Sir James Matthew Barrie (1860-1937); best remembered as the creator of Peter Pan; was a Scottish author and dramatist whose works have enjoyed frequent revivals in film and on stage. The 1917 production of his play; "Dear Brutus"; was one in a long string of successes for Barrie. The play; set in the manor of a mysterious man called Lob; takes a group of ordinary men and women and asks the question: What might happen to a person given the opportunity to remake their life? The guests are whisked into a dream-like world where they are shown what their lives "might have been." Throughout the play; Barrie imparts to his audience deep and intriguing insight into human nature. He makes not only his characters; but his audience; question the role of fate versus the inherent nature of the individual; and the true responsibility we take in the path of our own lives.
#1572743 in eBooks 2003-03-01 2003-03-01File Name: B004TLFSBW
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy MadeleineMatisseThe book is very easy to get into...reader friendly and very informative. I am enjoying it very much.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. excellent biographyBy DiarciThere really arent any other biographies of Jussi Bjorling in print. so this is almost automatically the best. But in spite of an occasional tendency towards "and then he sang. "Jussi" is a very candid and informative book and is easy reading. There was a very short Swedish language autobiography that he wrote long ago. but I dont think it is available in the U.S.I stress the "candid" part because Mrs. Bjorling does not avoid talking about her husbands alcoholism. Neither does she give it undue empahasis and while she was obviously deeply hurt by this. there is no apparent bitterness attached to her narrative. I especially enjoyed some of the stories that Mrs. Bjorling could tell - she and Jussi approaching a party on a gondola with him singing and the boat shaking and Anna-Lisa worrying. Jussi simply placed her hand on his mid-section where she could feel his diaphragm poounding out air. "Thats what its like when you really sing." he told her. Or the teenage Jussi. with his immense sterngth arm-wrestling stevadores on the docks for a meal - and never losing.The best parts (as with most biographies) are in the beginning. Bjorlings early years and the formative influences on him. He was apparently quite shy and reserved: a very decent man with a remarkable memory and exceptional musicianship. aside from his once-in-a-lifetime voice.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. A Recounting of a Career and a Love StoryBy Susan Moore JordanAnna-Lisa Bjoerlings story of life with her husband. world famous tenor Jussi Bjoerling. I found fascinating. While it explores his life and career. it is also very much a love story between these two people who meant so much to each other. Its a reminder of how difficult life as an opera singer is. It was indeed a tragedy and a great loss to the world of opera when Jussis life ended so abruptly. I appreciated Anna-Lisas painfully honest recounting of her husbands struggle with alcoholism. We are fortunate that so many of Bjoerlings wonderful recordings still make it possible for us to admire what an artist this singer was.
