Customer Reviews

Give It All, Give It Now: One of the Few Things I Know About Writing

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I bought this book at the mall, and luckily my kids and I stopped by the food court for a snack, at which time I gently slitted the shrink wrapping with my Borders Rewards Card and coaxed the book out of its slipcase (which is one size too small). Imagine my surprise and dismay when I saw it was just one sentence spread over the alleged fifty or so accordion-style pages. The paintings were beautiful and very attractive to me, a collector of books, images of books, and figurines of people and even animals holding books or reading; and the sentence they illustrated was admittedly very profound and inspirational. But that was all it was -a sentence. And for the price (19.95 plus tax) I felt it was no more than a book-bound greeting card. And with no music to boot! Also, I turned to the back pages,hoping for some text or additional words and watercolors, and all it was, was an expanse of wispy clouds against a blue sky. I promptly and carefully pushed the "book" back into its slipcase (which [did I mention?] is one size too small) and returned it to the store.

A sweet book with a timely message. It is so important in this time of need for those privileged enough to give to do so. This book provides the right message on how and why to do this.

What a great message to spread and in such a wonderful package! The message, illustrations and the accordion all give reason to BUY THIS BOOK!

This is an amazingly under priced gift book filled with inspired illustrations by the great 93 year old water colorist, Sam Fink. Obviously, Annie is as much an inspiration to Mr. Fink with her "secret" to great writing as she is to legendary writer, Susan Cheever. You just can't find interestingly conceived items like this: a slip cased, hard cover art book which folds out like a mural, accordion style. Buy a few and give them all now to your loved ones.

I have been a huge fan of Annie Dillard for years. Pilgrim at Tinker Creek remains one of the top 10 books I've ever read. So I was excited to see this new book. As you can read in the description, it's a "book" that unfolds out into a long, beautiful work of art -- the words are great -- they express a wonderful sentiment about the urgency of sharing your gift -- and the artwork is lovely. But the whole work is only a couple of sentences long. I expected much more writing.

So, buy it as a work of art or for a nice affirmation, but don't expect to read more than a couple of sentences.

I love the power of this little book. More isn't always better. Words no longer than the Gettysburg Address but incredibly powerful nonetheless. Open it up and pin in on your adolescent's wall. Brilliant simple, direct WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT built into a streaming evolving work of art. And, if you don't have an adolescent, give it to anyone in your life who needs a little courage.

I feels so perfectly timed for our moment in history. Things are tough and this exquisite combination of words and pictures gave me some inspiration I was sorely needing. I'm thinking it would be great for teachers.

This is an exquisite little jewel of a book -- utterly charming! It pairs a short inspirational text by the great Annie Dillard (give it all! give it now!) with the most magical color artwork by Sam Fink (his illustrated classic -- The Constitution of The United States--is a cherished favorite.) The package itself is very special and creative--a lovely slipcase holds an accordion style book which opens up to be over six feet long.

The message of this book is as simple as it is profound: Go for it! Pursue your passions with abandon! Don't postpone -- do it today! It's a beautiful reminder that our dreams are within our grasp--if only we're willing to take the leap.

I would recommend this as a very special gift for the recent graduate or anyone embarking on a new job or phase of life--especially perfect for the aspiring writer. (And you can't beat the price!)

I failed to read all of the description. Annie Dillard, Susan Cheever - why would you need to read a description. They had me with the title and the beautiful cover and I couldn't wait to get home today to my Amazon delivery. Boy, was I disappointed!!!! First, I couldn't get it out of the sleeve - (yes it comes in a sleeve) -had to pound it on the counter top to get it to where I could grasp it enough to pull it out and when I did, second disappointment-it's a picture book!!!! I was so looking forward to reading this book tonight that I sat right down to write a review to let everyone know to BEWARE - it's a beautifully done, accordian style picture book. I don't put Annie Dillard and picture book in the same genre. Sorry but I wouldn't even give this book as a gift since you curse like crazy getting it out of the sleeve.

Not suitable for library lending rigors but absolutely perfect for gift-giving for any writer is GIVE IT ALL GIVE IT NOW: ONE OF THE FEW THINGS I KNOW ABOUT WRITING. Gorgeous colorful pages in an accordion-style format with a classy slipcase accompany tips on becoming more spontaneous and less angst-driven about writing. Her short words are inspiration beyond the literary world, offering ideas for living. Sam Fink's inscription and illustrations are outstanding.

[...]

As an admirer of Annie Dillard's work, I was intrigued at the publication of the new novelty book, Give it all. Give it now. The book is a unique blend of watercolor and the written word, a sort of picture book for grown ups.

Dillard encourages writers to "give it all" and not to hoard for later that which seems good. She assures that more good ideas will come, like a well filling from beneath. The words are inspiring in many ways. Directed to writers, the advice is also pointedly applicable to those of us who fight the impulse to keep for later use what might be beneficial to our neighbors today. I'm sure I run the risk of being too literal with Dillard's advice, but I certainly found myself nodding along as I read her words.

Sam Fink, a former advertising executive and teacher, has published two previous novelty books that incorporate famous words with his original illustrations. In this, his third book, Fink chose Annie Dillard's advice to fellow writers. The book itself is not traditionally bound, but opens up as an accordion to stretch 20 feet. Expecting the pictures to meld together is a mistake, though, as each two page spread is separate unto itself. This structure makes it easy to sit and look through the book, without needing to open the entire thing--although I would certainly advise doing that at least once! The illustrations themselves are sometimes brilliant, sometimes a little too simplistic, but the quality is always good.

This book would be a unique gift for a writer or collector of Dillard's books (or those of Susan Cheever, who wrote the introduction.) I'm not certain how often this book would be pulled off the bookshelf to be re-read, but I can equally see how this text might be just the encouragement one might need to push oneself a little harder. In fact, some writers might even be so bold as to unfold the book and hang it up on the wall, as a giant sort of motivational poster.

This is a handsome volume that must be about 100 words long. The accompanying pictures are vibrant and have an innocent air about them, but this does not make up for the fact that this book is really, really short. The accordion style pages make it quite fragile, particularly when attempting to pull the book out of the sleeve. You sort of have to yank really hard and bang the sleeve on something to get it out enough to pull it. I'd recommend Ms. Dillard's glorious classic "The Writing Life" instead for those seeking inspiration. You get the same idea, and so much more. And there's no sleeve. (and you'll notice that pp 78-79 are awfully familiar...)