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Scarlett Johansson Asked... is one of those rare books that we never forget. This is beyond a doubt one of the most remarkable abstract literature novels. It is also one of the best. A truly perfect book wows readers today, and for good reason. Its unique language is sophisticated and humorous instead of outlandish, intriguing instead of garish. To get the idea of the book just read the first sentence: "Whilst the taram pam pam were ooh la la on their ooh la la, tra la la constant ha ha ha, the ooh la la, who, of course, ooh la la not taram pam pam to ooh la la their ooh la la." This book is different. Number one on the must list. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A comedic, and sometimes misunderstood, masterpiece
Meet Artie Lange, the hero of Nigel Tomm's tragicomic tale, 'Scarlett Johansson Asked Artie Lange: "Are You Too Fat to Fish Some Natalie Portman?" He Answered: "I Must Have Sex With Adriana Lima, Robin Quivers & Eva Longoria Parker As They're My Life Calendar"'.

This 30-year-old medievalist lives at home with his mother in New Jersey, pens his magnum opus on Big Chief writing pads he keeps hidden under his bed, and relays to anyone who will listen the traumatic experience he once had on a Greyhound Scenicruiser bound for Baton Rouge. ("Speeding along in that bus was like hurtling into the abyss.") But Artie's quiet life of tyrannizing his mother and writing his endless comparative history screeches to a halt when he is almost arrested by the overeager Patrolman Norris--who mistakes him for a vagrant--and then involved in a car accident with his tipsy mother behind the wheel. One thing leads to another, and before he knows it, Artie is out pounding the pavement in search of a job.

Over the next several hundred pages, our hero stumbles from one adventure to the next. His stint as a hotdog vendor is less than successful, and he soon turns his employers at the Bob Levy Pants Company on their heads. Artie's path through the working world is populated by marvelous secondary characters: the stripper Dana and her talented cockatoo; the septuagenarian secretary Miss Dell'Abate, whose desperate attempts to retire are constantly, comically thwarted; gay blade Sal Governale; sinister Robin Quivers, proprietor of Rick's nightclub; and Lisa G, the girl Artie loves to hate. The many subplots that weave through 'Scarlett Johansson' are as complicated as anything you'll find in a Dickens novel, and just as beautifully tied together in the end. But it is Artie--selfish, domineering, and deluded, tragic and comic and larger than life--who carries the story. He is a modern-day Quixote beset by giants of the modern age. His fragility cracks the shell of comic bluster, revealing a deep streak of melancholy beneath the antic humor. Nigel Tomm committed suicide in 1969 and never saw the publication of his novel. Artie Lange is what he left behind, a fitting memorial to a talented and tormented life. ... Read more

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Read by
3 cassettes, 5 hrs. 15 min.

A suspenseful, richly layered first novel that asks: How much do we owe the people we love?

THE DIVE FROM CLAUSEN'S PIER will speak to all those who have ever thought about leaving when they knew they should stay, anyone who has ever felt trapped, not only by circumstance, but by the strength of their own love, Carrie Bell has lived in Wisconsin all her life.She's had the same best friend, the same good relationship with her mother, the same boyfriend, for as long as anyone can remember.But when her fiance, Mike is paralyzed by a tragic accident, Carrie has to question everything she thought she knew about herself and about the meaning of home.

Ann Packer has written a morally complex, deeply satisfying novel about the desire to live fully and the conflict between who we want to be to others and who we must be for ourselves.A magnificent debut from a remarkable new talent.Amazon.com Review
Carrie Bell is the worst person in the world. Or so she would have you think. In the gripping, carefully paced debut novel of personal epiphany, The Dive from Clausen's Pier, by O. Henry Award winner Ann Packer, Carrie's very survival is dependent upon her leaving her fiancé, even after he dives into shallow water at a Memorial Day picnic and becomes paralyzed. Things hadn't been going so well for the Madison, Wisconsin, high school and college sweethearts. Carrie knew, deep down, that she wasn't going to become Mrs. Michael Mayer. But expectations and pressure from all sides--his family, her mother, her best friend Jamie, Mike's best friend Rooster--force Carrie to shut herself up in her room and sew outfits of her own design as if in a trance. Then one night she slips out of the only universe she's ever known. Many hours later she finds herself on the doorstep of a high school classmate living in Manhattan. Carrie's adventures in the city--quirky roommates and a new romance with an older,emotionally impenetrable man--confuse her in her quest both to forgive herself and to embark on a career in fashion design. Packer writes in a convincing voice and packs a lot into this novel; she infuses Carrie with enough humanity and smarts to choose her own version of "happily ever after." --Emily Russin ... Read more

Customer Reviews (418)

Grabbed me from the first paragraph and I couldn't put it down
This is my first time reading an Ann Packer novel. And The Dive from Clausen's Pier is Ann Packer's first novel. I was hooked from the first paragraph, which is just the way I like a book to be, it sucks you in and you just know it's going to be an easy and enjoyable read.

The question posed by Ann in this novel is a terrible one that no one ever wants to have to answer. What do you do if you start to grow away from your partner, and then they are injured in a terrible accident? Do you stay out of pity, or do you walk away and try and shape a new life buried under the weight of guilt?

Ann deals with this question and the answer in this beautifully written book and I found myself unable to put it down. I wanted to know what would become of Carrie, and of Mike. How her friends and family would react to the choices that she makes. And how the relationship with an enigmatic man helps Carrie answer the questions whirling round her own head and help her to decide on the path she wants to take in life.

I'm putting this one onto the 5 star bookshelf and will look out for Ann's other novels.

Could have done without it
Starts off ok, then muddles along endlessly.Its ok but I wouldn't waste time reading again.

Four Stars
I really enjoyed this novel.It received mixed reviews and I completely understand why. Before reading this novel, I read all the reviews, and was sure that I would find Carrie and her decision to head to NYC despicable.Without going into any specifics of the plot, I was surprised to find that I did not completely hate her.I did find many of her decisions questionable, and I had to remind myself numerous times that she was 23 and completely lost in her own life. Her last decision of the novel was the only decision she made that I agreed with, and I applauded her for coming to the conclusion that she did.I found Carrie somewhat difficult to relate to, as I have never had the means to just up and move on a whim, and then not work for a year.Sometimes when I was reading the novel, and Carrie was describing how she spent her day, I found myself thinking "Stop moping around and get a job."The one character that I really loved was Mike.The descriptions of him absolutely broke my heart, and I found myself dangerously close to weeping sometimes while reading his scenes.

I thought that this novel was well-written and interesting.I did not necessarily agree with the way she portrayed Mid-westerners, however, as stodgy and boring.Having lived in both New York and Chicago, I found her description of mid-westerners inaccurate.Nonetheless, I keep in mind that Packer was writing from Carrie's perspective, and maybe this is just how Carrie viewed the midwest.I give this book four stars, because even though I was unable to relate to Carrie and sometimes found her annoying, I really did enjoy reading the story, and it will stay with me for along time.

A message of acceptance
I just wanted to add one comment to the other reviews.When the main character Carrie comes home and asks her mother if she's a bad person because she left her fiance after he suffered a debilitating accident, her mother responds by saying "It's not very helpful to regard your choices as a series of right or wrong choices.They don't define you as much as you define them".Maybe I have a lot of unresolved guilt, but I liked this thought so well I text messaged it to myself and I read it from time to time.

Other than that, the book kept my interest even though I didn't particularly like any of the main characters, and other than the quote above, Carrie's mother in particular was really flat - unflappable, always sensible, never worried, never harried, never changing or growing.Maybe that was a statement about small town life and why Carrie needed to leave, but I don't know people like that and reading about them is sort of "yeah right".

Choices
This is the story of one year in the life of Carrie Bell, a young midwestern woman.The writer goes deep into the lady's thoughts, actions,and feelings, her relationships with all her friends, her ambitions and the two men important in her life.

Carrue is a twenty three year old who has always lived a conservative life; she graduated from high school, obtained a college degree, dated the same boy since her early teens and had the same best friend since second grade.She was born and grew up in the city of Madison, Wisconson.Now she feels she needs to enlarge her life and choices.She has loved sewing, been fascinated with different types of fabrics and pours over books of clothing designing.

Then comes the tragic accident; Mike Meyers dives from Clausen Pier and is left a paraplegic.He spends weeks in the hospital.Carrie feels it is her fault; Mike was trying toimpress her.Carrie does not want to rush into marriage, her feelings for Mike has cooled.She wants to try other options before she settles down.And she is young and has her whole life ahead outside of Madison, Wisconsin.So she does.

Overwhelmed, and who can blame her, she hops in her car and drives all the way to New York.She has a gay man friend who has invited her to come to the Big Apple and stay and she does.Carrie meets most of his friends and finds a lover who she had metwhile Kilroy was visiting Madison.Carrie signs up for expensive clothing designing courses which she loves.But Kilroy is a strange one.He dislikes all of his family because of a reason that happened many years ago. For this he cannot forgive them.He wants nothing to do with any of them.He loves Carrie and wants to marry her.He is seven years younger than Carrie's mother.

Carrie goes back and forth in her mind, missing Mike, comparing him with Kilroy, missing her
friends in Madison, comparing them with the New York friends.When she goes back to visit Madison she misses the excitement of New York; in New York she misses the
lakes, parks and comparative quiet of Madison.

Finally Carrie makes her choice.Whether it is the right one or not is up to thereader to decide. ... Read more

Product Description
He's Just Not That Into You is a 2009 American romantic comedy film, based on the self-help book of the same name by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo, which in turn was inspired by a line of dialogue in Sex and the City. The film features an ensemble cast that includes Ben Affleck, Jennifer Aniston, Drew Barrymore, Scarlett Johansson, Justin Long, Jennifer Connelly, Ginnifer Goodwin, Kevin Connolly, and Bradley Cooper. He's Just Not That Into You was directed by Ken Kwapis, and produced by Drew Barrymore's production company, Flower Films, with Barrymore serving as an executive producer. ... Read more

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2007 Poster Sized (12 x 17 inch) spiral bound wall calendar. great pics ... Read more

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Scarlett Johansson fueatred, Gina Gershon, Selma Blair, Jennifer Connely. Jessica Alba ... Read more

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This is a digital press kit used by movie critics and entertainment writers. THIS IS NOT A DVD OF THE FILM, but it is a nice supplement to fans of the film or the stars! It has a booklet inside with a film synopsis, full credits and stories about the production. The disc has photos, behind the scenes movie stills and other stuff about the movie. Not available to the general public!Also Emily Mortimer, Penelope Wilton, Matthew Goode, Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Brian Cox are pictured. ... Read more

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Interview Magazine, November 2005 Issue. The cover is Scarlett Johansson by John Travolta (6 pages).Also inside: Liev Schreiber by Dustin Hoffman (4 pages), Gavin Rossdale by Gary Oldman (4 pages), Shirley MacLaine by Jennifer Aniston (6 pages), Michelle Monaghan by Charlize Theron (8 pages), Catherine Keener (4 pages), Usher (5 pages),Katherine Moennig of The L Word, Mira Sorvino, Mickey Rourke (7 pages), The Veronicas, Elizabeth Reaser, Lady Sovereign, Noah Baumbach by Jennifer Jason Leigh, Judy Greer, etc... ... Read more

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Cover Scarlett Johansson ... Read more

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This digital document is an article from Proceso, published by Thomson Gale on December 16, 2007. The length of the article is 741 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: "La dalia negra".(Reseña de película)
Author: Javier Betancourt
Publication: Proceso (Magazine/Journal)
Date: December 16, 2007
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Issue: 1624Page: 72(1)

Article Type: Reseña de película

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more