Dominique Van Roost

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Mohammed 31.08.2000 · Read review
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Review of Dominique Van Roost (BEL)

An Epic venture into the soul of humanity

Advantages: A touching Realistic account of a slum
Disadvantages: None

...Author: Dominique Lapierre No of Pages : 514 About the Author ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dominique Lapierre is a French Author born in La Rochelle, France, studied and graduated from Lafayette College, Pennsylvania. He spent 14 years as an international reporter with the news magazine Paris Match.His wife Dominique Conchon-Lapierre ( they were married in 1980) is his partner in the City of Joy Foundation (registered in France under the official name of Action pour les enfants des lépreux de Calcutta), which is a purely volunteer-driven association. The couple lives in the south of France. The other books written by Lapierre include ' Is Paris Burning? ' and 'Is Newyork Burning' They have one daughter, Alexandra, who also is a writer. ( from wikipedia) About the book ' City of Joy ' ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This book was written based...

kiran8 17.01.2009 · Read review
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Review of City of Joy - Dominique Lapierre

A Life Worth Living?

Advantages: beautifully written
Disadvantages: none

...What is your worst fear? Mine is to suffer some kind of illness or disability that makes me unable to live an independent life and be trapped within a useless body. I suffer from bouts of sleep paralysis during times of stress, put simply my mind wakes up and my body does not. When that first happened it was terrifying, I would fight with all my strength to try and open my eyes or move my legs but my body would not respond, the whole time being aware of what is going on around me; now I am simply able to tell myself it is sleep paralysis and go back to sleep again. When I wake up in the morning I am always relieved to be able to get up and face the day but the fear is there that one day I will end up permanently in a similar state. Jean-Dominique Bauby suffered a stroke on the 8th of December 1995 while out driving with his young son...

wigglylittleworm 22.07.2009 · Read review
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Review of The Diving Bell and the Butterfly - Jean-Dominique Bauby

In The Blink Of An Eye

Advantages: Extraordinary subject and elegantly written; A modern classic
Disadvantages: Short - but by necessity

...In December 1995, French journalist and editor-in-chief of Elle magazine Jean-Dominique Bauby seemed to have it all. He was a happy and healthy father of two with a successful career and many friends, a man known for his wit, style and love of life. However, on an outing with his young son not long before Christmas, he was suddenly taken ill and needed to be rushed into hospital with breathing difficulties, where he soon lost consciousness. After 20 days in a coma, Bauby awoke to find that he had suffered a catastrophic stroke in his brain stem, which had left his mind fully functioning but trapped in a body he could no longer control, depriving him of movement and speech. This rare condition, appropriately known as "locked-in syndrome", left him with conscious control over his left eye, but unable to move any other muscles in his body...

Collingwood21 07.10.2008 · Read review
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Review of The Diving-bell and the Butterfly - Jean-Dominique Bauby

A Celebration of Life

Advantages: A wonderful and rare insight into life from someone who knew its true meaning
Disadvantages: It's a sad book.....

...Jean Dominique-Bauby, the editor-in-chief of the French magazine Elle, was just 43 on the 8th of December 1995 when his life changed completely. Following a stoke, leaving him with damage to his brain stem, Bauby was left with a condition known as 'locked in syndrome'. Locked-in-syndrome is a thankfully incredibly rare condition which leaves the sufferer unable to move any part of his or her body, excepting the eyelids and unable to speak, whilst retaining all mental capacity. This is the world in which Bauby awoke after a 20-day coma following his stroke. It is a horrifying thought. Jean Dominique-Bauby wrote The Diving-bell and the Butterfly after about 18 months into his life as a sufferer of locked-in-syndrome. He dictated the book to his nurse using just one eyelid. This nurse, to whom the book is dedicated, devised...

nickyturnill 13.02.2007 · Read review
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Review of The Diving Bell and the Butterfly - Jean-Dominique Bauby

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Advantages: Heart-wrenching, beautifully written
Disadvantages: disjointed at times

...The true story behind this novella is what drew me to reading it. Then, I did not know who Jean-Dominique Bauby was or, for that matter, what "locked- in syndrome" was. Not only does this book tell its reader a great deal about the author through the first person narration, but also via the obituary placed at the end of Bauby's emotive story. You come to learn Bauby's deepest fears, regrets, hopes and loves from this novella and everything you feel for him is cemented when you read the obituary. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is not your typical autobiography. It doesn't start with mundane and insignificant details of the author's childhood, followed by his struggle to rise to fame. In fact, it starts with his dreams, his darkest fears. As a reader, we are instantly drawn in to the hidden corners of Bauby's mind. He has no secrets...

chellbian 06.05.2009 · Read review
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Review of The Diving-bell and the Butterfly - Jean-Dominique Bauby

9/11 --- THE DAY THAT MAKES THE WORLD ONE

Advantages: Without doubt, a cause well served.
Disadvantages: A formula stuck best seller

...The atomic bomb hidden somewhere in New York has an unusual trigger - a cell phone! Dial its number from anywhere in the world, and it will explode, wiping New York off the face of this earth. The terrorists? demand on the United States is explicit. Force Israel, to abandon the west Bank within 5 days. Else, the call to the cell phone would go through, triggering a catastrophic explosion! Dominique Lapierre & Larry Collins, in their latest work of fiction depict a sequel to that horrifying day, September 11, 2001. The story begins in Iraq, weeks before the American invasion, with a meeting between Saddam Hussein and a Hezbollah terrorist. Saddam sure of his impending fate wants revenge, and passes on the design of a nuclear bomb. After futile attempts at getting it made, the terrorist finally approaches Osama Bin Laden...

rajuda 11.09.2004 (12.09.2004) · Read review
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Review of Is New York Burning? - Jerry Collins, Dominique Lapierre

Three Colours:White- Not as absorbing as Blue

Advantages: The subtle charm
Disadvantages: Too slow and grim.Plot doesn't move ahead.

...White-Director Krzysztof Kieslowski's second film in his trilogy of colors was released in 1994.The follow upto a rather intriguing Blue(1993) isn't as polished or intriguing. Polish immigrant Karol is facing a divorce from his french wife Dominique due to his inability to perform in bed. The divorce leaves Karol in the road without any home or money to survive and he somehow manages to leave for Poland with the help of a newly found friend. The film is essentially about how Karol faces life after the tragedy and how fate and his hardwork makes him succesful. Its also about love but that certainly needs a strong viewership to relate to since it is so subtle. I was expecting the world from this trilogy and I have to say I was really disappointed! Blue was absorbing but this film somehow fails to maintain a constant hunger in...

aadnan613 25.11.2009 · Read review
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Review of Three Colours White (DVD)

Givenchy Ange ou Demon - Good or Bad? - Average

Advantages: Long-lasting
Disadvantages: Average, one-sided, overpowering, expensive

...Design house: LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy) The face of the commercial is Marie de Villepin, model and actress daughter of former French prime minister Dominique de Villepin. Launch date: 2006 Available: stores (Boots) Recommended age group: 20 - 45 Top notes: white thyme, mandarin, saffron Middle notes: orchid, lily, ylang ylang, Base notes: tonka bean, vanilla, rosewood, oakwood This well-marketed perfume's very own name which makes it so tempting to try... The mystery of the woman is essentialised in Ange ou Demon: who is she? light or darkness... angel or evil...? Only she knows... The bottle This dual theme is nicely represented by a chiselled raindrop shaped bottle which at the bottom starts out as almost transparent crystalline white and finishes as black at the emaciated top including the lid...

lillamarta 13.12.2007 (26.12.2007) · Read review
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Review of Givenchy Ange Ou Demon Eau de Parfum Spray

"Shoe Gazing" music at its finest

Advantages: Easy accessible songs throughout the album
Disadvantages: Could be viewed as slightly repetitive in places

...Back in the early nineties, "shoe-gazing" bands seemed to be all the rage - well, maybe not all but certainly a fair old portion of the music scene. One of the more long-lived yet conversely lesser-known outfits were Ivy, who spawned several albums including 1997's "Apartment Life". I can't remember them making a huge impact during the latter half of the decade - can't think why, based on this release, though. Ivy were formed five years earlier when musicians Andy Chase and Adam Schlesinger (yes, the bass guitarist with the Fountains Of Wayne) met up with Dominique Durand, who came from Paris and who had never actually sung in a band before. Despite her opinion that Chase's then band wasn't "her cup of tea", she got involved with him and this eventually led to the trio forming Ivy. Ciao might list this album as falling in...

graeme10 26.04.2008 · Read review
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Review of Apartment Life - Ivy