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This Strange Eventful History by Claire Messud

This Strange Eventful History

A Novel

by Claire Messud

  • Critics' Consensus (22):
  • Readers' Rating (44):
  • Published:
  • May 2024, 448 pages
  • Rate this book

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Reviews


Page 3 of 3
There are currently 21 member reviews
for This Strange Eventful History
Order Reviews by:
  • Catharine L. (Petoskey, MI)
    This Strange Eventual History
    4.5. The Cassars lived in Algeria from 1940 to 2010. They thought of themselves as 100 belonging there and 100 French citizens. Yet when Algeria became independent, they had to leave -not wanted in Algeria or France.
    This is a story about a family, without roots, moving from country to country. Gaston and Lucienne, the parents, who have the perfect marriage, and their children, Francoise and Denise, who can never achieve this perfection. Based on the lives of the author's own family, the novel brings alive the thoughts, emotions, and desires of these individuals. I felt I really knew these people and cared about their lives.
    I knew nothing about Algeria and would have liked to know more about their lives there.
  • Randi H. (Bronx, NY)
    A moving tale of loss
    Covering a span of 70 years, This Strange Eventful History tells the story of a family as they search for home. Uprooted from their lives for reasons as varied as war, love, and career, the Cassare family struggles to be happy where they land.
    I was drawn to the moving depictions of the primary characters as they struggled with their relationships to their homes and one another. And I enjoyed the varied locations across the globe as the family moved around, including Algeria, Australia, and Argentina. I think anyone who appreciates a sweeping family saga would enjoy this book.
  • Julie M. (Coon Rapids, MN)
    Multi- Generational Story
    I usually love a family drama that stretches over several generations, but this one left me cold. Even knowing some of these events were from Messud's life couldn't keep me focused or invested in the Cassie family.
  • Joshua M. (westfield, NJ)
    An Unmoored Clan
    This Strange Eventful History is the latest novel to find a place on Claire Messud's crammed bookshelf. Strange/History follows generations of the Cassar clan, as its members — each lugging a steamer trunk of personal shortcomings — roam the world unmoored seeking to live a fulfilling life. Messud packs the four hundred plus pages with literary sentences/paragraphs that initially prove engaging but become tiresome, forcing the reader on unnecessary detours down story side streets.

    The main characters are well developed and evolve nicely throughout the chapters, but none of them elicit empathy and that proved to be a problem. I simply didn't care what happened to them. As a result, when I got to page 257 I asked myself why should I continue reading. I didn't.
  • Vicki O. (Studio Citu, CA)
    Not for me
    I loved Claire Messud's other books but not this one. This is a very slow moving family saga. I found that the fine storytelling got lost or bogged down in description minutia. As a result, i lost interest in the characters and the narrative. I know that much of the story is based on Messud's life and i wonder if it would have been better as a memoir.
  • Doris K. (Mountain Iron, MN)
    This Strange Eventual History
    This book was very hard for me to continue reading but I did finish it. The main themes seemed to be unhappy lives, dementia, illness and death. It covers a long period of time and many people which make it difficult to relate to individuals. A strong family theme is portrayed often with love but negative consequences.
    The strong point of this novel is the excellent writing by Claire Messud. Descriptions of people and geographical areas are outstanding. For this reason I plan to read another of her books.
  • Patricia L. (Seward, AK)
    More strange than eventful
    Messud's novel follows the Cassars, a family of Pied-Noir, from 1940 to the 2000's. Wikipedia describes Pied-Noirs as "…an ethno-cultural group of people of French and other European descent who were born in Algeria during the period of French rule from 1830 to 1962." Most Pied-Noirs were aligned with the French. Consequently, when Algeria won independence from France, many migrated away from their birthplace permanently. Messud states the work is fiction yet follows her family's experience.
    All of the above sets the stage for wonderful historical fiction. Yet Messud treats the history as secondary to the family drama, resulting in numerous trips to Wikipedia. Constantly searching for timelines of events, explanations of literary references and verification of names dropped made reading laborious.
    Constantly inside the heads of her characters and their sordid lives, Messud is both pleasantly descriptive yet wordy. She spent a whole page describing one of the many self-absorbed characters, Francois, stealing a forbidden drink while feeding peanuts to his dog. Yet the story did not move forward. Spontaneous announcements of the future fate of her characters felt like plot spoilers. More reality tv than historical fiction.
    This novel is recommended for those who have time and resources to study the history of Algeria and its people along with a crash course in family dysfunction before reading the novel. Others may want to spend their valuable reading time with something less strange and more eventful.
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Debugging Information
ColdFusion Server Developer 2021,0,13,330286
Template /arc/arc_reviews/detail/index.cfm
Time Stamp 31-May-26 11:17 PM
Locale en
User Agent Mozilla/5.0 AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko; compatible; ClaudeBot/1.0; +claudebot@anthropic.com)
Remote IP 127.0.0.1
Host Name 127.0.0.1


Execution Time

Total Time Avg Time Count Template
1780269432970 ms 1.78026943297E+012 ms 1 /root/website/app_server.cfm
635 ms 635 ms 1 /root/website/arc/arc_reviews/detail/index.cfm
180 ms 180 ms 1 /root/website/app_layout.cfm
158 ms 158 ms 1 /root/website/queries/qry_get_discussion_by_id.cfm
107 ms 107 ms 1 /root/website/app_globals.cfm
106 ms 106 ms 1 /root/website/site/blocks/layout/dsp_right_column.cfm
91 ms 46 ms 2 /root/website/adsystem/adsystem_mod.cfm
86 ms 86 ms 1 /root/website/queries/qry_get_briefs_reader_rating.cfm
53 ms 53 ms 1 /root/website/site/blocks/layout/dsp_footer.cfm
51 ms 51 ms 1 /root/website/adzones/showcase_track.cfm
45 ms 45 ms 1 /root/website/site/blocks/dsp_border_first_impressions.cfm
44 ms 44 ms 1 /root/website/queries/qry_get_arcs_for_ad.cfm
42 ms 42 ms 1 /root/website/adzones/AdZone6.cfm
34 ms 34 ms 1 /root/website/queries/qry_get_active_obc.cfm
24 ms 24 ms 1 /root/website/queries/qry_get_arc_by_id.cfm
22 ms 22 ms 1 /root/website/queries/qry_get_books_by_briefs_category.cfm
16 ms 16 ms 1 /root/website/site/blocks/dsp_book_giveaway.cfm
15 ms 15 ms 1 /root/website/queries/qry_get_author_bookcount.cfm
12 ms 12 ms 1 /root/website/site/blocks/layout/dsp_bottom_block.cfm
11 ms 11 ms 1 /root/website/actions/adstatus.cfm
11 ms 11 ms 1 /root/website/queries/qry_get_free_newsletters.cfm
11 ms 11 ms 1 /root/website/queries/qry_get_obc_number.cfm
11 ms 11 ms 1 /root/website/queries/qry_get_reviews_by_arc_id.cfm
10 ms 10 ms 1 /root/website/queries/qry_get_current_competition.cfm
9 ms 9 ms 1 /root/website/queries/qry_get_current_wordplay.cfm
8 ms 3 ms 3 /root/website/actions/act_spider_tracker.cfm
7 ms 7 ms 1 /root/website/act_check_login.cfm
7 ms 7 ms 1 /root/website/queries/qry_get_member_info.cfm
7 ms 7 ms 1 /root/website/queries/qry_get_preview_by_id.cfm
3 ms 3 ms 1 /root/website/arc/arc_reviews/detail/dsp_briefshell.cfm
2 ms 2 ms 1 /root/website/queries/qry_get_preview_awards_by_id.cfm
2 ms 2 ms 1 /root/website/site/blocks/layout/dsp_header.cfm
1 ms 1 ms 1 /root/website/arc/arc_reviews/detail/dsp_reviews.cfm
1 ms 1 ms 1 /root/website/queries/qry_get_current_ezine.cfm
1 ms 1 ms 1 /root/website/queries/qry_get_previous_arcs_for_ad.cfm
1 ms 1 ms 1 /root/website/site/blocks/dsp_top_brief_block.cfm
1 ms 1 ms 1 /root/website/site/blocks/layout/main_menu.cfm
0 ms 0 ms 1 /root/website/Application.cfm
0 ms 0 ms 1 /root/website/act_libraryIPLogin.cfm
0 ms 0 ms 1 /root/website/actions/udfs.cfm
0 ms 0 ms 1 /root/website/arc/arc_reviews/detail/dsp_views.cfm
0 ms 0 ms 1 /root/website/banners/ad_594.cfm
0 ms 0 ms 1 /root/website/formurl2attributes.cfm
0 ms 0 ms 1 /root/website/js/fbjavascriptsdk.cfm
0 ms 0 ms 1 /root/website/site/blocks/act_book_view_tracking.cfm
0 ms 0 ms 1 /root/website/site/blocks/dsp_border_booktalk.cfm
0 ms 0 ms 1 /root/website/site/blocks/dsp_header_newsletter.cfm
0 ms 0 ms 1 /root/website/site/blocks/dsp_wordplay.cfm
0 ms 0 ms 1 /root/website/site/blocks/email_modal.cfm
0 ms 0 ms 1 /root/website/site/blocks/layout/google_tags.cfm
0 ms 0 ms 1 /root/website/site/blocks/layout/head.cfm
0 ms 0 ms 1 /root/website/site/blocks/layout/header_announcement.cfm
0 ms 0 ms 1 /root/website/site/blocks/layout/main_search.cfm
1 ms  STARTUP, PARSING, COMPILING, LOADING, & SHUTDOWN
636 ms  TOTAL EXECUTION TIME
red = over 250 ms average execution time


SQL Queries

spidercheck (Datasource=bookbrowse_com_new, Time=8ms, Records=1) in /root/website/actions/act_spider_tracker.cfm @ 23:17:12.012
SELECT	a.bot_number
        FROM	bots a
        WHERE	charindex(a.bot_name, ?) > 0
		OR a.bot_ip = ?
Query Parameter Value(s) -
Parameter #1(cf_sql_varchar) = Mozilla/5.0 AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko; compatible; ClaudeBot/1.0; +claudebot@anthropic.com)
Parameter #2(cf_sql_varchar) = 127.0.0.1

get_member_info (Datasource=bookbrowse_com_new, Time=1ms, Records=0) in /root/website/queries/qry_get_member_info.cfm @ 23:17:12.012
select 	a.*, 
    		b.member_account_type_name, b.member_account_type_charge, b.member_account_type_charge_frequency,  b.member_account_type_months, 
            c.member_chargetype_name, c.member_chargetype_number, a.member_classification_number, a.member_book_format
	
    from members a, member_account_types b, member_chargetype c
	
    where a.member_account_type_number = b.member_account_type_number
	and a.payment_method_id = c.member_chargetype_number
	and a.member_number = ?
Query Parameter Value(s) -
Parameter #1(CF_SQL_INTEGER) = 0

adactive (Datasource=bookbrowse_com_new, Time=10ms, Records=2) in /root/website/actions/adstatus.cfm @ 23:17:13.013
SELECT	viewby, section
    FROM	adsystem 
    WHERE	active  = 1 
    AND		start_date <= GETDATE()
    AND 	(viewby = ? OR viewby = 'all')
Query Parameter Value(s) -
Parameter #1(CF_SQL_VARCHAR) = non

get_current_ezine (Datasource=bookbrowse_com_new, Time=0ms, Records=1, Cached Query) in /root/website/queries/qry_get_current_ezine.cfm @ 23:17:13.013
select		top 1 ezine_number, ezine_dt, ezine_image, ezine_brief_description, ezine_introduction
from		ezines
where		ezine_active_flag = 1
and 		ezine_type_number = 4
and			ezine_dt < getdate()
order by 	ezine_dt DESC
get_current_wordplay (Datasource=bookbrowse_com_new, Time=8ms, Records=1) in /root/website/queries/qry_get_current_wordplay.cfm @ 23:17:13.013
SELECT		a.wordplay_number, a.wordplay_dt, a.wordplay_name, a.wordplay_intro_text, b.wordplay_puzzle_number, b.wordplay_puzzle_question
    FROM		wordplays a 
	INNER JOIN	wordplay_puzzle_mapping c on c.wordplay_number = a.wordplay_number
	INNER JOIN	wordplay_puzzles b on b.wordplay_puzzle_number = c.wordplay_puzzle_number
	WHERE		a.wordplay_number = (	select top 1 a.wordplay_number
                                from wordplays a, wordplay_puzzles b, wordplay_puzzle_mapping c
                                where a.wordplay_number = c.wordplay_number
                                and b.wordplay_puzzle_number = c.wordplay_puzzle_number
                                and a.wordplay_dt < getdate()
                                and a.wordplay_expiration_dt > dateadd(day, -1, getdate())
                                order by a.wordplay_dt asc
                                )
get_ComNo (Datasource=bookbrowse_com_new, Time=3ms, Records=0) in /root/website/queries/qry_get_current_competition.cfm @ 23:17:13.013
SELECT 	TOP 1 	x.competition_number, x.bb_briefs_flag
	from			competitions x
	
		WHERE	x.competition_dt <= getdate()
		AND		x.competition_expiration_dt > dateadd(d,-1,getdate())
get_current_competition (Datasource=bookbrowse_com_new, Time=5ms, Records=0) in /root/website/queries/qry_get_current_competition.cfm @ 23:17:13.013
SELECT 	x.competition_number, x.book_number, x.competition_teaser_title, x.competition_teaser_description, x.competition_intro_text, x.competition_expiration_dt, x.bb_briefs_flag, x.competition_full_info_flag, x.competition_type, x.competition_optin,x.competition_optin_text, 
				a.book_title as "title",
				(b.author_first_name + ' ' +  b.author_middle_initial + ' ' + b.author_last_name) as "author",
	            f.edition_publish_dt AS "hardcover_publish_dt", f.edition_jacket_image as "hardcover_jacket_image",
				g.edition_publish_dt AS "paperback_publish_dt", g.edition_jacket_image as "paperback_jacket_image"
	
		FROM 		competitions x
		INNER JOIN	books a on a.book_number = x.book_number
		INNER JOIN	book_author_mapping c on c.book_number = x.book_number
		INNER JOIN	authors b on c.author_number = b.author_number
		LEFT JOIN	editions f on a.book_number = f.book_number and f.edition_paperback_flag = 0
		LEFT JOIN	editions g on a.book_number = g.book_number and g.edition_paperback_flag = 1

		WHERE		x.competition_number = ?
Query Parameter Value(s) -
Parameter #1(CF_SQL_INTEGER) = 0

get_previous_arcs_for_ad (Datasource=bookbrowse_com_new, Time=0ms, Records=0, Cached Query) in /root/website/queries/qry_get_previous_arcs_for_ad.cfm @ 23:17:13.013
SELECT 	a.arc_number,a.arc_client_url,a.arc_active_dt, a.arc_off_ad_dt,
		b.ezine_preview_number, b.ezine_preview_title, b.ezine_preview_subtitle, b.ezine_preview_jacket_image, b.ezine_preview_author, b.ezine_preview_publisher, 
		b.ezine_preview_publish_dt, b.ezine_preview_jacket_desc, b.ezine_preview_number_of_pages, b.ezine_preview_bb_comments, b.ezine_preview_isbn13,
		c.ezine_preview_category_name AS "ezine_preview_category",
		(select count(*) from arc_allocator d where d.arc_number = a.arc_number and arc_allocator_review_approved_flag = 1) as "reviews",
		(select (CAST(AVG(CAST(arc_allocator_review_rating AS numeric(12,0))) AS numeric(12,0)))+
				(CASE WHEN right(CAST(AVG(CAST(arc_allocator_review_rating AS numeric(12,2))) AS numeric(12,2)),2) > 25 AND right(CAST(AVG(CAST(arc_allocator_review_rating AS numeric(12,2))) AS numeric(12,2)),2) < 50 THEN 0.5
				 WHEN right(CAST(AVG(CAST(arc_allocator_review_rating AS numeric(12,2))) AS numeric(12,2)),2) > 50 AND right(CAST(AVG(CAST(arc_allocator_review_rating AS numeric(12,2))) AS numeric(12,2)),2) < 75 THEN -0.5
				 ELSE 0
				 END)
 			from arc_allocator	where arc_number = a.arc_number and arc_allocator_review_approved_flag = 1) AS arcrating,
 			(select (CAST(AVG(CAST(arc_allocator_review_rating AS numeric(12,1))) AS numeric(12,1)))from arc_allocator where arc_number = a.arc_number and arc_allocator_review_approved_flag = 1) AS "decrating"

FROM arcs a
INNER JOIN ezine_previews b ON b.ezine_preview_number = a.ezine_preview_number
INNER JOIN ezine_preview_categories c ON b.ezine_preview_category_number = c.ezine_preview_category_number

WHERE arc_closed_flag = 1
AND arc_obc_flag = 0
AND getdate() >= arc_on_ad_dt
AND getdate() < arc_off_ad_dt

ORDER BY a.arc_on_ad_dt DESC
get_future_obc (Datasource=bookbrowse_com_new, Time=6ms, Records=0) in /root/website/queries/qry_get_active_obc.cfm @ 23:17:13.013
SELECT 		a.arc_forumidfk, a.discourse_flag, a.arc_promo_text, arc_on_ad_dt,
				b.ezine_preview_number, b.ezine_preview_title, b.ezine_preview_subtitle, b.ezine_preview_jacket_image, b.ezine_preview_author, b.ezine_preview_jacket_desc, b.ezine_preview_publisher, ezine_preview_publish_dt, ezine_preview_number_of_pages, ezine_preview_isbn, ezine_preview_short_summary,
	            b.ezine_preview_bb_author_link, ezine_preview_bb_link
	
	FROM 		arcs a
	INNER JOIN 	ezine_previews b ON b.ezine_preview_number = a.ezine_preview_number
	
	WHERE 		arc_obc_flag = 1

	AND 		getdate() < arc_on_ad_dt
	
		ORDER BY  	NEWID()
get_active_obc (Datasource=bookbrowse_com_new, Time=7ms, Records=1) in /root/website/queries/qry_get_active_obc.cfm @ 23:17:13.013
SELECT 		a.arc_forumidfk, a.discourse_flag, a.arc_promo_text,
				b.ezine_preview_number, b.ezine_preview_title, b.ezine_preview_subtitle, b.ezine_preview_jacket_image, b.ezine_preview_author, b.ezine_preview_jacket_desc, b.ezine_preview_publisher, ezine_preview_publish_dt, ezine_preview_number_of_pages,  ezine_preview_isbn, ezine_preview_short_summary,
	            b.ezine_preview_bb_author_link, ezine_preview_bb_link,
	            c.book_reading_guide
	
	FROM 		arcs a
	INNER JOIN 	ezine_previews b ON b.ezine_preview_number = a.ezine_preview_number
	LEFT JOIN  	books c on c.book_number = b.ezine_preview_bb_link
	
	WHERE 		a.arc_obc_flag = 1
	AND			a.arc_active_flag = 0
	AND 		arc_closed_flag = 1
	AND 		getdate() >= arc_on_ad_dt
	AND 		getdate() < arc_off_ad_dt
	ORDER BY  	NEWID()
get_recent_obc (Datasource=bookbrowse_com_new, Time=18ms, Records=4) in /root/website/queries/qry_get_active_obc.cfm @ 23:17:13.013
SELECT 		a.arc_forumidfk, a.discourse_flag, a.arc_promo_text,
				b.ezine_preview_number, b.ezine_preview_title, b.ezine_preview_subtitle, b.ezine_preview_jacket_image, b.ezine_preview_author, b.ezine_preview_jacket_desc, b.ezine_preview_publisher, ezine_preview_publish_dt, ezine_preview_number_of_pages,  ezine_preview_isbn, ezine_preview_short_summary,
	            b.ezine_preview_bb_author_link, ezine_preview_bb_link,
	            c.book_reading_guide
	
	FROM 		arcs a
	INNER JOIN 	ezine_previews b ON b.ezine_preview_number = a.ezine_preview_number
	LEFT JOIN  	books c on c.book_number = b.ezine_preview_bb_link
	
	WHERE a.arc_number IN (select top 4 arc_number
							from		arcs
							WHERE 		arc_obc_flag = 1
							AND			arc_active_flag = 0
							AND 		arc_closed_flag = 1
							AND 		getdate() > arc_off_ad_dt
							ORDER BY	arc_on_ad_dt DESC)
	ORDER BY  	NEWID()
get_arc_by_id (Datasource=bookbrowse_com_new, Time=23ms, Records=1) in /root/website/queries/qry_get_arc_by_id.cfm @ 23:17:13.013
SELECT		a.arc_client_url,
			a.bc_active_flag,
			a.arc_forumidfk,
			b.ezine_preview_number, b.ezine_preview_title, b.ezine_preview_subtitle, b.ezine_preview_jacket_image, b.ezine_preview_author, b.ezine_preview_publisher, b.ezine_preview_publish_dt, b.ezine_preview_number_of_pages, b.ezine_preview_isbn, b.ezine_preview_isbn13, b.ezine_preview_bb_link, b.ezine_preview_bb_author_link, b.ezine_preview_firsts_flag, b.ezine_preview_rating, b.ezine_preview_reading_level,
			c.ezine_preview_category_name,
			(select count(arc_allocator_review_rating) from arc_allocator	where arc_number = ? and arc_allocator_review_approved_flag = 1) AS arccount,
            
            (select (CAST(AVG(CAST(arc_allocator_review_rating AS numeric(12,0))) AS numeric(12,0)))+
				(CASE WHEN right(CAST(AVG(CAST(arc_allocator_review_rating AS numeric(12,2))) AS numeric(12,2)),2) > 25 AND right(CAST(AVG(CAST(arc_allocator_review_rating AS numeric(12,2))) AS numeric(12,2)),2) < 50 THEN 0.5
				 WHEN right(CAST(AVG(CAST(arc_allocator_review_rating AS numeric(12,2))) AS numeric(12,2)),2) >= 50 AND right(CAST(AVG(CAST(arc_allocator_review_rating AS numeric(12,2))) AS numeric(12,2)),2) < 75 THEN -0.5
				 ELSE 0
				 END)
 			from arc_allocator	where arc_number = ? and arc_allocator_review_approved_flag = 1) AS arcrating
     
FROM		arcs a
INNER JOIN	ezine_previews b on b.ezine_preview_number = a.ezine_preview_number
INNER JOIN	ezine_preview_categories c on c.ezine_preview_category_number = b.ezine_preview_category_number

WHERE		a.arc_number = ?
Query Parameter Value(s) -
Parameter #1(CF_SQL_INTEGER) = 1111
Parameter #2(CF_SQL_INTEGER) = 1111
Parameter #3(CF_SQL_INTEGER) = 1111

get_reviews_by_arc_id (Datasource=bookbrowse_com_new, Time=10ms, Records=21) in /root/website/queries/qry_get_reviews_by_arc_id.cfm @ 23:17:13.013
SELECT		arc_number, arc_allocator_number, arc_allocator_review_dt, arc_allocator_reviewer_name, arc_allocator_review_title, arc_allocator_review, arc_allocator_review_rating,
			member_cc_city, member_cc_state

FROM		arc_allocator a
inner join	members m on m.member_number = a.member_number

WHERE		arc_number = ?
AND			arc_allocator_review_approved_flag = 1


	ORDER BY arc_allocator_review_rating DESC, arc_allocator_review_dt DESC
Query Parameter Value(s) -
Parameter #1(CF_SQL_INTEGER) = 1111

get_briefs_reader_rating (Datasource=bookbrowse_com_new, Time=86ms, Records=1) in /root/website/queries/qry_get_briefs_reader_rating.cfm @ 23:17:13.013
SELECT	(CAST(AVG(CAST(rating AS numeric(12,0))) AS numeric(12,0)))+
				(CASE WHEN right(CAST(AVG(CAST(rating AS numeric(12,2))) AS numeric(12,2)),2) > 25 AND right(CAST(AVG(CAST(rating AS numeric(12,2))) AS numeric(12,2)),2) < 50 THEN 0.5
				 WHEN right(CAST(AVG(CAST(rating AS numeric(12,2))) AS numeric(12,2)),2) >= 50 AND right(CAST(AVG(CAST(rating AS numeric(12,2))) AS numeric(12,2)),2) < 75 THEN -0.5
			ELSE 0
			END) AS "avrating",
            count(rating) as "ratcount"
            
	FROM (
		SELECT reader_review_rating AS rating
		FROM reader_reviews
		WHERE ezine_preview_number = ?
		
		AND reader_review_rating > 0
		
		UNION ALL
		
		SELECT reading_list_book_rating AS rating
		FROM reading_lists
		WHERE book_number LIKE 'p%'
		AND TRY_CAST(SUBSTRING(book_number, 2, LEN(book_number)) AS INT) = ?
		AND reading_list_book_rating > 0
		AND TRY_CAST(SUBSTRING(book_number, 2, LEN(book_number)) AS INT) IS NOT NULL
	) combined_ratings
Query Parameter Value(s) -
Parameter #1(CF_SQL_INTEGER) = 18604
Parameter #2(CF_SQL_INTEGER) = 18604

get_preview_by_id (Datasource=bookbrowse_com_new, Time=3ms, Records=1) in /root/website/queries/qry_get_preview_by_id.cfm @ 23:17:13.013
select 			a.ezine_preview_number,
				a.ezine_number, 
				a.ezine_preview_category_number, 
				a.ezine_preview_title, 
				a.ezine_preview_subtitle, 
				a.ezine_preview_author, 
				a.ezine_preview_publisher,
				a.ezine_preview_publish_dt,
				a.ezine_preview_number_of_pages, 
				a.ezine_preview_jacket_image,
				a.ezine_preview_reviews,
				a.ezine_preview_short_summary,
				a.ezine_preview_jacket_desc,
				a.ezine_preview_reading_guide,
				a.ezine_preview_bb_comments, 
				a.ezine_preview_isbn,
				a.ezine_preview_isbn13,
				a.ezine_preview_rating,
				a.ezine_preview_bb_link,
                a.ezine_preview_bb_author_link,
                a.ezine_preview_firsts_flag,
                a.ezine_preview_reading_level,
                a.ezine_preview_paperback_flag,
				b.*,
                c.ezine_dt, c.ezine_description
,(select publisher_holding_company from publishers where ezine_preview_publisher like publisher_imprint AND publisher_holding_company LIKE 'Harper%') AS "publisher_holding_company"		
 				
from ezine_previews a 
inner join ezine_preview_categories b ON b.ezine_preview_category_number = a.ezine_preview_category_number
left join ezines c ON c.ezine_number = a.ezine_number

where ezine_preview_number = ?
Query Parameter Value(s) -
Parameter #1(CF_SQL_INTEGER) = 18604

get_author_name (Datasource=bookbrowse_com_new, Time=4ms, Records=1) in /root/website/queries/qry_get_preview_by_id.cfm @ 23:17:13.013
SELECT author_number, 
        CASE WHEN datalength(author_middle_initial) > 0 then author_first_name + ' ' + author_middle_initial + '. ' + author_last_name
            ELSE author_first_name + ' ' + author_last_name
            END "author_name"
        FROM authors 
        WHERE author_number = ?
Query Parameter Value(s) -
Parameter #1(CF_SQL_INTEGER) = 1357

get_preview_awards_by_id (Datasource=bookbrowse_com_new, Time=2ms, Records=0) in /root/website/queries/qry_get_preview_awards_by_id.cfm @ 23:17:13.013
select a.book_award_number, a.book_award_name, a.book_award_image, c.book_award_dt
    from book_awards a 
    inner join book_awards_category b on b.book_award_number = a.book_award_number
    inner join book_awards_mapping c on c.book_awards_category_number = b.book_awards_category_number
    where ezine_preview_number =  ?
Query Parameter Value(s) -
Parameter #1(CF_SQL_INTEGER) = 18604

get_arc_idfk (Datasource=bookbrowse_com_new, Time=7ms, Records=0) in /root/website/queries/qry_get_discussion_by_id.cfm @ 23:17:13.013
SELECT 		a.arc_forumidfk,a.discourse_flag
    FROM 		arcs a
    INNER JOIN 	ezine_previews e on e.ezine_preview_number = a.ezine_preview_number
    
	
        WHERE 		e.ezine_preview_number = ? 
    AND DATALENGTH(a.arc_forumidfk) > 0 AND arc_obc_flag=1
Query Parameter Value(s) -
Parameter #1(cf_sql_integer) = 18604

get_arc_idfk_legacy (Datasource=bookbrowse_com_new, Time=11ms, Records=0) in /root/website/queries/qry_get_discussion_by_id.cfm @ 23:17:13.013
SELECT 		a.arc_forumidfk,a.discourse_flag
    FROM 		arcs a
    INNER JOIN 	ezine_previews e on e.ezine_preview_number = a.ezine_preview_number
    
	
        WHERE 		e.ezine_preview_number = ? 
    AND DATALENGTH(a.arc_forumidfk) > 0 AND arc_obc_flag=1 AND a.discourse_flag = 0
Query Parameter Value(s) -
Parameter #1(cf_sql_integer) = 18604

obc_discussions (Datasource=booktalk_new, Time=69ms, Records=0) in /root/website/queries/qry_get_discussion_by_id.cfm @ 23:17:13.013
SELECT 		t.name,
                m.title, m.body,
                u.username, t.id,
				(SELECT COUNT(*) from booktalk_messages where threadidfk = t.id) AS	"responses"
                
    FROM 		booktalk_forums f
    INNER JOIN	booktalk_threads t on t.forumidfk = f.id
    INNER JOIN	booktalk_messages m on m.posted = t.lastpostcreated
    INNER JOIN	booktalk_users u on u.id = m.useridfk
    
    WHERE 	f.id = ?
    AND 	f.active = 1
	AND		t.active = 1
    
    ORDER BY t.name, t.messages DESC
Query Parameter Value(s) -
Parameter #1(cf_sql_varchar) =

searchResults (Datasource=bookbrowse_com_new, Time=69ms, Records=2) in /root/website/queries/qry_get_discussion_by_id.cfm @ 23:17:13.013
SELECT book_number, post_id, topic_id, blurb, username, topic_title
					FROM DiscourseSearchResults
					
        WHERE 		book_number = ? 
                    AND topic_id IS NOT NULL
Query Parameter Value(s) -
Parameter #1(cf_sql_varchar) = p18604

ya_check (Datasource=bookbrowse_com_new, Time=10ms, Records=0) in /root/website/queries/qry_get_books_by_briefs_category.cfm @ 23:17:13.013
select ezine_preview_reading_level 
from ezine_previews 
where ezine_preview_number = ?
and ezine_preview_reading_level = 2
Query Parameter Value(s) -
Parameter #1(CF_SQL_INTEGER) = 18604

get_books_by_brief (Datasource=bookbrowse_com_new, Time=11ms, Records=20) in /root/website/queries/qry_get_books_by_briefs_category.cfm @ 23:17:13.013
select 			top 20
				a.ezine_preview_reading_level,
				b.category_name,
				c.category_number, 
				d.book_number, d.book_title,
				f.author_number, f.author_first_name, author_middle_initial, author_last_name
				
from 			ezine_previews a 
inner join		categories b on b.ezine_preview_category_number = a.ezine_preview_category_number
inner join		category_book_mapping c on c.category_number = b.category_number
inner join		books d on d.book_number = c.book_number
inner join		book_author_mapping e on e.book_number = d.book_number
inner join		authors f on f.author_number = e.author_number

where			a.ezine_preview_number = ? 

order by 		d.book_number DESC
Query Parameter Value(s) -
Parameter #1(CF_SQL_INTEGER) = 18604

get_author_bookcount (Datasource=bookbrowse_com_new, Time=14ms, Records=5) in /root/website/queries/qry_get_author_bookcount.cfm @ 23:17:13.013
select		b.book_title as "title", 1 as "bb_flag", b.book_number as "number"
        from		book_author_mapping a
		inner join	books b on b.book_number = a.book_number
        where		a.author_number = ?
union
    	select		c.ezine_preview_title as "title", 0 as "bb_flag", c.ezine_preview_number as "number"
        from		ezine_previews c
        where		c.ezine_preview_bb_author_link = ?
        and			c.ezine_preview_bb_link = 0
		
order by title DESC
Query Parameter Value(s) -
Parameter #1(CF_SQL_INTEGER) = 1357
Parameter #2(CF_SQL_INTEGER) = 1357

get_obc_number (Datasource=bookbrowse_com_new, Time=11ms, Records=1) in /root/website/queries/qry_get_obc_number.cfm @ 23:17:13.013
select a.arc_forumidfk
    from arcs a
    
    	where a.ezine_preview_number = ?
Query Parameter Value(s) -
Parameter #1(cf_sql_numeric) = 18604.0

get_arcs_for_ad (Datasource=bookbrowse_com_new, Time=15ms, Records=0) in /root/website/queries/qry_get_arcs_for_ad.cfm @ 23:17:13.013
SELECT 	top 10 a.arc_number,arc_promo_text,
		b.ezine_preview_number, b.ezine_preview_title, b.ezine_preview_subtitle, b.ezine_preview_jacket_image, b.ezine_preview_author, b.ezine_preview_publish_dt, 
		(select (CAST(AVG(CAST(arc_allocator_review_rating AS numeric(12,0))) AS numeric(12,0)))+
				(CASE WHEN right(CAST(AVG(CAST(arc_allocator_review_rating AS numeric(12,2))) AS numeric(12,2)),2) > 25 AND right(CAST(AVG(CAST(arc_allocator_review_rating AS numeric(12,2))) AS numeric(12,2)),2) < 50 THEN 0.5
				 WHEN right(CAST(AVG(CAST(arc_allocator_review_rating AS numeric(12,2))) AS numeric(12,2)),2) > 50 AND right(CAST(AVG(CAST(arc_allocator_review_rating AS numeric(12,2))) AS numeric(12,2)),2) < 75 THEN -0.5
				 ELSE 0
				 END)
 			from arc_allocator	where arc_number = a.arc_number and arc_allocator_review_approved_flag = 1) AS arcrating

FROM arcs a
INNER JOIN ezine_previews b ON b.ezine_preview_number = a.ezine_preview_number

WHERE arc_closed_flag = 1
AND arc_obc_flag = 0
AND getdate() >= arc_on_ad_dt
AND (select count(*) from arc_allocator d where d.arc_number = a.arc_number and arc_allocator_review_approved_flag = 1) > 1
and getdate() <= dateadd(day,1,a.arc_off_ad_dt)

ORDER BY NEWID()
get_arcs_for_ad (Datasource=bookbrowse_com_new, Time=29ms, Records=3) in /root/website/queries/qry_get_arcs_for_ad.cfm @ 23:17:13.013
SELECT 	top 3 a.arc_number,arc_promo_text,
			b.ezine_preview_number, b.ezine_preview_title, b.ezine_preview_subtitle, b.ezine_preview_jacket_image, b.ezine_preview_author, b.ezine_preview_publish_dt, 
			(select (CAST(AVG(CAST(arc_allocator_review_rating AS numeric(12,0))) AS numeric(12,0)))+
					(CASE WHEN right(CAST(AVG(CAST(arc_allocator_review_rating AS numeric(12,2))) AS numeric(12,2)),2) > 25 AND right(CAST(AVG(CAST(arc_allocator_review_rating AS numeric(12,2))) AS numeric(12,2)),2) < 50 THEN 0.5
					 WHEN right(CAST(AVG(CAST(arc_allocator_review_rating AS numeric(12,2))) AS numeric(12,2)),2) > 50 AND right(CAST(AVG(CAST(arc_allocator_review_rating AS numeric(12,2))) AS numeric(12,2)),2) < 75 THEN -0.5
					 ELSE 0
					 END)
				from arc_allocator	where arc_number = a.arc_number and arc_allocator_review_approved_flag = 1) AS arcrating

	FROM arcs a
	INNER JOIN ezine_previews b ON b.ezine_preview_number = a.ezine_preview_number

	WHERE arc_closed_flag = 1
	AND arc_obc_flag = 0
	AND getdate() >= arc_on_ad_dt
	AND (select count(*) from arc_allocator d where d.arc_number = a.arc_number and arc_allocator_review_approved_flag = 1) > 1

	ORDER BY a.arc_off_ad_dt DESC
get_ads (Datasource=bookbrowse_com_new, Time=12ms, Records=0) in /root/website/adsystem/adsystem_mod.cfm @ 23:17:13.013
SELECT		a.adid,	adweight
	FROM		adsystem a
	INNER JOIN 	ad_category_mapping b ON b.adid = a.adid
	WHERE		a.section = ?
	AND			a.active  = 1
	AND 		a.start_date <= GETDATE()
	
	AND (a.viewby LIKE '%n%' OR a.viewby = 'all')
            

	AND     (b.category_number IN (	SELECT	category_number
									FROM	category_book_mapping
									WHERE	book_number = ?)
      		OR 	b.category_number = ?)
Query Parameter Value(s) -
Parameter #1(CF_SQL_VARCHAR) = adzone6
Parameter #2(CF_SQL_VARCHAR) = 0
Parameter #3(CF_SQL_VARCHAR) = 0

get_ads (Datasource=bookbrowse_com_new, Time=12ms, Records=1) in /root/website/adsystem/adsystem_mod.cfm @ 23:17:13.013
SELECT	a.adid,	adweight
        FROM	adsystem a
        WHERE	a.section = ? 
        AND 	a.active  = 1 
        AND		a.start_date <= GETDATE()	
        
        AND (a.viewby LIKE '%n%' OR a.viewby = 'all')
        AND (select count(*) from ad_category_mapping where datalength(category_number) >= 1 and adid = a.adid) = 0
Query Parameter Value(s) -
Parameter #1(CF_SQL_VARCHAR) = adzone6

get_type (Datasource=bookbrowse_com_new, Time=14ms, Records=1) in /root/website/adsystem/adsystem_mod.cfm @ 23:17:13.013
SELECT	a.start_date, a.adid, a.end_date, a.camp_views, a.image_name, a.alt_text, a.views, a.code, a.adsize
        FROM	adsystem a
        WHERE	a.adid = ?
Query Parameter Value(s) -
Parameter #1(CF_SQL_INTEGER) = 1112

get_quotes (Datasource=bookbrowse_com_new, Time=15ms, Records=1) in /root/website/site/blocks/dsp_book_giveaway.cfm @ 23:17:13.013
select top 1 ezine_number, ezine_quote, ezine_quote_title
	    from ezines
	    where len(ezine_quote_title) > 1
	    order by newid()
get_free_newsletters (Datasource=bookbrowse_com_new, Time=11ms, Records=4) in /root/website/queries/qry_get_free_newsletters.cfm @ 23:17:13.013
SELECT 	*
    FROM 	free_newsletters
get_ads (Datasource=bookbrowse_com_new, Time=24ms, Records=0) in /root/website/adsystem/adsystem_mod.cfm @ 23:17:13.013
SELECT		a.adid,	adweight
	FROM		adsystem a
	INNER JOIN 	ad_category_mapping b ON b.adid = a.adid
	WHERE		a.section = ?
	AND			a.active  = 1
	AND 		a.start_date <= GETDATE()
		 	AND a.adid NOT IN (?) 
	AND (a.viewby LIKE '%n%' OR a.viewby = 'all')
            

	AND     (b.category_number IN (	SELECT	category_number
									FROM	category_book_mapping
									WHERE	book_number = ?)
      		OR 	b.category_number = ?)
Query Parameter Value(s) -
Parameter #1(CF_SQL_VARCHAR) = showcase_track
Parameter #2(CF_SQL_INTEGER) = 1112
Parameter #3(CF_SQL_VARCHAR) = 0
Parameter #4(CF_SQL_VARCHAR) = 0

get_ads (Datasource=bookbrowse_com_new, Time=6ms, Records=1) in /root/website/adsystem/adsystem_mod.cfm @ 23:17:13.013
SELECT	a.adid,	adweight
        FROM	adsystem a
        WHERE	a.section = ? 
        AND 	a.active  = 1 
        AND		a.start_date <= GETDATE()	
        		AND a.adid NOT IN (?) 
        AND (a.viewby LIKE '%n%' OR a.viewby = 'all')
        AND (select count(*) from ad_category_mapping where datalength(category_number) >= 1 and adid = a.adid) = 0
Query Parameter Value(s) -
Parameter #1(CF_SQL_VARCHAR) = showcase_track
Parameter #2(CF_SQL_INTEGER) = 1112

get_type (Datasource=bookbrowse_com_new, Time=16ms, Records=1) in /root/website/adsystem/adsystem_mod.cfm @ 23:17:13.013
SELECT	a.start_date, a.adid, a.end_date, a.camp_views, a.image_name, a.alt_text, a.views, a.code, a.adsize
        FROM	adsystem a
        WHERE	a.adid = ?
Query Parameter Value(s) -
Parameter #1(CF_SQL_INTEGER) = 594


Scope Variables

CGI Variables:
AUTH_PASSWORD=
AUTH_TYPE=
AUTH_USER=
CERT_COOKIE=
CERT_FLAGS=
CERT_ISSUER=
CERT_KEYSIZE=
CERT_SECRETKEYSIZE=
CERT_SERIALNUMBER=
CERT_SERVER_ISSUER=
CERT_SERVER_SUBJECT=
CERT_SUBJECT=
CF_TEMPLATE_PATH=/root/website/arc/arc_reviews/detail/index.cfm
CONTENT_LENGTH=
CONTENT_TYPE=
CONTEXT_PATH=
GATEWAY_INTERFACE=
HTTPS=
HTTPS_KEYSIZE=
HTTPS_SECRETKEYSIZE=
HTTPS_SERVER_ISSUER=
HTTPS_SERVER_SUBJECT=
HTTP_ACCEPT=*/*
HTTP_ACCEPT_ENCODING=gzip, br, zstd, deflate
HTTP_ACCEPT_LANGUAGE=
HTTP_CONNECTION=upgrade
HTTP_COOKIE=FREEACCESSCOUNT=0; CFGLOBALS=urltoken%3DCFID%23%3D4076553%26CFTOKEN%23%3Dadf61e7d890bb32b%2D0343EE69%2DFF98%2DC906%2D43BC72EADDA241C9%23lastvisit%3D%7Bts%20%272026%2D05%2D31%2023%3A17%3A12%27%7D%23hitcount%3D38%23timecreated%3D%7Bts%20%272026%2D05%2D31%2023%3A17%3A02%27%7D%23cftoken%3Dadf61e7d890bb32b%2D0343EE69%2DFF98%2DC906%2D43BC72EADDA241C9%23cfid%3D4076553%23; CFTOKEN=adf61e7d890bb32b-0343EE69-FF98-C906-43BC72EADDA241C9; CFID=4076553; CFCLIENT_BOOKBROWSE=order%3Dp%23member%5Fnumber%3D0%23member%5Factive%5Fflag%3D0%23member%5Flogged%5Fin%5Fflag%3D0%23library%5Fuser%5Fflag%3D0%23view%3Dbooks%23
HTTP_HOST=dev.bookbrowse.com
HTTP_REFERER=
HTTP_URL=
HTTP_USER_AGENT=Mozilla/5.0 AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko; compatible; ClaudeBot/1.0; +claudebot@anthropic.com)
LOCAL_ADDR=127.0.0.1
PATH_INFO=/arc_number/1111/page/3/this-strange-eventful-history
PATH_TRANSLATED=/root/website/arc/arc_reviews/detail/index.cfm
QUERY_STRING=
REMOTE_ADDR=127.0.0.1
REMOTE_HOST=127.0.0.1
REMOTE_USER=
REQUEST_METHOD=GET
SCRIPT_NAME=/arc/arc_reviews/detail/index.cfm
SERVER_NAME=dev.bookbrowse.com
SERVER_PORT=8500
SERVER_PORT_SECURE=0
SERVER_PROTOCOL=HTTP/1.1
SERVER_SOFTWARE=
WEB_SERVER_API=
Client Variables:
cfid=4076553
cftoken=adf61e7d890bb32b-0343EE69-FF98-C906-43BC72EADDA241C9
hitcount=42
lastvisit={ts '2026-05-31 23:17:13'}
library_user_flag=0
member_active_flag=0
member_logged_in_flag=0
member_number=0
order=p
timecreated={ts '2026-05-31 23:17:02'}
urltoken=CFID=4076553&CFTOKEN=adf61e7d890bb32b-0343EE69-FF98-C906-43BC72EADDA241C9
view=books
Cookie Variables:
CFCLIENT_BOOKBROWSE=order=p#member_number=0#member_active_flag=0#member_logged_in_flag=0#library_user_flag=0#view=books#
CFGLOBALS=urltoken=CFID#=4076553&CFTOKEN#=adf61e7d890bb32b-0343EE69-FF98-C906-43BC72EADDA241C9#lastvisit={ts '2026-05-31 23:17:12'}#hitcount=38#timecreated={ts '2026-05-31 23:17:02'}#cftoken=adf61e7d890bb32b-0343EE69-FF98-C906-43BC72EADDA241C9#cfid=4076553#
CFID=4076553
CFTOKEN=adf61e7d890bb32b-0343EE69-FF98-C906-43BC72EADDA241C9
FREEACCESSCOUNT=0
Session Variables:
cfid=4076553
cftoken=adf61e7d890bb32b-0343EE69-FF98-C906-43BC72EADDA241C9
sessionid=BOOKBROWSE_4076553_adf61e7d890bb32b-0343EE69-FF98-C906-43BC72EADDA241C9
urltoken=CFID=4076553&CFTOKEN=adf61e7d890bb32b-0343EE69-FF98-C906-43BC72EADDA241C9
URL Parameters:
arc_number=1111
page=3
this-strange-eventful-history=
Debug Rendering Time: 10 ms