The Sempster's Tale (Sister Frevisse Medieval Mysteries)

Book Description

Dame Frevisse is in London to recover gold from the coffers of the murdered Duke of Suffolk and give it to her cousin. Frevisse's co-conspirators in this secrecy are seamstress Anne Blakehall and her lover, a Jewish trader smuggling the gold through Anne's shop. But their mission is jeopardized when a crucified body is discovered, supposedly scarred with Hebrew letters, stirring up anti-Semitic sentiment in the populace.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent story, but small points of historical acuracy can be debated.......2007-03-29

The Dame Frevisse mystery series has been excellent as a whole, and this is one of its more engrossing books. However, it is a bit different from most of the series. As other reviews have noted, it's the characters and the historical background of London in 1450 that are center stage while the mystery is less so than in most of Frazer's stories. This does not make the book any less good or entertaining, it just means that it straddles the line between mystery and historical novel a bit more than her other books.

As for the historical acuracy, Frazer has proven herself to be very good at giving us glimpses into the world of 15th century England. She does so again, in general, but does have a few points that could be questioned in her address of the Jewish theme of the book. Another reviewer has already noted the possibility of error on Frazer's use of "Challah" to describe the sabbath bread and the shape used, and I do not profess to be a scholar of Jewish food, so I will not comment on the accuracy of this one, although I was disturbed that Frazer responded so negatively without citing her sources. At least the review did so, even if he or she was incorrect. However, I AM a scholar of medieval Iberia and I was disturbed by one small fact that Frazer used in giving the background of Brother Michael at the beginning of Chapter 11. She has the character say that he was born in "Antwerp. Where my parents went after being forced from Portugal." Frazer also goes on to have him discuss conversos, those Jews who converted to Christianity, being sought by the Inquisition in Spain. First of all, Jews were not expelled from Spain until 1492 and from Portugal until 1497, more than 40 years after the story takes place, and probably a great deal more after the character's parents would have left Portugal. It is true that Jews faced anti-semitism in medieval Iberia (Jews in Portugal did have to wear special garments and obey a curfew in the first few decades of the 15th century) but during the early 15th century it was not necessarily any worse in Portugal than in the rest of Europe. After all, Frazer herself points out that the Jews had been expelled from England long before the story. As for the Spanish Inquisition, it did not start actively persecuting the Spanish Conversos until around 1480 or so. The Inquisition actually began with a concern more for Christian heretics than for Jews, and when it did begin to address Jews, many of the first cases are found in France, not Spain.

All of this is not meant to show that Frazer is a bad writer OR researcher, just a request that if she receives criticism from someone like the reviewer mentioning challah or myself, and if she would like to respond, that she give some of her sources or reasons for using the disputed information. Perhaps she knew that the Jews were expelled from Portugal later and that the Spanish Inquisition had not started its terrible reign in Spain in the earliest part of the 15th century, but wanted to use those points as plot devises anyway. And the use of challah bread was fascinating in the story whether or not someone like Frevisse could have known it by that name in Enland before 1450.

I am still a huge fan of Frazers writing and mysteries and will continue to read her work.

Another enjoyable tale!.......2007-02-22

Margaret Frazer's Sister Frevisse series is a total winner for those who enjoy medieval mysteries like I do. I did read this one out of sequence a bit since I got the latest title "A Traitor's Tale" first. This book covers the summer of 1450 and Sister Frevisse is in London on yet another task for her relative, the Duchess of Suffolk. It was during this summer that Henry VI of England's popularity was at its lowest, and it is when a revolt led by Jack Cade tried to take London away from the Crown. Dame Frevisse is dragged into murder and mayhem, and she finds herself caught in the home of a middle class merchant while all of London is in a uproar. Ms. Frazer's tale is about love, deceptions, treacheries, greed and fear. And it's about how Sister Frevisse keeps her own sanity amongst all the turmoil. As always the historical detail is painstakingly accurate, and the characters are three-dimesional living, breathing people. And Dame Frevisse is a marvel! We also see what it was like for a Jew to live in an anti-Semetic world. Do not miss this series!

Response to Mae "mes 2000".......2007-02-11

From the author -- I remember all too well when I was far too arrogant in my ignorance, and therefore trust that Mae will some day outgrow her belief that a general survey book (about food or anything else)provides sufficient knowledge on which to base criticism. I'm afraid that her comments on my research show her own lack of in-depth research, rather than mine. The situation for Jews in late medieval Europe was in flux, not yet solidified into the ghettos of Eastern Europe. What became true about Jewish life in later centuries was not necessarily true in the 1400s. The Sempster's Tale reflects the complex realities and attitudes of the time, and I consulted with a Jewish scholar about them. Among other things, the debate between Brother Michael and Daved is taken directly from contemporary arguments, not modern attitudes. As for challah, it's history is far older than the late 15th century, whatever a general survey of food may say.

Another excellent tale!.......2007-02-04

Perhaps the Frevisse mysteries have historical inaccuracies, particularly regarding the Jewish traditions, but we can forgive them. The excellence of the characters' interaction and pure joy of reading a superbly crafted book makes all else pale. In this book, Frevisse is the unwilling carrier of a fortune in gold for her cousin, Alice, after the death of Alice's husband. So Frevisse must travel to London, a London unlike the one previously described in novels, a London more civilized and clean than we had been led to believe in the past.

The story is well-done and the mystery not so mysterious that we do not know who the killer is early on, but we don't care. The interaction between the various characters is so fantastically presented that the mystery is simply a secondary issue, albeit interesting because it presents the motivations of people who kill through history.

Do not miss this book if you enjoy fine writing and historical mysteries.

An engrossing novel with the ring of reality.......2006-10-08

Margaret Frazer's The Sempster's Tale is a work showing the continuing creative power of the author. I have read some earlier works, and this seems to me to be the best yet of those that I have read.

For one thing, the historical context gives a ring of reality to the work. I remember when the author--so many years ago--showed me a notebook with day by day events of the period in England. This historical verisimilitude produces an atmosphere in these Dame Frevisse novels that "rings true." The author's homework has richly paid off. I think that this in itself sets the Dame Frevisse series apart from other works.

This book focuses on events in the 15th century. The King, not a very effectual figure, has fled the city of London as William Cade and his commoners try to assert themselves. In this turbulent situation, Dame Frevisse must get "vestments"--and gold--for her cousin, Lady Alice, whose husband has recently died. The seamstress (or sempster, as the term was used at the time), Anne, was engaged in an affair with a Jewish merchant, Daved, when Jews had been expelled from England. She works with Dame Frevisse to carry out the mission. Two murders ensue, the first suggesting that Jews were the perpetrators. The second implicates Daved. Dame Frevisse, with the assistance of Daved, works the mystery through to determine who was guilty.

All in all, the novel is very much worth reading. The atmosphere has a ring of reality; the characters are well drawn; the pace moves along nicely. For those interested in this period of English history, the book provides a sense of the era. That itself is reason enough to read this volume. Add to this the characters and the plot and these render the novel even more estimable.

The Hunter's Tale / The Widow's Tale / The Sempster's Tale - 3 Book Set (A Dame Frevisse Medieval Mystery, Vols. 13-15)

Average customer rating:

The Hunter's Tale / The Widow's Tale / The Sempster's Tale - 3 Book Set (A Dame Frevisse Medieval Mystery, Vols. 13-15)
Margaret Frazer
Manufacturer: Penguin Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000W75IV2

Product Description

Medieval mystery series.

Amazon.com

"The man who wears the names of rivers knows that he is no longer like other men, that some part of his fearful work has changed him forever and he can never return to the simple, painless life he lived before.... The invaders are everywhere, and Their agents are everywhere.... In [his] dreams They walk the streets without fear, spreading the androgyne contagion, and the sky burns with the roaring engines of Their warships."

In a novel about a serial killer, the evocation of the killer's madness can make or break the book. In The Crow: The Lazarus Heart, Poppy Z. Brite delivers her usual complement of gay/transsexual pale-faced lovelies dressed in black Lycra and lace, giving just enough of a spin to their aesthetics that they are mildly entertaining to read about. But the way she puts the good gory meat into the story is through the character of a mesmerizing serial killer whose unique brand of paranoia serves as a sly commentary on Brite's own fiction. This is a short and relatively simple novel for Brite, but its narrative momentum never lapses: the plot structure hangs together better than in her longer, more ambitious works. It's overwritten in places--Brite wants to use two similes where one will do--but it's fun. And that's what horror is all about. --Fiona Webster

Book Description

The Eternal One

At our human limits, when we've gone asfor as flesh and imagination can take us, wemeet the Eternal One. The Crow.

Immemorially old, and inconsolable,he is there only for those who seek both revengeand love, and are willing to go alI theway--and beyond.

The Lazarus Heart

Five, four, three, two ... Jared Poe counts thedays on Louisiana's Death Row. The controversialS&M photographer has been condemned to diefor killing his lover. He doesn't know who did it.Only that he didn't.

Can he clear his name and find the realkiller in time?

No. For this is no ordinary thriller. We are in thedark realm of The Crow, and Jared must feel thecold shudder of Death; must hear the beating ofblack wings; must prowl the shadowy gothnetherworld of New Orleans, to prove he was nokiller when he died.

And find out what kind of killer he has become.

Customer Reviews:

Super Reader.......2007-08-04

A man is on death row. He didn't do what he has been convicted for, being the murder of his lover. Being a photographer of kinky stuff didn't really help his cause.

However, The Crow is lurking, and realises that there is a wrong to be avenged. When Jared comes back, the outfit and places they go will be right up his alley, though.

Having a brain of my own..........2007-03-20

I read this book years ago. It may not be Poppy Z. Brite's best novel, but she had to work her magic within the confines of an already over used idea. She was able to bring a story to life even within these confines, and created something that was very moving, and extraordinary for a Crow novel. I feel that a number of times fans of a certain genre or of a certain author tend to let that get in the way of whether the book or novel had any value at all. Having been a fan of both, Poppy Z. Brite, and the Crow long before actually reading the novel, I was left amazed at the talent and the way that she did tell the story, staying true to the preformed idea, but making it her own. I don't feel that anyone really gives Ms. Brite enough credit for her writing, she is and always will be my favorite author simply because she is capable, versatile, and thinks outside of everyone else's box.

New reader falling in love..........2005-04-12

Having never read another Crow novel, I cannot compare this to others as some reviewers have done. I can tell you that this book was excellent and actually pretty moving. I'm quickly becomming a fan of PZB's work.

Better Then Quoth The Crow But Still Lacks.........2004-03-20

Yet again, another one of my reviews, this time for The Crow Lazarus Heart. Like Quoth The Crow, I enjoyed the love story although this one felt less forced and more natural. But as soon as Brite got to the villian,"Joseph Lethe", I felt very confused. Now, I can understand having a villian that thinks their justified but this one was just overall confusing. Talking about a lightning bolt that changes his brain? Not a very good reason/explanation. This book I also would not recommend to anyone. At this point, I'm already onto Clash By Night. On a general note, none of these books have attempted to "push the envelope". I will give Brite some credit for trying to add change to the story. And to the reviewer who made the note about the cop, well, I agree.

Not Poppy's Best.......2003-12-18

This is kind of cheesy. Parts of it are down right silly. This is the first of Miss Brite's work I read. (my mom brought it home for me when I was home sick..she's regretted it ever since) It's ok, it's an interested take of the whole Crow thing, (maybe I don't care for this because the subject's been overdone to death?)and I like her writing style. Her latter work is better though. (Exquisite Corpse, etc)

Average customer rating:

The Crow: A Murder of Crows

ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 1568658303

Product Description

Contains: Quoth the Crow, The Lazarus Heart, and Clash By Night

Average customer rating:

The Crow : The Lazarus Heart
Poppy Z. Brite
Manufacturer: Harper Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OEV7N6

Average customer rating:

The Lazarus Heart (The Crow)
Poppy Z. Brite
Manufacturer: HarperEntertainment
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OEZENU

Book Description

"I know more than Apollo

Fort oft when he lies sleeping

I behold the starts at mortal wars

And the wounded wekin weeping."

--Tom O' Bedlam's song

Tom, like the medieval Tom O'Bedlam, can't decipher the meaning of the images plaguing his mind. Much like the wondering and mad Tom of the medieval ballad, the Tom O' Bedlam of 2103 doesn't know what to make of the images that keep cluttering his mind. To preserve the last shred of his sanity and keep these never-ending wonders a secret, he feigns insanity. But then a probe that has traveled over four light years away transmits the very pictures that have been haunting Tom's dreams.

In this post-industrial world on the verge of a total collapse, Tom has become humanity's spokesperson to the distant planet that may be his world's salvation.

Customer Reviews:

Super Reader.......2007-08-31

Tom O'Bedlam is seen as a crazy person, raving about weird things like aliens and other planets and places and all sorts of other things that seem ludicrous to the people around him.

However, it is possible that Tom is really very sane, and the human race will need him and his abilities to communicate with and transport to other places.

That is if he isn't just really killing a bunch of people.

Madman or messiah?.......2006-01-25

Two of my favorite genres mixed in one book. "Post Apocalyptic" and "first contact".
Tom, Poor Crazy Tom, has been haunted by visions of distant worlds his whole life. He tries to convey their communications as he wanders the devastated lands of america years after the "dust wars". Then others start having the dreams. Tom unwittingly goes from "madman" to messiah.
This book is a brilliant character study about how people survive in a post apocalyptic world and how they handle first contact with alien worlds. Some find their religious beliefs being strengthened or questioned. Others try to use the strange phenomena to their advantage. This book is a real "thinker". You'll find yourself pondering for days, especially personal faith and religion.

Poor Tom Crazy Tom.......2005-07-08

Here Robert Silverberg created a minor sci-fi masterpiece with a quite profound and moving look at how different people would handle the existence of aliens. For all his life, the main character Tom has been having visions of alien worlds and super-advanced beings that are infinitely beyond humans, but everyone just treated him like he was crazy. But eventually, other people start having the same dreams, and this is where Silverberg's treatment of the concept is most interesting. The establishment thinks that those receiving the visions are mental cases that should be heavily sedated, religious adherents think they're signs of God, and the downtrodden see them as inspiration to join a cult founded by charlatans for their own gain. It turns out that the visions are really broadcasts from godlike aliens inviting humans to drop their physical existence and join them. But even though poor crazy Tom emerges as the chosen one, it's impossible to convince all people of what's good for them. Silverberg utilized some relatively common sci-fi concepts, but constructed a stirring theme that encourages a surprising amount of deep thought for the philosophically minded reader. [~doomsdayeer520~]

Naked Fantasy With Fig Leaf of Science.......2002-09-21

This story presents the characters an escape from their future, dystopian world. The theme includes other life forms whirling around distant stars. In his rather zany story Silverberg presents us with a rather [weak] cast of characters who become drugged with their dreams of other worlds. The character's dull, purposeless lives are overwhelmed by their visions. Within the story's parameters these dream worlds are said to exist in some objective manner as shown by photos returned from an extraterrestrial probe. The material can be interpreted in several ways: as positing the existence of parallel worlds, as merely subjective dream material of the characters, or as pure, naked fantasy. It seems that Silverberg uses a mere fig leaf of science to cover this naked fantasy.

Tom O'Bedlam is the most engaging and puzzling character. The author asks the reader to view Tom as possessing a telekinesis that enables him to transport people out of their bodies and into extraterrestrial worlds. Tom becomes the gateway or worm hole entrance to these dream worlds. Although Tom is portrayed as crazy or faking craziness, the reader is asked to accept Tom's killing of people as actually releasing them from the pain of their worldly life. The reader is asked to accept Tom's power to propel them to a kind of other world heaven. The willy nilly story becomes confusing when Tom transports both willing souls and unwilling souls out of their bodies-all types: a salvation seeker, a would be suicide and would be killer are all sent to a non human afterlife. All characters who Tom randomly touches are transported, leaving behind a corpse whose face is painted with a Crossing smile.

His Masterpiece.......2002-03-03

One of the most beautiful, thought-provoking sci-fi novels ever written. To put it quite simply, this book is brilliant; easily ranks as one of Silverberg's best novels...

Written during Robert Silverberg's artistic/creative peak (the 1980's), this book deals with the complex issues of personal faith, spiritualism and religion... it is at times violent, passionate, poetic, sensual, symbolic & profound... and it will leave you speechless...

Silverberg also introduced some of his most sympathetic, likable characters here... anyone who has ever faced an obstacle or dealt with a disability (mental or physical) will surely find inspiration in the character of Tom.

Average customer rating:

Simple and Tasty Chinese Food

Like my Mom used to make

No pictures - Don't buy this book

every day chinese

The Chinese Cookbook I've been looking for

Everyday Chinese Cooking: Quick and Delicious Recipes from the Leeann Chin Restaurants
Leeann Chin , and Katie Chin
Manufacturer: Clarkson Potter
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
Chinese | Asian | Regional & International | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
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Chinese Cooking for Dummies

ASIN: 0609605860
Release Date: 2000-10-03

Book Description

"There are too many exotic ingredients." . . . "What about all that preparation?" . . . "I don't want to buy special equipment." . . . Acclaimed restaurateur Leeann Chin and her daughter Katie have heard all the excuses before, and in response they present their collection of delicious, simple recipes that will make any cook feel like a gourmet Chinese chef. Everyday Chinese Cooking proves that the very best Chinese cooking can be achieved in a real home kitchen, by real people, on real schedules.

As a young, time-strapped mother cooking for a family of eight on a limited budget -- and in her new home of Minnesota, half a world away from where she was raised -- Leeann Chin developed recipes that worked for her new lifestyle, without access to all the ingredients of her homeland and within the constraints of a very busy life. The results speak for themselves: quick, flavorful, accessible but authentic Chinese dishes that could make you consider opening up your own take-out restaurant.

More than 150 recipes encompass appetizers, soups, poultry, beef, pork, seafood, vegetables, noodles, rice, and desserts. Introductions to each recipe provide completely usable information, such as ingredient substitutions, make-ahead tips, serving suggestions, and other ideas for real-life cooking and eating. Everyday Chinese Cooking is more than quick and easy food; it's also naturally healthful. Best of all, once you get a few recipes under your belt (in every sense of the word) you'll realize that Chinese cooking is truly one of the most convenient ways to get dinner on the table with the least amount of stress.

Leeann Chin's incredibly successful restaurants have been voted "Best Chinese Food" by Minneapolis & St. Paul Magazine in the Minneapolis area for more than a dozen consecutive years. With the help of her daughter Katie, Leeann proves that Chinese food can -- and should -- be an everyday option for home cooks of all experience levels, everywhere.

Customer Reviews:

Simple and Tasty Chinese Food.......2006-02-22

If you're looking for a quick an easy route to achieve good Chinese food, I highly recommend this book. Recipes are simple and uncomplicated and the results I've gotten have been impressive. It's not stellar, but it's good food.

Like my Mom used to make.......2002-05-23

At first I was a little thrown off by the lack of pictures, but the recipes are so straightforward and easy to follow, that it's not that much of a hurdle. I borrowed this book from the library a few weeks ago and have already tried a half-dozen recipes (To name a few: Beef with rice stick noodle soup, stir-fried pork with zucchini, asparagus with wild mushrooms, and salmon w/ tofu). The great thing is that there is a lot of room to play around and make substitutions for ingredients. For years I've been looking for a cookbook like this... one that would teach me how to re-create the flavor of a home-cooked Chinese meal. I finally found it!

No pictures - Don't buy this book.......2002-01-28

I have never in my life seen a cooking book without pictures. The recepies may be great but how can you choose without pictures of the food? this is a fundemental flaw in a cookbook.

every day chinese.......2001-06-07

we love using this cook book, the food is delicious, the only problem is living in a small town, it's hard to find some of the ingredients.. so we have to plan way ahead. It's fairly easy and worth it. If you love Chinese food, and you enjoy cooking, give this book a try

The Chinese Cookbook I've been looking for.......2001-05-31

Finally a chinese cookbook that makes it simple to duplicate the taste you get at a restaurant. This book has very easy to follow recipes that use ingredients I could find at my local store. It has recommendations on how to incorporate chinese food into your family's regular diet. I have loved every recipe I have made out of this book and I can't say that about most cookbooks. I feel that this book has helped me feed my family a healthier diet. Highly recommended!

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