Average customer rating:
- A fantasy of femininity, rather than a portrait.
- Good translation.
- sense of boredom
- A Trek Into The Heart Of Society
- I Read It Twice
|
Smilla's Sense of Snow
Peter Hoeg
Manufacturer: Delta
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 Contemporary
| General
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Scandinavian
| World Literature
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Mystery
| Mystery & Thrillers
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Mystery & Thrillers
| Subjects
| Books
Mystery
| Book Clubs
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Similar Items:
-
Smilla's Sense of Snow
-
Borderliners
-
The History of Danish Dreams
-
Winter's Tales
-
Blackwater
ASIN: 0385315147
Release Date: 1995-10-01 |
Amazon.com
In this international bestseller, Peter Høeg successfully combines the pleasures of literary fiction with those of the thriller. Smilla Jaspersen, half Danish, half Greenlander, attempts to understand the death of a small boy who falls from the roof of her apartment building. Her childhood in Greenland gives her an appreciation for the complex structures of snow, and when she notices that the boy's footprints show he ran to his death, she decides to find out who was chasing him. As she attempts to solve the mystery, she uncovers a series of conspiracies and cover-ups and quickly realizes that she can trust nobody. Her investigation takes her from the streets of Copenhagen to an icebound island off the coast of Greenland. What she finds there has implications far beyond the death of a single child. The unusual setting, gripping plot, and compelling central character add up to one of the most fascinating and literate thrillers of recent years.
Book Description
She thinks more highly of snow and ice than she does of love. She lives in a world of numbers, science and memories--a dark, exotic stranger in a strange land. And now Smilla Jaspersen is convinced she has uncovered a shattering crime...
It happened in the Copenhagen snow. A six-year-old boy, a Greenlander like Smilla, fell to his death from the top of his apartment building. While the boy's body is still warm, the police pronounce his death an accident. But Smilla knows her young neighbor didn't fall from the roof on his own. Soon she is following a path of clues as clear to her as footsteps in the snow. For her dead neighbor, and for herself, she must embark on a harrowing journey of lies, revelation and violence that will take her back to the world of ice and snow from which she comes, where an explosive secret waits beneath the ice....
Customer Reviews:
A fantasy of femininity, rather than a portrait........2007-07-26
While I have to admit that this book was very gripping in some ways, I was pretty irritated by the time I was done reading it, for the following reasons:
1. The later chapters are unnecessarily and unpleasantly violent.
2. The story is told in a somewhat circular fashion; facts are laid out in a non-linear sequence and stories are started, hinted at and returned to. Many authors use this device to make their narratives more "feminine," and sometimes this works really well; for example, Jeffrey Eugenides does a quite good job of this in Middlesex (and tells you that he's doing it). In this book, though, it felt forced and stilted; every chapter starts by hinting at its main action, then winds off in a different direction before returning. It reads as if the author was thinking linearly and had a formula for turning this into a more circular story.
3. There's very little that's human about the main character. She's supposed to be cold and mysterious; I found her trite and irritating. Especially when she talked about math (I like math, so I expected to find this part of her character interesting rather than off-putting). Smilla is more like a man's fantasy of an alluring, distant woman than an actual human woman.
Good translation........2007-07-01
This is one of my all-time favorite novels. Smilla's story is epic and mesmerizing and her struggle to discover many things in this novel is fresh and unique. I read this many years ago but revisiting it is always a pleasure. I highly recommend this book if you are looking for something different and timeless. Many will find this dense and daunting, but give it a try. Enjoy.
sense of boredom.......2007-04-01
I could not get through this book. It was boring and slow moving. Smilla is a smug, cold and rather perverse woman who could not hold my interest.
A Trek Into The Heart Of Society.......2007-02-14
It seemed like one of those tragedies that can never be explained; the kind that may appear on the back pages of a local newspaper and then disappear forever. A young boy fell from the roof of an apartment building in Denmark.
But for a neighbor - Smilla Jaspersen - who had befriended the child, the story is not as simple as an accidental fall. He was scared of heights and - because of Jaspersen's understanding of the complex nature of snow - she observes that the footprints reveal that he was running.
But running from what - or who - and why?
Author Peter Hoeg develops a complex thriller where lies, conspiracies and cover-ups reveals as much about how a society functions as it goes to solving the mystery. The story delves deeply into Denmark's treatment of its small Eskimo/Greenlander community & the exploitation of resources in Greenland.
With the wit of Grahame Greene and the flair of John le Carre, Hoeg digs deep into the morality and politics of life. And the lessons are as harsh as the howling winds on a sub-zero winter afternoon.
I Read It Twice.......2006-12-30
I read this book when it first came out in paperback and again a few years later. I sometimes have quirky taste in reading materials, though I also enjoy best selling authors such as John Grisham and mystery writing by authors such as Sue Grafton and Nevada Barr I guess I am always looking for something a little different.
The fact that most reviewers either loved this book or hated it proves that it is a GREAT BOOK. Few reviewers were lukewarm.
As for some of the criticisms "Smilla is not a believable character" I found her to be quite real (though in a fictional situation) "the ending was disapointing" I felt like the final statement of the book is something I have always known but never put into words, sometimes I find myself remembering this and reminding myself not to expect too much in the way of resolution in life. I don't feel the book was so much a study of the european mind as it was a first person view of "the outsider" in any culture or situation.
I have some criticisms too, it is long, I felt the sex included in this novel was added just to, as they say, "sex it up" also I saw the film and thought it was terrible.
I would recommend this book for avid eclectic readers. For those who demand serious realism and for those who enjoy pure fantasy, neatly wrapped and tied with a ribbon: just skip it.
Average customer rating:
- Smilla's Sense of Snow - making the movie
|
Smilla's Sense of Snow: The Making of a Film by Bille August
Karin Trolle , and
Peter Hoeg
Manufacturer: Noonday Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Movies
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
Guides & Reviews
| Movies
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
Movie Tie-Ins
| Genre Fiction
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Performing Arts
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
| Dance
| General
| Reference
| Theater
General
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Foreign Languages
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0374525129 |
Amazon.com
Here is a beautiful companion piece to Smilla's Sense of Snow. Whether you're a fan of Peter Hoeg's novel, Bille August's film adaptation, or both, you'll be delighted by this book. It contains every word of Ann Biderman's film script and hundreds of color photographs. It also features interviews with all the major cast members, a history of Greenland, articles on the film's production by major members of the crew, and, best of all, a 20-page transcript of a revealing dialogue between August and Hoeg about the themes of the book and the making of the film.
Customer Reviews:
Smilla's Sense of Snow - making the movie.......2007-04-11
This is a very interesting book. It has the movie script, which turned out to be a little different in the movie itself. It helped me to understand finer details that I had missed in the movie. I also found the images of Greenland quite breathtaking. It is a beautiful, powerful landscape and the actors and film makers had an appreciation for the landscape and the people that I found nourishing.
Customer Reviews:
Amazing story.......2002-12-29
Peter Hoeg deals with the themes of humankind's quest to find truth through science -- and the ultimate realization that this is not possible. The humanity of the characters and the unresolved mysteries draw the reader in -- I think Hoeg is one of the top writers today.
An excellent mystery.......2002-01-11
I have read thousands of mysteries in my life and this one stands out as the best. It is well written and thoughtful with well developed characters and an exciting plot. It is the standard by which I measure all other mysteries.
Arctic adventure.......2000-07-13
When Eirik Raude (the Red) named the land in the west «Greenland», it turned out to be an exaggeration. But «Iceland» was already taken.
Mr Hoegh is fascinated by Greenland, it seems, and it shows. Smilla, a Greenlander stuck in Copenhagen, is shocked when her neighbour boy dies in an accident. Or - accident? Why would the little boy fearing heights play on the roof? The footprints in the snow tell Smilla - with her sense of snow - that this was no accident.
When the plot is unveiled, it turns out that Smilla has got herself some dangerous enemies. To find the key she boards a ship sailing for Greenland, and - of course - the danger is not lessened in the closed world of the ship.
The solution? You'd better read the book yourself. But Mr Hoegh gives us a whodunit which carries a lot of civilisation critique and paints a fascinating picture of Greenland. It is a good read if you are interested in either.
Average customer rating:
|
SMILLA'S SENSE OF SNOW
Manufacturer: Farrar, Straus & Cudahy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000HF6FTS |
Average customer rating:
|
Smilla's Sense of Snow
Peter Hoeg
Manufacturer: Farrar, Strauss & Giroux
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000HYN664 |
Average customer rating:
- Recorded Books Unabridged is the Best Audio Version!
|
Smilla's Sense of Snow
Peter Hoeg
Manufacturer: Recorded Books, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette
ASIN: 0788700235 |
Product Description
Smilla's Sense of Snow. 94222 (12 cassettes/17.75 hours). Translation Copyright 1993 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Original Copyright 1992 by Peter Hoeg. Translated by Tiina Nunnally. P 1994 by Recorded Books, Inc. Unabridged. Narrated by Alyssa Bresnahan. ISBN 0-7887-0023-5. (from cassettes and case)
Customer Reviews:
Recorded Books Unabridged is the Best Audio Version!.......2006-03-27
Having heard both the abridged and the Recorded Books Unabridged versions, the latter is by far the Best Audio Version! First, the abridged version cuts so much out it feels like you are speed reading; no way to enjoy a fine thriller like this. If you have the time, the added details and the better reader, make this a wonderfully entertaining book! Alyssa Bresnahan was the veteran reader chosen by Recorded Books. Her sense of who the characters are, and emotive reading, really bring this version to life! Right now at Amazon this $100 professional edition seems to be available for 10 cents on the dollar! A true reading bargain; God bless Amazon!!
Customer Reviews:
Magestorm.......2007-04-19
I personally would have liked to see more of this character and additional books,most of the Warhammer books dont cover much of human mages besides the Felix and Gotrek books.
More mage stories requested:)
Magestorm?.......2004-05-25
This book is not typical fair from Jonathan Green. The plot( such as there is) details the events of various participants who are caught directly or indirectly in the path of the first invasion of the Storm of Chaos. Pretty much from page one where you are thrown into a confusing and improperly explained battle scene that is obviously supposed to be gut-wrenching and knee biting yet is more accurately described as confounding and boring.
As the reader you don't have time to become attached to the participants in this oddly placed first page struggle, you do not feel or care about their conflict or their long standing rivalry (that gets a sentence of mention and no further explanation). Rather than reading the beginning of novel this first scene is more akin to reading a sports commentary (involving teams you have never heard of in a sport that you know nothing about). This work is merely play-by-play of events and a bad one at that. The book does not improve after these first few pages.
While there are some Warhammer fans who are content with any book as long as it's Warhammer. Most of us have come to appreciate finer writing: a gracefully constructed story arch that includes characters who whether conflicted, good, or evil we become attached to, pages of setting (including politics and insights into how the world works) and struggles in which you feel apart of. Most importantly we have to come to appreciate more than just a poor-excuse for a novel that is really nothing more than a series of combat scenes barely connected to one another which barely meets the word count requirements for publication.
For those Warhammer readers who are looking for more than Magestorm has to offer then please refer to Hammers of Ulric, the Gotrek and Felix Trollslayer saga, Star of Erengrad, and a host of others.
Magic in the Old World.......2004-03-30
I would recommend Magestorm for those die hard fans of Warhammer Fantasy. Specificly those who wish to know more about magic in the Old World, both priest and mage. The book in itself revolves around two main characters. One Gerhart Brennend a pyromancer (mage who controls fire), and the lector/warrior priest Wilhelm Faustus. While these two characters keep the book interesting. They can't seem to save the story from a typical end in the Warhammer world. Also while the back of the book mention a mysterious and tragic history for Gerhart. His past is only mentioned in the last few pages of the book. And while it is tragic, not much is time is spent on the subject which is a shame, because it was good material. Further more the plot seems to fall flat toward the end, what happened to the other characters, Jade mage elector count of Wolfenburg etc? Overall a decent adventure, with interesting characters, that sadly falls flat in the end.
Customer Reviews:
Essential for Tournament Play.......1998-07-25
This expansion set is absolutely essential for championship tournaments. The dragonkin dice it contains are brought "free" to the table, in addition to the normal army health-points. Don't go to a game con without it!
Average customer rating:
- You must be kidding
- STNG #11 - Gulliver's Fugitives - A good early STNG novel!
- Thought provoking in a different sense
- Seriously flawed.
- Another wacky adventure
|
Gulliver's Fugitives (Star Trek The Next Generation, No 11)
Keith Sharee
Manufacturer: Star Trek
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Science Fiction
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Star Trek
| Media
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| Subjects
| Books
Next Generation
| Star Trek
| Media
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0671741438 |
Book Description
While searching for the U.S.S. Huxley, missing for more than 10 years, the EnterpriseTM stumbles across a forgotten colony of humans on a planet called Rampart, where fiction and works of the imagination of any kind are considered a heinous crime. A survey team beams aboard the ship to search for "contraband," and the crew are drawn immediately into a vicious civil war between Rampart's mind police and a band of determined rebels.
Download Description
While on a mission to find a missing starship, Captain Picard and his crew discover a forgotten colony of humans who consider fiction and works of imagination the ultimate crime. Suddenly the crew is caught in the middle of a civil war between the supporters of imagination and the ruthless mind police.
Customer Reviews:
You must be kidding.......2005-02-24
This book has the distinction of being the worst Sci-Fi related novel I have ever read. It combines mediocre writing with a staggering number of cliches, even for a Star Trek novel. It is also a prime example of the early attempts to justify Troi's existence as something other than eye candy, and like most falls into the trap of trying to "prove her mettle" as an adventure heroine. She's an empath, and a counselor. Think the psychologist (Dr. Friedman) from M*A*S*H, not Xena, space-warrior princess.
The entire society of Rampart is unstable, and as presented could not possibly have existed for 200 years. The level of technology given to the Rampartians is inconsistent, both internally and with their alleged backstory.
The one-eyes are supposedly built with "post-Atomic" era technology, but have abilities that surpass those of the modern Federation, except for when they don't. They are capable of deep-scanning an unconscious mind in order to mine O'Brian's transporter knowledge, but can only read surface thoughts when Sharee wants to impress us with Shibiko's "Zen archery" approach to security. Even then, they react to "visual input" to dodge a beam that travels at lightspeed, showing Mr. Sharee understands physics less well than he understands Zen.
It is established early on that the one-eyes communicate using radio frequencies, and all communication planetside uses these same frequencies. It has long been established that Starfleet communicators do *not* use "primitive" radio frequencies. Yet, the one-eyes can jam all communicator frequencies, and can even jam transporter frequencies, an ability which has previously been established to be a function of *shield* technology, not communications. Furthermore, they can jam with sufficient power, using only a small internal power source, that a Starship cannot overpower the jamming, even with a tight point-to-point beam. That would make the power source in a one-eye at least equal, actually somewhat superior, in output to the main anti-matter engines of the Enterprise.
Furthermore, allthis adaptability and creativity is possessed by a computer constructed by a civilization that has banned imagination and creativity. This, by itself, completely undercuts the supposed central message of the book - that creativity and imagination are a necessary part of human intelligence. Instead of being stagnant, the Rampartians are sufficiently adaptable to seriously challenge the Enterprise when, by all rights, they should have been instantly overwhelmed.
The behaviors of the crew as a whole are incredibly inconsistent with the Star Trek Universe background. As a lsot colony of Earth (actually, of the federation, since the colony is only 200 years old), the prime directive does not apply, and all the "we must be careful not to interfere" handwringing of the early chapters is so much foolishness. Of course, so is the ability of the one-eyes to get free in the first place.
All they have to do is lock them in and set up a containment field, something that can be done in all transporter rooms. Even if you choose to believe that the one-eyes can instantly learn everything O'Brian knows about the ship, they still don't have the necessary tools to override. in order for the weapon-systems of the one-eyes to not be detected during transport, and therefore be a surprise later, both O'brian and Worf have to have been on some kind of severely intoxicating drug when the devices were first transported. In order for the crew not to have noticed when monitoring communications that there was no fictional or speculative programming, the entire communications section would have to be criminally incompetent - this is a key part of the pattern any alleged contact team would be trained to look at.
I could go on, but I've already wasted far more energy than this book deserves. The idea of a world where all fiction is banned is interesting, and I'm sure a rebellion against such an oppressive regime would make a fascinating series of stories. This isn't one of them. It isn't even a good addition to the Star Trek canon, since it more inconsistent and more poorly executed than even a typical episode of Star Trek: Voyager.
STNG #11 - Gulliver's Fugitives - A good early STNG novel!.......2003-07-20
Given the complexity and thought provoking nature of this particular novel it is hard to believe that this is not only the only Star Trek novel written by this author is it the only novel one can find written by Keith Sharee. I found this novel to be in very good keeping with Gene Roddenberry's principals and ethos of Star Trek as it tells a well told tale that is capable of the "suspension of disbelief" within the Star Trek universe as it is a real future possibility and reminds one of Hitler's attempts to do the same.
The premise:
The Enterprise finds itself on the mission to find the USS Huxley, a starship that has been missing for over ten years, what they did not expect to find is a forgotten human colony named Rampart. Here is where the story takes an unexpected twist as this colony of humans has sought fit to ban fiction of any sort and it is considered to be the ultimate crime. As history proves proper, whenever there is a government that bans something harmless, or proves itself a dictatorship in any way, there is an underground movement and ultimately a civil war. It is that civil war in which Captain Picard and the crew of the USS Enterprise suddenly find themselves inextricably in the middle of and must find an acceptable way of extricating themselves and solving this planet's problems...
What follows is certainly one of the better early Star Trek The Next Generation numbered novels that is well worth the time to locate and read for you will certainly not be disappointed. I highly recommend this early STNG novel to any and all Star Trek fans, casual or die hard alike! {ssintrepid}
Thought provoking in a different sense.......2003-07-09
Think about your closest friends; are they real to you? If you didn't know them in the first place, would they still be real? Now think about your favorite fiction characters; are they real? Think of a world without them; would YOU be real?
After Troi makes an intriguing contact with an "alien" life form from another dimension, thinking that this may be related to the disappearance of USS Huxley a long time ago, Picard decides to investigate inside a nebulae cloud where all subspace communications are blocked by natural sources. They are more than surprised to find a planet named Rampart inhabited by humans inside the cloud. Although human, Rampartians do not like the Enterprise's intrusion because it represents everything they tried to keep away from their society. The fiction in Rampart is a crime and the punishment is death. Since they were departed from the earth, Rampartian science is only excelled in one area: To read and cleanse minds; thus, not only actively involving in creating or consuming fiction is crime, but even thinking of it is... However there is a group of rebels - Dissenters - fighting against the dictatorship with the single weapon they have: Fiction! And Enterprise crew find themselves in the middle of this fight.
While the basic promise of the book seems to tell a simple story of rebels fighting against a dictatorship, the author manages to create a compelling storyline by combining some action and nice characters into it, Trek style. Most importantly you are asked what happens if you're ripped off all fiction, and Troi's dreams and the presentation of Dissenters give you a memorable sensation of how actually valuable your fiction characters to you than you've thought. A nice touch is added with Wesley's revelation that "he" is a part of a bigger "It", and the books ends with a nice twist.
I am almost sorry that this is a Trek book, because otherwise this would lead to a very nice Saga; How and why the colonists left earth, why are they greedy about fiction, how did they developed the technology and so on.
By the way, if you read and like this book, I recommend Ray Bradburry's Fahrenheit 451 too.
Seriously flawed........2002-08-26
Which is a shame, because the basic idea had potential: Star Trek meets Ray Bradbury's "Fahrenheit 451". And the writing wasn't completely hopeless; as the story progressed, I did find myself caring what happened next, and moved by the fate of the characters. But there were too many flaws for a high rating; the entire subplot of Deanna Troi's visions/hallucinations was superfluous and pointless, and the concept that the planetary culture that the Enterprise was in conflict with could have provided as much of a challenge as they did required too much supension of disbelief for my taste.
Not the worst Star Trek book I've ever read by a long shot, but definitely on the weak end of the scale.
Another wacky adventure.......2001-12-25
This story has many different moiving parts--a bit more than most STNG novels. The author attempts to tie everything together at the end but falls just short of being a really neat story. I wouldn't read it again but find myself no worse off for reading it once.
Product Description
5 massmarket paperback Star Trek Next Generation Titles - 11 Thru 15 - Gulliver's Fugitives - Doomsday World - Eyes of the Beholders - Fortune's Light
Product Description
9 massmarket paperback Titles in Star Trek the Next Generation Series - 11 Thru 19 - Gulliver's Fugitives - Doomsday World - Eyes of the Beholders - Exiles - Fortune's Light - Contamination - Boogeymen - Q-in-law - Perchance to Dream
Average customer rating:
- Judgmental diatribe thinly disguised as sci-fi
- True Trek
|
Gulliver's Fugitives
Manufacturer: Pocket Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Science Fiction
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| Subjects
| Books
| Adventure
| Alternate History
| Anthologies
| General
| Graphic Novels
| High Tech
| History & Criticism
| Series
| Short Stories
| Space Opera
ASIN: 9993016373 |
Customer Reviews:
Judgmental diatribe thinly disguised as sci-fi.......2004-03-05
Written at the birth of the modern political-correctness movement, this book succeeds at painting a caricature of religious people as close-minded, repressive, unfeeling and cruel. It then paints caricatures of nonreligious people as open-minded, liberated, full of life, and loving.
The author so specifically wants the reader to understand that the real-life enemies are the "bible believers", that he has his alien antagonists originate on earth and structure their oppressive society "solely on the Bible".
In this story only the protagonists have any depth or even any redeeming qualities. True to political-correctness, these characters are the very epitome of diversity, inclusivism, and imagination. He goes as far as to have their ranks include an aborigine and (the pinnacle of the PC world) a native american.
As is true of many who claim to strive for diversity and inclusiveness, the author declares that those who disagree with his beliefs are shallow, repressive, and fearful, while those who do share his beliefs are, ironically enough, worthy of sainthood.
True Trek.......2002-12-19
Don't let the silly cover fool you (as I did for years) this book is all Trek... no silly holodeck adventure, or Q-thing. Troi has a significant part to play in this story, to my great enjoyment. She was portrayed perfectly, none of the personality glitches that can be found in other books. This author proves that a book can have mystery and adventure with her at the "helm" even if her Betazoid talents are used a lot, which they are and they are never down played for the sake of moving the plot along. And though psychology is used to move the plot, the author never stoops to cliche's, but intstead allows Troi to explore the spiritual aspect of human development in an intersting way.
Troi starts halucinating just when the Enterprise discovers a long lost colony of humans who have outlawed fiction and imagination to the point of having machines to read and erase thoughts. These people trick Picard into bringing the machines onto the ship and after he is captured the crew has to find a way to destroy them and rescue Picard. Wesley may have helped find a way to destroy them, but he's not portrayed as the whiney, dweeb, ubergeek as usual. He get's some depth.
The subplots and extra characters are marvelous: 1) the search for the missing starship 2) the bad guy with a big problem 3) the engineer who sees with her fingers 4)the "children" who are exo-socioanthropologists 5)Troi's exploration of myth and the importance of storytelling and mythology for the growth of a healthy human being, and 6) the starfleet officer who is a talented Zen archer and Wesley's crush on her that figures into the plot
The author explores Zen, Earth mythology, blind faith, the wonders of diversity, the lengths people can go to protect their view of the universe, the nature of personality and individuality, and the many consequences of censorship wonderfully and only once has to ignore his own technology's practically unbeatable power in order to have a happy ending. I can forgive this because he did such a grand job portraying the usual Trek characters and the ones he invented for the story, and this is even more amazing seeing that it was written so early in the series.
After having endured Nemisis, it was nice to read some good Trek that tied up every plotline neatly instead of making plot holes "big enough to drive a starship through" and that fleshed out the character motivation of all it's periphrial and main characters. If you're looking for medicine to recover from that horrible disappointment from Paramount pictures, this will do it nicely.
Amazon.com
Americans love pasta. But this doesn't mean we know about its many types, how best to serve it, or even how best to bring it from plate to mouth. Exploring these topics and more, The Cook's Illustrated Complete Book of Pasta and Noodles offers a comprehensive introduction to the world's pasta, from spaghetti, couscous, and spaetzle to ramen, udon, rice sticks, and more. Compiled from the pages of Cook's Illustrated, the magazine of culinary investigation, the book is a trove of illustrated step-by-step instructions (on rolling pasta dough, for example), hundreds of pasta and related recipes, tips on buying and storage, and other useful data. In chapters such as "Dried Semolina Pasta and Chinese Wheat Noodles," the book explores a particular pasta type and then provides useful supplementary information. Included, for example, are pasta-tasting results, a "gallery" of pasta shapes, and material on matching pasta shapes to sauces. Offered also are comprehensive saucing chapters that cover such pasta accompaniments as olive oil, butter, cheese, bread crumbs, canned and fresh tomatoes, and seafood, among many others. The recipes themselves are exhaustive and, as one might expect, models of accuracy and good taste. Included are the likes of Macaroni with Spinach and Gorgonzola, Lasagna with Shrimps and Scallops, Potato Gnocchi with Butter, Sage, and Parmesan Cheese, and Cellophane Noodle Salad with Charred Beef and Snow Peas. With master recipes for many of the basic pasta types and more than 300 illustrations, the book should enlighten pasta lovers while whetting their appetite for its many satisfactions. --Arthur Boehm
Book Description
How do you boil pasta? How much water and salt do you need? Should you add oil to the water? How well should you drain it? (Turn to page viii for the answers.)
One part cooking course, one part kitchen reference, and one part foolproof recipes,
The Complete Book of Pasta and Noodles tells the story of flour and water like no other book on the market. Extensively covering the basics of pasta and noodles, this thoroughly researched and taste-tested guide is dedicated to the home cook who needs practical advice on everything from penne to pad thai. The experts at Cook's Illustrated present their knowledge and techniques in a hands-on way so that each and every step of the cooking process can be understood and easily executed. The authors leave room for interpretation and taste, of course, but you will not walk away from this book without knowing which olive oil to buy, why egg pastas tend to complement cream sauces, or how to mince garlic.
The book is arranged in four sections, exploring first dried semolina pasta, then fresh Italian-style pasta, Mediterranean pasta and European dumplings, and finally, Asian noodles. There are thirteen chapters devoted to sauces alone, and recipes are included with the type of pasta with which they work best -- from the simplest to the complex, but all within reach of the home cook. As a bonus, the book includes excellent photographs of the various pasta and noodle shapes, and impeccable illustrations clearly depict each step of key techniques. Special sections are devoted to such specific topics as "Are Electric Pasta Machines Worth the Money?" and "A Guide to Popular Cheeses."
"Cook's has always been the definitive word on any subject it tackles," says The Post and Courier, and
The Complete Book of Pasta and Noodles will serve as the definitive reference volume for pasta lovers.
From the Hardcover edition.
Customer Reviews:
So complete it should be called an encyclopedia!.......2007-09-16
I bought this book because we love pasta. BOY was I pleasantly surprised. There is more information in here about past and noodles than I could have even hoped for.
From Chinese to Italian, from Vietnamese Cellophane to Buckwheat - there is something in here for every cuisine. The directions are complete and easy to follow. There is historical information and cultural information as well.
Buy it, you will like it!
Excellent Survey of all Things Noodle. Buy It!.......2007-05-16
`The Complete Book of Pasta and Noodles' by the Editors of `Cooks Illustrated' Magazine is one of those books whose outstanding value is obvious almost immediately upon opening to the Table of Contents. This was surprising to me, as this is not the case with most other `Cooks Illustrated' books. There is just something about the meeting of this subject with the classic `Cooks Illustrated' approach to things which comes up a winner.
The first positive impression is the excellent organization of the chapters into different types of pastas, noodles, and sauces for same. While there are many excellent books about on pasta dishes, most especially `The Top100 Best Pasta Sauces' by Diane Seed and just about any book by Marcella Hazan, Lidia Bastianich, or Ruth Rodgers and Rose Gray of London's River Café, this `Cooks Illustrated' volume organizes our thinking about the sauces to make us all much better at improvising our own pasta sauces. It divides pasta sauces into:
Olive Oil based sauces, both cooked and uncooked.
Pesto and other pureed sauces.
Butter and Cheese sauces, such as spaghetti alla Carbonara
Cream Sauces, such as Fettuccine Alfredo
Sauces with Bread Crumbs
Cooked Sauces with Fresh Tomatoes
Canned Tomato Sauces, such as Pasta Puttanesca and Vodka Cream sauce
Sauces with Vegetables, such as `cabbage and noodles' and `pasta Primavera'
Sauces with Beans and Lentils
Sauces with Meat, such as the classic Bolognese sauce
Sauces with Seafood, such as clam and other shellfish sauces.
Like Seed's book and virtually any other book on pasta and noodles, the subject really is pasta and noodle dishes, although this volume, true to its title, gives as much about actually making a wide variety of pastas. It also covers just about every conceivable form of noodle, including the German spatzle, the North African couscous, gnocchis (the bridge between the Italian and the German forms of dumpling), Japanese noodles (soba, somen, ramen, and udon) and Chinese noodles, especially rice and cellophane noodles.
The book can easily be forgiven for spending more time on the Italian noodle than on any other subject, as this is the primary interest of most English speaking readers. To this end, the book includes excellently detailed tutorials on making fresh pastas, with and without egg, with vegetable and herb additions, spatzle, and several varieties of gnocchi. It does not, however, teach us how to make couscous or any of the oriental noodle types, which is fine with me, as I believe they are techniques which require far more practice and patience than the classic Italian or German noodle.
I love a cookbook that sheds new light on a dish I've made a dozen times and consider `my own'. This is what happens here when I read the material on combining cabbage and noodles in a dish. It reminds me of how to best cut the cabbage, but it significantly adds to my knowledge of how to braise the cabbage and combine it with the noodles at just the right time.
`Cooks Illustrated' tends to squeeze a lot of the `joie de vivre' out of cooking in their articles by starting off with a clean slate, as if no one had ever made the dish they are discussing in an article. Cooking is one of those crafts where centuries of practice have pretty much arrived at the best way to do most things without loading us up with all the paraphernalia of experimental science. But, with this subject, proper respect is given to tradition, and to the recommendations of such culinary sages as Paula Wolfert on couscous and Marcella Hazan on pasta.
Their finest contributions are the sidebarred tutorials on everything from preparing artichokes to opening clams. This makes the book superb for the novices who happen to enjoy experimenting with their own variations of pasta dishes.
I must also mention that as a trade paperback, this manual of riches lists for less than $20, about half the cost of a book of recipes from an A-List culinary writer.
Pasta many..........2007-02-13
This book is loaded with recipes. A one stop place to make any noodle of your dreams if that is what you are looking for. It is a thick book, the only negative is the binding. Too bad it is not spiral bound, but then a book that thick may have problems. Delicious recipes, but certainly be prepared to spend time in the kitchen.
Cook's Illustrated Pasta and Noodle Cookbook.......2006-11-14
This was a pleasant surprise as it was a much thicker book than I had anticipated. It has lots of recipes for every kind of pasta and noodle imaginable, even rice, plus info on how to make pasta, which is why I ordered it. And it is the typical great quality of all Cook's Illustrated materials, with lots of helps and tips. Well worth it!
Every pasta lover's book!.......2006-11-05
Complete is correct for this excellent resource. We use it regularly (5x weekly). Great recipes, tips and a wealth of information on all types of pasta. Highly recommend this Cook's Illustrated book.
Customer Reviews:
It's a classic........2007-10-04
Recipes for many of the classic chinese noodles, dumplings and breads are in this book. If you're looking for classic chinese comfort food this is the book to get.
Books:
- Snobbery with Violence: An Edwardian Murder Mystery (Edwardian Murder Mysteries)
- Social Work Treatment 4th Edition
- Some Like it Lethal: A Blackbird Sisters Mystery
- SPQR IX: The Princess and the Pirates (The SPQR Roman Mysteries)
- Sticks & Scones (Goldy Culinary Mysteries, Book 10)
- Tapas on the Ramblas: A Russell Quant Mystery (Russell Quant Mysteries)
- The Adventures of Guy Noir: Radio Private Eye
- The Chocolate Bridal Bash (Chocoholic Mysteries)
- The Falcon at the Portal: An Amelia Peabody Mystery
- The Flaming Luau of Death: A Madeline Bean Culinary Mystery (Madeline Bean Mysteries)
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- History: Fiction or Science
- Clear and Present Danger
- An Introduction to Stochastic Processes with Biology Applications
- Bioaerosols Handbook
- Color Atlas of Histology
- Co-Active Coaching, 2nd Edition: New Skills for Coaching People Toward Success in Work and, Life
- Armageddon: Dale Brown's Dreamland
- Spoiled Climate
- Architecture Without Architects: A Short Introduction to Non-Pedigreed Architecture
- Sheltering Rain
