Book Description
In Heian Kyo, the capital city of 11th century Japan, Akitada Sugawara serves as a minor official in the Ministry of Justice.Though born into a noble family, his family's estate is sadly diminished, forcing Akitada to toil fruitlessly at an unsuccessful career.So when an old friend, Professor Hirata, calls upon Akitada for help, he welcomes the opportunity to escape from his dull assignments.One of the professor's colleagues is being blackmailed, and to save the Imperial University from scandal, Hirata asks his former pupil to investigate the situation.After taking a leave of absence from the Ministry, Akitada joins the staff of the university as a visiting lecturer, and finds himself drawn into a web of gossip and petty rivalries.Nearly everyone he encounters is suspect, but Akitada's attentions are soon sidetracked by the murder of a young woman, and the mysterious disappearance of a student's grandfather.The emperor himself has declared the case a miracle, but Lord Minamoto refuses to believe the pious tale of his grandfather's transfiguration.Though there is no evidence of foul play, it is clear to Akitada that Minamoto's life has also become endangered.Plunging into a dangerous investigation of conspiracy among high-ranking nobles, Akitada must step carefully while gathering clues to solve the puzzle before him.AUTHORBIO: I. J. Parker, winner of a Shamus Award for "Akitada's First Case," a short story published in 1999, lives in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
Customer Reviews:
Good historical writing, but some flaws in the plot .......2007-06-05
Like several other readers, I picked RASHOMON GATE because I have been a longtime fan of Laura Joh Rowland's Sano Ichiro series. I've always been interested in Japanese history, and especially the Heian period. So, I thought this book would be perfect for me. In many ways, I was absolutely satisfied. The author manages to keep the story feeling fresh while still adhering to the customs and mannerisms of the time. Also, unlike Rowland's series, Akitada is "average"--not to say he's not an interesting person and a good character, but rather that he mingles with common people and he experiences more aspects of everyday life. I think outside of the actual plot, the details that the author adds into the story were what made this reading experience enjoyable for me.
The actual mysteries (three of them) were not quite as good as I expected. I did like the plot line about the girl in the park, especially Tora's sleuthing in the underworld. I felt it was wrapped up too quickly so that Akitada's cases (which were more dull) could get more attention. The university scandal interested me at first, but the actually killer wasn't too surprising. Also, the prince's killing was basically solved the whole time. Akitada knew who did it, and it was only a matter of finding out how. So there really wasn't a lot of suspense there.
I was also somewhat confused because I thought RASHOMON GATE was the first book in the series. This is not correct. The first book is THE DRAGON SCROLL, and it was published after RASHOMON GATE.
Lastly, I enjoyed all of the characters, especially Tora. However, I felt that Tamako wasn't given much of a personality. And the author constantly described her as "slender." I mean, there are other adjectives out there... slim? Svelte? I don't know, but that constant repetition bothered me, as did her one-dimensional personality. I think the whole reasoning behind her refusal to marry Akitada was a big let-down... it could have been a lot better than it was.
I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in historical mysteries. I've already bought THE DRAGON SCHOOL and I'm hoping this series will become another one of my favorites.
I prefer the Judge Dee stories.......2007-02-11
I think this author borrowed heavily from Robert van Gulik's famous Judge Dee mysteries, but she lacks that author's ability to make the past seem real. For some reason, I didnt find this story believable, mostly due to the dialog, which seemed very contemporary and Western. The story unfolds oddly, and one wonders how the main character could know so much so quickly. If I werent already familiar with Judge Dee, and if I were a young person in junior high or high school, I'd probably enjoy this book much more. It reads like a romance story.
Decent Mystery Read.......2006-12-07
Below is somewhat a similar review I gave for the Dragon's Scroll because both books are consistently similar.
Cutting to the chase, this is simply a good quick read, nothing more. It is the perfect book to read at the beach or on a plane. The writing is not very deep, vivid or profound. Despite how this book is promoted, do not expect to learn a lot about ancient Japan nor culture. Do not expect this to be a book about samurais since the period portrayed is before the age of the samurai. Do not even expect a classic intense mystery thriller since it becomes obvious early on who did the crime. Instead expect a book that goes out of its way to explain the class differences between nobility and peasants.
Despite all of this, I found it enjoyable only because the setting was interesting. However as in Dragon Scroll, if it wasn't for the sexual references, I still feel the writing of this book would be more appropriate for young adults.
Still, its good quick read.
Impossible To Put Down! .......2006-09-06
[Note: Correction w/minor spoiler below...]
I'm roughly halfway into Rashomon Gate and feel like I've stumbled onto buried treasure. It was a link on a page for one of Laura Joh Rowland's novels that turned me onto Parker's work (hats off to Amazon,) and fortunately I decided to take a stab at an unfamiliar (to me) author.
I've been reading Rowland's Sano Ichiro novels slavishy for years and will continue to despite their virtual carbon-copy formulaic nature and some other gripes - but Ingrid Parker's "Rashomon Gate" has put me in a state of angst throughout this daily period we commonly call "work." I love my work, seriously, but I've become a clock-watcher, anticipating the moment I can get back to the grand and wonderful place Parker creates in her prose.
Aside from that unwillingness to put a book down, the litmus test I have for the value of both literature and cinema is the simple question: "Do I find myself thinking about the people and events in this story even when I'm far removed from them?" Rashomon Gate succeeds in spades. It's not just a great, refreshing escape from an increasingly ominous modern world, it's an incredibly well-crafted plot (so far,) traversed by a hero who is genuinely admirable and likable. "Rashomon Gate" seems less like reading about a detective of ancient Japan than spending a fortnight with a dear old friend.
The tone of this novel too is a pleasant surprise. Where Rowland's books are fairly dripping with a bizarre contempt for Japan, never missing an opportunity to rub the reader's nose in every puddle of sewage imaginable (see my review of Rowland's "Pillow Book of Lady Wisteria",) Parker, like Clavell and to a degree Yoshikawa, succeeds in maintaining a sense of respect and wonder for ancient Japan even as she illuminates negative aspects of that period. There is indeed a strong resemblance to Yoshikawa's "Musashi" here in Parker's subtle but powerful mood of benevolence, but where the former was fable-like and episodic, Rashomon Gate's refreshing lightheartedness is counterbalanced nicely by the weight of evil deeds, hidden motives and the expertly-crafted plot into which they're woven. The result is an irresistible brew, one of which I hope to imbibe long and deeply.
The only negative I can think of is that the characters come at you a bit more rapidly than can be integrated into memory for later reference, but that may have more to do with this reader's mental limitations than the book itself. The character glossary at the front of the book takes care of that handily in any case.
[Late correction: I had originally assumed "Rashomon Gate" to have been the second in the Sugawara series and the Booklist review by Carrie Bissey, above, to have erroneously described it as Parker's debut. 'Turns out Bissey is right and I am wrong, with copious thanks to reviewer Mary Whipple's clarification in her review of "The Dragon Scroll." As Ms. Whipple points out, "Dragon Scroll" was indeed published third but takes place prior to both "Rashomon Gate" and "Hell Screen" in the stories' chronology - note that Akitada is still single in "Dragon Scroll," marries by the end of "Rashomon Gate" and is a father by the beginning of "Hell Screen." Hence my confusion ~ groan ~]
So next it's "The Dragon Scroll," which takes place earlier and which I expect will be every bit as enthralling. I'm hoping Parker will become as prolific a mystery writer as Nora Roberts - this is excellent, can't-put-it-down reading from a talented writer with a refreshingly benevolent sense of life.
Superb, even better than its predecessor........2006-08-26
Historical mysteries are like comedy -- either they work or they don't, and there is no middle ground. This mystery, the sequel to the admirable THE DRAGON SCROLL, is the second of what I hope will be a long series. Like its predecessor, it works wonderfully well. It says nothing to diminish THE DRAGON SCROLL to say that this book is, in its own way, even better than that fine mystery. Like that book, RASHOMON GATE is thoroughly grounded in the world of early medieval Japan, and it carries its immense learning and scholarship so lightly that only if you've read Japanese history for this period will you realize just how sound its view of Sugawara Akitada and his world is. The writing is always clear, amusing when it wants to be, and deeply moving at the right times. The plotting is sure and sensible, and the mystery unfolds at just the right pace. In particular, the author -- who I gather is a veteran academic -- recreates an ancient Japanese university that eerily echoes the academic infighting of modern institutions of higher learning and yet is totally true to its period. Also, the author took a bold risk in using the word RASHOMON and the locale of the Rashomon gate, the setting of one of the most famous Japanese movies of all time -- but, again, the risk paid off. A joy to read, and I have now ordered the third and can't wait for the fourth to be published.
Amazon.com
Matthew Hughes's impressive first novel, Fools Errant, is set in a future so distant and strange, it may be read with equal enjoyment by both SF and fantasy readers. The book kicks off with a Wildean battle of wits, but the main influences on this ironic, rather picaresque, and altogether delightful entertainment are Jack Vance and Jonathan Swift.
Filidor Vesh is a languid, callow young dandy, "the nephew and sole heir of Dezendah Vesh, ninety-eighth (or possibly ninety-ninth) Archon of those regions of old Earth still inhabited by human beings"; he anticipates a long life of idle pleasure, but a mysterious dwarf spirits him away on a dangerous journey. It quickly becomes apparent that their search for the Archon is an excuse to visit bizarre, fascinating lands. The reader won't mind. The characters are charming and singular, and the journey is packed with pleasures and perils. --Cynthia Ward
Book Description
Matthew Hughes's impressive first novel, Fools Errant, is set in a future so distant and strange, it may be read with equal enjoyment by both SF and fantasy readers. The book kicks off with a Wildean battle of wits, but the main influences on this ironic, rather picaresque, and altogether delightful entertainment are Jack Vance and Jonathan Swift. Filidor Vesh is a languid, callow young dandy, "the nephew and sole heir of Dezendah Vesh, ninety-eighth (or possibly ninety-ninth) Archon of those regions of old Earth still inhabited by human beings"; he anticipates a long life of idle pleasure, but a mysterious dwarf spirits him away on a dangerous journey. It quickly becomes apparent that their search for the Archon is an excuse to visit bizarre, fascinating lands. The reader won't mind. The characters are charming and singular, and the journey is packed with pleasures and perils. --Cynthia Ward
Download Description
THE MISADVENTURES OF FILIDOR VESH Foppish young Filidor Vesh is a wastrel ne'er-do-well content with his shallow amusements. Then a simple errand for his uncle, the vaguely all-powerful Archon of Old Earth, sends Filidor on a frenetic odyssey across a planet speckled with eccentric nations. Harried at every step by the irascible dwarf Gaskarth and frequently in peril from wild beasts, unfriendly mobs, and a sinister thaumaturge who shows an unusually enthusiastic interest in his luggage, Filidor makes his reluctant pilgrim's progress. And awaiting him at journey's end is an encounter with an ancient and possibly apocalyptic evil.
Customer Reviews:
Enjoyable Jack Vance pastiche.......2006-08-06
Fools Errant is a novel set in the age of Earth just prior to that portrayed by Jack Vance in his classic The Dying Earth. It follows the peregrinations of Filidor Vesh, a rather shallow young man whose only accomplishment is the accident of his birth -- he is the nephew and heir of the Archon, head of the Archonate that rather loosely rules this future Earth (or at least the part of it we see). As the novel opens he is summoned by a dwarfish associate of his uncle, one Gaskarth, who tells him the Archon wishes to meet him. But it seems the Archon is in another city. So Filidor must accompany Gaskarth to this city, by whatever means of transportation Gaskarth chooses. However, once their, it seems the Archon has already gone on ahead to the next city. And Filidor and Gaskarth must follow -- though apparently the Archon would prefer that his nephew perform some service for the locals while he is there.
You can see where this is going -- the Archon remains a step ahead of Filidor and Gaskarth, and so Filidor is exposed to society after society of the Archonate. He sees such places as Ektop, so ecologically committed that the residents refuse to interfere with nature at all -- wearing no clothes, eating nothing that has not fallen from a plant, building no houses; or Zeel, where perpetual competition and innovation is the rule; or Tarend, where the inhabitants are obsessed with physical beauty. There is also plenty of danger -- they are captured by ant-people and by giant beavers, they are marooned by a revolutionary blimp crew, and they are pursued by a dangerous magician. All comes to a somewhat expected but still pretty satisfying resolution.
The book is exceedingly derivative of the works of Jack Vance. The tone is similar, the dialogue captures Vance well, the strange societies are very reminiscent of Vance's societies. At times it seems too derivative -- it's a relief to be able to note that Hughes's more recent stories and novels, while still showing their roots in Vance, display a more individual voice. But even though this early novel is very much a Vance imitation, it's a fairly successful one, and I would think anyone who enjoys Jack Vance would enjoy Fools Errant.
Mimics Vance in the most obvious ways--not in the most meaningful.......2006-07-22
I wanted very much to like this novel but could not get past its verbiage. I love Jack Vance, and am well aware of his distinct and unusual style, in which peasants speak like dignified lords, and archaic vocabulary abounds. These things help to make Vance what he is--but thet do not fully define him.
This book recalls a series of Vance parodies that appeared in a newsletter called the Vance-phile. These short stories lovingly tweaked Vance's sometimes-florid and unusual style. They did not have to stand on their own; these were comic lampoons, not full-length novels.
This novel likewise emulates some of Vance's quirkiest grammatical traits, but it lacks Vance's literary command. Vance is a master, throwing all sorts of tricky words, concepts, and subtleties at you and then daring you to figure it out. In this book the archaisms and over-elaborate structures are present, but the word choice is not always spot-on, and you sometimes get the sense that the verbiage is there for its own sake.
It's also important to note that while Vance does use strange, overly-formal, and often curious words and sentence structures, he is also a very terse writer. He did not allow himself to get bogged down in description, or trip over his own words. That seems to be happening here.
I will take a look at some of the author's later works, and see if his command of the language improves. He has chosen a good master to emulate; he just needs to realize that the qualities he's emulated aren't necessarily the most important ones.
Great new Fantasy?SF Series!.......2003-12-27
In a style markedly reminiscent of Jack Vance, Matthew Hughes brings us to the world of the Archonate in a far-distant future. The zany adventures of Filidor Vesh, Archon-in-training, make for wonderful reading as this "I'm here for the beer" kind of guy transforms into a much more complex, more worthy individual. The fractalized, chaotic future society presented in _Fools Errant_ is captured both with humor and elegance by Hughes. Hats off to a wonderful effort!
In the style of Jack Vance.......2003-11-07
A new author attempts to write in the style of Jack Vance. Jack Vance does it better.
Refreshingly funny !!!.......2002-05-20
Being a Jack Vance fan it was inevitable to run into Matthew Hughes at a certain point... And where I feared that the comparison with Jack Vance might put the expectations very high, Matt succeeded in creating a wonderful fantasy/SF world with all it's funny inhabitants and colorful places.
It's the first time that a new writer manages to catch the Vance feeling in his writing ! Especially the magnificent blend of fantasy with science fiction is unique in Matt's decor's !
Well done Matthew !!! We want more !!!
PS. The second book "Fool me twice" is even better !!!
Product Description
Science Fiction Book Club release, containing the full and unabridged text of "Fools Errant" and "Fool Me Twice".
Customer Reviews:
Fans of Vance will rejoice..........2007-06-09
...of course, I'm not a big Vance fan, and I'm rejoicing too. Matthew Hughe's has set his far future tales in a milieu very similar to Vance's dying earth stories. In the "penultimate age" of the earth, science is slowly losing power to the rise of magic.
A young urban decadent who spends his days drinking, eating, and scheming his way in and out of the smallclothes of young ladies, Filidor Vesh is the nephew of the vaguely all powerful Archon, but he'd rather you didn't mention it.
Vesh is sent, in the first book collected here, on a world spanning adventure through the odd countries of the dying earth. Each new encounter seems a little more unlikely than the last, with Vesh clumsily encountering sentient, giant beavers, cheerful revolutionaries and their guilt-ridden oppressors, giant, sentient ants, and a society of ultimate narcissists. Vesh gains a little from each encounter, and with the help of an ill-tempered midget sent along by the Archon, transforms himself into a hero worthy of his uncle's respect.
By the beginning of the second book, Fool Me Twice, Vesh has fallen back rather considerably. Now an employee of his uncle, Vesh eats breakfast at expensive restaurants, sleeps late, parties late, and tries very hard to avoid making any decisions that might lead to having to make more decisions down the road. (which is why he keeps an adventure book handy for times when he can't leave he office.) Little does he know he's about to suffer through an attempted assassination, be captured by aliens in league with existential pirates, join a traveling show with a penchant for petty thievery, and, in the ultimate test of his committal to noncommittal behaviour, fall in love. Did I mention he also gets a super-intelligent computer with a rather low opinion of his skills, intelligence, and outlook on life lodged in his ear?
Filled with witty, at times laugh-out-loud wordplay, ridiculous situations, and entertaining characters, these books are more than just a pastiche of Vance's works. They are entertaining, well written and enjoyable to even those who have read little Vance, such as myself.
Too Short or Too Pleasurable.......2007-03-19
I've already read this book twice. The writing is crisp, the story unique. The author's style is very easy to read and he uses humor effectively. The story might seem like science fiction at first, but it also incorporates some adventure elements and a bit of fantasy. Imagine a world where you can have dwarves, futuristic devices, and a life or death struggle all at the same time. The bumbling fool that is the focus of the story turns out to be smarter than he looks, or perhaps just luckier. By the end of the story, you get a glimpse of the convoluted logic the author used to lead you through a twisting path of intrigue laced with humor. I almost hoped the book would never end, but it did. If you read this book, you'll quickly become hooked and read it again.
Terrific Homage To Jack Vance.......2004-09-17
Matt Hughes, Canadian author, has written a loving homage to Jack Vance's dying earth tales (naturally dedicated to Vance). Here are the two full length novels set in Earth's penultimate days when science is turning to magic while the landscape and creatures of Vance's dying earth are coming to life.
Although Hughes breaks no new ground in writing this dualogy prequel to _The Dying Earth_, _Rhialto The Marvellous_, _The Eyes Of The Overworld_ and _Cugel's Saga_, Vance fans have every right to expect an honorable aquittal for an author who's task it is to do what Vance can no longer do. Other authors have tried and succeeded to greater or lesser extents - Michael Shea who wrote the official sequel to _The Eyes Of The Overworld_, namely _The Quest for Simbilis_, a good effort but incompletely realized. L. Warren Douglas attempts a couple novels in the direction of Vance's Alastor Cluster sci-fi tales perhaps less well than Shea's attempts. Does Hughes succeed in his recreation of Vance? You bet your boots!
Filidor Vesh, who begins the first story, _Fools Errant_ only slightly ahead of Vance's Cugel in earnestness, poverty and honesty, and his uncle Desnehdah Vesh, the 98th Archon (of earth one presumes) are the main characters of both stories.
The second novel included in this edition, _Fool Me Twice_, takes Filidor and the Archon on even more astounding journeys and the whiz-bang ending is a joy of writing, very, very close to the grand master of sci-fi, Jack Vance.
Filidor is a hero in training but his education takes two books filled with humor, adventure and odd meetings with fantastic characters to save earth for the latter days upon which Vance's finest prose is lavished. The homage is complete, well rounded, done with a keen ear to Vance prose, character and setting. Well worth reading for those who savor Vance as well as those fantasy fans who have been living under a rock for their entire lives. Check out Vance AND Hughes.
=TD
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Fool Errant
Patricia Wentworth
Manufacturer: Amereon Limited
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
General | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 088411743X |
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The Fool Errant
Manufacturer: IndyPublish.com
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1414254016 |
Book Description
I never credited her with more than charity towards myself; and if I gloried in the fact that I was privileged to love so wondrous a being, the thought humiliated me at the same time. I was conscious of my nothingness before her worthiness, and desperate to fit myself for her high society. A noble rage for excellence possessed me; like any champion or knight of old I strove to approve my manhood, only that I might lay the spoils of it at her sacred feet.
Download Description
I never credited her with more than charity towards myself; and if I gloried in the fact that I was privileged to love so wondrous a being, the thought humiliated me at the same time. I was conscious of my nothingness before her worthiness, and desperate to fit myself for her high society. A noble rage for excellence possessed me; like any champion or knight of old I strove to approve my manhood, only that I might lay the spoils of it at her sacred feet.
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Fool Errant
Maurice Hewlett
Manufacturer: HEINEMANN
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OK7T1E |
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The Fool Errant [EasyRead Comfort Edition]
Maurice Henry Hewlett
Manufacturer: ReadHowYouWant.com
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Font Size 13 | Alternative Formats | Formats | Books
ASIN: 1425073670
Release Date: 2007-05-04 |
![The Fool Errant [EasyRead Edition]](http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/I/21GH9EuHT0L.jpg)
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The Fool Errant [EasyRead Edition]
Maurice Henry Hewlett
Manufacturer: ReadHowYouWant.com
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Font Size 11 | Alternative Formats | Formats | Books
ASIN: 1425072887
Release Date: 2007-05-04 |
Amazon.com
Do you overeat because you don't feel satisfied or full? Volumetrics is based on "the science of satiety"--what researchers have learned about the food choices that make people feel full. The authors teach you how to eat low-calorie-dense, high-volume foods so that you feel like you've eaten plenty, even though you've eaten fewer calories. You'll lose weight without feeling hungry or deprived.
Here's an example of how volume affects eating. Raisins are dried grapes. But 100 calories of raisins fill only one-quarter cup, while 100 calories of fresh, whole grapes fill one and two-thirds cups. You'll feel satisfied after one and two-thirds cups of grapes, but if you're eating raisins, you're likely to keep filling your mouth. The point is not to stop eating raisins (or chocolate, cheese, or other high-calorie, low-volume foods), but to realize that you're likely to take in many more calories before your body tells you you're full. If you're trying to manage your weight, eating more low-density foods (lower-calorie foods that have a lot of volume) will make you feel full while you drop pounds.
Barbara Rolls, a respected and well-published food-nutrition researcher at Pennsylvania State University, and food writer Robert Barnett explain energy density and how to use this concept to lose weight. They include the scientific evidence about how low-density (low-calorie, high-volume) foods make you feel satisfied, the best (and worst) foods for a satisfying, lower-calorie diet, a menu plan, an exercise plan, and environmental influences on eating. You also learn which foods are easiest to overeat. This is not a fad diet--it is logical and scientifically based, yet easy to understand and put into action. --Joan Price
Book Description
Dieters everywhere have the same complaint: they're hungry all the time. Now this revolutionary book, based on sound scientific principles, can help you lose weight safely, effectively, and permanently without those gnawing pangs of hunger.
The Volumetrics Weight-Control Plan introduces the concept of "energy density" -- concentration of calories in each portion of food. Here you'll learn how to avoid high energy -- dense foods, and how such different nutritional factors as fat, fiber, protein, and water affect energy density and satiety. You'll discover which foods, eaten under which circumstances, allow you to consume fewer calories and still be satisfied. And you'll get to know the hidden calorie traps, seemingly innocuous foods that can sneak unwanted calories into your body. Finally, the authors offer 60 sensible, tasty and easy recipes, plus an integrated program of exercise and behavior management that can be sustained over a lifetime.
Customer Reviews:
Volumetrics Review.......2007-06-09
The concepts presented in this book are interesting and valid. The idea of beefing up any dish with free fruits or veggies to up the appetite control and lower the caloric intake makes sense. Also presented are helpful lists of food choices and amounts, helping the reader make wise decisions. However, the recipes included leave a lot to desire. Apparently, the title deals with volume, not taste!! If you want to customize your own food plan and incorporate some of these ideas, you'll be happy with reading this. It is a healthful program, and one that falls in line with heart-smart and diabetic diets.
The Volumetrics Weight-Control Plan.......2007-06-08
Diet was highly rated by Consumers report. Book was easy to understand and made horse sense. I am a volume eater and the other diets didn't fill me. This idea works and I am using it. Only shortcoming was too few recipes Looking for a second book with more.
The Volumetrics Weight-Control Plan
Good information, dispels a lot of myths.......2007-06-03
Everyone that's been sucked in by the low low-carb diet craze (or any other fad diet) should read this book. The author writes the scientific facts behind losing weight and keeping the weight off.
I've already lost 11lbs using the books principles. It's taken 6 weeks to lose that weight; the book doesn't promise quick results. However, I feel confident that the results are permanent, and I'll continue to lose 1 to 2 lbs a week until I get to my healthy weight.
The Volumetrics Weight-Control Plan.......2007-05-25
The menu items are great. Our whole family loves the meals.
This is a great find!.......2007-05-16
I saw this book on the news station one morning and decided to purchase it because it was considered one of the top books for consistent weight loss. This book has a lot of great information, and I was hooked even after the first couple of pages. This book does not tell you to avoid the good foods that we all like, with respect to fried foods, chocolate, and desserts. Rather, the book offers better food choices and explains in full detail what a fat is, what a carbohydrate is, and it's so easy to understand. I love this book because it tells you this is not a diet, but a newer way of eating the correct way. Spend the $8 to get it; it will retrain your thinking about eating and eating the right way, so you're not only more full at dinner, but you won't feel guilty about eating that piece of chocolate cake.
Amazon.com
You'll find a two-page color photo of büzrüq gracing the table of contents in Anissa Helou's Café Morocco. It's the visual equivalent of a throaty-voiced muezzin calling the hungry to come admire a plate of Mediterranean mussels. Mussels with Tomatoes and Cilantro struggles so hard to say büzrüq and falls short of the mark. The same is true of Hüt bel Chermüla, fried fish with spicy cilantro sauce. These Moroccan names for food are words you want to shape for yourself with a mouth filled with exotic deliciousness.
And just such deliciousness is beautifully conveyed by Helou in her introduction to Café Morocco. She walks you right into the medina to sample a fabulous array of what she loosely calls street food. In Morocco, Helou writes, "people eat on the streets because of necessity rather than laziness or greed, and they expect the food to be similar to that in their homes.... The only difference between the food they will eat on the streets and that at home is that the former will be cooked by men and the latter by women." Mint and Caraway Soup. Does that sound like street food to you? Or how about Grilled Pepper and Tomato Salad? Or Quail and Almond Bastiya?
For main dishes, Helou includes recipes for Mechoui (Roast Lamb), Tagine of Lamb with Prunes, another Tagine of Chicken with Sweet Potatoes, Squab Stuffed with Couscous, Spiced Onion with Honey, Lentils with Swiss Chard (also known as 'Adess bil Silq, which seems and sounds much more like it), and Potato Cakes with Cilantro. They eat dessert in Morocco, too. Rice Pudding with Almonds, Orange and Cinnamon Salad, Pastry Crescents with Almond Paste. This is a colorful, well-illustrated little book. The visuals complement the high standards Helou sets with her food writing. Where Paula Wolfert makes you feel like you are back in an anthropology classroom, feeling a little stupid, Helou surrounds the reader with the heart and soul of the food at hand. Short of buying a plane ticket and flying there, Café Morocco takes you right to the streets where the best of Moroccan food is found. --Schuyler Ingle
Book Description
The Moroccan cuisine blends African, Arabian, and European influences to make some of the most exotic food in the world. The subtle and fragrant flavors of the cuisine are adapted for the modern kitchen in this cookbook. Many of the 75 dishes featured are the same offered at Moroccan bistros, where strollers can stop and have kebabs or steaming couscous. Most important, the recipes are simple to prepare and healthy to eat!
Customer Reviews:
Simple Yet Great Recipes .......2006-08-15
I borrowed this book from my local library and enjoyed it so much that I purchased my own copy. Every recipe is tasty and not very difficult to put together. I own quite a few cookbooks, and this is one I refer to over and over. What a find!
Artistic, simple, unpretentious.......2005-07-19
This is a beautiful and useful book, simplicity itself, that is written in a way that is as poetic, soulful, simple, and unpretentious as the cuisine it explores. The book instructed me not only how to prepare these dishes technically, but also how to appreciate their profound artistic and culinary value. As a great amateur of all things Middle-Eastern, this book is one of my most prized posessions.
the essence of Moroccan cooking.......2001-08-31
While living in Morocco for six months, I learned to cook with my host mother. When I returned home I began to look for a cookbook with which to recreate my experiences. I hoped to find something that included both simple staples and more elaborate recipes that show off the potential complexity of Moroccan flavoring. I looked through a lot of cookbooks both here and in France (where there is a large Maghrebi community), and finally decided that this book was the best of the lot.
"Cafe Morocco" is suitable for both novices and those more familiar with Moroccan cooking. Many other cookbooks focus too much on lush photography of Moroccan souqs and too little on the recipes. This book centers on the food without sacrificing aesthetics, and presents an accurate, tasty interpretation of Moroccan cuisine. In addition to being filled with gorgeous, colorful photographs, the book is well laid-out, with clearly marked ingredient lists and simple instructions. At the front of the book are descriptions of ingredients essential to Moroccan cooking, and a brief discussion of cooking equipment and techniques.
Included are several basic bread recipes and a fairly large selection of tajines and couscouses, based mainly on lamb or fish. Helou also presents an unusually wide variety of vegetable-based side dishes that are so essential to Moroccan meals, but are often overlooked in restaurants and cookbooks. Consequently, this book is an excellent purchase for vegetarians (like myself) who love Moroccan food but can't eat meals centered on meat. Although the dessert section is a bit thin, it includes most basic dishes and a number of drinks. Most importantly, there are instructions on how to prepare fresh mint tea, the quintessential Moroccan gustatory and cultural experience.
beautiful book, beautiful food!.......2000-05-31
I love this cookbook series!
If you have ever had the desire to try to cook Moroccan, start here. The photographs are lovely and informative. Truly a tasty book!
Average customer rating:
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Beach Cafe
Mohammed Mrabet
Manufacturer: Black Sparrow Press,U.S.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
| Classics
| Comic
| Contemporary
| Literary
ASIN: 0876854056 |
Average customer rating:
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Street Cafe Morocco (Street Cafe)
Anissa Helou
Manufacturer: Trafalgar Square
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
| Books
Regional & International
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
| Books
| African
| Asian
| Canadian
| Caribbean & West Indian
| European
| General
| International
| Latin American
| Mexican
| Middle Eastern
| Native American
| U.S. Regional
ASIN: 1850299587 |
Average customer rating:
|
CAFE MOROCCO
Manufacturer: Contemporary Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000HU8H3K |
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