This second collection of John Osbornes dramatic work includes The Entertainer; The Hotel in Amsterdam; West of Suez and Time Present. A lifelong satirist of prigs and puritans; whether of the Right or Left; he took no hostages; expecting from other people the same unyielding; unflinching commitment to their view of the truth which he took for granted in his own. Of all the British playwrights of the twentieth century he is the one who risked the most. And risking most; frequently offered the most rewards. David Hare; Spectator Osborne was an instinctive writer; but he had genius in his early years for capturing the national mood and conveying undiluted feeling... one wonders whether any of the bright new talents will have the courage to do what Osborne did in the past: to encapsulate on the tiny stage the state of the nation at large. Guardian Praise for The Entertainer The rancid; dead-accurate domestic dialogue is a joy; with clich�s dropping like bats from the ceiling... the play becomes a flamboyant coronach for Englands lost greatness; enshrining one of the great characters in modern drama. Daily Telegraph Like all Osbornes best work; this is a play about personal failure; individual desolation; the frustration of a community. One of the reasons why Osborne changed the face of English theatre is that he made passionate personal drama out of a national malaise. Sunday Times
#1431912 in eBooks 2012-08-28 2012-08-28File Name: B00CNVP7G6
Review
24 of 25 people found the following review helpful. A Breathtakingly Perfect Book for Tree LoversBy Susan WrublewskiHow horribly unfair for an earlier reviewer to give this book one star simply because it is an abridged version. Think of how many people will see that review and choose not to read what may be the most perfect book for neophyte dendrologists ever written! Nor is the book for inexperienced tree aficionados only. Even experts will be well served by the books beautiful prose and unabashed emotion; even if only reminds them how best to inspire a love of trees in their students. I already know the Latin names of all the eastern trees in the book; and know how to identify each species by sight. Nonetheless; I was thrilled by the historical information in the descriptions; and was actually moved to tears by Peatties description of what we have lost and will continue to lose as these trees disappear from our forests.Each species unique characteristics are concisely described in the book; but each trees character is lovingly explained; as well. Peattie writes so beautifully that you cannot help but be moved - and perhaps forever changed - by reading his descriptions. This book will make you gasp with wonder; stun you into speechlessness; make you laugh aloud with sheer joy; and probably move you to tears more than once. The few short pages about the Beech tree; for example; describe its characteristic bark and form; and explain how colonists knew a beech tree indicated good soil for planting crops. This is standard information; but how many field guides exclaim over the "gleam of its wondrously smooth bark;" or remind us that the famous Beech carved into by Daniel Boone began its life fifty years before Shakespeare?You dont need any prior knowledge of silviculture or dendrology to learn from and love this volume. Field Guides may help you to distinguish between a red oak and a black oak; but no other book will make you fall in love with a tree. In fact; all the guidebooks in the world fail to do what this book does effortlessly and beautifully: turn your appreciation for trees into an educated passion for each and every tree in your backyard and beyond. I promise you will not regret reading this book; I virtually guarantee you will read it again and again. I only wish I could thank the author personally for the gift of this perfect book.2 of 3 people found the following review helpful. An Insult to Peatties Memory - Abridged to Uselesness as a ReferenceBy ExRxITI recently found a wonderful little husband and wife lumber yard. One of their specialties is quartersawn Chestnut Oak; and I bought two beautiful boards. At home I eagerly opened the Kindle edition of this book to read up on the species; remembering that Peattie included Chestnut Oak in his section on eastern oaks. But the article was not there! It is in my hard copy; but was stripped from this combined eastern/western mash-up; along with many other less important species. You will have similar experiences if you try to use this book as a reference. Buy the two separate but complete books instead; while they are still available.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. A Real classicBy R. OB.A Real classic. Well-narrated. Ive read the book years ago; but the audio gives it a whole other dimension. This was highly recommended by a client of mine who has a high-end furniture making business. Hes had his whole staff listen to the 6-7 chapters that describe the woods they use in their furniture.