|
| 
 enlarge | Author: Craig Lambert
Publisher: Mariner Books
Category: Book
List Price: $12.95
Buy New: $3.00
You Save: $9.95 (77%)
New (28) Used (27) from $2.85
Avg. Customer Rating:  24 reviews
Sales Rank: 258207
Media: Paperback
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 192
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 8.1 x 5.4 x 0.5
ISBN: 0618001840
Dewey Decimal Number: 796.123092
UPC: 046442001847
EAN: 9780618001842
ASIN: 0618001840
Publication Date: September 7, 1999
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
|
| Customer Reviews:
 O.K. down the stretch but loses it in the last 500m April 30, 1999
Lambert's account of his return to rowing is like the Shell Game, more appropriate for the uninitiated. Lambert's account is a little better because it is more philosophical. While his inspirational messages do have their merits, Lambert spends much of the last part of the book discussing the inspirational techniques of Harry Parker, someone he's never really met. After paying him so many compliments the book seems stale.
 For Beginners Only January 20, 1999
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
Lambert's account of rowing, though seemingly poetic to the uninitiated, will dissappoint any avid rower for its sheer lack of "having been there" sentiment. The book is Lambert's chance to spout off about the magic that he sees in rowing and how lessons learned in the sport can be applied universally to any challenge in life. If you can look past his arrogance, without hesitation I recommend the book to non-rowers or novices who will see Lambert's lessons for what they are worth. But I strongly warn off any experienced or competitive rowers because you will be disgusted by Lambert's butchery of the sport. Try The Amatures instead.
 A funny, profound, exhilarating book December 18, 1998
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
This book is a gem: beautifully faceted, rarely found, and precious to keep. Craig Lambert is as skillful a wordsmith as he is a rower, and reading his intelligence at work on what it means--and what it takes--to master this sport is a delight. One of the pleasures of Mind Over Water is the way Lambert teases insight out of all aspects of rowing, as in his perfectly pitched meditation on balance in the section called "Equinox": "balance is no settled state: it is alive, dynamic, constantly emergent. Even those ideal moments when our boat sets up perfectly, flying across the water in silent, level splendor, only mean balance now. A second later, we must take the next stroke." Lambert is a transcendental rower, and he brings an Emersonian eye to the mind-body connection, as in this, one of my favorite passages: "The shell responds to motions of the body. The body follows the dictates of the mind. Hence the boat reacts to the rower's mind: when your mind quivers, so does your shell. . . . Conversely, a quiet mind levels the boat; stillness settles the body, and the shell, relaxing into agreement, takes the quietest, fastest route through the water." Lambert moves easily between the sublime and the prosaic, and when it's time to evoke the need to push the body to do more than it wants, he brings wit and humor to the task: "Don't tell me that this isn't the finish line, I think. This has got to be the finish line; I am already on my fourth wind and there is no way I can row another hundred feet, let alone another mile." And when he does finish, "I don't know about Tom [his rowing partner], but I have accomplished the impossible--several times over. Never mind that we were amazingly slow: we did it." Lambert has asked himself since childhood, Am I a real athlete? In other words, he's the perfect guide into the elemental and rarefied world of rowing. For those of us whose exercise regimes haven't been more ambitious than step classes, free weights, and weekend hikes, Lambert makes such a place accessible to the imagination. Mind Over Water is funny, profound, earthy, contemplative, even exhilarating. I highly recommend it.
A mixed bag December 14, 1998
I have read several books about rowing, and this is the first book I have read that approached this sport from a philosophical standpoint. I enjoyed his accounts of racing, because I have been there. However, to an experienced rower, his technical descriptions were extremely redundant. I would recommend this book to someone new to the sport.
An inspiration for any athlete, occasional or serious. November 18, 1998
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
This book is a joy on several levels. Lambert writes a moving and educational tribute to the great practitioners of rowing, a sport of ancient rhythms and timeless beauty, and illuminates a number of unique personalities from the sport. He also tells a tale of personal awakening through his own participation in the sport, and speaks for "everyman" as he describes his middle-aged struggles to achieve athletic grace. Lambert's dry wit and keen eye for detail create some unforgettable and often hilarious images! And on a third level, Lambert extracts many intriguing insigts about teamwork and personal discipline which readily apply for any of us in our daily lives, and in our greatest personal dreams. Well done, Craig! A compelling and ultimately joyful jewel of a book.
|
|
|
Powered by Associate-O-Matic
| |
