Book Description
Although food writer and dilettante chef Angie Amalfi is ready to start thinking about cutting a wedding cake with her delectable homicide detective boyfriend Paavo Smith, Paavo's got other things on his mind -- mainly, the grisly murder of two San Francisco women. While he combs the city for clues to the brutal slayings, Angie begins a quest of her own: searching for a little gem of a restaurant for a magazine review. She discovers three grumpy old men who make a mean marinara, but seem to know nothing about how to run a business. At least not a culinary business. As Angie deals with the diamond-in-the-rough eatery and her sisters' unwelcome wedding advice, Paavo's inquiry points to Angie as next on the killer's hit list. The ever-game Ms. Amalfi takes off her oven mitts to join the investigation. But Angie's leaping head first into the stewpot for sure -- because a murderer with a vendetta is more than willing to give one nosy chef her lethal just desserts.
Customer Reviews:
Secrets In Spaghetti; Caffe Latee w/Foamed Milk a la Dawn. The Egg & WHO? .......2005-10-22
Lots of t'ings to t'ink about in this novel. Love, love, love the geriatric cons and their accented dialogue.
Pence's Angie books have shoved out of my keyboard words like "favorite"; "most"; and "best." Each time I read another of her novels everything is so superb and supreme, I feel like I'm burping the trite & cliche because I run out of superlatives. This time, I'm forced to toss any effort to spout super syntax in my raving. COOKING MOST DEADLY has literally gone too far out on several limbs with an enormous variety of high quality reading appeals, especially to my entertainment escape needs, my raison d'etre (reason for being) within the pages of a novel.
When I picked up this novel (# 4 in the series), I had already read and reviewed IF COOKS COULD KILL (# 10), so I knew that Angie would develop a friendship with the geriatric ex-cons, and I had already vicariously dined in their restaurant, Wings of an Angel. Instead of this prior plot knowledge spoiling my read of CMD, it enhanced the panache. I was overwhelmingly curious to see exactly how the relationship between Angie and these three grumpy old guys would go from Angie being an unwelcome first "customer" in a "restaurant" which was not, and which had no name and no menu, almost no cook. The plot, as it worked the expansion of the restaurant (from "open" to open), as it developed the relationships centering around the cafe, kidnaped my involvment better than any other evolving situation in this series.
I suppose I have a weakness for any type of failure being regenerated into the warmest, coziest type of success, especially for people and their places which have long been stuck in the upset underbelly of the opposite of utopia.
The slapstick scenes in the café were some of the funniest I've read, anywhere. Pence does food slips & slithers in the best of taste and the worst of pomposity (pomposity dissolves or dies in Angie's spirited presence). I laughed out loud too often reading this book, usually with gleeful gusto, though a couple times with restrained spits. During one of the exuberant explosions, I was laid back in my easy chair next to the sofa on which my coal miner husband was sleeping his last hour prior to leaving for his night shift. Reading CMD, I was unexpectedly caught by a case of the giggles and couldn't escape the need (unsuccessfully restraining puff-like sneezes and huffing hiccups), and was forced to quickly and "quietly" vacate the living room, clutching book to mouth, to find another reading location which would allow at least a muffled type of regularly renewed giggling gags.
I'm looking at the sunrise of 59 years old this month, and, yes, I still have hysterical giggling fits, but not often.
If you recall, I mentioned a variety of high quality appeals to reading entertainment in this book. The funny scenes were balanced amazingly adeptly with the dark realism of the mind and machinations of a serial killer. Since Pence had been developing her talent for blending dark with light through her first 3 novels, this being the 4th, I suppose she had enough practice to really step out and strut in this one. She did.
Maybe the comedy needed to be higher and (satisfyingly) sillier, to lift the lower, darker mood of the mystery in this plot. Whatever. The bounce from spotlight to lowlife was intense, yet so seamless I went from wide-eyed rivet accompanied by slow, stealthy breathing, to bursting out in hysterics, from the drop of one scene to the next.
Pence is amazingly adept with the development of the dregs of psychotic personalities (the killer in this one), as well as the zapping to life the most endearing of funny guys (the ex-con, geriatric trilogy, pseudo restraunt owners).
With all this, we have a secret ingredient, TOO? Yep.
Loved the fact that Angie was looking for a very special restraunt to review which would outdo all the others, and instead of finding something extra-ordinally regaled with Ritz, gourmet-ed with glory, she finds a hole-in-the-wall with nothing but a strangely (but really very good) seasoned spaghetti on a non-menu of one item, forced out reluctantly by an ex-prison cook who hadn't actually intended to serve anything except an under-cover heist with his over-the-hill and out-of-the-big-house buddies.
With all this, we also have a new character introduced as an unlikely friend, sidekick for Angie? Yep. Here we have the spaghetti queen, Connie, stepping into her first Angie scene, and we get to see Connie caterpillar go from mouse to moose (however you spell that chocolate thingy which females fancier than I put in their hair). Here we again have that skillful use of comedic contrast, allowing us to deal with Connie's sister having become the first realistically and graphically displayed murder victim in the plot.
Okay, with all this going on, what the heck's Paavo doing? Oh, he and Yosh are madly rushing against a heavy political agenda to catch the real killer before he kills again and again, and before the government big wigs sledge-hammer the whole mess into a rush job crash, every-which-way, with flattened heads rolling, innocence or guilt, who cares, as long as the nose is bent beyond getting into anything politically sacred (in its closet corruption).
Is Angie busy enough trying to find the perfect restaurant to review for her article for Haute Cuisine? Nooooo. She's also busy "getting to know" the serial killer, up close and personal. This strange "relationship" development is realistic, chilling, and captivating. Only Angie's character could believably bring out this unusual insight into this type of killer's mind and personality. Women like Angie with her type of innocent spirit do exist. I used to be very much like her. Believe it. I could tell you true stories too much like this.
As a United Airlines stewardess (they're now called flight attendants) in 1968, based in Newark, NJ, I was once walking the corridors of the Port of Authority, in uniform, heading home in the evening, exhausted with my head lost in the ozone, from an advertising gig at a car dealership, when a uniformed policeman stopped me with a genuinely caring warning. "Please be more alert and cautious," he explained and continued, "a woman was stabbed to death, just last night, in near the same public spot in which you are now walking." That was several years prior to my being employed by the Multnomah County Sherrif's Office in Oregon, as a public speaker for rape prevention, in a job for which I read many case studies and reports of person-to-person crimes and their perpetrators. This personal background is provided to give credence to my strange history and personality, which in some ways parallels Angie's spirited desire to believe in the best in everyone, wanting to ignore those bells warning that someone's not quite right, very much less than good. Sadly in some ways, luckily in others, I'm much older now.
This is the book in the series dedicated to Joanne's husband David, so you might guess it had to be good. And, guess what? These two actually love each other, still, after more than a quarter century of sharing a home and family! It's obvious that Pence pulled out all the stops and wrote her heart out, into a grand success of a story.
I predict the day will come that Pence receives a special literary award for her ability to use comic relief with such natural abandon, with the result reading in such successfully flowing grace. Don't ask me how she accomplishes the mystery and drama within this high comedy, without losing an ounce of intensity, complexity, or serious, riveting potency.
This type of talent is worthy of a Pulitzer, in addition to the genre awards the author has received.
This is the type of dedicated, truly multifaceted, richly-talented author who will have her books redone in jazzier and jazzier covers, and who will progress from having a series of mass market paperbacks grow into a stock split into hardbacks released of all her books in this series, after she's already knuckled under to giving her all to 13 paperback originals, producing winners time after time, after time.
Is 13 the magic-number turning point? (Red Hot Murder out February 2006, see my Listmania)
Or will it be the 14th in the series, now in the rich ovens of the ambiance of Italy.
If I have anything to write about it, Pence will get the "Sixpence" she's due. The significance in her books has not quite been seen yet (through a glass brightly) for what it is, possibly because her offerings are so subtly, seamlessly complex they can easily be seen as *** just*** light, fluffy mysteries. They are that, and so much more.
And the secret ingredient is ...
Who doesn't love one version of this ingredient, and hate the other, both with capital letters required. Even with that clue, I wouldn't have guessed it. This food item may be a closet craving for even the most snobbish of gourmands (including me).
Great job, Lady! Your husband should be so proud, a peacock wouldn't have enough eyes in his tail to expose the broadband.
Linda G. Shelnutt
Mediocre but can be fluffy fun.......2005-02-10
There's actually more mystery then romance in this one, and a dash of comedy as well. Angie begins to use up the last of her charm in this book. Pence tries to add more to the series by fleshing out more characters now, as this also is where Angie meets a woman who later becomes her sidekick in future books... although how they immediately became best friends is never quite covered. How it is that everyone in Angie's world except for Paavo seem to not be too clever is a puzzle- I guess it helps her look relatively good, intelligence-wise. The next book is Cooks Overboard.
And the mystery ingredient is...............2000-08-13
You will have to read the book to find out, but it sure is a doozey! I loved this book as I have all of the previous ones in the series, but this one is the funniest so far. I actually found myself laughing out loud a number of times. Pence keeps getting better; the story grabs you, the mystery keeps you guessing and the romance is great - what more can a person ask for!
Cooking Most Deadly.......2000-02-28
As a great reader of mystery books, I can honestly say Joanna Pence is one of the best writers I've read recently and I've read a lot! Fast paced and interesting! Hopefully she and her homicide detective will continue through many more books in this series.
Best of the series (so far).......1998-06-27
This one has it all - suspense, romance and humor. If you haven't read any of these books, start at the beginning of the series and keep reading. Even though this isn't the last one, it's my favorite. I hope Joanne Pence keeps turning out the Angie Amalfi books.
Customer Reviews:
Great Dragon Adventures!.......2006-08-18
My husband is into fantasy reading, I'm not. However, I picked his new book one night to read (this one) & couldn't put it down! Three related, wonderful stories about female heroines & mystical creatures/magic. Couldn't put the book down, wanted to know what was going to happen next! Thoroughly enjoyed all three adventure stories!
Female, age (55)
A book doesn't need a perfect HAPPY ending to be great.......2006-06-28
I completly adore this book! it is my favorite and i have read it many times. The characters are easy to relate to. The ending of summers part in the story is sad yes BUT any book that can actualy make me cry is worth the read. And all is not lost, the characters do live on and do have a happy ending it just doesn't come right out and tell you "they skiped of into the sunset togeth holding hands Tra la la" It lets you pick up little hints to what happened and almost lets you chose the ending yourself without leting you feel empty..unless you fail to notice the small hints as to what happens. Oh and the book is about a yong girl who is the daughter of the town whore and as so hated,she choses to set out into the world with what little she has. This book has all the basics of a fantasy novel, referances to unicorns,A night in shining armour, Dragons, and evil forces with a delightful twist. With all the small plots within the overall polt the story never gets boring and it is dificult to pull your nose out of it, Just what i look for in a book! I hate books that only fallow the main plot and end to soon...but do not worry the book will not confuse you between stories, the main focus is alwasy present and clear.
I really hope this review helped! So do yourself a favor and pick up this wonderful book!
Such a disappointment!!!.......2006-04-03
I read this book as the full trilogy "The Unexpected Dragon" After "Pigs don't fly" it all went downhill from there. Don't get used to the character's in the story as they won't last for very long accept for her beloved dog poor old Growch who also was shamefully given and anti-climactic ending after all he endured. I actually burst into tears at the ending out of the utter dissapointment and was half inclined to fling the book across the room and half enclined to toss it in the fireplace!! The heroes finally reach there destination thousands of miles and numerous near death instances and are crossing the threshold of their rewards for all they had been through and at the height of their happiness are burned to death because some idiot the heroine was too dumb to let die or get rid of finishes them off!!! the killer then lives a long life and dies saying ha! I got them! The beloved main characters and their love are gone (this is not the ending it gets worse) It does not tell you what happens to the dragon black Jasper and after being introduced to a whole new set of characters in the end which the author expects you to get attached to it still leaves the ending open and left me with the disgusting sense of being cheated and an idiot for investing my time and emotion into reading the whole 852 pages of it! If you want to end up feeling sadness, hurt, betrayal and dissapointment this book is for you. I wish I could tell the author what I really felt about this book with all it's pompous acknowledgments! She should have spent more time around people willing to tell her the truth about her book- IT WAS AWEFUL!!! My only solace was writting this review to spare others the sadness, don't judge this book by it's beautiful cover!
Growch..........2005-12-24
I'm still reading this book but am enjoying it greatly! The characters are wonderful and I think that the main character is realistic....she feels she is fat and ugly (admit it...we all think that some times) so far this is what I've read....
Sumerdai's mother is the village whore. When Summer;s mother dies she is thrown out into the world seeking a husband. Unwittingly she puts on her fathers ring (wich she later finds out is made from the horn of a unicorn and gives her the ability to talk to animals) Summer rescues a blind knight that has lost his memory, a shabby dog that is very...well you'll see for yourself..., a horse that is a princess in her land, a turtle, a bird, a so called "flying pig"...and thats about as far as I have gotten...anyways even though I have not fully read the book (I probably shouldn't be making this reveiew at this time but since no one else has....) I still think that people will enjoy it!!
Average customer rating:
- Another winner from Mary Brown!
- Another winner from Mary Brown!
- Like a Fairy Tale
- When you're looking for some adventure.......
- On Second Reading . . .
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Pig's Don't Fly
Mary Brown
Manufacturer: Bt Bound
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding
 Teens | Subjects | Books | Authors, A-Z | Biographies & Memoirs | Health, Mind & Body | History & Historical Fiction | Horror | Literature & Fiction | Manga | Mysteries | Reference | Religion & Spirituality | School & Sports | Science & Technology | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Series | Social Issues
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Master of Many Treasures
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The Unlikely Ones
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Dragonne's Eg
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Here There Be Dragonnes
ASIN: 078576206X |
Customer Reviews:
Another winner from Mary Brown!.......2002-04-22
While not quite as good as her previous Book, The Unlikely Ones, this book is still a fun and entertaining book about the adventures of a group of misfits and ugly ducklings.
It features an overweight heroine, Summer, who inherits a magic ring from her unknown father when her mother, the village "kept woman", dies. She is given the choice of taking over her mother's job, or leaving, so she leaves to find her own way in the world.
The mysterious ring allows her to communicate with animals and she acquires an oddball entourage of a smart mouthed, know it all dog, a broken-down horse, a crippled pigeon, a battered tortoise, and a flying pig. She rescues a blind, amnesiac knight, whom she falls for. Everyone changes greatly over the course of the story--especially that flying pig, and the end is not quite what you expect it to be. I really enjoyed reading a book that features an overweight heroine--you don't see those too often!
Another winner from Mary Brown!.......2002-04-22
While not quite as good as her previous Book, The Unlikely Ones, this book is still a fun and entertaining book about the adventures of a group of misfits and ugly ducklings.
It features an overweight heroine, Summer, who inherits a magic ring from her unknown father when her mother, the village "kept woman", dies. She is given the choice of taking over her mother's job, or leaving, so she leaves to find her own way in the world.
The mysterious ring allows her to communicate with animals and she acquires an oddball entourage of a smart mouthed, know it all dog, a broken-down horse, a crippled pigeon, a battered tortoise, and a flying pig. She rescues a blind, amnesiac knight, whom she falls for. Everyone changes greatly over the course of the story--especially that flying pig, and the end is not quite what you expect it to be. I really enjoyed reading a book that features an overweight heroine--you don't see those too often!
Like a Fairy Tale.......2001-10-22
I thought this was a very good book. The plot was new and original and the characters were very round!! But, some of the things that went on were a little too corny but, then again... isn't that what a fairy tale is like? I have yet to read the next 2 books in the series but the ending of this book left me wanting to just go out and buy the next 2 books!
When you're looking for some adventure..............2001-10-03
I don't usually read books on a whole but my brother suggested this one so I thought I might as well try it out.
It was absolutely amazing; i couldn't put it down after. It was refreshing having a stong heroine that I could identify with as the main character. I also paused many times to read over and over certain phrases that stuck out in my mind. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone, even a non reader like myself!
On Second Reading . . ........2001-06-26
This is an addendum to my original review, because there's something I need to accomplish with it. The first thing I need to do is apologize to the wonderful, thoughtful, handsome man who gave me this book for publicly writing such a negative review. I feel absolutely terrible. He had the misfortune to read what I had written, and he knew it was me. Secondly, let this be proof that if you can get to a posting, so can everyone else, including those you may not want to read your words, much less know it is you that wrote them. To the book! I did enjoy it more on the second reading (I thought I owed it to the book and the giver to try again). Perhaps because I didn't have to spend so much time trying to anticipate the plot and characters, I was more able to go along with it and pay more attention to detail. I read it about a year ago for the first time, and even though that was a while ago, I had remembered very little about the plot; I must have been busy with other things (like working myself into annoyance). Three stars still isn't a raving success, but up from two is significant for me. Although the book could have been better (I felt like it was written from a rough sketch instead of a solid plan), there was enough happening and enough thinking (at least from the heroine) to keep my attention. I thought the animals and Gill were slightly underdeveloped, but they served their purpose. I still liked the Wimperling the best, perhaps more so this time around. I enjoy reading about thinking, slightly mysterious characters, and this book could have stood more of them, because the ones that were there were well done (the Ghost, the Wimperling, Suleiman). I'd read it again, maybe even enjoy it more. Perhaps I just need to relax more and recognize & enjoy escapism when I see it.
Average customer rating:
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Pigs Don't Fly
Manufacturer: Allied Pub
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Fiction | Pigs | Animals | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Pigs | Animals | Children's Books | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
ASIN: 1577555163 |
Average customer rating:
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Pigs Don't Fly
Manufacturer: Baen Publishing Enterprises
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000GS1B5Y |
Book Description
What kind of first impression do you make? A first impression is the most important impression you’ll ever make—and you get only one chance to make it. Business deals can be made or broken, first dates become second dates or not, friendships are created or fail to form; everything hinges on that all-important initial encounter. And yet most of us don’t know how we’re really seen by others. Many of us don’t know how to make a good impression.
Wouldn’t you like others to see you as confident, interesting, attractive, and sincere? Ann Demarais, Ph.D., and Valerie White, Ph.D., consultants to many Fortune 100 companies as well as creators of First Impressions, Inc., a New York–based dating and consulting firm, offer you the keys to putting your best self forward in any new situation, whether you want to strike up a conversation at a party or are meeting a blind date or a new business client.
You’ll learn to see yourself as others see you, and how to tweak your style to create the impression that reflects the real you. Breaking down a successful first impression into its seven fundamentals, the authors show you how to master these principles so that you can make the best first impression. They also show how to avoid common misunderstandings that leave others with a bad impression, how to reveal the four universal social gifts, and they outline practical steps you can take to enhance your personal charm.
Informative and filled with enlightening research studies, do-it-yourself checklist reviews, and dozens of helpful case histories, First Impressions is a fun, groundbreaking, and long-overdue guide to the most important moment of virtually any relationship: the first.
Customer Reviews:
Brilliant and simple.......2007-07-17
At first glance, this book seems pretty simplistic--make good eye contact, don't talk too much, choose topics appropriate for the situation--but this book is far more valuable than the elementary advice would suggest. First, almost everyone needs these reminders now and then. More importantly, the authors are able to explain vague but universal concepts in an exceptionally clear way. For example, what is the definition of "nice" or how would you define "sex appeal"? This book defines those words and more, making it extremely insightful in the study of personal interactions, from first impressions and beyond.
I found it boring and useless..........2007-07-12
I didn't get all the way through or even more than partially through, it just bored me too much in the beginning and seemed to just state common sense. I didn't read the ratings but most people (who I'm assuming read it all the way through) seemed to really like it so I suggest reading their reviews and seeing what I may have missed later on in the book.
Very Well Written Book.......2006-11-12
I bought this book after listening to Dr. Demarais on NPR. This is a very well written and easy to read book with good concepts that you need to put into practice. Therefore, I wish the authors come out with an abridged audio version to listen to again and again because you need to get these ideas ingrained inside you and become second nature. Even though this book is geared towards creating impressions on a date, I highly recommend this book to anyone whose job involves dealing with people.
First Impressions Demystified.......2006-10-17
Go ahead and buy this book, and act on the authors advice, and watch how subtle changes in first impressions can make a big difference. Probably the best among us will find something to learn to make it worthwhile reading.
That said, the authors do overstate their advice. First impressions have an important part in social encounters, but they don't determine indefinitly how others perceive you. For example, in one story the authors describe one of their clients who took some time to warm up during a simulated date, but was otherwise socially adept. But they explain, by then it was "too late" to make a positive impression. In reality, the chances are that intelligent people from all walks of life can understand that it is natural for someone to take some time to open up to someone they meet for the first time, and won't hold you to it. Just think about the people in your life; probably quite a few of them didn't make a great impression on you the first time you met them, and you probably didn't either.
But of course, the authors have built a large consulting business purely focused on training their clients to make good first impressions. You wouldn't expect them to downplay its importance.
Overall, its a recommended read, as long as you keep in mind that first impressions are not a substitute for a lack of other much more important social skills you will need for building meaningful relationships.
Valuable Insight.......2006-02-21
This book was relatively short considering that the topic is
so broad. The authors present approximately 10 ways in which
we make an impression upon others. They then provide
checklists at the end of each of the chapters to help you
assess whether or not you give off the impression you intend
to. The book is part psychology, part body language studies,
and part common sense. The book didn't offer anything 'new,'
but the format was easy to read and understand, and the
authors brought home certain points that you might miss in
denser books on this subject.
Amazon.com
Endless Feasts: Sixty Years of Writing from Gourmet, part of the Modern Library Food series, is a fascinating compendium of Gourmet magazine food and travel pieces spanning six decades--a collection that mirrors our dining habits over the years but is timeless in its underlying theme: we are what we eat. The assembled cast is tops: James Beard on pasta; Elizabeth David lauding epicure Edouard de Pomaine; M.F.K. Fisher on her favorite Swiss inns; Paul Theroux writing about crossing the Rockies; Anita Loos evoking cocktail parties of the 1920s. Compiled by Gourmet editor-in-chief (and series editor) Ruth Reichl, and with recipes from the contributors' pieces--including hobotee, North Carolina's famed meat custard, and Katherine Hepburn's brownies--the book will delight armchair and meal-chasing foodies alike.
Most readers will discover new voices among the more familiar. Present, as noted, is M.F.K. Fisher, offering one of her most splendid sun-and-shadow portraits, but there's also the underread (and magnificently dry) Ruth Harkness providing glimpses of a World War II winter spent in a crumbling Tibetan Lamasery, where she devoured $10,000 worth of rare pheasants; the drolly avuncular Joseph Wechsburg on Austria's legendary patisserie, Demel's ("the loudest sound you hear there is the breaking of crisp strudel dough"); crusty Maine poet Robert P. Coffin on Down East breakfasts and lobstering ("a night like a night of marriage"); and the reportorial, unblinking Jay Jacobs on Beard himself ("the man remembers in minute detail every one of the eighty-seven-thousand-odd meals he has eaten since his birth"). The quality of the essays varies, of course, but the book overwhelmingly gladdens in its rich breadth of time and place and evocative storytelling. --Arthur Boehm
Book Description
Contributors to endless feasts include:
James Beard/Cooking with James Beard: Pasta
Ray Bradbury/Dandelion Wine
Robert P. Coffin/Night of Lobster
Laurie Colwin/A Harried Cook’s Guide to Some Fast Food
Pat Conroy/The Romance of Umbria
Elizabeth David/Edouard de Pomiane
M.F.K. Fisher/Three Swiss Inns
Ruth Harkness/In a Tibetan Lamasery
Madhur Jaffrey/An Indian Reminiscence
Anita Loos/Cocktail Parties of the Twenties
George Plimpton/I, Bon Vivant, Who, Me?
E. Annie Proulx/The Garlic War
Claudia Roden/The Arabian Picnic
Jane and Michael Stern/Two for the Road: Havana, North Dakota
Paul Theroux/All Aboard! Cross the Rockies in Style
Customer Reviews:
A feast for lovers of Gourmet Magazine.......2005-10-25
The best of writing from the Gourmet Magazine of the 60's and 70's. Writing from the Goumet we know and love.
Very Good Sampler for idle moments........2005-09-18
`Endless Feasts' is a collection of writings about food, drink, travel, biography, and fiction from the pages of `Gourmet' magazine from the magazine's founding in the late 1930s to the present. The selections were made by the magazine's current editor, Ruth Reichl, who has, in many ways taken over the throne of leading American culinary editor long left vacant after the passing of Craig Claiborne.
My first reaction, as someone who very much likes to read about food, cooking, and culinary personalities, is that this collection shows the ephemeral nature of a lot of magazine writing, especially some pieces written under less talented editors than Ms. Reichl. In a nutshell, I found this book difficult to read from front to back. In this day of the Food Network, the Discovery Channel, and the Travel channel, pieces written about Umbria or Mexico, or Tibet or Shanghai seem just a bit lifeless on the page. When they were written, most pieces were not intended to be memoirs, but the passage of time has turned them from travelogues of today into faded snapshots of a world which is no longer there.
That is not to say there are no good pieces here. There are selections written by M.F.K. Fisher, Madhur Jaffrey, Pat Conroy, Ray Bradbury, Anita Loos, James Villas, Paul Theroux, Elizabeth David, George Plimpton, and James Beard. Part of the problem is that pieces by these writers are in the minority. It is also true that in some cases, as with Madhur Jaffrey, for example, her travel memoir takes her out of her primary area of expertise, so I found her piece on India to be just a bit on the dry side. Many of the pieces by the less well-known writers are good, but maybe not great. Part of the interest of a piece by Elizabeth David is that her great reputation for being a superior culinary writer will mean that when you read her piece, if you encounter a questionable statement, you are wise to question your own judgment on the matter rather than question the author. For most other authors, if you encounter a questionable statement, you may feel a bit up in the air unless you have an unimpeachable authority for your opinion.
While I consider this a forest of trees with a wide variety in their value, one may also raise the issue of the value of the forest. How does an interest in Epicurean pleasures fit into a complete life? Is it possible that `Gourmet' interests by their nature influence a life to wander into a less than productive fields? One piece of evidence is Jim Villas' piece on the life of Lucius Beebe, who was a wealthy epicure who turned himself into a journalist with a disdain for the ordinary which makes H. L. Menchen's poor opinion of the boobiesee (sic) look like a mild tic. Since Beebe embraced a style that required the support of significant wealth, are we of normal means to admire or disdain this sybaritic aesthete. Is not a life made good on average means much more interesting to study?
In a sense, I'm just thinking out loud here. There is definite value in knowing about the lifestyle of Lucius Beebe, just as it is interesting to know of the dinosaurs that took evolution in a direction that could not adapt to a cataclysmic change in their environment. Beebe's preferences for value and competence are commendable. They are also taken in the wrong direction by reliance on great wealth.
One problem with this book for the dedicated reader of culinary writing is that we are likely to have encountered many of these pieces, or many of the same material in other sources. Does one really want to know what James Beard has to say about pasta when we have read everything that Marcella Hazan has written on the subject?
Ultimately, I think this is not the kind of book you read from cover to cover. It is the book you take with you to doctors' waiting rooms when you are between novels or your interest in that latest Rose Levy Beranbaum `bible' is flagging.
Thus, I recommend this book with a caution. A great book to buy at a discount. A not so great book at full list price. For great culinary writing, be sure to complete your reading of M.F.K. Fisher or Elizabeth David or James Villas or even Ruth Reichl herself before spending money here.
Delicious tidbits from well-known food writers.......2004-07-13
This collection of essays from food writers of Gourmet magazine brings the reader to different places and times, from the summer of 1939 when M.F.K. Fisher stumbled upon a cozy Swiss inn, to 1970 when Richard Cassin writes about a dinner intivation in Taos, New Mexico.
My favorite essays were "The Garlic War" by E. Annie Proulx (author of The Shipping News), where the author recounts her Uncle Herbert's eventual acceptance of garlic, and "An Indian Reminiscence" where Madhur Jaffrey fondly writes about her experiences with food as a child growing up in North India.
To keep the historical accuracy of the essays, recipes that are included in the book have been kept as they were first printed. This provides us with a peek into what people ate and how they liked their food through the years. This book will definitely be a great addition to a food-lovers' library.
A marvelous feast of writing.......2002-06-06
"Endless Feasts: Sixty Years of Writing from Gourmet" is a fine sampler of essays that appeared in Gourmet Magazine. This magazine, which deals with cuisine and travel, offers some of the best prose outside of literary magazines like the New Yorker or Atlantic Monthly.
I already am a fan of M.F.K. Fisher (who isn't?), Paul Theroux and Laurie Colwin. But there are many other authors here whose work I wasn't as familiar with. I was very very glad to read Mary Cantwell and William Hamilton in particular.
If you love travel and food, this book is sure to appeal to you. But these authors are SO good that really, this book is about how we react to the most basic of activities, eating and drinking and how they are inextricably mixed with our emotions and memories.
The list of authors reads like a literary prize list, not only those authors I previously mentioned, but Anita Loos and E. Annie Proulx as well. The essays may deal with eating and drinking in some way, but each of the authors has a very unique way of dealing with the subject. In particular, I loved the story by William Hamilton. His childhood memory where he was promised a mysteriously alluring treat "jellied consomme" is one that recreates childhood emotions with uncanny accuracy and a lot of wry humor.
I happen to be a fan of the publisher, Modern Library. I love their compact format, and the typeface clear and readable. If you love good writing, this book is a real treat.
Books:
- Cotton Comes to Harlem
- Crewel Yule (Needlecraft Mysteries)
- Curse of the Bane (The Last Apprentice)
- Dead Girls Don't Wear Diamonds: A Blackbird Sisters Mystery (Blackbird Sisters Mysteries)
- Death and Restoration (Art History Mystery)
- Death of a Stranger
- Death of Riley (Molly Murphy Mysteries)
- Deceptions (Laws of the Blood, Book 4)
- Decider
- Depth Perception (Berkley Sensation)
Books Index
Books Home
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