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Love's Bitter Splendor
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by:
ISBN:
0-7414-6001-7
©2010
Price:
$14.95
Book Size:
5.5'' x 8.5''
, 237 pages
Category/Subject:
FICTION / Romance / General
Catherine Gideon and Karl Batali fell in love; they viewed their lives as endless, filled with joy and splendor. But since Karl’s untimely death, Catherine had never felt so alone and sad.
Then the mysterious Mark Joshin comes into her life….
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Abstract:
As Catherine Gideon and Karl Batali fell in love, they viewed their lives as endless, filled with joy and splendor. But since Karl’s untimely death, Catherine had never felt so alone and sad.
Then the mysterious Mark Joshin comes into her life. Mark is lonely and embittered—he and Catherine have a lot in common, troubled and cut off. She is the most beautiful girl he has ever met. She continues to push him away, but his good looks and charm are hard to ignore. They form a bond and share many secrets…but some are too painful to reveal. In time their friendship heals them both.
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Customer Reviews
Love's Bitter Splendor
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09/28/2010
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Reviewer:
Sylvester Murray
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Infinity Exclusive: A letter from Sylvester Murray (author of Love's Bitter Splendor.)
Dear Infinity book reader,
Let's face it; at one time or another, most of us are sobs for a love story, and of those, we tend to lean toward the most, are the sad or tragic ones. I know, because I certainly do.
A tear jerker will tug on the heart-strings of emotions within most of us. Reminding us of our mortality and of those fleeting times of our lives, and the significance of love that matters most to all of us. Often, the characters in these stories have both dark and light sides to their personalities, and even though we may not like some of their behavior at times, the very humanistic nature of their action and reactions will tug on the-heart-strings of emotions within most of us.
Time and again, the theme of illness and dying strengthens the belief that love is worth fighting for, and sacrificing everything, although many of these stories also advise against becoming emotionally embroiled in a dangerous love triangle or illicit affairs.
Never the less, within the fabrics of literature, or in real life, there have been numerous enduring tales of tragic love lost, among these are...Gone with the Wind, Titanic, Casablanca, Romeo and Juliet, and West Side Story. However, it is riveting stories such as these that make it onto the pages of a book, that are most cherished, hopefully within the pages of Love's Bitter Splendor...you'll find this, my debut novel...worthy of inclusion on your list of sad love stories.
Best regard
Sylvester Murray
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Love's Bitter Splendor
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10/02/2010
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Reviewer:
Susanmarie Hill
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After reading 'Love's Bitter Splendor' I sobbed like hell! I am in total agreement with the letter that Sylvester Murray wrote on the subject of sad and tragic romance stories, and how we tend to gravitate toward them. His novel, 'Love's Bitter Splendor' is the best kind of tear jerker. I wasn't even alive when some of the great classics he mentioned in his letter were written. Although in high school I'd read quite a few of them for book reports. The premise of 'Love's Bitter Splendor' is simple: the typical boy meets girl love story, with the cliche spoiled lonely rich boy, middle-class troubled girl angle. But I think the simplicity is part of what's so good about it. I fell in love with Mark and Catherine (and as corny as it may sound, I think their undying love for each other is ultimately what we're all searching for), and their tragedy became my devastation as well. It's generally your typical soppy chick story (with the exception that the pair doesn't "live happily ever after"), but probably the best one of its kind. A story like this to some may seem trite today, but it's hard to deny its genuineness. It hits all the right emotional buttons, and although I'm not one too usually cry over romance stories, this one certainly had me in tears. The two main characters in the book make a very attractive couple, and have good chemistry. Because of the tragedies in both of their past, leading up to the heart-wrenching end. Mark and Catherine both become larger than life, and I quite enjoyed the constant twist and turns of emotional drama between them. Good writing, with special attention to vivid imagery (I caught myself rereading parts of the book over and over again), beautiful scenes. I loved 'Love's Bitter Splendor'
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I hardly ever cry, but I couldn’t stop the tears when I read this book
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01/02/2014
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Reviewer:
Abigal Writer
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I hardly ever cry, but I couldn’t stop the tears when I read this book
When a friend recommended this book, I thought “what’s so interesting about it! I don't really want to read this,” but after hearing so much about it, I finally read it; and I was wrong. Not often have I read a book that has touched me as deeply as this book did. I cried through the last four chapters, and cried from time to time for the next few days! Beyond word’s of joy, loss, longing and love. Lying on her deathbed. Quote from chapter eighteen: Catherine closed her eyes and she grew quiet and he thought she’d drifted off to sleep. But suddenly her eyes fluttered open and she quietly said, “There’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you, Mark Joshin.” “What’s that, Catherine Gideon?” Catherine’s eyes took on a seriousness that he had never seen in them before; she reached out with her hand and gently caressed the side of his face. “I love you, Mark Joshin, with all my heart and soul.” For a moment Mark could hardly breathe. His heart was beating so fast; he’d longed to hear Catherine say those words to him. And for the moment he was too stunned to respond. End Quote. One of the best stories I have ever read.
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'I Love What I'm Doing': Duke Marine Lab cook shares recipes from 34 years of feeding folks from all
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01/03/2014
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Reviewer:
Pete
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Michael Hastings | Updated Dec 11, 2012
Sylvester "Sly" Murray grew up on the Outer Banks cooking Southern and coastal food.
Murray, 54, has cooked most of his life at the Duke University Marine Lab in Beaufort. For 34 years, he has helped feed the staff and students on this Duke satellite campus devoted to the study of marine ecosytems.
Because of the many nationalities at Duke, Murray has added ethnic dishes to his Southern and coastal menus.
He put all of those years of experience -- and more than 850 recipes -- into Down Home Coastal, Exotic, and Traditional Cooking (Infinity Press, $29.95).
"It seems as long as I can remember I've had a spatula in my hand," Murray said. "I wrote the book for the pure pleasure of cooking."
Murray was born in Beaufort on the North Carolina coast. He has cooked almost all of his working life at the marine lab. "I got in this cafeteria and just liked it. I grew up eating a lot of the standard Southern foods. When I came to work here at Duke, all of a sudden I'm in this mixed-cultural environment. That's what made the job, working with college students and people from all over the world."
Students and staff at Duke, he said, may come from Russia, China, Japan, India and other countries. Murray not only has fed them, but also has learned from them. "People come and bring recipes from their home country. I'd stand shoulder-to-shoulder with them and see the way they prepare stuff."
The book includes an eclectic mix. It has fried green tomatoes and collard greens. It has tons of seafood recipes, such as oyster stew and fried catfish. It has plenty of standard American fare, such as meatloaf, and macaroni and cheese. It also features a smorgasbord of ethnic dishes: Indian scallop curry, Turkish-style eggplant salad, Russian potato salad, Armenian vegetable casserole.
It's an impressive mix of what he calls "comfort food with class" or "classy food that's comfortable."
The back of the book contains a cookbook within a cookbook, and it is devoted to vegetarian cuisine.
"We have lots of vegetarians, vegans at the school. I always like to do something special for them," he said. "I love taking care of people. Sometimes, just a good meal can make people happy."
That attitude earned him the Joseph G. Pietrantoni Outstanding Employee Award in 2004 and the Duke Presidential Award, which recognizes significant contributions to the school, in 2005.
"I've never looked at this as a job. I love what I'm doing," Murray said.
Murray said he's grateful to have met so many interesting people during his long career. "I wanted to give something back to the world. I wanted to share," he said. "I'm hoping that when a person picks up my cookbook, they'll find something in there that will make them smile."
Down Home Coastal, Exotic, and Traditional Cooking is sold at Duke's Gothic Bookstore in Durham and on Amazon.com.
mhastings@wsjournal.com
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