In 101 Ideas, Dr. Jonas serves up comprehensive guidance with factual information and insights based on his extensive involvement with triathlon and its little sister sport, duathlon. (The latter, in case you didn’t know, consists of a run, bike and run. I don’t care for the name so much. Since the swim is missing, I favor “dryathlon.” However, nobody listens to me so duathlon it is.) The nine chapters address motivation (i.e., why exercise, race and “tri the tri and du?”), getting started, variety of race options, training, equipment, race day details and strategies, nutrition, injury prevention and management and staying with it. Each chapter has from five to twenty sub-chapters pertinent to the featured topics. If you have a question about how to prepare for a triathlon or duathlon that Dr. Jones has not addressed, you are probably worrying too much. Read 101 Ideas and you can safety, assuredly and productively be happy with no worry in either or both of these two exciting sporting events.

While every page has tidbits and, as often as not, big chunks of material attractive for the experienced as well as the novice multi-sport participant, all readers will have their own favorite sections. Among mine were the following:

* The discussion about getting started. Everyone, without exception, was a novice at one time. In fact, one of the most popular (i.e., most participant) categories in recent years has been the exclusive, much cheered novice category. Unfortunately for those who have a wonderful experience racing their first tri or du in the novice division, you can only be part of this elite group one time. Choose your event wisely – in some races, the management makes first timers feel like rock stars.

* The principles for training. Dr. Jonas offers eight of them, all broad and common sense in nature (e.g., regular rest is key) but easily neglected.

* Detailed training programs for varied distance multi-sport events. Many beginning and even experienced athletes just make up their own routines or go along with others. Ad hoc routines are seldom as efficient or effective as evidence-based regiments such as Dr. Jonas offers for all level participants.

* A sense for the costs of being a triathlete and/or duathlete. These costs, estimated in the range of $1400 to $2500, will vary enormously in accord with one’s budget and ambitions. This range, however, is fair enough for the entry-level participant for whom the book is primarily intended.

* The occasional special treat. There are many throughout the work, but my favorite came on idea number 77 wherein Dr. Jonas describes the fascinating happenings known only to those like him at the back of the pack. The last point made says it all: “Finally, it’s so much better to be at the back of the pack than to not be in the race at all.” Even my wellness hero Robert Green Ingersoll would have been challenged to say it better.

* Idea number 73. Dr. Jonas describes his experience in Tuscaloosa, Alabama in 2009 at the National Sprint Triathlon Championship. As long as there are triathlons, this race will be recalled for the infamous “uphill swim” all participants had to endure. Not the strongest or fastest swimmer in the world, Dr. Jonas entertainingly describes his two-hour-plus ordeal fighting a current of Biblical proportion, so to speak. I was in that race, and had quite a struggle with the current (caused by the opening of a dam upriver), but not quite so much as the good doctor. When I entered the transition area after the bike ride, he was entering after the swim! Yet, here what I most vividly recall: Though I was about half a morning ahead of him, Dr. Jonas was having a great time, smiling and being all cheerful whereas I was breathing heavily, stressed and in a foul mood! And he had the nerve to try to cheer me up! And he did! After the race and ever since, it’s clear to me who between the two of us has more fun doing triathlons. He does. Recalling that occasion, however, I have worked on lightening up.

Finally, mention should be made of the personal nature of how information is conveyed in 101 Ideas. Dr. Jonas has so much experience – he has completed over 200 races. In a tri and du career that began in 1983 at Sag Harbor, NY in an event called “The Mighty Hamptons Triathlon” (sounds a bit intimidating to me), he has come to know nearly all the main characters that have shaped multi-sport. This knowledge shows on every page, in anecdotes and illustrations and, most enjoyably, in countless asides of personal perspective. Dr. Jonas does not regret or shy from the fact that he is not the world record-setting type; au contraire, he revels in it. By the end of the book, readers might think to themselves, “Hey, if this old guy can do triathlons and duathlons and enjoy the two sports so much, I think I can do OK at this, too,” or thoughts along those lines.

If that’s what readers think, nobody will be happier about it than Dr. Jonas.

Something to Cheer About While the Economy and Nearly Everything Else Tanks: A Superb New Book

The Dark Tide Written by Andrew Gross

I have now read both of Andrew Gross’s books, The Blue Zone and The Dark Tide. I am convinced he is here to stay among today’s top authors of suspense fiction that has just enough facts to keep your brain thinking and wanting more. His characters and locations are very well described and the stories well scripted.

Karen Friedman has a happy family consisting of her loving (or so she thought), husband, two children, Samantha and Alex, and family pet dog Tobey. Husband Charles is a highly successful investment banker who was thought of also being so by his associates in his business, and in giving his family a very nice life. The kids were into sports and Karen was always there with her support and Charles when he could make it. The neighbors of their upscale neighborhood thought very highly of the entire family

All of the above was true for many years of their marriage until Charles was in a commuter train bombing in Grand Central Station. This threw the family, the company Charles worked for, and their friends into deep sorrow. That is except for the ones involved in the money laundering schemes that Charles had been performing for many years, all of which his family knew nothing about. Many felt they had been swindled through Charles’ actions and they wanted their securities and money back!

Lieutenant Ty Hauck of the Greenwich Police Department was a local hero from high school and college and had worked his way up in the department. He was highly thought of and worked on some tough cases. Ty became involved in the death of Charles Friedman when it became apparent that the hit and run of a young man was somehow tied into Charles disappearance. At first Karen’s worry was that Charles was buried in the rubble of one of the still burning train cars. Her mind wondered all over the place until some identification was found that led the authorities to believe that Charles had been in the destruction and was dead.

Time went on without any sign of Charles body and no word from him to anyone. Karen and the remaining family went through hard times trying to invent a new life. Eventually a detective came to the Friedman’s house to ask Karen some questions unrelated to the bombing. The detective happened to be Ty Hauck and the purpose of his visit was to see if the family knew the man that had been killed in the hit and run that had taken place at about the same time and near where the bombing occurred. The family did not know of the man but Karen and Hauck seemed to hit it off personally noticing each other from the beginning. The killings increased, some seemingly related and some not, so more authorities became involved.

One part of the investigation led to another until Hauck was delving too deep for some apparently involved in the deep-rooted problems Charles had created. Hauck was led to other parts of the world and back again as he continued to find clues to the work and people that Charles had worked for and against. One of the men Charles had worked with and had been a good friend of Karen’s, Saul Lennick, was in contact with Karen telling her that he would do all he could to assist her and also he pumped information out of Karen regarding all the things she has researched.

Going any farther would give too much of the authors many great plots and storylines away. The Dark Tide was extremely hard to put down. You must read this book. Take my word that it is a non-stop action filled story with lots of adventure, shrewd dealings, love and sex, trips to tropical islands, and much more. As I said at the beginning of this review, I truly hope Andrew Gross continues for many years to give us great stories such as his first two have been.

The Dark Tide Written by Andrew Gross