Butterfly In Amber And Other Fragments Of A Life

A busy and successful travel consultant, Julie Ellisons life evolved from the most harrowing of beginnings; she married at seventeen to escape her mothers fierce Hollywood ambitions for her, only to be deserted by her husband a few months later leaving her pregnant and facing the birth of their child alone. She entered a second marriage hoping desperately to find a sustaining love for herself and her child, only to have that fail too. Now, grateful that her daughter has weathered her own difficult passage to adulthood, Julie falls in love with Paul Bassett, a young international investment banker who is about to move to London. This poignant journal-like account begins in New York and takes the reader on a roller coaster of countries and emotions that span a mere year. Their meetings are ecstatic, fleeting and bittersweet, for Paul is married and the father of two young children. Because of her own past Julie painfully identifies with his family and empathizes about the loss they will suffer if they lose him. Paul determines to leave his marriage once he stabilizes his financial life, and as the months pass he is able to achieve his goal. His wife agrees to a divorce and he departs for New York to join Julie and celebrate their future. The profound relief she finally feels intensifies Julies enormous exhilaration. But the news of a terrible plane crash in Paris gives her a sense of foreboding that turns out to be uncannily accurate; in a last minute change of plans Paul boarded the ill-fated plane. There are no survivors. In a series of brief scenes that distill Julies grief, Butterfly in Amber piercingly conveys how she manages to absorb his loss, decide to embrace life again, and commemorate their love in an act that affirms it forever. Gordon McKenzie of the London newspaper, The Mail on Sunday describes Butterfly in Amber as a modern day "Brief Encounter". Two short stories, "The Eves of Christmas "and "The Excursion" offer variations on these themes. These stories are based on the experiences, dreams, failures, disappointments and hopes of Ms. Jacobs. They combine to create "Butterfly in Amber and Other Fragments of a Life", an affecting collection about the nature of loss and the miracle of human capacity for recovery and renewal. Jacket and author photos by Ted Fine

In this “deeply personal and lyrical book” (Publishers Weekly) from the New York Times bestselling author of The Horse, Wendy Williams explores the lives of one of the world’s most resilient creatures—the butterfly—shedding light on the role that they play in our ecosystem and in our human lives. “[A] glorious and exuberant celebration of these biological flying machines…Williams takes us on a humorous and beautifully crafted journey” (The Washington Post). From butterfly gardens to zoo exhibits, these “flying flowers” are one of the few insects we’ve encouraged to infiltrate our lives. Yet, what has drawn us to these creatures in the first place? And what are their lives really like? In this “entertaining look at ‘the world’s favorite insect’” (Booklist, starred review), New York Times bestselling author and science journalist Wendy Williams reveals the inner lives of these delicate creatures, who are far more intelligent and tougher than we give them credit for. Monarch butterflies migrate thousands of miles each year from Canada to Mexico. Other species have learned how to fool ants into taking care of them. Butterflies’ scales are inspiring researchers to create new life-saving medical technology. Williams takes readers to butterfly habitats across the globe and introduces us to not only various species, but “digs deeply into the lives of both butterflies and [the] scientists” (Science magazine) who have spent decades studying them. Coupled with years of research and knowledge gained from experts in the field, this accessible “butterfly biography” explores the ancient partnership between these special creatures and humans, and why they continue to fascinate us today. “Informative, thought-provoking,” (BookPage, starred review) and extremely profound, The Language of Butterflies is a “fascinating book [that] will be of interest to anyone who has ever admired a butterfly, and anyone who cares about preserving these stunning creatures” (Library Journal).

By one of Britain's most gifted scientists: a magnificently daring and compulsively readable account of life on Earth (from the "big bang" to the advent of man), based entirely on the most original of all sources--the evidence of fossils. With excitement and driving intelligence, Richard Fortey guides us from the barren globe spinning in space, through the very earliest signs of life in the sulphurous hot springs and volcanic vents of the young planet, the appearance of cells, the slow creation of an atmosphere and the evolution of myriad forms of plants and animals that could then be sustained, including the magnificent era of the dinosaurs, and on to the last moment before the debut of Homo sapiens. Ranging across multiple scientific disciplines, explicating in wonderfully clear and refreshing prose their findings and arguments--about the origins of life, the causes of species extinctions and the first appearance of man--Fortey weaves this history out of the most delicate traceries left in rock, stone and earth. He also explains how, on each aspect of nature and life, scientists have reached the understanding we have today, who made the key discoveries, who their opponents were and why certain ideas won. Brimful of wit, fascinating personal experience and high scholarship, this book may well be our best introduction yet to the complex history of life on Earth. A Book-of-the-Month Club Main Selection With 32 pages of photographs

A triumphant memoir by the former editor-in-chief of French Elle that reveals an indomitable spirit and celebrates the liberating power of consciousness. In 1995, Jean-Dominique Bauby was the editor-in-chief of French Elle, the father of two young children, a 44-year-old man known and loved for his wit, his style, and his impassioned approach to life. By the end of the year he was also the victim of a rare kind of stroke to the brainstem. After 20 days in a coma, Bauby awoke into a body which had all but stopped working: only his left eye functioned, allowing him to see and, by blinking it, to make clear that his mind was unimpaired. Almost miraculously, he was soon able to express himself in the richest detail: dictating a word at a time, blinking to select each letter as the alphabet was recited to him slowly, over and over again. In the same way, he was able eventually to compose this extraordinary book. By turns wistful, mischievous, angry, and witty, Bauby bears witness to his determination to live as fully in his mind as he had been able to do in his body. He explains the joy, and deep sadness, of seeing his children and of hearing his aged father's voice on the phone. In magical sequences, he imagines traveling to other places and times and of lying next to the woman he loves. Fed only intravenously, he imagines preparing and tasting the full flavor of delectable dishes. Again and again he returns to an "inexhaustible reservoir of sensations," keeping in touch with himself and the life around him. Jean-Dominique Bauby died two days after the French publication of The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. This book is a lasting testament to his life.

This book guides the reader through space, through the earliest signs of life on the rims of volcanoes, the creation of an atmosphere and the myriad forms of planets and animals which could then evolve and be sustained