The Falling Boy: A Novel

Amazon.com

David Long's luminous debut novel The Falling Boy begins with a wedding of two lovers and ends with the reconciliation of two sisters. In between, Long charts the turbulent inner life of his protagonist, Mark Singer, a young man without a family who finds one in the exuberant Stavros clan, proprietors of a café in a small Montana town. Widower Nick Stavros and his four daughters welcome Mark into their fold, and eventually Mark marries Olivia, the most serious of the sisters. For a while, life seems just about perfect. Then Olivia's oldest sister, Linny, comes home from San Francisco, and the unwitting Mark is drawn into a long-standing rivalry between the sisters.

If an affair between Mark and Linny is inevitable, the results of their betrayal are unexpected. In The Falling Boy, the flesh is occasionally weak, but love is tougher than we might think. When Olivia emerges from her final confrontation with her sister, she is triumphant--not over Linny, "but over the forces that fling people apart." In sure, lyrical prose and with gentle humor and compassion for all his characters, David Long offers up a profound exploration of the human capacity to love, hurt, and forgive.

Book Description

In a small Montana town in the 1950s and 60s, a young carpenter discovers himself being drawn into the tensions and joys of family life. Marc Singer's marriage to Olivia, one of the four Stavros sisters, opens the door to new feelings and experiences he has never encountered before. Raised by his grandmother, he is a stranger to the teasing humor and smoldering resentments that preside at the Stavros dinner table. Olivia and her sisters are vastly disparate from each other; one is serious and steadfast; one dutiful; another romantically unstable; and one enigmatic. Mark takes great pleasure watching the sisters interact, the oldest of whom slowly begins to cast a spell over him. The two embark on an illicit affair, and as events lurch out of control, threatening to unravel this closely knit family, Mark has no choice but to confront the nature of marriage and desire.
The Falling Boy is the long-awaited first novel by David Long, a master of the short story form. David Long's previous book, Blue Spruce, was named one of Publishers Weekly's Best Books of 1995, and won the prestigious Rosenthal Prize from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. David Long's short fiction has appeared in leading literary journals, including The New Yorker, Story, and GQ.

Customer Reviews:

Oh, what humans do to each other..........2004-08-25

It would be an uninteresting world if no one made mistakes, wouldn't it? What would we write and read about? In this book, the path to error, and the path out of it, are shown with understanding, clarity, pain, and courage. As these four sisters pursue their lives, one sister's husband observes, intrudes, upsets and finally helps to restore family balance. The book gives us an interesting portrayal of the web woven by connected women--and gave me some empathy for the men who are enmeshed, and yet somehow excluded by the ties that bind us. A quiet, well-written novel of betrayal and forgiveness; read it for the characters, remember it for the lessons.

Chekhov meets Anne Tyler. A story of four sisters. . ........2004-01-15

You know when you read a finely crafted short story with vivid characters and incidents, and you wish it could go on and on? Well, this book is like that. It's written with the economy and attention to detail you find in a great short story, and instead of ending, it expands into a wonderful novel.

Long makes me think of both Chekhov and Anne Tyler. Here we have four sisters in a backwater town in northern Montana, each with a decidedly different character but still bound to each other in the way that families are. They emerge from girlhood, working in their father's restaurant, and one by one they take on their roles as adults. One marries a carpenter, fresh out of school. One marries an antique dealer. One goes off to San Francisco to live a kind of bohemian life; then returns; then leaves again. The youngest stays with her father, until he unexpectedly sells the restaurant.

It is 1952 when the novel starts. Then it jumps ahead to 1960, and the configuration of sisters takes a gradual turn as the young husband of one of them drifts into a relationship with another one. And when the inevitable revelation occurs, there is a bitter break-up, and a period of many months until things are patched up again.

The story is told mostly through the point of view of three characters - the young unfaithful husband, the youngest of the sisters, and her father, a widower whose days and nights are often warmly touched by memories of his dead wife. We meet several secondary characters, all sharply drawn and springing from the page in deftly told details of speech and behavior.

Long has a fine ability to capture characters and relationships in dialogue. He knows how people talk, how they use language to strike attitudes, pass judgments, reassure, humor each other. Meanwhile, the Montana seasons come and go - autumn, miserable winter, and early spring. Time passes, crises are resolved, lives move on. And after the pain of betrayal, separation, anger, and hurt, there is triumph over the forces that drive people apart.

I loved this book and happily recommend it to anyone who enjoys domestic comic-drama, memorable characters, and fine writing.

I am falling...........2001-06-28

I picked up this book after reading Long's collection of stories "Blue Spruce" and feel sure I am going to be reading his other works as well. Long's story gives us an insight into smalltown America, totally different from what we see in Hollywood movies and such. It's simple and honest and explores the basic and fundamental intricacies in human relationships. I personally find the protrayal of the Stavros sisters interesting as one can see the mirror and similarities in the characteristics of the four of them. Although the main focus of the novel was on Mark and his marriage to Olivia, I think more enduring was the flashbacks of Nick's marriage to his long-dead wife, Grace. That is a bond that overcomes differences, difficulties, temptations and time -- gathering all the strands of the novel together and thereby providing a centre for the story. I would have liked to have the WHOLE TRUTH about Celia and Linny, Olivia and Linny, and all the other little mysteries peppered throughout in the novel, but that would just have detracted from the novel's purpose and might just have reduced it as a whole. I enjoyed this book which spoke to my heart and by the way, isn't Davey just adorable?

A Wonderous Book.......2000-07-25

On many different levels, the Falling Boy is a joy to read. The story of Mark Singer and the family he marries into is a fairly simple one, but the reach of the novel is so much greater.

David Long invests the ordinary with so much meaning and life, without making his observations at all contrived. The Falling Boy will make you look at your own familiar surroundings in a new light.

A perfect read for a quiet day.

Spectacular Novel of Contemporary Life.......2000-04-03

I have just finished reading this exquisite novel and I know it will be with me for days to come. Mr. Long has written a beautiful story, not just about marital infidelity but about the "messiness" of life in general. His characters are distinctly drawn without ever becoming archtypes, recognizable even if we have never met anyone exactly like them. There is so much here that strikes a chord of recognition not in a showy, lightning striking way but as gentle thoughts curling up in those many recesses our souls develop as we age and experience. The short story writer that Mr. Long is shows in the well-crafted but clean prose that is a hallmark of this novel. Thank you, Mr. Long. I look forward to reading your other work.

Average customer rating:

A respectable first novel
The Irish Crime and Punishment
Very funny, very sexy
A gorgeously written debut
Good Book

The Long Falling
Keith Ridgway
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Literary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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What Are You Like?: A Novel
Grace Notes

ASIN: 0395905303

Amazon.com

Sin and salvation are the two themes of Keith Ridgway's wonderful first novel, The Long Falling. But as in life and great art, the definitions of these terms are neither simple nor clear. Grace Quinn is an abused wife whose husband's drinking has led to a car accident and the death of a young woman. As a result, they are shunned in their small rural Irish village. After her spouse's death in what most likely was a retaliatory hit-and-run accident, Grace moves to Dublin to be with Martin, her gay son who left home and his abusive father years before. In this new setting, Grace and Martin begin to form a new relationship--until secrets from the past threaten to destroy their lives. Ridgway knows how to tell a story, but the strength of the novel is in its insightful and compelling emotional details. Succinct, poetic, and emotionally shattering, The Long Falling is not simply a fine debut, but the beginning of an illustrious career.

Book Description

A brilliant portrayal of a woman pushed to the edge, The Long Falling movingly explores the distance between a mother and her son, between a woman and her community, and between longing and belonging. Grace Quinn is an Englishwoman who has lived her entire adult life in rural Ireland but is still an outsider. Isolated by religion and circumstance, she endures an abusive husband -- who blames her for the death of their young son some twenty years earlier -- and an increasingly estranged relationship with her surviving son, Martin, whose open homosexuality her husband refuses to accept. Through a series of ill-fated events, Grace is emboldened to commit an act of desperation. Reeling in the aftermath, haunted by doubt and denial, she seeks out Martin in Dublin. There she is pursued by the police and an ambitious newspaper reporter. Confused about where to turn and whom to trust, she is cornered -- and what unfolds is an uncompromising examination of the complex nature of love, fear, and betrayal. The Long Falling is a powerful debut novel that is certain to establish Keith Ridgway as one of the most promising writers to emerge from Ireland in recent years.

Customer Reviews:

A respectable first novel.......2005-08-13

Grace Quinn, of English origin, has been married for 30 years to Michael Quinn, a violent and alcoholic man and has lived for the same time as an outsider in Ireland, in a small place called Monaghan. Her first son Sean drowned in a ditch when he was 3 and her second son, Martin, left to live in Dublin. He was forced to lave Monaghan after having admitted to his father that he was homosexual, a fact his father couldn't admit since "the animals in the fields don't even do that". Finally Grace can't take the violence anymore and runs over Michael with her car one night as he is coming back home, drunk.
After her crime, Grace joins her son Martin in Dublin but she soon understands that it is difficult for her to come to terms with her son's way of life and she can't help feeling out of place, bored and tired of staying in the house Martin shares with his boyfriend Henry. Furthermore there is neither escape nor redemption to be found in Dublin for the crime she committed.
An altogether interesting first novel with an original plot structure although perhaps a bit lengthy at times. Certainly Grace's psychological instability in a life which became devoid of meaning after Michael's death and her son's difficulty in trying to comprehend her behaviour in Dublin are the strong points in Mr Ridgway's novel.

The Irish Crime and Punishment.......2001-06-12

From the dark atmosphere of the novel, to the murder and eventual redemption of the murderer, this has to be the Irish equivalent of Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment. Of course there are no real plot-point comparisons, but Grace, the main character, might possibly have been able to get away with the murder of her husband, just as Raskolnikov could have gotten away with the murder of the old pawn-broker woman. But both characters provide their own punishment, both give themselves up to authorities, and both characters redeem themselves of their acts. Ridgway, however, provides us with a likeable and sympathetic character in Grace, and a very believable family dynamic in the way she relates to her gay son. This was a surprisingly mature treatment of a complex plot, seamlessly presented, with equally in-depth character portrayals. --Ronald L. Donaghe, author of Common Sons

Very funny, very sexy.......2000-03-21

This is a very funny book, and Mr. Ridgwet is certainlymost clever and sad. END

A gorgeously written debut.......2000-01-30

A debut novel of almost miraculous courage and brilliant lyricism. Ridgway is fearless in his exploration of the human heart; he beautifully explores the pain inherent in love and loss. This prose will haunt you. One can only hope that Keith Ridgway's career is just beginning -- he has the writer's gift of language, and a heart that's open and unafraid.

Good Book.......2000-01-29

This author told this spooky and sad story well. The problems I had were: A few times I felt his prose turned a little purple, especially with some of the internal ramblings of Grace; I wondered about Henry's motives in how he related to Martin at the end of the story; and I stumbled over Martin's reaction to the news that his mother killed his father. I didn't find enough background, or motive, or psychological basis for his extreme behavior. But the main character, Grace, was well-wrought enough to carry the story as a whole, and it is clear that Mr. Ridgway is a perceptive and sensitive writer. I will definitely keep my eye out for his next work.

Average customer rating:

The Long Falling
Keith Ridgway
Manufacturer: Faber and Faber
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0571191711

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The Long Falling
Keith Ridgway
Manufacturer: Faber and Faber
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0571216498

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The Long Falling.
Keith. Ridgway
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin,
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000PEHFRM

When I Grew Up Long Ago Family Living, Going to School, Games and Parties, Cures and Death, A Comet, A War, Falling in Love...

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When I Grew Up Long Ago Family Living, Going to School, Games and Parties, Cures and Death, A Comet, A War, Falling in Love...
Alvin (Harold Berson, Drawings) Schwartz
Manufacturer: J.B. Lippincott Co.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000J0OQX8

When I Grew Up Long Ago: Family Living, Going to School, Games and Parties, Cures and Deaths, a Comet, a War, Falling in Love, and Other Things I re

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When I Grew Up Long Ago: Family Living, Going to School, Games and Parties, Cures and Deaths, a Comet, a War, Falling in Love, and Other Things I re
Alvin Schwartz
Manufacturer: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Bubble-Proof Real Estate Investing: Wealth-Building Strategies for Uncertain Times (Unabridged)

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Bubble-Proof Real Estate Investing: Wealth-Building Strategies for Uncertain Times (Unabridged)
Eldred, Oakes, Dolf, Gary, Curtis de Roos
Manufacturer: audible.com
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Download
ASIN: B000JFQ2SA

The Long Falling.(Review)(Brief Article): An article from: The Antioch Review

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The Long Falling.(Review)(Brief Article): An article from: The Antioch Review
John Kennedy
Manufacturer: Antioch Review, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Book Description

This digital document is an article from The Antioch Review, published by Antioch Review, Inc. on January 1, 1999. The length of the article is 1325 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: The Long Falling.(Review)(Brief Article)
Author: John Kennedy
Publication: The Antioch Review (Refereed)
Date: January 1, 1999
Publisher: Antioch Review, Inc.
Volume: 57 Issue: 1 Page: 110(1)

Article Type: Book Review, Brief Article

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Tired of telecom telemarketers? Go online for service. (Focus Telecommunications).(falling rates a boon for businesses)(Brief Article): An article from: Mississippi Business Journal

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Tired of telecom telemarketers? Go online for service. (Focus Telecommunications).(falling rates a boon for businesses)(Brief Article): An article from: Mississippi Business Journal
Becky Gillette
Manufacturer: Venture Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Mississippi Business Journal, published by Venture Publications on April 29, 2002. The length of the article is 1054 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: Tired of telecom telemarketers? Go online for service. (Focus Telecommunications).(falling rates a boon for businesses)(Brief Article)
Author: Becky Gillette
Publication: Mississippi Business Journal (Magazine/Journal)
Date: April 29, 2002
Publisher: Venture Publications
Volume: 24 Issue: 17 Page: 28(1)

Article Type: Brief Article

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Customer Reviews:

Excellent!.......2005-01-15

This is one of the best animes I've read in a long while! Haru is funny, Elie is hot, Musica is just....well, Musica! The odd thing is Amazon has only up to this one #6, when int he stores it's up to $12, and 13 will be out soon. Anyway, read this series, you'll love yourself for it!

FitKid7- 7 Simple Steps for a Fit & Healthy Child!

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6 stars

FitKid7- 7 Simple Steps for a Fit & Healthy Child!
Nutritional Consultant Sirkka Wolke
Manufacturer: FitKid7.com
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0646470906

Product Description

FitKid7 is guaranteed to help children lose weight and/or get fit! The bonus is that children who live healthily tend to sleep better, have fewer behavior problems, experience less illness and are able to concentrate better in school! The FitKid7 book contains- 7 Simple Steps for a Fit & Healthy Child. Looks into reasons of why kids are unfit &/or overweight. How to get our kids on board to make the positive changes. Harmful Food Additives List. Shopping List. Great Ideas for Meals & Snacks. Recipes. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed.

Customer Reviews:

6 stars.......2007-08-22

Fitkid7 is a great book on childhood fitness & health. It covers the issues of exercising, healthy eating and much much more.

I found it was easy to read (unlike a few others I've tried).

I love all the sections on Recipies, Shopping lists, meal ideas etc.

I would recommend FitKid7 to anyone looking for a book on kid's health. Your kids would love to read it just as I have.

Sirkka Wolke has done a great job on this one.****** 6 stars from me!

Product Description

Produced by Eddie Dowling at the Belasco Theatre, September 29,1942. For 3 males and 2 females. The setting is a little jailhouse in Matador Texas.

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The Written Word (Hello Out There)
Janet Weller
Manufacturer: Franklin Watts
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0531153517

The Magic School Bus: Hello Out There : A Sticker Book About the Solar System

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Magic School Bus and stickers, too!

The Magic School Bus: Hello Out There : A Sticker Book About the Solar System
Joanna Cole
Manufacturer: Scholastic
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0590881299

Customer Reviews:

Magic School Bus and stickers, too!.......2000-07-16

Mrs. Frizzle takes her class on an "extremely" hands-on field trip, and takes her readers on an "extremely" hands on voyage as they can place stickers on the book to create their own scenes. Students can learn about different planets, moons, meteors, and more, and younger children enjoy the stickers!

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All About Maps (Hello Out There)
Catherine Chambers
Manufacturer: Franklin Watts
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Reference & Nonfiction | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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General | Reference | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0531153487

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Body Language (Hello Out There)
Pam Robson
Manufacturer: Tandem Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: School & Library Binding

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0613295641

Electronic Communication (Hello Out There)

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Electronic Communication (Hello Out There)
Chris Oxlade
Manufacturer: Franklin Watts
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding

Electricity & Electronics | Science, Nature & How It Works | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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Solid science fiction
Changing the Past of our Future

Hello Out There
Jack McDevitt
Manufacturer: Meisha Merlin Pub (P)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1892065223

Book Description

Here, together in a single volume, are the two novels that launched Jack McDevitt's reputation as a writer of suspenseful, thoughtful, sense-of-wonder science fiction.

Hello, Out There contains The Hercules Text, winner of the 1986 Philip K. Dick Special Award, and A Talent for War. The Hercules Text has been totally rewritten and updated for this edition.

Most of us are attracted to the idea that the human race is not alone. Encountering other beings, we believe, will be romantic, exciting, thought-provoking, intriguing. And possibly dangerous. After all, one of our time-honored notions since H.G. Wells is that we may well be perceived by Others as little more than snacks, or subjects for religious conversion, or creatures of such insignificance as to be simply swept aside. No matter, we think cheerfully. We will take the risk.

McDevitt suggests the hazards may be far more subtle. In Hello, Out There, contact with alien species forces us to rethink who we are and what we are about. The Hercules Text recounts a clash of wills in which the mere knowledge that someone is out there ignites profound changes in religious, political, and social behavior. In its companion novel, A Talent for War, contact forces us to rethink a cherished mythology, and ask ourselves whether truth might not sometimes demand too high a price.

Here are two voyages into the unknown, twin expeditions to demonstrate that when we finally encounter whatever other intelligences Darwin has cast onto the cosmic beach, we may discover that the face looking back at us is our own.

Customer Reviews:

Solid science fiction.......2002-10-31

This is a nifty book. It consists of two novels: Hercules Text and A Talent for War. In an author's note, McDevitt writes that he has updated The Hercules Text from its original edition. It's a fine novel that raises all sorts of interesting issues.

Harry Carmichael is a respected administrator at a site called Skynet that examines space for evidence of other life forms. One day they see evidence that a million light years away, some alien intelligence has manipulated a star's light output in a pattern that can only be described as unnatural. A month later a stream of text from the Hercules nebula is received. Decoded, it consists of some mathematical and geometric symbols, a manual and what appear to be pictures of the beings who sent the message.

The president, worried about what else the message might contain, clamps a lid of secrecy on their facilities, irritating the scientists who work there and who feel that releasing the information can only be beneficial to the scientific community; after all, the humans never been enthusiastic about acting in concert as a species.

The religious community is divided on how to take this incontrovertible evidence that humans are not alone. One priest remarks, "How can we take seriously the agony of a God who repeats His passion? Who dies again and again in endless variations, on countless worlds, across a universe that may itself be infinite?", assuming that God had revealed Herself to the other worlds. And if not, why not? What did this do to human's perception of themselves as the primary focus of God? "If there were any truth at all to the old conviction that the universe had been designed for man, why was so much of its expanse beyond any hope of human perception? Forever.?"

As they learn more about the alien intelligence and begin to obtain information of value to the military, the scientific community begins to lose control of the information, and some of them want to have it destroyed. But they also learn something extraordinary about the intelligence that sent it to them millions of years before.

Changing the Past of our Future.......2002-05-02

I've read "The Hercules Text" years ago when the cold war was still around the corner somewhere, and I thought that this was a great novel. Now, more than a decade later, the author re-wrote it in a way that makes me suspect that he liked "Contact" - the movie with Jodie Foster - a lot.

The story itself changed only a little but the surrounding world ... . The original THT had the cold war feeling of paranoia and priorities, politicians playing for global survival with implied threats and unspoken hopes. This new THT is taking place in a world of US hegemony - little threats but no hopes.

In the original the various heroes act within their characters: fanatical, timid, bureaucratic, lovingly ... Harry Carmichael acts against orders but he doesn't go to the President's face to tell him so and offer him a Clintonesque way out ...

The times they are changing, but still it would have been better if Jack McDevitt would have left the original text unchanged. Even the future has a past- and a lot of good scifi novels are products of their age - and one should respect the past and not try to alter or reinterpret it. This way a great novel (5 stars)became just a very good (4 stars) one.

As for the second novel - "A Talent for War" - the title is very hard to understand till one has finished the book and then it doesn't really fit. Overall it is vintage McDevitt: a man searching for clues and the truth, a voyage, danger and adventures. All of it very slowly evolving and sucking the reader in so that he has to finish it. When I closed the last page it was half past one in the morning - but it was worth it.

So my overall judgment: a great book, but if you can get "The Hercules Text" in the original version buy that instead.

Hello out there
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Hello out there
William Saroyan
Manufacturer: Samuel French
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000MHVLGS

Tetsuya: Recipes from Australia's Most Acclaimed Chef
Average customer rating:

Beautiful food

Great book for the more expierenced chef

Just missed the mark!

Oriental haute cuisine with no gimmicks, by a master

Innovative

Tetsuya: Recipes from Australia's Most Acclaimed Chef
Tetsuya Wakuda
Manufacturer: Ten Speed Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
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ASIN: 1580082947

Amazon.com

Tetsuya Wakuda is a true artist. Inspired by the ingredients native to his adopted country (Australia) and the techniques and flavors of his birthplace (Japan), Tetsuya combines them to complement and highlight each other in the simplest ways to bring out the most complicated flavors. For those of us unfamiliar with his reputation, Tetsuya comes with a glowing forward by Charlie Trotter that refers to Tetsuya in the same breath as Alain Ducasse, Daniel Boulud, and Thomas Keller, and rightly so.

Tetsuya's presentation is perfection. Details like minute brunoise and matchstick julienne are beautiful to behold, but it's his ethereal marinades and his thoughtful use of ingredients like fresh ginger, garlic, soy, mirin, and wasabi that make his dishes so memorable, and that allow us mere mortals to follow his recipes successfully. At Tetsuya, meals are presented as numerous small dishes, but you can multiply any of his recipes to work as main courses. Linguine with a Ragout of Oriental Mushrooms is simple to prepare and bursts with the rich, earthy flavor of exotic mushrooms brightened by hints of garlic, sake, mirin, tomato, and chile. Tartare of Tuna with Goat Cheese requires sushi-quality tuna, so if you can get it, this dish is quick and easy and luscious with fresh, creamy goat cheese and lively with cayenne, garlic, ginger, white pepper, and anchovies. Not all of Tetsuya's creations are Asian influenced. There are many magnificent European-style dishes, like a Salad of Sea Scallops with Asparagus and Beans, Venison with Roasted Shallots and Morels, and Granny Smith Apple Sorbet with Sauternes Jelly.

Stunning photographs of dreamy dishes and delightful bits of commentary separate recipes laid out like poetry to make this a culinary page-turner and a gift-worthy book. Without a doubt, Tetsuya would make an exciting addition to the kitchen collection of gourmets who love to cook with ingredients like market-fresh produce, sushi-quality fish and shellfish, fresh venison, squab, and guinea fowl. --Leora Y. Bloom

Book Description

The excitement of the Sydney Games vaulted all things Australian into the global spotlight, none more so than the continent's burgeoning food scene and its many skilled chefs with their taste for sophisticated pairings, bold flavors, and striking presentations. Tetsuya Wakuda is widely considered Australia's finest and most innovative chef-"an Australian original" according to the Wine Spectator, "whose bold creativity and impeccable technique have won him admirers the world over." From his eponymous restaurant in Sydney, Tetsuya sends forth amazing eight- and thirteen-course menu dégustations that captivate his guests, and even inspire the likes of Charlie Trotter to superlatives. In his long-awaited first book, Tetsuya now shares his inspiring story, legendary recipes, and his passion for the finer things in life. Marking the 10th anniversary of his restaurant, TETSUYA presents the master chef's unique cuisine, a winning combination of Japanese minimalism, the techniques of traditional French training, and a commitment to using the freshest ingredients. From his signature dish of Confit of Ocean Trout with Fennel Salad to Checkerboard Tuan and Hamachi with Orange Oil, the Tetsuya experience-once available only to those lucky enough to dine in his restaurant- can now be cherished at dinner tables the world over.

Customer Reviews:

Beautiful food .......2006-07-24

Having had the fortune to eat at Tetsuyas, I could not resist buying the book. Tetsuya is a master and a complete perfectionist. I do not use this book often as I find it a little like following a Japanese Thomas Keller (lots of work!) but it is a gorgeous book from an inspirational chef.

Great book for the more expierenced chef.......2005-09-10

When I say expierenced, let me explain. My wife and I just recently became parents and it makes it REAL difficult to go out and eat let alone find the money. If your a parent, you know what im saying.

That said we are by no ways professional chefs. This book really explains it out and the ingrediants(or what to substitute.) This book helps you gain a palette and expierence new flavors.

This book in my opinion is not Nobu, but you cant cook the same meals over and over. This WILL get you on the way to creating your own dishes.

GOOD LUCK and make your purchase to further your development!

Just missed the mark!.......2002-06-10

Altough this is a beautifully illustrated book, I found that the recipes I tried seemed to just miss the mark. I am an experienced Asian cook and have lots of knowledge of fresh Asian ingredients so I was not daunted by the recipes. When each dish was completed it looked beautiful but tasted as if something was missing. I have tried recreating several of the dishes to no avail. Puzzling!

Oriental haute cuisine with no gimmicks, by a master.......2001-08-12

Two weeks ago my girlfriend Snow and I dined at Tetsuya's new restaurant Mju at the Millenium Knightsbridge Hotel in London, prompted by Snow's raving of Tetsuya from her winters in Sydney. The only dining option is an eight-mini-course tasting menu, but since the man himself was in town (Tetsuya spends only one week a month in London) we were all for it. We thought the portions were adequate, but I suspect people used to NYC portions might go home hungry. I must say that his cuisine was awesome - highlighting the flavors of fresh ingredients, and many of the courses were based on raw or undercooked items. Although the presentation of the food was highly stylised - just look at the photos in the cookbook and they are similarly presented at your table - the cooking is unfussed and the philosophy predominantly reflected the Japanese appreciation for simplicity and French classical culinary techniques. The result was that every dish managed to emphasize yet enhance the flavor of the main ingredient. Compared to Nobu, Tetsuya is hardly fusion and very Asian at heart. Most of the courses served at Mju are included in the cookbook, so we know that these recipes have been tried and tested. What's most gratifying is the listing at the end of the book of food sources for Mju - London lags NYC in terms of high-end food stores such as Dean & Deluca and Citarella, so the list is very useful, and it allows me to dream about learning to cook at the level of a master like Tetsuya.

Innovative.......2001-07-01

Beautifully presented, innovative recipes, amazing combinations of flavors that one would not normally consider. I have made a number of the recipes which have won rave reviews from my guests. I love cooking and eating and found these receipes easy to follow however to get the best results one really needs to use the freshest of ingrediants. Some recipes are a little more involved and need a trial run prior to trying them on guests. One of the best cook books I have seen for some time and I have quite a few. For those that really appreciate the best in food.

Tetsuya: Recipes From Australia's Most Acclaimed Chef

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Tetsuya: Recipes From Australia's Most Acclaimed Chef
Tetsuya Wakuda
Manufacturer: Ten Speed Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000N64X18

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