Product Description
An overview of White's oeuvre, which spans some twelve novels and almost 50 years, from "Happy Valley" (1939) to "Memoirs of Many in One" (1986). The study suggests that White give each of his characters a particular imaginative horizon - Primitive, Jewish, Christian and Classical - and the author engages in close readings of the various novels, exploring the way in which these given horizons relate, or fail to relate to each other ... Read more

Product Description
Now in its second edition, this expanded work catalogs every person, animal, ship and cannon mentioned by name in the 21 books of Patrick O’Brian’s series on the maritime adventures of Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin. The novels, renowned for their “far-ranging web of wit and allusion,”teem with thousands of characters and ships, both imaginary and historical. From Master and Commander to 21: The Unfinished Voyage, this book distinguishes the fictional from the factual, making a useful series companion for the casual reader and the most ardent fans. Each of the more than 5,000 alphabetized entries provides a reference to the novels and chapters in which the topic appears. Additionally, biographical notes on the historical figures are included, with sources provided in an annotated bibliography. Colin White, a leading British naval historian and an authority on Nelson’s Navy provides a foreword. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Don't leave the seashore without it!
If you are one of the vast multitude of lovers of Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin series, you should own this book. It is the most fascinating, detailed, no-seashell-left-unturned compendium published today. If it's not here, it doesn't exist. Period. A truly fine companion to O'Brian's magnum opus.

Thorough and informative.
I must say that my recent purchase of "PO's Muster Book" is worth the investment.I wish I had bought it sooner.

I am not quite finished with all 20 and 1/2 volumes of the O'Brian 19th century odyssey, having only finished the first 18, but I became an Aubrey/Maturin junkie after reading the first two novels and watching the movie. Comprehending the wealth of people, places and events, real and imagined, combined with a liberal use of foriegn languages was difficult and intimidating.I was often confused, because I didn't readily remember names and places from one chapter to the next.

Fortunately, before I started no. 5, I discovered, through Amazon, the companion books advertized there.I purchased "Sea Of Words", "Harbors And High Seas" and "Patrick O'Brian's Navy".Problem solved.I constantly cross referenced my new literary tools several times a chapter to interpret the rich mix of story and detail woven together in O'Brian's romantic chronology.The downside is that I needed to carry a tote when I went to read at the coffee shop as well as use an extra chair to hold my not so portable library.

Recently, I have added "The Patrick O'Brian Muster Book" and I immediately liked using it.Actually, it could be a "stand alone" companion book, except that it is absent of maps, diagrams, pictures or a commentary on the life and times. I know that this type information is beyond the scope of "Muster" by nature, so, my other books are still important to me, just not needed by the night stand.

That said, I am pleased with the appearance, organization and thoroughness of "Muster". Formatted like Webster's, it is highly informational and allows quick alphabetical access to the who and the where along with the what and the when not as easily accomplished by the other companion books.I can quickly remind myself of the names and places and not lose track of the story in doing so.Additionally, it lists all O'Brian's books with a Cliff Notes style summary and along with each item is the cross reference of all mentions in the series by book and chapter.It has helpful optional references to deliniate the fact from fiction.

While I finish the series and re-read it, as I'm sure I will, "Muster" will be my favorite companion. Now, when I'm reading on the plane, I won't have as much baggage.

It's the great reference book of the world, sure.
Of "our world, our wooden world," as O'Brian wrote in the Nutmeg of Consolation.As an O'Brian devotee who is compiling a quotation book for naval officers and mariners (The Literary Mariner; look for it next year), I have found this Muster Book to be more useful, in its own way, than even Dean King's excellent Sea of Words.King's work is mostly a wonderful timesaver--you needn't hunt up terms in other reference books--but Gary Brown's POB Muster Book is unique and indispensable:no where else will you find the attention paid to and the cross-referenced information on the characters, ships, and animals of the entire Aubrey-Maturin series (what one reviewer called the Aubreyiad, a term I like very much).

Once the book was in hand, for example, I was able very quickly to answer three questions that had been bothering me:was Awkward Davis and Awkward Davies the same man (yes); were the Dumanoirs mentioned separate characters (yes); and what were the names of the various cannon in Surprise.

There is a very useful and succinct summary outlining the entire series, and the lengthy essays on each of the major characters also walks through all the books from that character's perspective (warning:if you haven't read the Aubreyiad through, these will be spoilers).Gary Brown also makes good use of helpful references to biographies (Dean King's and Nikolai Tolstoy's--see my Amazon reviews) and to historical works.This is simply a stunning achievement.

Indispensable!
As an academic, I was first introduced to O'Brian by a colleague who thought I might find it interesting to compare O'Brian's works to Jane Austen's. As I did so I became convinced that there was more than a chance connection between the authors' works, but with O'Brian's expansive Aubreyiad, trying to corroborate the simplest connection became so time consuming it was discouraging. I happened across the first edition of this book on Amazon, ordered it, and three published academic articles later, it may well be the most indispensable work in my library. So much so, that when a newer edition came out that included the last few novels O'Brian wrote, I had to have it. I haven't been disappointed. Whether you're a "fan" or an academic, Gary Brown's meticulous research is sure to add to your understanding and appreciation of the genius of Patrick O'Brian.

The most indispensable companion book
There are other companion books to Patrick O'Brian's world and works, but none better than this one. Being a foreigner and rather a recent fan, I really need the help of such books to attain at least the merest understanding of what's going on, so I own several others which I enjoyed enormously. However none is so complete and helpful as this one. Most recommendable. ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product Description
An illustrated fan's guide to the popular television series chronicles the show's entire history from conception to syndication and provides revealing star bios, plot summaries, special effects descriptions, and dozens of photographs. Reissue. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

A must have for MISSION IMPOSSIBLE fans!.
This book is fantastic and a must have for anybody who loves theMISSION IMPOSSIBLE tv series.
Fantastic trivia mixed with great photos and reviews of each episode makes this a joy to read.
This show was fantastic when it first aired back in the 60s and watching it now on dvd only reinforces how good it was and still is.
Compared to the slick,shallow,over stylisedtv shows that pass as entertainment today MISSION IMPOSSIBLE leaves them in its wake!
So go and get a copy because you wont regret it!

I'm a fan and I love it!
I enjoyed this book, its full of great stuff and answers to questions I did not know, it helped me clear up my memory on some episodes.

Great book if you are into the series!

Great Behind the Scenes Information
If you are fan of this great 60 and 70's TV show, then this book is for you.I purchased a used version, no need to spend a lot of money for this kind of book.Very informative.

Inside Information On The Greatest Television Series Of All
In my humble opinion, Mission: Impossible is the most imaginative television series of all time. This book is the perfect companion, giving
much information on the gestation of the series, the creator, Bruce Geller, the actors, directors, writers, producers and a list of every episode made, including the 1980's revival of the series.What is not apparent to the viewer but comes out in this history of the series, is that the series underwent a number of major crises, any one of which could have finished it off, yet it survived to last for seven seasons, while generally maintaining its quality.For example, not many know that creator Geller actually only wrote one episode, the pilot (the story of the nuclear bombs stored in the vault of a hotel in a Latin American country). Although he rode herd on the show for several seasons, he was finally forcibly ejected from the studio.Original star of the series, Steven Hill was forced to leave the show due to matters of concience.
During season three, when the finest episodes of the series were being
produced, the top writers got into a fiery dispute with Geller and quit in the middle of the season leaving no scripts ready to be filmed. Fortunately, Paul Playdon, possibly the best writer of all to work on the series was recruited at this crucial moment and saved the show.At the end of this same third season, stars Martin Landau and Barbara Bain both quit the show. In spite of all this, the show survived and more or less maintained its quality.
One of the best things in the book is that it lists the stuntmen-doubles who appeared in the show.In the first-season episode called "The Confession", there is one of the most amazing stunts I have ever seen on television....Rollin Hand (played by Martin Landau) and bad-guy Andreas Soloweichek (David Sheiner) are hand-cuffed together and jump out of a moving vehicle.According to this book, the stunt was performed by Buzz Henry and Chuck Wilcox. It is about time these two heroes got credit for doing one of the most dangerous stunts I have ever seen...as you see them rolling around on the road, it is amazing that they didn't break every bone in their bodies and have their arms dislocated.And for all this, they weren't even mentioned in the credits!Kudos to Mr White for giving them and their colleagues their due.

Now that Mission: Impossible is being brought out in DVD, it might be time
to bring this book out as a reprint.

Mission: Impossible Review
This book is a perfect companion for any MI fan. Includes plot details and breakdowns and actor bio's and series reviews. Everything is here. Definetly worth buying and now all i want is for Paramount to release series on DVD. Life would be perfect then. ... Read more

Product Description
One of the places which they point out on Ship Street is the Italian fruit-shop on the corner of Perry Court, before the door of which, six years ago, Guiseppe Cavagnaro, bursting suddenly forth in pursuit of Martin Lavezzo, stabbed him in the back, upon the sidewalk. "All two" of them were to blame, so the witnesses said; but Cavagnaro went to prison for fifteen years. That was the same length of time, as it happened, that the feud had lasted. ... Read more

Product Description
A powerful invocation of the spirit of a tortured Ojibway artist. Chee Chee achieved remarkable success in the art world, subsequently hung himself, and is buried in a pauper's grave. White honours the artist as his spiritual brother, mourns the premature death of a great soul, and rages at the brutality of the world Chee Chee tried to survive in.
&Promises to be one of our best and best respected poets.George Woodcock, Ottawa Citizen
A rich and unique individual voice which finds clear and compelling expression...he has assured himself of a solid place in Canadian literature. Peter Baltensperger, Poetry Canada Review Chronicles
Patrick White may well win the Nobel Prize one day in his own inimitable and talented way. Sharon Drache, Kingston Whig Standard
His images are strong, lyrical, moving. He dares and achieves. Orbis, London, England ... Read more

Product Description
Webster's bibliographic and event-based timelines are comprehensive in scope, covering virtually all topics, geographic locations and people. They do so from a linguistic point of view, and in the case of this book, the focus is on "Patrick White," including when used in literature (e.g. all authors that might have Patrick White in their name). As such, this book represents the largest compilation of timeline events associated with Patrick White when it is used in proper noun form. Webster's timelines cover bibliographic citations, patented inventions, as well as non-conventional and alternative meanings which capture ambiguities in usage. These furthermore cover all parts of speech (possessive, institutional usage, geographic usage) and contexts, including pop culture, the arts, social sciences (linguistics, history, geography, economics, sociology, political science), business, computer science, literature, law, medicine, psychology, mathematics, chemistry, physics, biology and other physical sciences. This "data dump" results in a comprehensive set of entries for a bibliographic and/or event-based timeline on the proper name Patrick White, since editorial decisions to include or exclude events is purely a linguistic process. The resulting entries are used under license or with permission, used under "fair use" conditions, used in agreement with the original authors, or are in the public domain. ... Read more

Product Description
In this assessment of Mason Patrick's aviation career, Robert P. Whitecredits Patrick, and not his controversial deputy, Billy Mitchell,with ensuring the survival of the Air Service at a time when it facedcritical internal and external pressures.He functioned as the trueleader of the Air Service, expertly maneuvering behind the scenes andin selected public forums to ultimately ensure the creation of the AirCorps. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Rescues a Deserving Air Advocate from Obscurity
The U.S. Air Force reveres Billy Mitchell, the combative general who advocated strategic bombardment as the critical mission of the service and worked tirelessly for independence from the army. His efforts eventually brought his cashiering for insubordination in 1925. Virtually unknown to later generations, but ultimately more important for Air Force independence, was Mason Patrick, who served as Army Air Service chief of staff through much of the 1920s. "Mason Patrick and the Fight for Air Service Independence" tells the story of how Patrick worked quietly through the 1920s to prove the worth of air power.

This fine book tells the story of Mason Patrick from his birth during the American Civil War to a Confederate surgeon. Patrick became a career army officer after graduating second in his West Point class in 1886, numbering among his classmates John J. Pershing. He rose through the army's ranks and in 1918 Pershing appointed him head of the Army Air Service. With dissention between air officers and the rest of the service running high, in no small part because of Billy Mitchell, Patrick worked to smooth relations, to ensure the continued capability of the Air Service, and to position it to eventually become a separate service. That independence came in 1947, long after Patrick had retired and passed on, but his role in paving the way was central to the move. Indeed, Patrick crafted the Army Air Corps Act of 1926 that established the Army Air Corps as a part of the service equal to the Corp of Engineers or any other critical component.

He also pursued the development of strategic bombardment, supported by pursuit operations, that found fruition in World War II. Since this mission did not require close coordination with ground forces, Patrick believed there was no reason it had to be part of the army. This theory became the backbone of the Air Corps' campaign for an independent Department of the Air Force. This very fine book chronicles the place of Mason Patrick in this quest for independence. It is a valuable addition to the literature on the history of the Air Force. ... Read more

Product Description
Hurtle Duffield is incapable of loving anything except his art. The people who court him are, above all, the victims of his art. He dissects their weaknesses with cruel precision - his sister's deformity and the passionate illusions of such women as the heiress Boo Davenport. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

The life of the artist, laid bare.
In his longest novel, written in 1970, Nobel Prize-winning author White examines the question of an artist's creativity, where it comes from, whether it can be controlled, and what obligations, if any, accompany it. As he traces the life of Hurtle Duffield from the age of four until his death as an elderly (and successful) avant-garde artist, we see Duffield always as somehow different from his peers.

The son of a laundress and a bottle collector, Hurtle is from birth inspired, painting large images on walls as a toddler, but he recognizes at an early age that "people look down at their plates if you said something was 'beautiful.'" To provide him with opportunities which will allow his genius to flourish, his parents sell him, when he is four years old, to the wealthy family for which his mother works.

As a member of the Courtney family, Hurtle travels and becomes educated, though he continues to see rather than think. For him, the usual emotional traumas of adolescence are accompanied by unique questions of his identity, both because of his two families and also because of his view of the world. Not religious, he sees God as the Great Vivisector, and men treating each other as animals, slaughtering each other in war.

When he himself goes off to war and returns to find that the family has gone in separate directions, he devotes himself, once again, to his art, using women who love him as vehicles for his own self-expression and behaving as a vivisector himself. About his painting of one model, White says "[Hurtle] disemboweled her while she was still alive." As time passes, Hurtle continues to search for love, inspiration, self-expression, and some sort of balance in his life between his immense need to paint, his desire for personal connection, and his simultaneous need to be alone.

White's prose style is direct and concise, elegantly simple, and easy to understand. He uses colloquial speech-words like "smoodge," "sook," "slommacky," and "mumped," which must be understood from context-and reveals character and action through dialogue. The novel is old-fashioned, using a straight chronological narrative with no complex flashbacks, and it is quite romantic in its plot elements, despite its serious theme development. The biggest problem for the reader is that the main character is not very likable, nor does he inspire a great deal of empathy--a difficult character to live with for approximately six hundred pages--and I'm not sure how typical he is of the artists he is supposed to represent. Mary Whipple

all is unfair in love and art
"The Vivisector" is a document of the life of an artist, Hurtle Duffield, a painter who can only ever communicate through his art-the problem being his art is cruel and painfully honest. The book portrays the artist as the "vivisector", and is often brilliant in doing so-chapters one and five are pure, crystalline beauty, and it is here that the artist and White are closest in what they communicate-one often wonders just how much of Hurtle is based on White himself. If you are reading White for the fist time, I would recommend starting with "Voss", arguably his definitive work. In comparsison to other works by Patrick White "The Vivisector" is certainly not going to dissapoint, though I do not think it to be in the same rank as some of his other works, such as "Voss", "Riders in the Chariot" or "Eye of the Storm", all highly recommended. Start with those three and see if you develop a taste for his writing.

articulate, original and awesome
The Vivisector is a novel which commands some effort on the part of the reader because it is not fast paced. White portrays the essence of the artist with brilliance. It is compelling and revealing if you have the concentration to continue past the opening few chapters. While not giving us the fairytale ending, White provides such insight into the workings of a complex individual through his relationships with others and art that a resolution is secondary to the resonance that this novel evokes.

genius
Patrick White is a genius. The Vivesector is, garunteed, one of the most original pieces of fiction ever written, not to mention one of the most subtley disturbing. It is beautiful, brutal, and above all, very very sad.We should all be so lucky as to have the imagination and sheer power ofinvention that Peter White possessed. ... Read more

Product Description
This book is the second in "Continuum Empirical Studies in Education" series. Issues concerning the supply of teachers are of perennial concern to both policy-makers and researchers in the world of education. This trenchant and wide-ranging study not only provides major new research findings but also a re-interpretation of extant data. Combining qualitative and (very extensive) quantitative research, Teacher Supply provides a rigorous and iconoclastic treatment of issues relating to the recruitment, quality, training, and retention of teachers throughout the developed world and offers important recommendations for the future. Professor Stephen Gorard, Dr. Beng Huat See and Dr. Emma Smith are all members of the Department of Educational Studies at the University of York. Dr. Patrick White is a member of the Department of Sociology at the University of Leicester. ... Read more

Product Description
This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger Publishing’s Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature. Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone! ... Read more

Product Description
In this book the author addresses the problem of growing old and the "warts of the soul" which, if gouged out, ruin the flesh. We must wait, he says, for the evil in us to die naturally. Presenting a peeled potato, a dance in the kitchen and a visit to the aged mother of a childhood friend, he considers our struggle, our efforts to achieve aesthetic perfection and suggests some resolutions. Patrick White is a Nobel Prize-winning author. His novels include "The Tree of Man", "Voss", "The Vivisector", "A Fringe of Leaves", "The Twyborn Affair" and "Memoirs of Many in One". ... Read more

Product Description
Here are the biggest little bilingual dictionaries available a great value for school, office, or home.Each Giant Paperback dictionary is packed with over 110,000 references and 160,000 translations in a compact format that is highly readable.Completely up-to-date, these dictionaries provide wide coverage of idioms and phrasal verbs, numerous acronyms and geographical entries, and key terms and buzzwords in new areas such as the Internet. International in scope, they include IPA pronunciations and give both British and American spellings and definitions where these differ.Students will also benefit from the irregular verb tables, and the clear sense indicators, field labels, and usage labels.Ideal for students at all levels, particularly intermediate to advanced, Harraps Giant Paperback dictionaries are clear, concise, comprehensive, and affordable.Amazon.com Review
Let's say you need to say "would-be" rather than "wouldbe"--as in "a would-be artist" as opposed to "she told me shewould be there"--and you want it enfrançais. Harrap's has the goods, enabling you to say"un artiste en puissance" instead of "elle m'a dit qu'elleserait là." It is a superb French dictionary: affordable,light, and compact, easy to use, shelve, and tote, and exceptionallypractical, with more than 110,000 references and 160,000translations. Harrap's is up to date, with current slang and themodern jargon of the Internet, and there are helpful conjugationtables for French and English irregular verbs, as well.

If you're about ready to take the plunge (se jeter àl'eau), French-dictionary-wise, to bite the bullet (fairecontre mauvaise fortune bon coeur) in terms of making the bigFrench dictionary selection, and go for it (bats-toil), youcouldn't do better than Harrap's Giant Paperback if you'relooking for a full-service, lightweight dictionary suitable for mostneeds--beginning to advanced--involving study, vacation, orbusiness.

Harrap's even provides idiom translations, allowing you, afterswearing inappropriately, to say, "excusez mon langage," forwhat in English would be "pardon my French." --Stephanie Gold ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Superb again
I read the other reviews (3) and I'm left cold.This book is a fabulous read about a chap who's life didn't take a straight line.And since he had deep talent in a time when money was only so interesting, he reached for his own stars and personal understanding before the age of the government institutionalized society.This is written in the later style , unlike 'The Tree of man' which goes for formalized minimalism.
The depth of Whites classical and linguist knowledge shine through yet it the earth that always interests him with regards to man's veracity.

"You can only do.Or be, sort of."
In his longest novel, written in 1970, Nobel Prize-winning author White examines the question of an artist's creativity, where it comes from, whether it can be controlled, and what obligations, if any, accompany it.As he traces the life of Hurtle Duffield from the age of four until his death as an elderly (and successful) avant-garde artist, we see Duffield always as somehow different from his peers.The son of a laundress and a bottle collector, Hurtle is from birth inspired, painting large images on walls as a toddler, but he recognizes at an early age that "people look down at their plates if you said something was 'beautiful.'"To provide him with opportunities which will allow his genius to flourish, his parents sell him to the wealthy family for which his mother works when he is four years old.

As a member of the Courtney family, Hurtle travels and becomes educated, though he continues to see rather than think.For him, the usual emotional traumas of adolescence are accompanied by unique questions of his identity, both because of his two families and also because of his view of the world.Not religious, he sees God as the Great Vivisector, and men treating each other as animals, slaughtering each other in war.When he himself goes off to war and returns to find that the family has gone in separate directions, he devotes himself, once again, to his art, using women who love him as vehicles for his own self-expression and behaving as a vivisector himself. About his painting of one model, White says "[Hurtle] disemboweled her while she was still alive."As time passes, Hurtle continues to search for love, inspiration, self-expression, and some sort of balance in his life between his immense need to paint, his desire for personal connection, and his simultaneous need to be alone.

White's prose style is direct and concise, elegantly simple, and easy to understand. He uses colloquial speech-words like "smoodge," "sook," "slommacky," and "mumped," which must be understood from context-and reveals character and action through dialogue.The novel is old-fashioned, using a straight chronological narrative with no complex flashbacks, and it is quite romantic in its plot elements, despite its serious theme development.The biggest problem for the reader is that the main character is not very likable, nor does he inspire a great deal of empathy--a difficult character to live with for approximately six hundred pages--and I'm not sure how typical he is of the artists he is supposed to represent.Mary Whipple

It rains on you.
I find it difficult to assign an exact number of stars to my assessment of this book. My "enjoyment" of the book is at about a three star level, but White's ability to achieve what he set out to do is worthy of five stars... so I am rounding off to four. What did he set out to do? To show the lifelong inner workings, to lay bare the soul of this particular artist, the painter Hurtle Duffield. White achieved his goal, we're left with a brilliant portrait, his depiction of the artist is itself a work of art, the work of a genius.
But the book is difficult, slow-moving and dark. It will not appeal to those who want a quick-paced storyline... and forget the word "action" all ye that dare to enter herein. These pages will rain on you. And, like all walking in the rain, you will have to remain fairly determined to reach your destination.
But the book is not without its merits. Artists are not normal. They are eccentric. Hurtle Duffield is a born artist, and as such, from childhood onwards he is not normal. He is consistently, and increasingly, eccentric. As a child, he is keenly observant... in a sense, vivisecting everything he sees and experiences. His adoption into a wealthy family allows for the opportunity to expand his horizons, to experience the world... yet even this good fortune is no panacea, it is clouded with difficulties, with dysfunction. The fertile ground for the artistic mind to germinate.
Hurtle (as perhaps all great artists) becomes the sort of person who influences those who come in contact with him, but is unable to influence himself. His relationships are tragic and self-destructive for everyone involved. He becomes a recluse, spending the latter portion of his life living with his equally eccentric sister, the kind of guy that neighborhood kids invent legends about!
In his mansion he continues to paint his masterpieces, which are internationally recognized.
The only way that Hurtle can REALLY communicate with the outside world is through his art, and White does a superb job of showing us how detrimental this type of obsession can be for the personal life of the artist himself. It's a world few of us ever see. And it's gloomy.
At one point the narrator says that Hurtle's "repeated downfall was his longing to share truth with somebody specific who didn't want to receive it." This is a significant theme of the novel, Hurtle searching for the Ideal. And Hurtle himself cries out at one point, "I'm an artist. I can't afford exorcism."
Brilliant stuff.
Of course, White's choice of title for his book is significant. So, as I read the book, I kept asking myself... "Who IS the vivisector?" Is it "God" as Hurtle concludes in chapter 8? Or is it Hurtle himself?
How easy it is to blame God for our temperament, or for the choices we have made in life... famous artist or not!
The title is significant. White is asking something here, not giving us the answer. If Hurtle dies alone, and unfulfilled, is this God's fault? Hurtle's?
Who is the Vivisector in this novel? God? If so... who does he vivisect? Everyone? (If so, I can think of many people I know who do not seem very vivisected at all)! Does God arbitrarily pick and choose then?
Does God even exist?
If it's Hurtle, who does Hurtle vivisect? Himself? His original parents? His sister? Every woman in his life? Page 458 says "there were days when he himself was operated on." And the inference is that he (Hurtle) was the vivisector!
White leaves these questions unanswered, and to me, it was an eerie feeling, like one of those paintings with the eyes that follow you no matter where you walk in the room.
The book is worth reading, but keep an eye to the title of my review...

The vivisector is a rare whole-life journey of a fine artist
Although it is out of print and difficult to find, the Vivisector is a rare opportunity to journey through the life of a fine artist, from birth to death. It is redolent with the imagery that drives the main character's development as a painter, from the moment he is sold into a wealthy family, through the recognition of his talent as a very young boy, and the efforts made by his adoptive parents to fully develop his obvious gifts, until world recognition enables an ongoing career marked by greatness. Peter White's gentle, sculpting prose builds not only the image of the artist, but of what he sees and what he paints, and therein is the author's brilliance. With an economy of language that is at once enviable and surprising, White provides a life-portrait that invades the mind of the reader with images of what it means to give one's life to art, and to be a great artist, and live that artist's life. Parallel themes of the book follow his original and adoptive families, and particularly a sister, who, mad and confused, roams the streets with her pets, as lost in her mind as the artist is able to explore his own. The panoply of emotions is so powerful at times that the reader must take a moment to pull images and feelings together before moving on. I highly recommend this book to anyone thinking of building a life in art. ... Read more