Lucifer makes a wager with God and sets out to test the loyalty of his favourite son; King David; Man of Blood. Davids eyes are opened and for the first time he glimpses the demon inside his own god-like being. Now David must question the nature of a God who continues to bless him; a war criminal in all he does. What does this say about the God he worships? David determines to set God a test of his own. Seducing the beautiful Bethsebe and sending her husband Uriah back to the front with sealed orders; David inches his way toward a crime any good God must surely punish. Mustnt he? In the battle between heaven and earth which ensues; the innocent quickly fall and Davids challenge to God assumes cataclysmic proportions... King David; Man of Blood re-spins a classic biblical tale to devastating moral effect; fetching up on a very modern shore; where horror; tragedy; comedy and a terrible beauty co-exist.
#3756931 in eBooks 2012-10-01 2012-10-01File Name: B00BU0O6P4
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. A marvelous tribute to a unique American institution and a special womanBy R. M. PetersonCaffegrave; Lena is a unique American institution. It is a coffeehouse/performance space; with a capacity of about 100; on the second floor of a building from the late 1800s on a side street in downtown Saratoga Springs; New York. It was opened in May 1960 by Lena Spencer and her then-husband Bill (shortly thereafter they divorced). For nearly thirty years Lena operated the Caffegrave;; not for profit; but out of love and devotion to community and to the performers. Lena died in 1989; but Caffegrave; Lena continues on. Recently renovated; it is the oldest continuously operated folk music coffeehouse in the country.CAFFEgrave; LENA the book is a marvelous tribute to this legendary venue. It is coffee-table-sized; and contains over 200 evocative black-and-white photographs. It also is compulsively readable; especially if you are an admirer of folk music. The book is organized primarily around the dozens of performers (mostly "folk music" artists; but Lena Spencer was very eclectic in who she booked) who appeared there over the years. In most cases; each performer provides a short piece on what Lena and the Caffegrave; meant to them and to the folk music community. Many of these pieces contain interesting anecdotes. And for each there are one or more photographs; some are performance pictures but others show off-stage life in Saratoga Springs; including life in Lenas apartment; where she often put up her performers.The performer profiles are grouped by decades. The 1960s include (among many others) Dave Von Ronk; Bob Dylan; Ramblin Jack Elliot; Pete Seeger; Bernice Johnson Reagon; Mississippi John Hurt; Noel Paul Stookey; Carolyn Hester; and Jim Kweskin. Some from The 1970s are Arlo Guthrie; Rosalie Sorrels; Utah Phillips; David Amran; Kate McGarrigle; David Bromberg; Don McLean; and Christine Lavin. The 1980s include Rufus Wainwright; Townes Van Zandt; Bucky Pizzarelli; and Greg Brown. The chapter on the 1990s to Today: Ani DiFranco; Catie Curtis; and Livingston Taylor.The driving force behind the book was Jocelyn Arem; who first went to Caffegrave; Lena as a freshman at Skidmore College; located a short distance away. Arem tracked down performers and recorded oral-history interviews. She located the photographs of Joe Alper as well as lots of ephemera. (Some of the ephemera -- promotional posters; menus; guest checks -- decorate the endpapers of the book.)CAFFEgrave; LENA is one of the richest and most enjoyable books I have encountered in a while. It is a tribute to its namesake coffeehouse and to the special woman who gave her name to that coffeehouse. It is pure Americana. And it demonstrates; time and again; these words of Tim Robbins (whose father is one of the profiled performers): "Folk music wasnt necessarily a lucrative way to make a living. It was beyond show business in a lot of ways. Folk music relied on community."0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. A good; solid reference bookBy Brett BydairkA great reference book and guide to Americas longest-running coffee house. Opened in May; 1960; Lena Spencer hosted many performers (both singly and in groups) that went on to bigger things; people like Tom Paxton; Emmy Lou Harris; Robin and Linda Williams (who still perform there on occasion); Arlo Guthrie; and; yes; Bob Dylan. The result of ten years of research and many; many interviews; the book consists of pictures of the performer(s); with a page or so of reminiscences by or about them. Although some stories are not as complete (and in a few instances; as accurate) as one could hope; it is still an immensely valuable historical document.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Essential book for anyone interested in 20th and 21st Century American folk musicBy ChristineLavinThere is also a companion box set of music. Anyone interested in American folk music of the 20th and 21st Century should have this book in their home library. Its beautifully done -- wonderful photos and stories from people like Bob Dylan; Joan Baez; Dave Van Ronk; and so many others.