Agatha Raisin and the Walkers of Dembley

Book Description

(4th in Agatha Raisin series)

When Sir Charles Fraith, a kindly baronet, receives a letter from Jessica Tartinck, president of the Dembley Walkers Asssociation, his life is thrown into chaos. Ms. Tartinck, as part of her campaign against landowners over the use of public footpaths, has chosen Fraith for her latest attack. Although he suggests a reasonable counteroffer to her demands, Jessica ignores him. Jessica's protest march turns into a death march and she ends up murdered in Sir Charles' field. Agatha is only too willing to try to help clear Sir Charles' name, especially since it means playing the "wife" of her attractive and elusive neighbor, James Lacey. Toward murder and romance, Agatha takes an agreeably direct approach.

"Agatha at her most endearing infuriating best. Anyone who likes to take their murders with a dose of good humor will love AGATHA RAISIN AND THE WALKERS OF DEMBLEY." (Amazon.com)

Customer Reviews:

Agatha Plays House.......2007-06-28

I found Agatha Raisin and the Walkers of Dembley to be a much less successful book than the earlier three books in the series. The mystery can barely qualify as one. Agatha is an unpleasant terror for much of the book (which makes for less than happy reading). The new characters are unsympathetic. The victim is particularly so.

So should you read the book? Yes, you're stuck. The book contains a lot of development in the Agatha Raisin-James Lacey relationship that will leave you high and dry if you skip Agatha Raisin and the Walkers of Dembley. Sorry.

During Agatha Raisin and the Vicious Vet, Agatha agreed to work in PR again in London in exchange for surreptitious help with her ruined garden. As this book opens, Agatha is finishing up her six-month stint in London at Pedmans, the firm that bought out her PR old firm. It's been an unpleasant experience and her final dinner leaves a bad taste for everyone but the client.

In Dembley (part of Gloucestershire), the cause-devoted, militant Jessica Tartinck is organizing the Dembley Walkers (a ramblers society) into another planned confrontation with a landowner who has blocked the public way while armed with a shotgun. Jessica savors the chance to make a splash. The others aren't so enthusiastic. After that meeting, her written challenge to Sir Charles Fraith is returned with an invitation to tea if the ramblers will avoid one of his fields that has been planted. Jessica's friend Deborah Camden is sent to check out the path. Jessica decides to ask permission first and captures the attention of Sir Charles who asks for her telephone number. Thoroughly charmed, Deborah recommends that they go along with Sir Charles and the other ramblers agree . . . except for Jessica who decides to challenge him on her own.

Meanwhile, Agatha returns to Carsely and finds that her handsome next-door neighbor, middle-aged bachelor James Lacey, has also been leading walks. She immediately joins the group and irritates him again by trying to organize things.

Soon thereafter, Jessica is found murdered in Sir Charles' field and a witness places Sir Charles in the vicinity. Concerned for her new friend, Deborah calls on her friendship with Mrs. Mason, head of the Carsely Ladies Society, seeks to engage Agatha to find the killer. Before long, Agatha and James are operating undercover, posing as a married couple, to penetrate the Dembley Walkers.

In the process, Agatha finds it frustrating to be pretending what she so desperately wants . . . to be Mrs. James Lacey. James, in turn, finds the whole matter even more annoying for different reasons.

Before the book ends, Agatha finds herself in a race to stop a murder.

Those who like romantic mysteries with an emphasis on "romantic" may find this book to be a four-star effort.

very funny and entertaining-I love Agatha Raisin.......2006-08-26

"Agatha Raisin and the Walkers of Dembley" is one of my favorite Agatha Raisin books. It is in this book that Agatha first meets Sir Charles, who becomes her companion and works with her on cases in later books. Agatha's roots were in working-class Birmingham, and she brought herself up by her bootstraps to own a successful PR firm in London. As a child, she had a dream that she would someday leave the grimy city and live in a Cotswold village, and that no one would know she had ever been poor and desperate. Now middle-aged, Agatha has sold her firm and bought a charming cottage, just as she dreamed. She never had friends in London, and for the first time she is making friends. She would really like her handsome, aloof next-door neighbor to be more than a friend, but he's alarmed by Agatha's prickly personality and man-hunting ways. A group of ramblers, comprised of assorted bohemians, rebels, and troublemakers, has decided to hike across some cultivated farmland belonging to Sir Charles. This is a political statement against landowners who do not honor the right for foot traffic to use ancient right-of-ways. When the strident leader of the "Walkers of Dembley" is killed in his field, Sir Charles becomes a suspect and Agatha and her neighbor James go undercover as a married couple to infiltrate the walking group. There is a lot of humor in Agatha living under the same roof as the hard-to-get James, and the new man in Agatha's life, Sir Charles, is absolutely hilarious. If you have never read an Agatha Raisin mystery before, you are in for a real treat!

Ramblin Raisin .......2006-07-09

I am new to the Agatha Raisin series. I have not been reading them in sequence and I am really glad I did not read this one first. I did not find this story as interesting as the others in the series that I have read. This story lacked the humor that I am accustomed to from M. C. Beaton's other books.

This story deals with class prejudice.

It is about a group of Walkers from Dembley, England more often called Ramblers in this story. This is no ordinary group of ramblers that like to ramble in the countryside. This group is described as an odd bunch of leftists who like to demand their walking rights and aggravate aristocratic landowners by trespassing on their private property. In the group are teachers, waiters, an IRA sympathizer, and a male chauvinist.

The group has a major falling out with the leader, Jessica. Jessica is a bully and Marxist sympathizer. Jessica wants the group to trespass on Sir Charles' property. The others refuse so Jessica decides to walk by herself and is found murdered. Agatha Raisin and James Lacey go undercover and discover by accident the real murderer. Unfortunately, this happens after a second member of the group is found murdered.

All the members of the walking group plus Sir Charles are prime suspects. Sir Charles is a ladies' man and has an interest in one of the ramblers, Deborah.

It is Deborah who convinces Agatha to help Sir Charles by finding the real killer so that Sir Charles would no longer be a prime suspect.

Agatha is a middle aged PR professional and amateur detective. Throughout most of the book she creates a fantasy romantic life with her neighbor James Lacey. She eagerly suggested that she and James should pose as husband and wife and infiltrate the Dembley Ramblers so they could learn more about the characters involved.

James for most of the story is indifferent towards Agatha. He likes being a bachelor. By the end of the story he draws closer to Agatha.

A Disagreeable Entry in a Fine Series.......2005-12-05

The walkers referred to in the title are a rather eclectic and somewhat pathetic bunch who traipse around with a chip on their shoulders just spoiling for a fight with area landowners. They seldom have any trouble finding conflict especially with their pushy, outspoken and obnoxious leader Jessica Tartinc leading the charge. As this book begins Jessica has gone too far even for her followers and she heads off to confront a local aristocrat on her own. When her body is found on said aristocrat's land the suspect list includes not only the gentry but also the walkers themselves. Because one of the walkers is the niece of Mrs. Mason, the President of the Carsely Ladies Society, and has therefore heard of Agatha and her amateur sleuthing Agatha's assistance is requested. Needless to say, this gives a big boost to Agatha's ego but by the end of the book she finds out that maybe the reference that she received wasn't nearly as complimentary as she had thought.

Much to Agatha's delight, the strategy decided upon requires her and her neighbor James Lacey to move into a flat in Dembley and pose as husband and wife in order to infiltrate the group of walkers. Agatha, who has been chasing Lacey since the first book of the series is soon dejected however because her pretend marriage just doesn't work out at all like she had planned. Unknown to her however she is much more attractive to James when she isn't trying to get her claws into him and he becomes more and more fond of her as the book progresses. This part of the plot in fact leads to a bombshell of sorts at the end of this book, which will leave the reader very anxious to get their hands on the next entry in the series.

Despite the bombshell however this is probably the least enjoyable of the first four books in this series. The mystery itself plays a much larger part in this story than in the previous books, which would at first glance appear to be a good thing. Unfortunately the mystery is not suspenseful or for that matter interesting enough to carry the plot on it's own and all of the little side plots that involve the other characters in the book fall very flat. The problem may well be that for the most part the old comfortable characters in Carsely are basically absent from this book leaving only the new characters introduced for this book and quite frankly most of these new characters are fairly wretched creatures. It is really hard to get involved in a story when most every person involved makes your skin crawl. The whole notion of a cozy mystery is sort left by the wayside when there is absolutely nothing cozy about the story or it's characters.

I am a great fan of this series and if you intend to read any of the books following this one then this is a must read because of the interaction between Agatha and James. Just don't be at all surprised if after reading this book you find that instead of feeling all warm and fuzzy, like your supposed to feel after reading a cozy mystery, you just feel numb.

Read Agatha Raisin, but dont start with this book.......2005-04-14

I love Agatha Raisin. M.C. Beaton has created one of the finest character studies of small provincial towns I have come across. I've found myself laughing aloud several times with each book that I pick up and I bless Beaton for that.

In her previous three stories, the mysteries have stood second stage to Raisin's interactions with people in the town. And that was just fine. But here it seems that Beaton is attempting to turn Raisin into a bumbling Mrs. Marple alluded to in every story. But it doesn't work. Beaton just can't set up a mystery on par with Christy and in her efforts to do so, Beaton sacrifices much of what was so enduring about her first three Raisin stories.

I did not especially like this book though I plan on reading more Raisin novels in the hopes that Beaton once again captures the magic of her past triumphs.

Agatha Raisin and the Walkers of Dembley

Average customer rating:

Agatha Raisin and the Walkers of Dembley
M.C. Beaton
Manufacturer: St Martins Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OTALZG

Average customer rating:

Agatha Raisin and the Walkers of Dembley
M. C. Beaton
Manufacturer: St. Martin's
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000VAP7E8

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Murderers Can't Walk Past Agatha!

Agatha Raisin and the Walkers of Dembley

Manufacturer: Not Avail
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1405634685

Customer Reviews:

Murderers Can't Walk Past Agatha!.......2006-05-23

In the fourth book in the Agatha Raisin series, our heroine is again put right in the middle of a vicious murder. Following her return from working for a London P.R. firm, Agatha must help friend Sir Charles Fraith clear his name. It seems as though the leader of a walkers group has been murdered after being seen arguing with Charles, and Agatha sets out with James to pose as a married couple to infiltrate the village of Dembley. Of course, Agatha finds herself miserable, and finds that living with James is not the romantic getaway that she had hoped for.

This series is one of my favorites and this book shows Agatha at her finest. Her gruff exterior is no match for her soft heart, and those that truly get to know her see this warm side. I highly recommend each book in this series, and also the series about Hamish MacBeth, also written by M.C. Beaton.

The first book in the series is "Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death". Enjoy!

Average customer rating:

Murderers Can't Walk Past Agatha!

Agatha Raisin and the Walkers of Dembley

Manufacturer: Not Avail
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1405634677

Customer Reviews:

Murderers Can't Walk Past Agatha!.......2006-05-23

Book Description

Let Your Imagination Run Free

Peter S. Beagle's international classic The Last Unicorn has captivated readers for three decades. Now Beagle is back, with the help of co-editor Janet Berliner, with this magical volume of legendary stories that capture the essence of this best-loved mythical creature of all time and explore its immortal allure.

In this second volume of tales from Peter S. Beagle's Immortal Unicorn are fifteen more astonishing, delightful, and breathtaking stories by today's top fantasy authors--including a story original to this paperback edition by Peter S. Beagle himself.

Customer Reviews:

volume 2.......2004-05-18

Peter S. Beagle's fantastic world of unicorns and magic comes alive in a whole new way in this collection of extraordinary stories. Although all of the stories allude to unicorns in a fashion, nonconventional beliefs about them are expressed. Each individual author brings a new perspective. For example, in We Blazed, the "nicorn" is the representation of a man in his wife's mind, where he realizes what griefs consumed her whether they were true or false. In A Thief in the Night, the narrator, the Antichrist, compares God to the immortal unicorn and one of the Christs to a beach comber. I loved the insight found in many of these stories; coping with life, love, and loss, the characters spread messages of hope or slight despair. All authors eloquently spoke with individual voices collected by the general themes of immortality and mortality.

What's a unicorn doing in a book like this?.......2002-12-01

If you think you might enjoy a unicorn snuff film, you'll probably relish this short story collection. Beagle has collected a diverse set of fantasies about creatures very unlike the traditional colt-like being with a horn and a penchant for virgins (although a few of those time-honored beasts do show up in strange settings). He could very easily have done a bit of cut and paste and called his book, "Immortal Dragon," or "Immortal Manticore" for all the 'unicorn-ness' of the featured mythical beast.

Here is a sampling of the stories, starting with my two favorites:

"Professor Gottesman and the Indian Rhinoceros" by Peter S. Beagle - A unicorn in the guise of a smelly Indian Rhinoceros that loves to discuss the Scholastics and take hot baths? It works for Beagle, who exhibits his usual deft touch at the border between life and immortality.

"Gilgamesh Recidivus" by P.D. Cacek - a grim story of a man who tracks a unicorn through the cold barrens of Siberia, in order to beg for death, not immortality.

"The Devil on Myrtle Ave." by Eric Lustbader - a long, somewhat incoherent tale of a stone killer whose mother ODs on the first page. A little silver unicorn dangles from his nose chain as he goes about his daily rounds of break-ins, armed robberies, and murder.

"The Trouble with Unicorns" by Nancy Willard - A man has his beloved cat put down due to the infirmities of old age. While looking for another pet, he finds an ad for an enrocinul.

"Old One-Antler" by Michael Armstrong - A man takes his thirteen-year-old son on a hunting trip to teach him how to shoot. A bull caribou with a missing horn instructs the father on the true meaning of manhood.

"Taken He Cannot Be" by Will Shetterly - Wyatt Earp and Doc Holiday go hunting a rustler and find him at creek-side, three sheets to the wind and reading aloud from the "Illiad." A unicorn accompanies the posse of two.

Not that bad........1999-10-04

Some of the stories in here just mention the unicorn and that's it, but it's still a cool book. I gives you a new definiton of unicorn. When I think of a unicorn I see a horse whith cloven hooves, a lions tail and a horn in the middle of it's forhead, but in this book you get to read about other types of unicorns too. For exsample: A caribou named "Old one Antler", is a caribou that can heal the sick, live forever and make a person immortal. Anyways, in closing I would like to say that this is a good book.

They stole my title, but that's OK........1999-05-04

Right when I had decided to title a novel "Immortal Unicorn", I found this anthology. Oh well! There is a lack of unicorn stories in the world, so I always welcome something new in the genre. Some of these stories are good and some aren't, as is to be expected. You can even tell that some of these stories were made just for the anthology, which means they were forced. Despite this, I think anyone who loves the unicorn will love the book, just because unicorns are so darn rare.

A renewal of faith in the lengend of the unicorn........1999-02-24

I have always been a fan of books on unicorns and this one is no exception. Truth is aside from 'The Last Unicorn", also by Peter S. Beagle this would have to be one of my favorite. It is a renewal in the faith of the unicorn. If you don't believe in them now, you will after reading this coalecance of stories written by exceptional writers including Peter S. Beagle. Each story holds new worlds, new ideas and new outlooks that captures everything that denotes what I have grownup and loved...the immortal unicorn.

Average customer rating:

Peter S. Beagle's Immortal Unicorn
Peter S.; Berliner, Janet: Editors Beagle
Manufacturer: Harper Prism
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OESCBG

Average customer rating:

Peter S. Beagle's Immortal Unicorn
Peter S. And Janet Berliner, Eds. Beagle
Manufacturer: HarperPrism
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000HKKF6W

Average customer rating:

Peter S. Beagle's Immortal Unicorn
Peter S. (editor); Berliner, Janet (editor) Beagle
Manufacturer: HarperPrism
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OETCTC

Peter S. Beagle's Immortal Unicorn Volume Two

Average customer rating:

Peter S. Beagle's Immortal Unicorn Volume Two
Eds. Peter S. Beagle & Janet Berliner
Manufacturer: Eos
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OEYYEA

Book Description

Living with bipolar disorder is a lifelong challenge. Those who struggle with the illness have to learn effective ways to control their mood swings, avoid relapse, and get the most from medication-based treatments. This workbook delivers a hands-on resource that gives sufferers the edge they need. Based on proven cognitive-behavioral therapy techniques, the book offers a variety of tools that enable readers to recognize the early warning signs of an oncoming episode, develop plans for withstanding the seductive pull of manic episodes, and escape the paralysis of depression. Specific chapters address key challenges at various stages, from overcoming denial of the initial diagnosis to fine-tuning treatments and maintaining gains.

Customer Reviews:

Something for Everyone.......2007-10-04

Having been diagnosed very late in life a few years ago, I constantly research materials that are simple, informative and practical. This book meets all criteria. In fact, I have given it to my therapist who really appreciates it and am now purchasing it for newly diagnosed friends or family members who have BP. It targets all audiences: newly diagnosed; experienced but needs some reminders; experienced but wants to review certain sections; and family members.

Covers many different angles and stages of Bipolar.......2007-07-22

I wasn't sure what to expect when i ordered this book. A bipolar friend of mine suggested the book (not the workbook) written by Monica Ramirez Basco. I haven't read it yet but plan to. I think the workbook is great. It is a great way to learn to retrain the way you think. There are parts of the workbook that apply to me right now, parts that I've already been through and will probably not read, and parts about things I haven't dealt with yet too. It's one of those things that will help you out now and you can pick it back up months/years later and it will help you again.

Better for Bipolar I patients, than Bipolar II........2007-07-11

It seems to be much more for Bipolar I sufferers. I have Bipolar II and much of the material in the book didn't really apply to me. Though I'm sure it would be good if one had bipolar II, and I'm still working through the book in the areas that do apply to me.

VERY intensive and extensive........2007-06-22

I can't say this book is easy to do. Usually I rush through workbooks, but this one I am doing less than 20 pages every other day so its wisdom sinks in. After 15 years diagnosed Bipolar 2 you'd think I know myself and the illness's impact. I obviously didn't. It was really scary at first, writing about how the illness has affected my life and those around me and really thinking about my specific symptoms. When I am well, my husband says I live like I have no illness, which creates problems later. Now I know that I have to change my "good day" living to prevent "bad day" nightmares. It's pretty harsh to tally up the toll the illness has taken and the small and large changes I have to make in my life. But the book IS a God send for it really allows me to see my triggers and what causes stress for me and how to live more sensibly. It is like taking a mirror and seeing the illness in bright light around me and finding ways to keep it small and managable. It's made me more realistic about my limitations so I'll stay safe and sane. (I hate knowing I have limitations!) Honestly, it covers everything, from reasons you create for NOT killing yourself when depressed or psychotic to REAL help on weight loss. There isn't one part of the illness that it does not address and force you to check if it is a part of your life, and if so, how to handle it when it rears its ugly head. Slowly, I feel like I can control a lot more than I thought I could. Before I let the illness throw me like a rag doll in a tornado. Now I see the responsibility I have to myself and my loved ones to prevent or manage episodes and the book totally makes that possible. If I have to have limits at least I can control them a lot more than I thought. It just takes a willingness to really see the damage and how to head it off at the pass. If you aren't ready for REAL WORK, get another book that let's you stay a victim. If you are ready to deal with the reality of what you face, buy this NOW.

Bipolarity manual.......2007-06-14

"The Bipolar Workbook" is a simply written, informative tutorial on identifying the symptoms, triggers, actions, and consequences of bipolar thinking and behavior. It's got lots of worksheets so the reader can plug in her/his own life events to map out past problems, identify personal trends, and plan for future success. It is a good aid to therapy or self-help workbook. I'd like to see it as an interactive CD, especially to help bipolar adolescents with coexisting attentional deficits.

Book Description

Deeply rooted in ancient rituals, the seasonal rhythms of the land of Israel, and biblical commandments, the Jewish holidays mark a time for Jews around the world to reconnect with their spiritual lives, celebrate their history, and enjoy tasty foods laden with symbolic meaning. With Phyllis and Miriyam Glazer's The Essential Book of Jewish Festival Cooking as your guide, you will gain a rich understanding of the Jewish calendar year and its profound link to the signs of nature and the produce of the earth in each season. This landmark volume addresses a central question often left unanswered: Why do we eat what we eat on these important days?

Organized by season, the ten chapters cover the major holidays and feast days of the Jewish year, providing more than two hundred tempting recipes, plus menus and tips for creative and meaningful holiday entertaining. In-depth essays opening each chapter illuminate the origins, traditions, and seasonal and biblical significance of each holiday and its foods, making the book a valuable resource for Jewish festival observance. Inspired recipes add a fresh, contemporary twist as they capture the flavors of the seasonal foods enjoyed by our ancestors. For Passover, prepare such springtime delights as Roasted Salmon with Marinated Fennel and Thyme, alongside Braised "Bitter Herbs" with Pistachios. On Shavuot, characterized by the season's traditional bounty of milk and the wheat harvest, try fresh homemade cheeses; creamy, comforting Blintzes; or luscious Hot and Bubbling Semolina and Sage Gnocchi. At Purim, create a Persian feast fit for a king and learn new ideas for mishloah manot, the traditional gifts of food.

The Essential Book of Jewish Festival Cooking offers accessible, healthful, and intensely flavorful recipes with a unique and tangible connection to the rhythms of the Jewish year. The Glazer sisters will deepen your understanding of time-honored traditions as they guide you toward more profound, and delicious, holiday experiences.

Customer Reviews:

A cookbook not just for holidays........2006-03-12

Where did the tradition of eating Kreplach on the Purim originate? Why were pomegranates, of all fruit, adopted for the Shehecheyanu on the second day of Rosh Hashana? You'll find all of this information in this cookbook.

Some holiday foods, say the Glazers, have rabbinic sources. For other foods it is a question of putting your prayers where your mouth is, like the Rosh Hashana honey cake for a sweet year. Other foods have become part of the tradition by word association. Carrots, say the Glazers, are associated with Rosh Hashana because the Hebrew word "gezer" is reminiscent of "gzar din" - we should be judged for a good year.

These and many other bits of Jewish food lore make this cookbook not only a treasure of Jewish traditions and a collection of great recipes, but a truly great read. The recipes are conveniently organized in menus and the ingredients are highlighted in red print. Each dish is gender-coded "M" for meat, "D"and "P" in the menu.

Like the Jewish year, The Essential Book of Jewish Festival Cooking starts with Pesach. There is a treasure of 31 Pesach recipes in 40 pages.

The Glazers quote liberally from their mama's Ashkenazi kitchen, but Sephardic folk traditions are not neglected. Maimonides, we are told, suggesting sipping honey water as a 12th century Viagra. Find this tip in the Tu B'Av chapter, the holiday of love.

The foods of the holidays, say the Glazers, are closely entwined with the agricultural growth cycle in the Land of Israel. The fruits and vegetables, herbs and spices that abound in Israel at the time of year were integrated into the lore of the holiday. During the exile from Israel our food traditions continued to be linked to the land of Israel. This is a nice thesis, but I am not so sure about some of her examples.

This Jewish tradition foodbook/cookbook is a book that you'll use in the kitchen or you'll read curled up with on the couch and discover a thing or two about Jewish food traditions.

Very Good, but may not be the most useful........2006-01-10

`The Essential Book of Jewish Festival Cooking' by Phyllis Glazer and Miryam Glazer and `The New Jewish Holiday Cookbook' by Gloria Kauler Greene are two leading representatives of a great cookbook subgenre which may be unique among all cookbook flavors in that they represent that extraordinary relation between Judaism and food. Like the exceptional `Jewish Holiday Cookbook' by Joan Nathan and unlike the encyclopedic `New York Times Cookbook of Jewish Recipes', both books spend much space and words on the practice of kashrut or keeping kosher. But this is not the whole story. There are numerous Jewish culinary traditions which are not directly related to kashrut, such as the traditions surrounding the number of challah loaves baked for the Shabbat or the number of bumps on the challah loaves (The magic number here is 12, representing the 12 tribes of Israel, so the tradition is to have 12 loaves. More practical is the tradition to have two loaves each with 6 bumps created by the braiding of the bread before baking.)

There is one major difference among these three books which is evident in their titles. Ms. Glazer's book deals with `festival' cooking while Nathan and Greene deal with `Holiday' cooking. The subtle difference here is that the festival book does not cover Shabbat and the two `holiday' books do.

To a non-Jew, my guess is that since there are 52 shabbats in a year, while there are at most seven or eight major `festivals', it is much more important to have a book covering Shabbat as well as the yearly holidays. Between Greene and the Glazers, I find at least one other big difference in that Ms. Greene gives far more coverage to the creation of challah, which may be the single most important Jewish holiday recipe in any of these books, as it seems to be the one food which tradition calls for at every Shabbat. In fact, even though Joan Nathan's book combines two books, one of which is on Jewish holiday baking, Ms. Greene's treatment of challah, at least in the details she give for braiding several different numbers of dough strands is the most extensive. Among the recipes from the three books, the amateur bread baker in me prefers Ms. Nathan's recipe, as it uses the least (1 packet) yeast and calls for the longest raising time. She (and Ms. Greene) also use my preferred `active dry yeast' rather than the `rapid rise' yeast.

All three books deal in depth with Jewish holiday traditions, although Ms. Glazer and Ms. Greene seem to have better rabbinical sources and seem to be more dedicated to the details of the traditions. Of the three, Ms. Greene seems to touch me more effectively in her discussion of these traditions than the other two.

All three writers are primarily from the Ashkenazy tradition, although all three also give fair treatment to Sephardic dishes and menus. If you are really interested in Sephardic menus primarily, Ms. Nathan spends much of her space on Sephardic menus.

If you are willing to take a recommendation from a goyem, I recommend Ms. Greene's book most highly, followed by Ms. Nathan's book for her many baking recipes; however, all three are quality books.

Charming writing and great food too.......2004-06-09

Organized by season and offering large dollops of tradition and history along with 200 international recipes for celebrating the Jewish calendar, this is an amazingly complete book.

The Glazer sisters introduce each festival with the history of the foods incorporated into the menu and their spiritual connections. The recipes, which follow, are each accompanied by notes on its roots, historical and familial - which foster a sense of connection and camaraderie as well as providing serving suggestions.

And the recipes! For Rosh Hashanah there's Cornish Hens Stuffed with Bulgur, Raisins and Caraway, Bulgarian Leek Patties, Quince in Spiced Muscat Wine. For Shavuot (Spring Harvest time) there's Pistachio-Coriander Cheese Balls, Classic Cheese Blintzes, Whole Wheatberry Tabbouleh with Biblical (clarified) Butter. And more, lots more.

Whether you're Jewish or not, this is a cookbook to enjoy for its rich heritage as well as its sumptuous, healthful recipes.

the best cookbook I've bought all year!.......2004-03-26

As an avid cookbook reader who tends to like reading cookbooks more than actually using them in my kitchen, I can already sense that my life has been subtly changed by this book (a gift from a friend). It's recipes are very simple, using pure & healthy ingredients -- and absolutely delicious. The food actually feels good to eat, and the writing is both sophisticated and accessible. In fact, I've used it every day since it found me! Too often these days, it seems chefs sacrifice something profound when updating traditional recipes and mixing flavors from different cultures. Not so with Phyllis Glazer. The recipes, and the cultures they come from, are really harmonious,a nd in some sense that seems to be what the cookbook is about -- a very grounded spiritual harmony that sees food as a central way of honoring our lives and our traditions. The information about the festivals is new to me, and though I'm not observant, and thought I would skip over much of it, the truth is that the information has really enriched my experience of cooking. The food has meaning. I've spoken with other friends who are more observant, and found that my newfound information has been new to them as well.
My favorite recipe so far has been the Moshe B'Teyvah -- the little marzipan Moses baby in a cradle made out of date w/ pistachios, which I thought I would practice before bringing to a seder. I didn't need to practice at all! They were so easy, and absolutely charming (delicious, too). I also made the champagne-melon-mint soup w/ feta (meant for Tu B'Av) that was ridiculously easy and mouthwatering.

Kudos to the Glazer sisters. They're welcome at my house any time!

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