O Crime Do Padre Amaro (Classicos da Literatura Portuguesa)

Book Description

O Crime do Padre Amaro, perhaps the greatest novel of Portuguese realism, is Queirós' criticism of the corrpution in the clergy of his time. A new priest, Father Amaro, arrives in the provincial capital Leiria, where he soon meets and falls in love with Amélia. She becomes pregnant, and is abandoned by Amaro. Heartbroken, Amélia dies. Faced with the existence of his newborn child when he is a 'disciple of God,' Amaro delivers the child to an infanticide, the 'maker of angels.'

O Crime do Padre Amaro (Cenas da Vida Devota)

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O Crime do Padre Amaro (Cenas da Vida Devota)
Eca de Queiroz
Manufacturer: Lello & Irmao
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000ITVH9Q

Subjects of confession, objects of desire: (dis)engaging constructs of sex, power and sin in Eca de Queiros's O Crime do Padre Amaro.: An article from: Portuguese Studies

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Subjects of confession, objects of desire: (dis)engaging constructs of sex, power and sin in Eca de Queiros's O Crime do Padre Amaro.: An article from: Portuguese Studies
Kathryn Bishop-Sanchez
Manufacturer: Modern Humanities Research Association
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Portuguese Studies, published by Modern Humanities Research Association on January 1, 2003. The length of the article is 7266 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Subjects of confession, objects of desire: (dis)engaging constructs of sex, power and sin in Eca de Queiros's O Crime do Padre Amaro.
Author: Kathryn Bishop-Sanchez
Publication: Portuguese Studies (Magazine/Journal)
Date: January 1, 2003
Publisher: Modern Humanities Research Association
Volume: 19 Page: 64(16)

Distributed by Thomson Gale

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O Crime Do Padre Amaro
Eca de Queiros
Manufacturer: Atica
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000TP3XFA

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O Crime Do Padre Amaro (Cenas Da Vida Devota)
Eca De Queiroz
Manufacturer: Lello & Irmao- Editores
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000J0JIIG

Sisters of the Raven (Aspect Fantasy)
Average customer rating:

3 1/2 Stars....

Whining Women, Pouting Men

A culture turned upside down

Where's the carrot?

Sisters of the Raven
Sisters of the Raven (Aspect Fantasy)
Barbara Hambly
Manufacturer: Aspect
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

Hambly, Barbara | ( H ) | Authors, A-Z | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
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Dead Water (Benjamin January, Book 8)

ASIN: 0446615366

Amazon.com

Barbara Hambly, author of the acclaimed Benjamin January mystery series, is also one of fantasy's best authors, as her complex, powerful novel Sisters of the Raven demonstrates.

In a world where only men possess magic, the mages are losing their power--and a few women are discovering that they can cast spells. This adds turmoil to an already dire situation. Drought is ravaging the Yellow City. Its king is a soft, untested dandy with many enemies. A radical new prophet is winning an army of converts with his dangerous preachings. And the women magic-makers, struggling to form an alliance and combat the drought, are being killed in the night by an unknown man who, impossibly, possesses a new, terrifying, and immensely powerful magic. --Cynthia Ward

Book Description

Barbara Hambly, author of the acclaimed Benjamin January mystery series, is also one of fantasy's best authors, as her complex, powerful novel Sisters of the Raven demonstrates. In a world where only men possess magic, the mages are losing their power--and a few women are discovering that they can cast spells. This adds turmoil to an already dire situation. Drought is ravaging the Yellow City. Its king is a soft, untested dandy with many enemies. A radical new prophet is winning an army of converts with his dangerous preachings. And the women magic-makers, struggling to form an alliance and combat the drought, are being killed in the night by an unknown man who, impossibly, possesses a new, terrifying, and immensely powerful magic. --Cynthia Ward

Customer Reviews:

3 1/2 Stars...........2007-01-29

Enter a world in which the male mages are losing their magic while the women are slowly gaining theirs....

The rains are not coming to the Yellow City despite all of the Summonings by the mages. The city residents are growing uneasy as whispers of dissent with the King, Oryn Jothek II, are brewing. His consort, the Summer Concubine, and a handful of women suddenly imbued with magic seek to uphold the king's power while others simply struggle to just survive in a world that doesn't accept their powers. Someone or something, however, is seeking to kill them as one by one, the SISTERS OF RAVEN are disappearing. Will the women be able to combine their power in time to save both themselves and the Yellow City from a dark magic that is stirring?

SISTERS OF RAVEN is an extremely ambitious fantasy story. The numerous characters and subplots made the first half of the book a real struggle to read as it was hard to keep all of the facts straight. About halfway through, however, the story just "clicked" and suddenly it was impossible to put SISTERS OF RAVEN down. Perhaps a glossary at the front of the book listing all of the characters and their various relationships would have assisted with making this an easier read.

Barbara Hambly is well known for her fantasy tales that address difficult situations. The age old issue of male dominance and female subservience takes on a brand new meaning in SISTERS OF THE RAVEN. The prejudice Raeshaldis suffers at the hands of the Sun Mages is not surprising in a world where women are given status only at the whim of males. Some of the names, such as Summer Concubine, Corn-Tassel Woman, and Pomegranate Women may be a bit difficult for some readers to understand but Ms. Hambly has an excellent explanation at the conclusion of SISTERS OF RAVEN which puts these names in context. The tensions rising in the city are easily understandable in a time when women are not encouraged to have any power.

The inhabitants of the Yellow City come to vivid live in this very complex tale. Barbara Hambly does an excellent job at crafting her world and making the inhabitants believable. Raeshaldis in particular is a strongly developed character and one this reviewer hopes to see more of in future tales. SISTERS OF RAVEN is a mulitfaced tale that will appeal to readers willing to give the depth of this story a chance to develop.

COURTESY OF CK2S KWIPS AND KRITIQUES

Whining Women, Pouting Men.......2005-10-03

"Sisters of the Raven" explores a male dominated fantasy society in flux. The action focuses on women who are acquiring magic. Men are loosing their magic, and this shift of power is causing societal changes. The action is fragmented between the points of view of many different people who have nothing in common until well into the novel. The women's names were unusual but not any more confusing than most SF/Fantasy novels, due to the current trend among publishers to demand cryptic character names.

For myself, I didn't enjoy this book. The main focus was whining about how poorly men treat women. This constant complaining got old, fast - poor me, poor me, poor me. Yick. Also, there are simply too many point-of-view changes. The book just doesn't seem to go anywhere, because so much time is spent introducing yet another woman who blames all of her problems on some man, or yet another man who is responding poorly to change.

To be fair, much of this book was well done. Some of the characters were quite interesting, such as a poor widow, the king, and the first female mage apprentice. In my opinion, these excelent characterizations did not adequately compensate for the weak plot.

A culture turned upside down.......2005-08-08

Warning: minor spoilers

I won't re-describe the plot since this has been done well in other reviews. Like other reviewers, I loved the charactors and the thoroughly conceived setting. If there is one thing Hambly really does well, it is create charactors that are likeable and fun to spend time with. There are several villains in this book, each with their own motivations and each with a human side (yes, even Lohar: Hambly gives us a glimpse of who he was before he lost his magic).

What I really enjoyed was Hambly's creation of a world undergoing change. The Yellow City and it's world has an ancient culture and set traditions based on what is seen as the "natural order": only males can perform magic and females are lesser creatures, the property of men even to the point of not having their own names. Women are named by their fathers and husbands (a woman can be re-named by her husband when she gets married). The names are descriptive, such as Pomegranite Woman (who's husband farmed pomegranites) or Corn Tassle Woman (who's husband renamed her after the quality of her blond hair). Male magic is so prevelant and used so extensively in society that they've never learned how to get along without it. As one charactor says, they don't even know which herbs heal without being magically enhanced.

Suddenly, everything is being upended. Men are losing their magic and magic is appearing in women. Women's magic doesn't work the same way as men's, something that is still little understood by the end of the book. To me, what is facinating about this book is the depiction of how the individuals and the society as a whole are grappling with this major upheaval in the natural order. Another reviewer complained that the last line in the book, about the rains finally arriving, didn't explain anything or fit with the plot-- yes, it does: the point of this line is that the rains came *without magical intervention* for the first time in memory. In other words, this culture can no longer depend on the old ways- they must find other ways to survive.

Where's the carrot?.......2004-11-01

Did you ever get the sense that you were reading a book that just dangled a carrot in front of you so you'd keep reading? Well, I had that feeling while reading this book. The problem is, in other books, I was being led somewhere that made me jump.

No jumping here. Once I grabbed hold of the carrot it disappeared. When I finished the book, I was still expecting more. (Kind of like the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2004 World Series.)

The world set up is quite interesting but never did I feel smacked across the face by what happened.

For something more captivating check out "The Time of the Dark".

Sisters of the Raven.......2003-07-03

I usually love Hambly's work but this was the worst book she ever wrote. It was gross and pointless. Her characters were 2-D and she was trying to copy Le Guin and failed miserably. Lets hope she write a better book soon.

The Mystery of the Black Raven (Boxcar Children Special)

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interesting,exciting and fun - enjoy!

The Mystery of the Black Raven (Boxcar Children Special)
Gertrude Chandler Warner
Manufacturer: Albert Whitman & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0807529893

Customer Reviews:

interesting,exciting and fun - enjoy!.......2000-07-03

The story is exciting,the suspects are hard to decide on,and the end result is great.It's an interesting,funny,suspenseful mystery - enjoy!

That's so Raven: Raven's so Gold Guide to Life (That's So Raven)

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That's so Raven: Raven's so Gold Guide to Life (That's So Raven)
tk
Manufacturer: Disney Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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That's so Raven: Step Up - Book #4 (That's So Raven)

ASIN: 0786846623

Book Description

If only everyone could live like Raven Baxter: a little more vision, a bit more style, and a whole lot more fun! Illustrated with full-color photos from the show and tons of Raven's own doodles, this fabulous 48-page book will help readers live their own "so gold" lives. Get the inside scoop on how to deal with friends, boys, school, parents, annoying little brothers, and much, much more!

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Even Stranger and more wonderful
Brilliant
Stellar second volume
The Raven's Knot (Tales From The Wyrd Museum)

The Raven'S Knot Wyrd Museum Book 2
Jarvis
Manufacturer: Troll Communications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0816770069

Book Description

What's going on at the Wyrd Museum? Neil finds a stuffed raven in the museum's collection that has mysteriously come back to life. And he discovers that one of the three sisters who live in the museum is missing.

Who is behind these strange events? And why are they happening now? Neil soon learns that an evil presence is plotting against all three sisters -- and that presence may hold the fate of the world in its hands.

Customer Reviews:

Even Stranger and more wonderful.......2003-09-24

Robin Jarvis continues his Wyrd Museum Trilogy with fantastic style. Starting at the moment the first book left off Neil Chapmen is again needed to help the Webster sisters. First Neil finds an old Raven in the Seperate Collection then finds himself on the road to Glastonbury on the tail of Veronica Webster the youngest of the sisters. An ancient force has returned to overthrough the Webster Sisters.
This story is much darker than the first and delves more into the past of the webster sisters and what the Wyrd museum is really for. Leaving you on a cliffhanger at the end, this one will have you clawing for the concluding book.

Brilliant.......2002-10-02

Possibly the best in the trilogy. The Raven's Knot is powerful, moving and terrifying. The horrifying valkyries are some of the most chilling villains Robin Jarvis has come up with and the confused Reverend Galloway, tricked by Odin into believing he is doing the Lord's work by supporting the pagan god and his demon henchmen, is both sympathetic and loathsome at the same time.
The most interesting aspect of this book is the religious subtext. You can't help but wonder what Robin Jarvis's religious beliefs are after reading this- it has some fascinating material about angels and faith in general.
The conclusion is both thrilling and moving and I would not like to spoil anyone's experience by giving anything away so I'll just say it has a truly satisfying end.

Stellar second volume.......2001-04-29

After reading the excellent "Woven Path," the first volume of this trilogy, I was eager to read the second. Wasn't disappointed. Can't wait for the third volume.

Neil and the Sisters Wyrd (sorry, Weird--uh, their name is Webster) -- also known as the Three Fates -- return in this story. Neil returns from London (previous book) bringing a young woman named Edie with him. But Edie is not just another female sidekick -- she is a vital asset to the Sisters, who want her to further their work.

But the Sisters have a powerful enemy -- Woden. He is planning to disrupt them by pulling Edie and the youngest Sister, Miss Veronica, through the bizarre time warp. Neil transports through time and space to find his friends. And if he can't, the world will disintegrate with the Cloth of Time.

This book is a worthy follow-up to Woven Path. It does suffer from the problematic "we don't know what's going on because it doesn't stand alone" syndrome, in which you won't understand most of the references and best points if you haven't read the first book. That is not to say that you won't understand anything, but best to read Book 1.

Neil has grown a bit from the boy we saw griping to his dad in the backseat. The responsibilities that are heaped on him have matured him in mind, and he acts more like an adult in this book. The Sisters are more awe-inspiring throughout, as we know what they are for the whole book, but they are still weird and quirky. Edie is excellent!

The writing style is descriptive when it needs to be, a good balance between wordiness and fast action. Fantasy is well-styled and intriguing...

A must-read story! Can't wait for book three...

The Raven's Knot (Tales From The Wyrd Museum).......2000-06-20

This book was enthralling and to one new to Robin Jarvis, the quality of his writing is astounding, this book is a must for anyone who enjoys something a little quirky, I loved it almost as much as his series "The Deptford Mice". I have not yet read the first book and i am currently looking for it because of the excellent quality. Robin Jarvis is such an acomplished author that i feel that anything that he has written is automatically worth reading. The plot and sub-plots are clear, and the characters and ideas used are enough to draw you in immediately. Definately the kind of book I just coun't put down for more than a minute. I recomend this book and hope that many people out there will consider buying it.

The Raven Sisters (Candlelight Regency #221)

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The Raven Sisters (Candlelight Regency #221)
Dorothy Mack
Manufacturer: Dell Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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Sister Raven, Brother Hare: A Journal for Those Who Honor Animal Power : Quotes

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Sister Raven, Brother Hare: A Journal for Those Who Honor Animal Power : Quotes
Mary Sojourner
Manufacturer: Northland Pub
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0873585372

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Sisters of the Raven (Volume 1)

Manufacturer: Warner Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0739430173

Marie Theresa Foale rsj, Think of the Ravens: the Sisters of St Joseph in Social Welfare South Australia 1867-1980.(Book Review): An article from: Journal of the Australian Catholic Historical Society

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Marie Theresa Foale rsj, Think of the Ravens: the Sisters of St Joseph in Social Welfare South Australia 1867-1980.(Book Review): An article from: Journal of the Australian Catholic Historical Society
Lesley Hughes
Manufacturer: Australian Catholic Historical Society
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

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Book Description

This digital document is an article from Journal of the Australian Catholic Historical Society, published by Australian Catholic Historical Society on January 1, 2002. The length of the article is 612 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Marie Theresa Foale rsj, Think of the Ravens: the Sisters of St Joseph in Social Welfare South Australia 1867-1980.(Book Review)
Author: Lesley Hughes
Publication: Journal of the Australian Catholic Historical Society (Magazine/Journal)
Date: January 1, 2002
Publisher: Australian Catholic Historical Society
Volume: 23 Page: 76(2)

Article Type: Book Review

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The raven and the dove
Cameron
Manufacturer: And sold by Scatcherd and Co., Ave-Maria Lane
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Parenting | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B0008B6HZS

VENA: In Search of Nefertiti
Average customer rating:

VENA's strange adventure

I couldn't put it down!!

A Dig I Dug

VENA: In Search of Nefertiti
Darrell Walker
Manufacturer: 1st Books Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1414066716

Customer Reviews:

VENA's strange adventure.......2004-04-16

Film directors would be well advised to read this book because it contains a rare commodity--a unique story.

Archaeologists digging in Egypt discover an odd artifact. Vena, the heroine of this strange story is drawn into a bizarre series of events, the consequences of which are tragic. Yet they raise intriguing questions regarding life, consciousness, and sources of ancient spiritual wisdom--the wisdom of the Hebrews and later the Christians.

Whether the reader finds this story fascinating, gruesome, or absurd, it is unlikely to be forgotten soon. The author, Darrell Walker, has clearly done his research in making the events in this book a plausible scenario.

Don Randall

I couldn't put it down!!.......2004-03-29

This book has all the topics which I love, suspense, Egyptology, medicine, and fantasy. Not for the squeamish (It'll remind you of Stephen King) but if you like a good story, with lots of twists and turns you'll enjoy this book. It's a tough one to explain in just a few words...the after-life, near-death experiences, curses, intrigue, Nefertiti, medical technology and fantasy, love, spirit...oh, you'll just have to read it!!

A Dig I Dug.......2004-03-27

Fantasy/science fiction is not a genre I usually choose to read. But inadvertently becoming involved in "Vena: In Search of Nefertiti" proved an enjoyable, thought-provoking, entertaining read. First time author Darrell Walker has a winner here. I look forward to more from him.

Many Beautiful Things: Stories and Recipes from Polizzi Generosa
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Gentle Evocation of Sicilian Life and Food. Please Buy

Many Beautiful Things - An appropriate title

"ManyBeatutiful Things" Beautiful book

Many Beautiful Things: Stories and Recipes from Polizzi Generosa
Vincent Schiavelli
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0743215281
Release Date: 2002-10-08

Amazon.com

As a popular character actor, Vincent Schiavelli's face is easily recognizable. But you'll look at this actor--and serious cook--in a new light once you lose yourself in Many Beautiful Things, a compilation of personal stories, with more than 75 recipes, about his visits to a small hilltop town in Sicily called Polizzi Generosa, the birthplace of his grandparents. Schiavelli is embraced as a long-lost by the Polizzani, and they readily share their local legends, town gossip, and the trials and tribulations of living in a place far removed from the rest of Italy. As a result, when he introduces us to the quirky characters who populate the village he does it with a rare sensitivity, and real respect. You'll cry for Turiddu Lavanca, the lovesick forager; laugh with Za Momo, a friend's grandmother; and wish you could taste something, anything, made by Pino Agliata, Schiavelli's favorite pastry chef.

In Polizzi, life revolves around the table, and as Schiavelli tells us, "culinary expertise is divided into ... those who cook and eat, and those who don't cook but still eat heartily." As Schiavelli weaves his tales, slipping in mouth-watering descriptions of dishes like Potato Gratin with Bay Leaves, Zucchini Flowers Stuffed with Bechamel, and Pumpkin Caponata, and sweets such as Almond Love Bites and Almond Nougat, you'll find yourself skipping to the end of each chapter to make sure the recipes are there. Take this book to read on vacation, and then find a place for it in your kitchen. --Leora Y. Bloom

Book Description

Vincent Schiavelli is known to most of us as a character actor who has appeared in such films as Ghost, Man on the Moon, and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Schiavelli grew up in Brooklyn, speaking both Sicilian and English at home. Some of his earliest memories are of sitting at the kitchen table while his grandparents told stories of the life and the people they had left behind in Polizzi Generosa, a small city in the Madonie Mountains of Sicily.

As Schiavelli grew older, those stories, and the city about which they were told, took on a mythic quality. When he was nearly forty he made his first trip there, and what he found was more extraordinary than the "once upon a time" fables of his childhood.

In Many Beautiful Things, Schiavelli invites readers to join him in discovering the people, culture, and food of the city that has, in essence, become his second home. Equal parts memoir and cookbook, it is the best of both. Schiavelli is an accomplished and elegant writer who evokes a foreign and often closed culture from a unique perspective: an outsider fluent in the language with still-strong familial ties.

The recipes -- which reflect the ancient influences of Greece, North Africa, and Spain -- are simple, rustic, and delicious, depending on local products and seasonal bounty. This is not your usual Southern Italian fare but a unique regional cuisine: Pumpkin Caponata, Ditali with Drowned Lettuce, Fried Ricotta Omelet, Potato Gratin with Bay Leaves, Almond Love Bites, Veal Shoulder Roasted with Marsala, and Baked Pasta with Almonds (rigatoni baked in a pork ragu with chopped toasted almonds) are just a few of the extraordinary dishes you'll find in this book, all of which can be reproduced by cooks with delectable results.

Schiavelli provides a comprehensive list of mail-order sources. And if you want to visit Polizzi Generosa, there's a guide on how to get there, where to stay, and where to eat. Illustrated with black-and-white line drawings by Polizzi's best known artist, Santo Lipani (who also happens to be an extraordinary cook), Many Beautiful Things is a feast, both culinary and literary.

Customer Reviews:

Gentle Evocation of Sicilian Life and Food. Please Buy.......2004-02-23

I happened to pick this book up while needing something to read on a traveling layover. I instantly recognized the name of the author and the size of the volume promised to add little to the weight of my baggage, so I chose it over the hundreds of other cookbooks at the out of town Barnes and Noble I happened to find in my travels.

In the back of my mind was the opinion that this was an exercise in exploitation of the actor's fame in movies and on the stage. Although Vincent Schiavelli has had relatively minor roles, they were in some major films such as `Amadeus' and `One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest' and a major TV show, `Taxi'. The blurbs on the back cover from Martin Scorsese and Danny DeVito did nothing to change this prejudice. But here was also a blurb from Alice Waters. Not exactly your typical show business paison. Rather, a culinary heavyweight of the first Water (sic). The watercolor painting on the cover also enchanted me. Not exactly the sort of thing used by Patti LaBelle or Al Roker on their tie-in culinary efforts.

The first thing which gave the lie to my prejudice was the fact that the bio at the inside bottom of the dust jacket briefly mentions that Schiavelli is an actor and goes on to focus more on the fact that this is the fifth book he has written, all apparently on Sicilian / culinary topics.

This book is very much about both food and Sicily, specifically a small hilltop town in north central Sicily named Polizzi Generosa. The book opens with the story of the town's rather odd name. The town was founded in Roman times and the full name came to be in the thirteenth century. Read the book for all the spicy details. The relevance of the town to the author is that Schiavelli's family came from this town and some distant relatives still live there.

It took less than two pages to be hooked on the story in the book that provides a framework for the recipes. I often judge cookbooks by how interested I am in making the recipes after reading them. A comparable `gut level' criterion for non-cookbooks is how interested I am in reading other books by the same author. Schiavelli made me very interested in reading his earlier books. Unlike most other culinary memoir writers, Schiavelli also succeeded in my wanting to make the recipes in his book. Most of the recipes are absurdly simple and certainly inexpensive to make. The potato gratin recipe, for example, has immediately become my recipe of choice for this dish, avoiding all the headaches of dealing with curdling dairy products by replacing it with olive oil. This is Sicily, after all.

Not leaving things at that, Schiavelli adds significant value to the book by including a supplementary table of contents which list all recipes by category, since the primary table of contents is ordered more to events in the author's visits to Polizzi Generosa than to things culinary. The categories are Antipasti, First Courses (usually pasta), Second Courses (usually protein), One Course Meals (pastas with hearty ragu, for example), Side Dishes (conturni), desserts, and liquers.

The book is a true gem at a list price of $27. Given a reasonable discount, the book is a real treat. Highly recommended.

Many Beautiful Things - An appropriate title.......2003-01-01

Every once in a while a book comes along that doesn't try to be dark and mysterious, or technical and scientific, or highfalutin in any way. Instead this book simply wants to tell some pleasant stories. Many Beautiful Things is a book that does just this, it shares great stories (and recipes) in a simple, yet unforgettable way.
In his new book, Vincent Schiavelli takes us along on his journey to Polizzi Generosa, a quaint Sicilian town. Along the way, we witness the natural beauty of Polizzi; meet its people, who find joy and happiness in the simple lives they lead; and taste Polizzi's exquisite culinary creations (don't worry, Mr. Schiavelli gives you the recipes for them all)!
Although Mr. Schiavelli has successfully taken on many roles as an actor, in Many Beautiful Things, he takes on a role in which he is equally successful - that of a masterful writer. Schiavelli brings to life the landscape, people, and food of Polizzi through vivid images that seem to come more from the strokes of an artist's brush than from an author's pen.
"...[S]emolina bread toasted in the wood-burning pizza oven and topped with the ripest chopped tomatoes mixed with fragrant fresh basil, and drizzled with local extra-virgin olive oil" makes a dish that is, basically, a typical "bruschetta" seem worthy of being displayed next to the Mona Lisa in the Louvre!
Those unfamiliar with Polizzi Generosa need only to read Schiavelli's words to understand what an incredible place it is; "Before us lay a mountain pasture, dotted with olive trees ...The room filled with clean, cold mountain air. It was scented with wild fennel, and bay laurel, and earth - rich, fertile earth."
Reading Many Beautiful Things seems to transport you to a different world where the only things important in life are helath, friends and family, and a good spread of food. This book is filled exactly with what the title says, "many beautiful things!" There is one problem, however, that you may have with this book after reading it - you won't know whether to hop a flight to Sicily or fire up the stove! Thanks Vincent for showing us "many beautiful things!"

"ManyBeatutiful Things" Beautiful book.......2002-10-28

The author/actor Vincent Schiavelli has done it again. His latest cookbook with stories and recipes is a real treat, not only for the tummy but for the soul too. The recipes I have tasted so far are wonderfully delicious. The stories are so touching to the heart that I found myself teary eyed over the pasta sauce. This beautiful book should be in everyone's cook library, and it can hold it's place in any other library as well. Bravo Mr. Schiavelli for another great installment of Sicilian cuisine and culture.
I highly recommend this book. 5 stars in my book.

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