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In the dying days of the 19th century, the world's eyes turned to the small South African town of Ladysmith, whose inhabitants spent 118 days besieged by Boer forces while waiting for General Buller's army. Giles Foden tells his tale through a host of characters. There's the Irish hotelier Leo Kiernan and his daughters, Bella and Jane; the barber Antonio Torres, from Portuguese East Africa; the various British war correspondents, including a young Winston Churchill; the Indian stretcher bearers, among them Mohandas Gandhi; a Zulu named Muhle Maseku, his wife, Nandi, and their son, Wellington; and two young English soldiers, Tom and Perry Barnes, whose letters home--in which straightforward description approaches the surreal--were inspired by those of Foden's great-grandfather. Early on, Perry and his fellows capture one woman hiding in a farmhouse:
When we got to her, she was crouched in a shed with her arms round a goose. Seeing us approach, she buried her head in its feathers and started crying. As we surrounded her, she kept repeating something in Dutch. An African scout who spoke the language said what she was saying was: "Leave me my man-goose! Do not take my man-goose! Do not hurt my man-goose!" We had to take her in of course, but we let her keep the goose. As she was a farmer, I felt sorry for her, but they have plenty of our fellows in Pretoria, so there.
Ladysmith is a busy book, and it's not always clear what's going on. But that's Foden's point. At heart it is a novel about the writing of history, set on the verge of modernity, where old ways of assessing the truth are being cruelly questioned. So correspondent George Steevens still reads his Greek historians and Gibbons, while his messages are being sent (and censored) by the newfangled heliograph. "Sieges are out of date," Steevens realizes. "To the man of 1899 ... with five editions of the evening papers every day, a siege is a thousandfold a hardship. We make it a grievance nowadays if we are a day behind the news--news that concerns us not at all!" With such pressures to provide news, news, news, it's no surprise when the correspondents end up producing the Ladysmith Lyre, full of fake news. And on the margins, there's the unnamed Biographer, eschewing words in favor of visual images with his Biograph, but soon finding that he too can't tell the whole story.
In its considerable range and ambition--Churchill and Gandhi's encounter prefiguring events of the 1940s, Bella's personal rebellion standing in for the advance of women, the place of Ireland in Britain's colonial plans, Wellington's experiences informing his work with the ANC--Ladysmith sometimes falls short. But in his battle scenes and evocation of the town's drawn-out suffering, Foden is very good, producing some startling images: the town's mockingbirds, for instance, "take to imitating the whine and buzz of shells." This is never anything less than a fascinating, ambitious novel, and to see a young author taking on the huge question of how to write history is inspiring indeed. --Alan Stewart
Book Description
From the author of the Whitbread Award—winning
The Last King of Scotland, comes a spellbinding tale of a town under siege in colonial Africa and a young woman who finds love and freedom in the midst of a devastating war.
The year is 1899, and the South African town of Ladysmith is surrounded by Boer forces. For four long months bread is thickened with laundry starch and soldier’s horses are killed for meat; daily bombings destroy homes and businesses, forcing the town’s inhabitants into tunnels and makeshift shelters; and soldiers and townspeople alike are hideously wounded by flying shrapnel. As the world she knows collapses around her, Bella Kiernan finds the courage to escape from convention, to rebel against the political forces that threaten her homeland and to pursue her life’s greatest romance.
Ladysmith is a magnificent love story, a vivid portrait of war, and clear confirmation of Giles Foden’s standing as a formidably talented novelist.
Customer Reviews:
A Muddled and Wooden Stew.......2003-09-03
I generally enjoy historical and military fiction, and really liked Foden's first book (The Last King of Scotland), however this novel of the Boer War (which, according to Foden, was rushed to publication in order to coincide with the centenary of the war) did little to either entertain, educate, or move me. To be sure, the war-which bridged the 19th and 20th centuries-served both as another signal that the empire was dying, and as a portent of the horrors of World War I, and is thus noteworthy. Unfortunately, Foden's meticulous recreation of the three month siege of the town of Ladysmith, in which about 14,000 British soldiers and 5,000 civilians (of which half were Africans and several hundred, Indian) were subject to daily artillery barrages from huge Boer guns, suffers from an overwhelming number of characters and points of view. There were countless memoirs and histories of the siege, and one gets the feeling that Foden felt the need to cram every perspective into his book, which was apparently inspired by letters written by his great-grandfather, who was a trooper in the war. Indeed, those who've read Thomas Packenham's massive history, The Boer War, will recognize where certain scenes in the novel spring from.
The story is very loosely arranged around Irish hotelier Leo Kiernan's daughter Bella, and her alternating affections amidst the siege But that's only a small slice of the pie, and is rather clumsily portrayed to boot. The real story is about life in the midst of a siege, with all its familiar aspects: rationing, boredom, terror, filth, martial law, blood and guts, and so on. Chronicling all this are a good fifteen different characters, including fictional creations such as Bella, her sister, her father, various soldiers, a Portuguese barber, a Boer doctor, an early motion picture recorder, a Zulu and his wife and son, and real-life figures such as a young Winston Churchill, British journalists Nevinson and George Stevens, and an Indian stretcher bearer by the name of Gandhi. The book runs back and forth amongst these different perspectives, skimming lightly on each before a heavy-handed transition takes the reader to the next scene. None is fully-fleshed out, and Foden's interest in displaying the siege as emblematic of a sea-change in British imperial history leads his characters to speechify. The pronouncements of Churchill and Gandhi are particularly leaden. The resulting stew is an altogether wooden and unsatisfying one, and unlikely to enrich anyone's understanding of the events-although it does convey the sense of an aging empire muddling into quicksand.
Another success for Foden.......2000-09-05
Foden's The Last King of Scotland was an unusual novel, and so well-written, that it was to be feared his second would fall short - such is not the case. He has produced a rip-roaring account of the seige of the town of Ladysmith during the Boer War of 1899, filled with memorable characters both fictional and real (Churchill, Ghandi, Buller, Kitchner). The harrowing account of the suffering of civilians and soldiers during the seige is unforgettably brought to life. Although described as a love story, the romance element plays a secondary role in this gripping historical novel. The writer's style may appear to be hit or miss at first --so many characters, so many differing viewpoints --but the reader comes to understand that the very uncertainity of the style is a mirror reflection of the uncertainty of the lives and times of the people involved. I thought that the last section, "Monologues of the Dead", was a most fitting end for a really good book.
Pulsing with life, reeking of death........2000-07-11
Do not be misled by the jacket cover-a photograph of a beautiful young woman in Victorian dress gazing wide-eyed at an idyllic background scene and suggesting a romantic interlude. The jacket blurb itself refers to a "young woman who finds love and freedom in the midst of a devastating war" and goes on to suggest that this is her story.
Perhaps the publisher is being deliberately ironic here. Ladysmith, South Africa, was the site of one of the most horrific and bloody episodes in the whole sad story of the Boer War, a war that was waged between England and Holland for control of another country's riches and in which thousands of native, as well as foreign, people met unnecessary and unimaginably gory ends. And Foden describes this horror without reservation. I can assure you, "love story" is not what you will remember or care about here.
Foden's characters come from the British ruling class, British journalists (including Winston Churchill), British and Irish regiments, British settlers and expatriates, Indians (including Mahatma Gandhi), native families displaced by the war, and, of course, the Boers. The reader quickly becomes caught up in the lives of individuals from each of these groups, feeling genuine sympathy for many of them and mourning the tragedies which befall them all as the siege and the skirmishes continue unabated. Like the siege itself, there's a hopelessness to each of their stories, which Foden carries to their conclusions (in some cases at the end of World War II) by appending a final section aptly entitled "Monologues of the Dead." This is a beautifully wrought story of unimaginable carnage.
ladysmith.......2000-03-26
THIS IS AN INTERESTING READ, PARTICULARLY FOR SOMEONE INQUISITIVE ABOUT HISTORY AND AT TIMES SITUATIONS LEADING UP TO WORLD WAR II. THE HISTORICAL BACKGROUND SEEMS ACCURATE AND THE CHARACTERS REAL. FOR AWHILE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE BOOK THE PACE OF THE STORY SLOWS SOMEWHAT, BUT THAT IN ITSELF BLENDS WITH THE ACCOUNT OF THE LONG SIEGE OF THE SMALL SOUTH AFRICAN TOWN OF LADYSMITH BY THE BOER FORCES IN 1899. SOME HISTORICAL CHARACTERS ARE REFERRED TO INCLUDING LIEUTENANT WINSTON CHURCHILL, GENERAL BULLER AND OTHERS, BUT THE STORY FOCUSES MAINLY ON THE INTERACTION OF BIRTISH SOLDIERS AND LOCAL TOWNSPEOPLE AND THE WAY THEY DEAL WITH THE SIEGE OF THER TOWN AND WITH THEMSELVES. EACH SETTLER HAS A DIFFERENT STORY AND REASON FOR BEING IN THAT PLACE AT THAT TIME. ALL ARE WAITING FOR THE RELIEF OF LADYSMITH, IF IT COMES. THIS NOVEL IS A TYPE OF FORCAST FOR SOME ASPECTS OF MODERN WAR AND SIEGE SITUATIONS THAT ARE PLAYED OUT TO-DAY.
Average customer rating:
- History + mystery makes for fun, educational reading
- Tedious Mess
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The legacy of Ladysmith: A novel
John Kenny Crane
Manufacturer: Linden Press/Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0671605860 |
Customer Reviews:
History + mystery makes for fun, educational reading.......2002-05-29
After reading the only review of this book in Amazon I had to re-read the book again to see if perhaps I had only dreamed how much I liked it. While the second reading was not quite as delightful as the first I still found this a completely enjoyable book from beginning to end. Perhaps if one knows more about the history of the Boer war than I do it could prove less enthalling, but I learning alot about that era that I had little inclination to explore prior to this.
The story begins with a best selling biographer being hired to write a biography on a supposed illustrious member of a Scottish clan. The subject of the biography, a doctor who lived in South Africa during the Boer war, is reputed to be a hero. The more the biographer digs the more he uncovers, most of it not so good about this physician hero.
I loved the way the story unfolded bit by bit. I thought the author did a wonderful job of balancing the uncovering of historical mysteries that surround the biographer's subject and the biographer's own realization that few people are actually all good or all evil but most just reacting to the times and circumstances in which they live.
This is a great, fun, book to read. If you like mysteries that are more than "who done its" but have alot of meat to chew on, I would recommend it. Its worth looking for even out of print. I plan to get enough copies so a mystery book group I belong to can read and discuss it. I feel sure they will find it a good read.
Tedious Mess.......2002-02-11
This work is just that, work.
Reading it was not an absorbing experience, the structure of the novel is exposed as if the authors notes were printed in bold highlights and the rest of the text was word processed, cut and paste from some rather dull historical reference works trumped up as diaries. The characters have no depth and behave in unrealistic ways that allow them to be hung easily on the rickity framework of the plot. The protagonist is a pedantic boor who never engages.The author is carefull however to make sure that the color of each of the females characters panties is never left in doubt. The book seems to expouse an enlightened humanist view but its insights are trite, obvious and easy. Gee whiz, humans are a complex mix of good and evil.
If you are interested in Boer War read the memoirs of Winston Churchill from which much of this novel was lifted and ignore this labored effort at cleverness.
Average customer rating:
- This is worth ten stars
- Better than Robert Jordan!!
- What a great book!!!!
- Eating Crow
- Of course it's not the end!
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The Riven Shield: The Sun Sword #5 (The Sun Sword)
Michelle West
Manufacturer: DAW
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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The Sun Sword (The Sun Sword, Book 6)
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Hunter's Death
ASIN: 0756401461
Release Date: 2003-07-01 |
Customer Reviews:
This is worth ten stars.......2004-01-02
I hate buying or borrowing a book that turns out to be disappointing and as I'd never read a Michelle West book before, I didn't know what to expect when I saw "The Broken Crown" on the shelf and decided to get it. A few days later I went out and bought every Michelle West book I could find. Each one seems to get better and better, although I think they're all equally good. I've read and re-read every book in this series a number of times. Each time I get something new out of it, or read a line I hadn't focussed on before that illuminates a new angle in the story.
"The Riven Shield" is magnificent. I love it.
Michelle West is my favourite author. I hope that she lives to two hundred years at least and never stops writing these wonderful books that are just magical.
Better than Robert Jordan!!.......2003-11-23
This is an outstanding fantasy series...the characters are complex and fascinating (including some amazing women); the cultures and contrasts between North and South, clansmen and Voyanne are intriguing; there's magic and brawn, brains and heart; and best of all, the story keeps me entertained. Michelle West has also created a great balance between political intrigue and action.
I read the Sun Sword series first, then after the 3rd or 4th book, went back to the Hunter series and loved what I learned about Jewel there. It also made me appreciate the development of Michelle West's writing abilities--she started off being good and has evolved into a fabulous fantasy writer--Robert Jordan could take some lessons!
Re-reading the books has helped me find little details that I didn't know were important at the time but, on re-reading, provided interesting foreshadowing, context and explanation for what comes later. This series is my NUMBER ONE recommendation in the fantasy genre--start reading now and you won't be waiting for years to find out what happens to characters you'll care about!
What a great book!!!!.......2003-09-29
I have read all of the books in this series and in the Sacred Hunt series. I have loved them all. This book is the best so far because Ms. West begins to tie all of the elements together. I am very happy that she is doing a sixth book. It would have been very hard for the author to have resolved all of the subplots in one book and done them all justice. I really feel that a person would do well to read the Sacred Hunt series before starting the Sun Sword series. I really hope that Ms. West will keep writing as she is easily one of the best fiction writer around today.
Eating Crow.......2003-09-12
When I tried to read the the first book in this series, I could not finish it. I got lost several times in the plot and characters spoke in such a way that I could not follow. But, being a stubborn fantasy reader, I read on.
I am so glad I did that.
The Riven Shield, the latest book in the Sun Sword series, was absolutely one of the best books I have read in a long time. And, for someone like me who has probably 300 hundred books, 90% of them fantasy related, I have read it all.
This book carries the story well and honestly, I do not want to see it end next year when the last book comes out. But, that's why people buy books: to read them as many times as they want.
If you have not read this series, then I suggest you do. Now.
Keep up the good work, Ms. West!!!
Of course it's not the end!.......2003-07-27
People shouldn't be so surprised! After reading the fourth book, I had a *very* hard time envisioning every angle explained in one more book. I figured it would take at least two more - and it did. Sun Sword (the true last book of the series) will be out in just a few months! Hang in there! It's already written!
Book Description
The answer to the prayers of mystery fans everywhere? A Rabbi Small mystery?full of the wit and wisdom, persistence and chuzpah that put the Rabbi on bestseller lists every day of the week! Ever since he made his debut in FRIDAY THE RABBI SLEPT LATE, the adventures of Rabbi Small have been hailed by critics and fans. And now new fans and old can enjoy the hair-raising tales and unparalleled logic of one of the world?s most unusual sleuths.
Saturday brings Yom Kippur to Barnard?s Crossing and Rabbi Small is preparing as usual. But his prayers and fasting are interrupted when a member of his congregation is found dead in his car. The police call it an accident. The insurance company calls it suicide. Only Rabbi Small?s pregnant wife, Miriam, thinks it?s murder. Now it?s up to him to prove her right.
Customer Reviews:
On The Sabbath of Sabbaths of Sabbaths.......2006-09-11
Issac Hirsh is not a practicing Jew. He has never been a member of the local congregation; he does not attend services; he has a reputation for heavy drinking; and he is married to Patricia, a gentile woman much younger than he. On Yom Kippur he is found dead from carbon monoxide inside his garage, and his widow asks Rabbi Small to perform the rites and have him buried in the Jewish cemetary. After some consideration, Rabbi Small agrees--but his decision not only embroils him police and insurance investigations, it puts his job on the line as well.
Published in 1966, SATURDAY THE RABBI WENT HUNGRY is the second of Harry Kemelman's twelve novels concerning Rabbi Small, who uses logic drawn from study of Jewish law to aid authorities in their work. On this occasion, however, his intelligence and personal fibre is more tested by the congregation than it is by mystery. When rumors circulate that Hirsh committed sucide, several influential members of the congregation begin to demand that the body be removed from the cemetery, and Rabbi Small is called upon to determine if Hirsh's death was accident, suicide, or perhaps something more.
As is the case in most of Kemelman's Rabbi Small novels, the overall work is actually less mystery than it is a portrait of a Jewish community of a particular era. It is distinctly 1960s in tone, referencing the civil rights issues of the day, but most particularly it provides a window on the Jewish culture of the era, the traditions that continue, and a host of colorfully created characters. It is among the best of the series, recommended to old fans and newcomers alike.
GFT, Amazon Reviewer
A pil-pul is a fine distinction.......2006-01-24
Excellence in genre-writing should not be taken for granted. Kemelman's work is as smooth as butter. It is economical. He is a master at writing to give the reader understanding of his rabbi's mores and those of the temple congregation of the Conservative branch of Judaism. In terms of an extra fill-up of tribalism and atmosphere, there is the fact that the setting of the stories is coastal Massachusetts, portrayed aptly and excellently. Barnard's Crossing is a place of small tradespeople and on-the-make owners and managers of rather substantial businesses in the technology sector.
The central character is a dreamy, scholarly, traditional sort of religious leader hailing from a family of rabbis. David Small's relationship with the president of the temple board is rocky. Schwartz is a middle-aged architect who has felt thwarted in the pursuit of his professional activities. David's experience as the son of a rabbi positions him to deal with difficult members of the congregation.
Judaism emphasizes good behavior, morals, ethics, and there is little alcoholism. There is also reverence for elders. Isaac Hirsh is dead and his connection to Ben Goralsky, the owner of an electronics firm, is not clear. Hirsh's wife wants to have him buried in the temple cemetary. David supports her wish. Alcoholism and the possibility of suicide are matters of importance to the plot. It seems that Hirsh, a mathematician, may have made a mistake in computing causing the stock in Goralsky's company to rise in value in the belief that a new and simpler formula had been discovered.
The crime takes place on the Day of Atonement. The mystery has to do with the story of the scapegoat.
Good story with a pleasing background.......1999-10-16
I am not a big fan of detective novels, but I read Harry Kemelman's SATURDAY THE RABBI WENT HUNGRY with pleasure because in addition to a mystery/murder plot (which, OK, may not have been the trickiest I ever read)he surrounded the story with a lot of Jewish lore, cultural details of a synagogue's inner workings, and--for me--familiar local detail. It certainly helps to be from Marblehead when you read Kemelman stories because, for the most part, that is where they are set. Like any good author or cinematographer, Kemelman presents his characters and the locale as a pastiche of several individuals and locations, but as he lived in this town for close to 50 years, Marblehead is undoubtedly the fount of most of his inspiration; the source of his observations of human life in a small Yankee town suddenly settled by a considerable Jewish population.
The story moves along very well with asides to explain various Jewish traditions and customs. This may have been geared to a different time and generation, when the Jewish religion was still strange and foreign to many Americans on the East Coast. Certainly Kemelman's characters like to use phrases like "you people" and "your Yom Kippur", phrases that I have not heard in many, many years. Times have changed. But this story still stands as a monument to its times, to that period when New England Christians and Jews were still getting to know one another. If you know or want to know a New England town with its various characters, pressures, and patterns, if you want to read an enjoyable story with a Jewish background, then be sure to read this book.
Product Description
5 massmarket paperback Titles in Rabbi Small Series - The Day the Rabbi Resigned - Sunday the Rabbi Stayed Home - Monday the Rabbi Took Off - Wednesday the Rabbi Got Wet - Saturday the Rabbi Went Hungry
Product Description
6 massmarket paperback Titles in Rabbi Small Series - Saturday the Rabbi Went Hungry - Sunday the Rabbi Stayed Home - Monday the Rabbi Took Off - Tuesday the Rabbie Saw Red - Wednesday the Rabbi Got Wet - Thursday the Rabbi Walked Out
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Clinical Pastoral Supervision and the Theology of Charles Gerkin (EdSR)
Thomas St. James O’Connor
Manufacturer: Canadian Corp. Studies in Religion
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Pastoral Care And Counseling: Redefining The Paradigms
ASIN: 0889203105 |
Book Description
In the last twenty years, the number of texts written on clinical pastoral supervision has accelerated. Thomas St. James O'Connor analyzes these texts, nearly 300 of them, in light of three fundamental questions about the praxis of clinical pastoral supervision: (1)what is distinctive about the praxis? (2)what is an appropriate theological method for the praxis? and, (3)what is an adequate praxis? In doing so, he formulates three approaches: the social science, the hermeneutic and the special interest.
Looking at the theology of Charles Gerkin, a pastoral theologian and family therapist, O'Connor develops a conversation between Gerkin's theology and the texts. The theological methods in the three approaches are critiqued and Gerkin's praxis/theory/praxis method is endorsed. Case examples are used throughout to illustrate theory and issues discussed and to aid in the presentation of an adequate praxis.
Clinical Pastoral Supervision and the Theology of Charles Gerkin provides a unique overview of the history and current state of clinical pastoral supervision and an understanding of its methodology and theological foundations. More than that, it builds on the practical theory of Charles Gerkin, expanding it for immediate use in the practice of ministry.
Book Description
As one of the country's foremost restaurant reviewers, Mimi Sheraton set the standard for food writing and criticism. In this engrossing memoir, the doyenne of food criticism explains how she developed her passion for writing about food and wine, sharing the secrets of her career, including her years at the New York Times. Witty and honest, she talks openly about the importance of anonymity, her battle with weight, and the demands of juggling work with the needs of a husband and son. From fine dining to lunch in New York City public schools, Mimi Sheraton gives readers the big dish on a life in food.
Customer Reviews:
Interesting and spicy.......2007-07-09
The book is generally well written and moves along at an interesting pace. Only occasionally does she shift too quickly or drag things out too much. She writes with a spicy style - often interjecting comments that catch you totally off guard. Some funny, some spicy and some racy.
The book traces her life and work as a food writer and restaurant critic. Anyone interested in restaurants and what separates the good from the great would find something appealing in this book.
There are some good business lessons for those aspiring to write about food, travel or fashion. In addition to being an expert in food who loved to travel to exotic places, she knew how to profit from her travels. She would capture her experiences and sell them to many different magazines.
It is interesting to read about the various tricks she used to be an effective restaurant reviewer. It is also interesting to note that she was very independent and extremely committed to doing what was right rather than what someone thought would help the paper or magazine she was working for. While this may have caused her some short-term problems, it the long run it was what really set her apart.
Not a must read, but fairly interesting if you have any interest in restaurants.
Interesting read........2006-11-05
Along with her other book "Garlic & Sapphires" we non-pros get to see what life is like as a famous food writer with interesting anecdotes. I was pleased to get the impression that her power didn't seem to go to her head & found the author very down to earth in her perspective on food.
A very enjoyable work for foodies and memoir readers.......2006-08-25
After reading Ruth Reichl's Garlic and Sapphires, I wanted to read more about the world of restaurant reviewers and how the process works, just for fun. I love to think and talk about food, though I am a pretty lowbrow cook and eater myself, I appreciate creativity and hearing about new things done with food.
So picking up this book was a no-brainer. The book covers her life from college age to her career as NY Times restaurant critic, and she talks about the pressures and delights of that job. She doesn't go into a lot of drool-worthy detail about individual dishes, at least not to the extent that Reichl and other culinary memoirists tend to, but instead has a more matter of fact way of reporting the facts about her experiences.
Her writing style is crisp and clear, so the book was constantly engaging and a pleasure to read. Unfortunately the clarity of her writing made it a little bit harder to drum up that passion that I so often feel while reading. Her love for the topic shone through brightly, and there was a lot of wonderful information, but I never got to the "can't put it down" stage, where the author's wit and enthusiasm catch me to the point that I don't want to stop reading.
So four stars: entertaining, lots of interesting stories and information to ponder, clear writing style, and a good look at this career and what it takes to be in it. I liked it a lot but would recommend Reichl's Garlic and Sapphires over this one for its amusing detail about the costumes she donned, the feelings she had, and the dishes she sampled. This book was more straightforward and to the point, and while enjoyable, it lacked some of the verve that I have come to expect from culinary writings.
* * * * *.......2006-06-28
I loved this book!
Ms. Sheraton is an interesting multidimensional woman. Her book is as her life filled with fascinating travel adventures, shopping, and eating. Some of my own favorite passions.
The First & Final Word on Food Crticism & Life.......2006-04-17
I give this memoir five stars for the the author's curiousity, acumen and intelligence, all of which inform this wide-ranging tale.
Eating My Words will answer your questions about Mimi Sheraton's adventures as a New York Times food critic, travel writer and magazine editor, as well as stints spent as consultant to venues ranging from the famed Four Seasons restaurant to public schools and hospital kitchens. Through it all, Sheraton reveals a keen intellect, a dedication to research, and a passion for accuracy. Her prose is direct rather than lyrical, but the reader will emerge with a better understanding of restaurants and both admiration and appreciation for a woman and writer who has lived her life well.
Especially worthy savoring are Sheraton's love for her husband, Richard Falcone-- their marriage of 49 years gives a happy backdrop to this memoir, and Sheraton's reminiscences of her parents, who imbue her with wit, chutzpah, and lifelong curiousity about all things culinary. Also welcome are Sheraton's observations about the workplace: "It's not your job, the employer has rented it to you," she observes, noting
that if the job no longer suits you, it is time to quit-- something that Sheraton did several times in her career, including her departure from the New York Times.
My appreciation for Sheraton and this book grew as I progressed through the narrative. My initial four star appraisal had grown to five my the end of this memoir, chiefly because of my admiration for Sheraton and her well-lived life. This is a woman who has lived with zest and integrity aned, thankfully, has chosen to share her experiences with us. We should all be so lucky.
Book Description
Eve Johnson probes food, eating, and cooking in this rollicking collection of essays. With insightful and lyrical prose, she takes us from the social evils created by gin in early 19th-Century London and the invention of breakfast cereal in health spas to the present era, in which junk food gets a bad name from "the Twinkie Defense". Eating My Words contains a selection of simple and reliable recipes such as Grilled Artichokes, Mangoes and Sticky Rice--but consider yourself warned about The Crotchety Old Fudge.
Customer Reviews:
Eve Johnson makes my mouth water!.......2005-12-10
Few food writers cut this close to the tender parts of our love for eating. Her writing is rich in description, erudite and literate in its discussion of our rituals and habits. I enjoyed every page of this fine collection of essays, and have given it as the perfect gift to every person I know who smiles while chewing.
A fabulous book !!!!.......2003-12-24
What a fabulous book ! It made me laugh (reminiscing about my own mother and grandmother's idiosyncratic cooking). Full of interesting facts, recipes and witty observations, it has inspired me to get back into cooking because Ms. Johnson makes it seem so earthy, so calming, so...sexy !! This book is a must for every cook or aspiring cook in your life.
Best Food Book I've Read This Year!!.......2003-12-18
As soon as I opened this book and started reading the first chapter, an essay about Chocolate, I knew this was the book for at least half the people on my shopping list. Eve Johnson is readable, erudite, and Funny! As interesting as it is entertaining, this is a 'Must Read' for anyone who loves food or loves reading.
Scrumptious Words.......2003-12-06
Elegantly written and genuinely witty is how I would describe this book. Instant Canadian classic comes to mind too. "Eating My Words" displays an encyclopedic knowledge of the subject (food) but stays as light and refreshing, say, as a fine ripe mango. This author has published two excellent cookbooks I've had the pleasure of owning for a number of years but this new effort, although it has a few recipes, is more a cook's book about a lifelong love affair with food rather than just another cookbook. These fifty perfect short essays will reveal more than you ever imagined possible about subjects as varied as lemon meringue pie, ketchup and, of course, the relationship between artichokes and Marilyn Monroe. A feast!
Average customer rating:
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Eating My Words: 1998-99 Guide to Montreal Restaurants
Byron Ayanoglu
Manufacturer: Vehicule Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Dining
| Food & Lodging
| Reference & Tips
| Travel
| Subjects
| Books
Guidebooks
| Reference & Tips
| Travel
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Canada
| Travel
| Subjects
| Books
Montreal
| Cities
| Canada
| Travel
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 1550651072 |
Book Description
In addition to being the definitive dining guide to Montreal's fine restaurants Eating My Words is an opinionated survey of a year in the food life of a city. The book is divided according to the seasons and the fifty-two reviews are arranged in the order they were written to reflect the reviewer's seasonal choices.
Eating My Words features... Alphabetical listing of all restaurants A unique mini-review guide at the front of the book for quick reference Listing by type of restaurant and district Complete information including hours, credit cards, and wheelchair access
Average customer rating:
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Eating My Words: One Woman's Spiritual Journey
Virginia Stiles
Manufacturer: PublishAmerica
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Women
| Specific Groups
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Religion & Spirituality
| Subjects
| Books
Inspirational
| Spirituality
| Religion & Spirituality
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 1424118263
Release Date: 2006-05-08 |
Book Description
“All my life it seems I have had to eat my words,” says author Virginia Stiles. “When I began working in my hometown newspaper, I knew that job was only temporary until something better came along.” As it turned out, she was in the newspaper business for more than thirty-seven years—serving only two newspapers in that time. Her personal journey, which is told in Eating My Words, talks about confronting her alcohol addiction, dealing with rehabilitation after two heart attacks and a stroke, and then coming face-to-face with a bankruptcy. At the age of fifty-four, she completed training to go into parish ministry. She wanted to be able to “fill in” for pastors who were on vacation or sabbatical. “Who me? Full-time parish ministry? Never!” And, once again, she wound up “eating her words” about that, serving as pastor to a church in Westside for the next eight years.
Customer Reviews:
NOT RECOMMENDED FOR COLLECTORS.......2002-07-24
DILLON PROVIDED NO DESCRIPTIONS OF SHEET MUSIC LISTED IN HER CATALOG. ESPECIALLY DISAPPOINTING IS THE LACK OF COMPOSERS / LYRICISTS (AUTHORS) OF EACH ITEM. SEVERAL VERSIONS OF SHEET MUSIC FOR ANY GIVEN ITEM MAY HAVE BEEN PUBLISHED IN A GIVEN YEAR (BROADWAY, MOVIES, OR PIANO VERSION) AND COLLECTORS ARE NOT PROVIDED THE DISTINCTION OF WHICH PIECE OF SHEET MUSIC DILLON IS REFERRING TO WHEN PLACING ISSUING A $ VALUE. SAVE YOUR MONEY A LOOK FOR PRICE GUIDES BY MARION SHORT.
Book Description
The Sheet Music Reference and Price Guide helps the collector discern the really rare and valuable sheet music from the common pieces. This second edition is once again produced in full color. There are over 13,000 listings with date, artist, lyricist, composer, and a current collector value. The beautiful 275+ full-color photographs of these artistic pieces of sheet music have made this new second edition a bestseller. Anyone interested in art, nostalgia, or sheet music will enjoy this book. 2004 values. AUTHORBIO: Anna Marie Guiheen spent 45 years as a bookkeeper and office manager for a local bookstore. After retiring, she toyed with the idea of taking organ lessons. Her sister, Marie-Reine Pafik, asked her about doing a reference guide to sheet music, and the organ lessons were put on hold. They co-authored The Sheet Music Reference and Price Guide. AUTHORBIO: Marie-Reine A. Pafik was an estate liquidator and appraiser by profession. After 30 years of experience in business she felt it was time to share her knowledge with others, and she and her sister co-authored The Sheet Music Reference and Price Guide. At the time of her death, her sheet music collection numbered in the 7,000s and spanned the 1830s to the 1970s. REVIEW: This book has been a bestseller for many years, containing thousands upon thousands of listings. Date, title, composer, and current collector value are provided for each listing, and hundreds of color photographs are interspersed throughout the book.
Customer Reviews:
many music sheets listed; little editorial or hobby advice.......2004-03-10
I was disappointed, but maybe that is my fault. Many music sheets were listed, with values. But there was virtually no editorial matter about the hobby in general -- nothing on price trends, determinents of value, reproductions, collecting, storing, arranging, buying and selling, etc. Very little 19th century or high-priced stuff. Mostly a book of lists, which would be useful for many collectors.
Sheet Music Reference and Price Guide.......2001-07-09
If you have some old sheet music that you wish to sell, then this is the guide for you! I highly recommend this book!
Super Reference Work For Sheet Music Collectors.......2000-04-09
This 320 page volume contains over 13,000 listings of sheet music! There are over 300 full color pictures of sheet music covers and prices updated for the year 2,000. In addition to the alphabetical listing of songs and current prices, there are chapters on Cover Artists, Performers & Composers, Misc. categories ranging from advertising, black face, military, to patriotic, sports and WW I and II. There isn't a lot of back ground information, but a ton of listings, dates and prices. A valuable reference source for sheet music collectors.
Thank You.......1999-12-08
I'd like to thank all the people who bought my mother, Marie's, book. She died July 25, 1998. Many of you continue to call about the book and she would be very grateful for your continuing praise.She was about to update the book for the 3rd edition but that was not to be. Thank You
Outstanding book, very informative and helpful >.......1999-08-20
I just purchased this book from Amazon.com. and thought it was an excellant guide, however I am new collector of WW II sheet music and was disappointed that there were not more Titles available for this period of time out of 140 sheets I could not find reference to 47 of them, The book still is a great asset to all us collectors'.
Product Description
Over 1600 entries! 138 pictured. Learn the difference between the common and collectible. Additional sections on related '50s sheet music.
Product Description
The Sheet Music of George Gershwin is a pictorial price guide. Arranged chronologically the sheet music presented spans from 1916 to 1992.
Book Description
-Learn how to preserve holiday heirlooms.
Average customer rating:
- tries to cover too much ground
- Many uses for this book.
- Lots and Lots of storage ideas
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The Storage Book: Over 250 Inspirational Ideas for Creating Stylish Home Storage
Cynthia Inions
Manufacturer: The Lyons Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Nutrition
| Health, Mind & Body
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Remodeling & Renovation
| Home Design
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
Household Hints
| How-to & Home Improvements
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 1585746762 |
Amazon.com
Banishing clutter is a noble objective, but far easier said than done. If your possessions are overflowing, your space is limited, and your imagination is stymied, turn to The Storage Book for clever ideas on neatening up every room in the house, plus the yard and garage. Stylish photos and sensible text provide countless hints on finding, adapting, and/or making interesting containers, shelving, cabinets, and other items to organize, camouflage, or highlight all kinds of stuff. An array of handwoven baskets on open shelves, a rustic pine peg rail, a compartmentalized display platform, a stack of decorative hatboxes, a series of neatly tailored canvas sacks hung on a dowel--there are plenty of ways to sort things attractively in the open, as well as many more that utilize store-bought or custom-built storage items. There are also 12 step-by-step projects, from fabric-covered boxes to a roll-around bin to a pocketed shower curtain. --Amy Handy
Book Description
Many glossy interiors seen in books and magazines appear to be occupied by owners with no everyday possessions, but no real-life room scheme can be effective without taking into account the occupants' storage needs. So where do you keep your clutter in a stylish room? THE STORAGE BOOK provides the answers, revealing innovative storage designs in over 250 inspirational photographs.
Cynthia Inions looks at the best ideas worldwide for making storage a harmonious part of a handsome interior. As well as detailing problem-solving tricks where space is short, THE STORAGE BOOK offers solutions that actually enhance your interior, increasing the feeling of space in a room.
This invaluable storage sourcebook provides inspiration for every part of the home: hallways, living areas, bedrooms, kitchens, bathrooms, studies, and gardens. It features ten projects for original storage ideas with clear, step-by-step instructions, including an illustrated techniques section with practical information on putting up shelves, floor plans, and storage facts and figures. The book also features a comprehensive directory of specialist suppliers.
Customer Reviews:
tries to cover too much ground.......2002-04-17
The book delivers everything it says it is going to: 250 ideas for stylish home storage. The problem is that the scope of the book is far too large. You'll get storage ideas for every room in the house, for your garage, your garden, everything. This means when you really get down to it and want some stylish storage ideas for, say, your bathroom, there are really only 10 or 15 of them. I think it is more likely that most people are going to be interested in storage ideas for a particular room and thus a book that offered 250 ideas for stylish storage in the kitchen. Feel free to browse through this book in the bookstore but you'll probably want something a little more focused.
Many uses for this book........2001-12-26
Uses: Hide a burn on table, no one will move it, use when you run out of Sear catalog pages, burn to get a fire started, hit your spouse, and the main reason to build outdated storage that didn't even look good in the 50's. This book is a zero for ideas. What do I have to pay you to take my book? Not even the generous one star I gave it.
Lots and Lots of storage ideas.......2001-03-21
I liked the book, but was a little disappointed with it. When I saw that it had "over 250 inspirational ideas" I thought, "WOW I have to get this book." And after reviewing it, there are many good ideas, but most of them you could see in a home and house magazine or from watching Martha Stewart. There are ideas for planning the storage ideas for closet space or shelving systems and instructions on how to make a laundry bag in a basket or a shower curtain pocket thing. The photography is beautiful and there are small tips and hints in the book, but for the most part it's just pictures of how it should look. This is not a book for anyone looking for ideas on how to shelve books. I was hoping that there would be an excellent section and I was very upset to only find 3 pages worth of information. All in all it's a good but, definately not the best storage book for your money.
Average customer rating:
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Art Directors' Index to Illustrators 17 (Art Directors' Index to Illustrators)
Rotovision
Manufacturer: Watson-Guptill Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
| Reference
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Annuals
| Commercial
| Graphic Design
| Design & Decorative Arts
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Commercial
| Graphic Design
| Design & Decorative Arts
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Graphic Arts
| Graphic Design
| Design & Decorative Arts
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 288046305X |
Book Description
Subtitled "a supernatural journey through France," this book is a charming memoir based on several trips Joan Grant made through the Lot region of France. She describes not only her mundane travels and adventures, but also the hidden dimensions of her trips--the laments of soldiers who had recently died during the second world war, as well as the cries of spirits who had died violently centuries before.
Customer Reviews:
Title is very misleading........2007-07-05
If you are looking for a travel summary of the sights and sounds of the countryside, what the menus were at the local tavern, how much the wine and meals cost, and what the state of the bedrooms at the inns were like, this is the book for you. However, if (like I was) you are expecting to read about supernatural encounters, you may just as well save your money. I have never read anything by Joan Grant before this, so I cannot guess as to how interesting her other works may be.. I only know I was sorely disappointed in this one. There were only two "supernatural" encounters, each not being more than a page or so, in the whole book. A "Supernatural Journey" ...... I think not!
Books:
- Leopard in the Sun
- Lilith's Dream: A Tale of the Vampire Life
- Lonely Planet Canary Islands
- Los Amigos Que Perdi
- Loving Che: A Novel
- Maida's Little House
- Meadowsbrook: When the Well Runs Dry
- Misery, Spanish Edition
- More Sweet Tea
- Nashborough: A Novel
Books Index
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