IniciGrupsConversesMésTendències
Cerca al lloc
Aquest lloc utilitza galetes per a oferir els nostres serveis, millorar el desenvolupament, per a anàlisis i (si no has iniciat la sessió) per a publicitat. Utilitzant LibraryThing acceptes que has llegit i entès els nostres Termes de servei i política de privacitat. L'ús que facis del lloc i dels seus serveis està subjecte a aquestes polítiques i termes.

Resultats de Google Books

Clica una miniatura per anar a Google Books.

S'està carregant…

When Mermaids Sing

de Mark Zvonkovic

MembresRessenyesPopularitatValoració mitjanaMencions
1041,832,998 (3.75)1
In the early 1970s, religious cults aggressively recruited baby boomers who were coming of age in a new era of experimentation and self-pursuit. Many parents, desperate when a child would disappear into a cult, resorted to hiring a deprogrammer who would, usually surreptitiously, extract the child from the cult and use deprogramming techniques to convince the child to return to the family. This practice was extremely controversial and often resulted in criminal and civil actions, as well as good newspaper copy. Larry Brown is a young, self-absorbed junior high school English teacher in Medford, Massachusetts with serious relationship problems. One weekend he meets Jenny, a young woman who is attempting to extract her brother from a cult that has an ashram on Cape Cod. Larry soon discovers that his cousin, Bradley, is a member of the same cult. With the help of Sam Henry, a feared deprogrammer also known as Black Lightning, they kidnap Jenny's brother and Bradley from the ashram and Larry is forced to face the hard reality that his cousin is in a precarious emotional state. Larry's comfortable liberal principles are tested, and his cherished childhood memories are shattered by the ordeal. Mark Zvonkovic's When Mermaids Sing is an interesting look at a time when the world was changing on an almost daily basis. As most of the story takes place within the ivy halls of America, we get to see some of these changes discussed or at least displayed. And a few characters illustrate the dangerous depths to which such ideas can bring a person. Choosing a self-centered character as narrator may turn some readers off, but Zvonkovic's choice is actually quite brilliant: who better to study the great challenges represented by such a rapidly changing America? If you enjoy literary experiments or interesting character studies, When Mermaids Sing is a book you should enjoy. --TheDeepening World of Fiction, Copyright 2010, Clayton Bye "The title of Zvonkovic's carefully written novel is suggested by a line from John Donne's playful Go and Catch A Falling Star. Catching falling stars and hearing mermaids singing are, in Donne's thinking, rather unlikely events. Readers of When Mermaids Sing may wonder whether substantive change in Larry Brown is also unlikely. As literary fiction, the story relies heavily on theme, interior monologue and a strong sense of place rather than non-stop action on its introspective journey to a powerful conclusion. --POD Book Reviews & More, Copyright 2009, Malcolm R. Campbell To save one's family from a dangerous cult, people will toe the line of the law. "When Mermaids Sing" tells the tale of Larry Brown and Jenny, as they try to save their family members from a cult in Cape Cod. With the help of the unsavory individual known as Black Lightning, they realize there are far bigger issues than cult brainwashing with their family. "When Mermaids Sing" is a choice and highly recommended look into the early 1970s cult hysteria.--Midwest Book Review, Copyright 2010, Midwest Book Review Some readers will be disappointed in the lack of action, but the book might hit the right spot for those who are more meditative. When Mermaids Sing strives to be an introspective story and attempts to show the different path individuals take to find their niche in the world. With Larry it's about maintaining the status quo a respectable job, a nice apartment and a girlfriend while Bradley is more open to exploring other avenues to find his nirvana.--Foreword Review, Copyright 2010, Foreword Magazine… (més)
Cap
S'està carregant…

Apunta't a LibraryThing per saber si aquest llibre et pot agradar.

No hi ha cap discussió a Converses sobre aquesta obra.

» Mira també 1 menció

Es mostren totes 4
Aquesta ressenya s'ha escrit per al programa Donatius de membres de LibraryThing.
during a recovery attempt by a brainwashing deprogrammer Larry is finally able to speak with Bradley and try to understand what it is that he has been searching for all of these years. Larry leaves the encounter with a more grounded view of his cousin and a better recollections of his childhood. No longer is he chasing some grandiose ideal, that is just out of his grasp. After learning the truth about his girlfriend he finally ends his relationship with this emotionally abusive women. However, the passion is still lacking in his life and is evident by his subdued reaction at being awarded a tenured teaching contract at the school where he teaches.

This is a well written book, but I feel it really has little to do with the story of cults, but more on the theme of mans search for meaning in his life.. The story was interesting and rich with detail, but Larry’s struggle for identity that is central to the story is more what captivated my attention. ( )
  luckycharm6139 | Oct 15, 2010 |
Aquesta ressenya s'ha escrit per al programa Donatius de membres de LibraryThing.
The plot, which involves two characters' attempt to deprogram family members who have supposedly been brainwashed by a cult, sounds really promising. Unfortunately, the word "plot" proves to be something of an overstatement, as very little actually happens in this book. It's only in the last twenty pages or so that we get so much as a conversation with one of the cultists, and then only after many, many pages of (in my opinion, quite oversimplified) exposition about the psychology of cults. And in the end there's very little drama in it at all, psychological or otherwise. Indeed, there's essentially nothing dramatic or engaging in the entire book. The protagonist/narrator tells us all about his girlfriend, his family history, his opinions on various irrelevant subjects, and what he's having for breakfast, but none of it is imbued with any emotion or any particular insight. The blurb on the back cover describes this character as "self-absorbed." I believe what that actually means is that, while he seems like an okay guy, listening to him narrate his story is almost exactly like being cornered at a party by someone who won't stop droning on about the mundane details of his life, which he completely fails to realize are of no interest at all to anyone but him. ( )
  bragan | Nov 20, 2009 |
When Mermaids Sing
By Mark Zvonkovic
iUniverse, Inc.
ISBN: 9781440167171
239 Pages

Prepare to sit back and enjoy the beautifully written literary fiction of Mark Zvonkovic in When Mermaids Sing. When a former English teacher also has the creative genius to tell stories, it results in a pleasurable read, no matter the topic. In Zvonkovic’s case, his first novel takes us back to the 70s when there were many, many religious cults which aggressively recruited young people, often resulting in a complete break of teens from their families.

As I started to read and review the issues that led to what was, in essence, brainwashing, I thought of today’s reality shows that reveal how people now use drugs and alcohol to find that “something” that is lacking in their lives. Why is it that there are always those that seek “alternative” methods to find what seems to be missing?

Larry Brown appears to be the low man on the totem pole in his family—he’s just a high school English teacher, while his parents teach at the college level. On the other hand, he’s satisfied with his life and looks back on his early years with pleasure. Now, however, he’s heard from his best friend that his companion is cheating on him and he’s taking a harder look at the relationship, even following Milly to theatres where she is an actress. When he sees her leaving with a fellow actor, carrying an overnight bag, he is forced to face the truth. Not only is she cheating, but she later continues to lie, dominate and abuse his feelings for her.

So when he attended his father’s annual “welcome” for his students, he was open to meet and talk with Jenny, who had been captured by his father in one of his usual discussions about W. H. Auden. But as soon as his father moves on to other responsibilities, Jenny and Larry change to more personal topics. Trying to get himself out of an embarrassing situation, he comments about his cousin Bradley being involved with meditation—which leads Jenny to share that her brother, Josh, had joined a cult that has an ashram, a retreat on Cape Cod. When Larry learns that Bradley is also staying at this site, he becomes immediately more concerned and agrees to work with Jenny. Her father had hired Sam Henry, a well-known deprogrammer who was known as “Black Lightning.”

With Black Lightning in charge, a rescue is planned for Josh and Bradley. Along the way, a few others join the group, and Larry is upset to learn that getting Josh out is the main objective since getting both out might be impossible. Although Jenny had visited Josh in the past, it was known that none of the members were ever allowed to be alone. But, although nothing had been proven, Larry was concerned that a young man they had briefly met, who had recently been found dead, had “not” committed suicide, but had been found by two members of the cult who had been trying to take him back! Now, there was a need to not only get Josh and Bradley to travel together, but to get them both away from the ashram! A difficult task...

I was completely caught off-guard with the ending and think you will be also! Mark Zvonkovic’s When Mermaids Sing, takes reader into an insightful, introspective look, at ourselves, our lives, and a consideration of what so many are searching for from life. Personally, I enjoyed the look back into my own memories of those times when there was always some group of young people, selling flowers, or whatever, as you traveled, who invited you to accept their handouts about their lives. Whether or not, you have those memories, you will certainly be taken into the time period and the experience. Enjoy the time spent there during the 70s in America’s northeast! I did!

G. A. Bixler ( )
  GABixler | Nov 20, 2009 |
Aquesta ressenya s'ha escrit per al programa Donatius de membres de LibraryThing.
This book was ok.. I didn't really feel there was much that was special about it to write about. I did find that the voice of the narrator (Larry) reminded me a lot of Holden Caulfield of Catcher in the Rye. He did a lot of rambling when there was no dialogue and self-reflection. I also thought that the summary on the back of the book should probably be changed because it doesn't seem like the religious cult is what it's really about. I got over halfway through the book before it was even really mentioned. The book was mostly about Larry and his problems with his girlfriend Millie and I think that the summary on the back should have reflected that. This book was well written and the story was good but it just wasn't my type of thing..
  kelsyb2010 | Nov 19, 2009 |
Es mostren totes 4
Sense ressenyes | afegeix-hi una ressenya
Has d'iniciar sessió per poder modificar les dades del coneixement compartit.
Si et cal més ajuda, mira la pàgina d'ajuda del coneixement compartit.
Títol normalitzat
Títol original
Títols alternatius
Data original de publicació
Gent/Personatges
Informació del coneixement compartit en anglès. Modifica-la per localitzar-la a la teva llengua.
Llocs importants
Informació del coneixement compartit en anglès. Modifica-la per localitzar-la a la teva llengua.
Esdeveniments importants
Pel·lícules relacionades
Epígraf
Dedicatòria
Primeres paraules
Informació del coneixement compartit en anglès. Modifica-la per localitzar-la a la teva llengua.
Though it was late, it was not the sound of arguing that woke Helen in the dead of night.
Citacions
Darreres paraules
Nota de desambiguació
Editor de l'editorial
Creadors de notes promocionals a la coberta
Llengua original
CDD/SMD canònics
LCC canònic

Referències a aquesta obra en fonts externes.

Wikipedia en anglès

Cap

In the early 1970s, religious cults aggressively recruited baby boomers who were coming of age in a new era of experimentation and self-pursuit. Many parents, desperate when a child would disappear into a cult, resorted to hiring a deprogrammer who would, usually surreptitiously, extract the child from the cult and use deprogramming techniques to convince the child to return to the family. This practice was extremely controversial and often resulted in criminal and civil actions, as well as good newspaper copy. Larry Brown is a young, self-absorbed junior high school English teacher in Medford, Massachusetts with serious relationship problems. One weekend he meets Jenny, a young woman who is attempting to extract her brother from a cult that has an ashram on Cape Cod. Larry soon discovers that his cousin, Bradley, is a member of the same cult. With the help of Sam Henry, a feared deprogrammer also known as Black Lightning, they kidnap Jenny's brother and Bradley from the ashram and Larry is forced to face the hard reality that his cousin is in a precarious emotional state. Larry's comfortable liberal principles are tested, and his cherished childhood memories are shattered by the ordeal. Mark Zvonkovic's When Mermaids Sing is an interesting look at a time when the world was changing on an almost daily basis. As most of the story takes place within the ivy halls of America, we get to see some of these changes discussed or at least displayed. And a few characters illustrate the dangerous depths to which such ideas can bring a person. Choosing a self-centered character as narrator may turn some readers off, but Zvonkovic's choice is actually quite brilliant: who better to study the great challenges represented by such a rapidly changing America? If you enjoy literary experiments or interesting character studies, When Mermaids Sing is a book you should enjoy. --TheDeepening World of Fiction, Copyright 2010, Clayton Bye "The title of Zvonkovic's carefully written novel is suggested by a line from John Donne's playful Go and Catch A Falling Star. Catching falling stars and hearing mermaids singing are, in Donne's thinking, rather unlikely events. Readers of When Mermaids Sing may wonder whether substantive change in Larry Brown is also unlikely. As literary fiction, the story relies heavily on theme, interior monologue and a strong sense of place rather than non-stop action on its introspective journey to a powerful conclusion. --POD Book Reviews & More, Copyright 2009, Malcolm R. Campbell To save one's family from a dangerous cult, people will toe the line of the law. "When Mermaids Sing" tells the tale of Larry Brown and Jenny, as they try to save their family members from a cult in Cape Cod. With the help of the unsavory individual known as Black Lightning, they realize there are far bigger issues than cult brainwashing with their family. "When Mermaids Sing" is a choice and highly recommended look into the early 1970s cult hysteria.--Midwest Book Review, Copyright 2010, Midwest Book Review Some readers will be disappointed in the lack of action, but the book might hit the right spot for those who are more meditative. When Mermaids Sing strives to be an introspective story and attempts to show the different path individuals take to find their niche in the world. With Larry it's about maintaining the status quo a respectable job, a nice apartment and a girlfriend while Bradley is more open to exploring other avenues to find his nirvana.--Foreword Review, Copyright 2010, Foreword Magazine

No s'han trobat descripcions de biblioteca.

Descripció del llibre
Sumari haiku

Autor de LibraryThing

Mark Zvonkovic és un autor/a de LibraryThing, un autor/a que afegeix la seva biblioteca personal a LibraryThing.

pàgina del perfil | pàgina de l'autor

Debats actuals

Cap

Cobertes populars

Dreceres

Valoració

Mitjana: (3.75)
0.5
1
1.5
2 1
2.5
3
3.5
4 2
4.5
5 1

 

Quant a | Contacte | LibraryThing.com | Privadesa/Condicions | Ajuda/PMF | Blog | Botiga | APIs | TinyCat | Biblioteques llegades | Crítics Matiners | Coneixement comú | 203,187,525 llibres! | Barra superior: Sempre visible