Average customer rating:
- Good vintage Ross Macdonald
- Hardboiled Masterpiece.
- Truly a mystery classic (but don't let that scare you)
- Ross MacDonald was a true artist.
- One of the best fifties LA noir
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The Drowning Pool
Ross Macdonald
Manufacturer: Vintage
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Similar Items:
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The Moving Target
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The Galton Case (Vintage Crime/Black Lizard)
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The Chill
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The Underground Man (Vintage Crime/Black Lizard)
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The Far Side of the Dollar (Vintage Crime/Black Lizard)
ASIN: 0679768068
Release Date: 1996-06-03 |
Amazon.com
Most writers who work in a specific genre such as science fiction or detective stories write with a comfortable narrowness, their ambitions constricted by well-worn conventions; a rare few attain something much deeper, as the scope of their explorations and the originality of their prose operate in a kind of tension with the genre's confines. Ross Macdonald is one such writer. In a series of 25 novels written between 1944 and 1976, all but five featuring Lew Archer as protagonist, Macdonald picked up the baton dropped by Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett and took the genre to new heights.
The Drowning Pool, first published in 1950, is the second Lew Archer novel. It opens in classic hard-boiled fashion, with a well-dressed woman hesitantly engaging Archer's services at his L.A. office. Soon he's digging up secrets in her oil-rich hometown, and the themes that preoccupied Macdonald throughout his career begin to emerge: tormented families, buried secrets that fester through multiple generations, environmental destruction, concealed paternity, and the brutal contrast between rich and poor. Macdonald's later novels--including The Galton Case (1959), The Chill (1964), and The Underground Man (1971)--showed increased maturity and a tone less tied to tradition, but The Drowning Pool returns to the virtues that are the hallmarks of Mcdonald's work: complex and compelling plotting, psychological depth, just enough mayhem, and highly economical prose that routinely rises to something near poetry.
Book Description
When a millionaire matriarch is found floating face-down in the family pool, the prime suspects are her good-for-nothing son and his seductive teenage daughter. In
The Drowning Pool, Lew Archer takes this case in the L.A. suburbs and encounters a moral wasteland of corporate greed and family hatred--and sufficient motive for a dozen murders.
Customer Reviews:
Good vintage Ross Macdonald.......2006-11-11
A different Lew Archer here than THE BLUE HAMMER Lew Archer. The tone is in TDP is more gritty and hardboiled. Lew is less the romantic toward the ladies he meets. I like Macdonalds' writing in TDP. A less polished and more direct style has its appeal. There's less psychological development of the characters, more emphasis on plot.
Hardboiled Masterpiece........2004-12-18
In this skillfully written tale of murder and intrigue, Ross MacDonald manages to "out Chandler" Raymond Chandler. It's Southern California, circa 1950, and hardboiled detective Lew Archer finds himself traversing the same landscapes Chandler's Philip Marlowe does in The Big Sleep, High Window and The Long Goodbye.
The plot of The Drowning Pool is complex enough to be interesting without being convoluted or forced. Greed, blackmail, homosexuality and family dysfunction all play roles in advancing the nicely paced narrative. Thrown in for good measure are seductive women, a number of action scenes and a Lolita like teenager named Cathy.
MacDonald's very descriptive prose is quite effective. And there's plenty of memorable dialogue. My personal favorite: "Your reminiscences fascinate me. May I take notes?"
You'd be hard pressed to find a more satisfying example of noir crime writing. An enthusiastic 5 stars.
Truly a mystery classic (but don't let that scare you).......2003-07-24
I hesitate to call this a classic because some people consider "classics" as dull and out-dated. And there's nothing dull or out-dated here (well, maybe that paying $10 to be driven from Las Vegas to L. A. is a bit out of date).
Archer's hired to discover who sent his client's husband a letter accusing her of infidelity. Introduced to the family and friends at a party as a Hollywood agent, he is sensitive to the growing tension and explosive atmosphere. The reader knows of course that somebody's going to be murdered, but these early chapters are among the most skillfully written to build suspense that I've ever read.
Written in 1950, the inclusion of a homosexual couple was quite daring although there is not graphic description, and isn't significant enough a factor of the plot to either offend or attract a reader.
Read this and I'm sure you'll find it on your own list of crime classics.
Ross MacDonald was a true artist........2002-02-28
A Ross MacDonald is like an extremely well crafted 1950's black & white noir movie. Nothing comes through in it's true color, everything is projected in shades of gray, the action is stately yet never drags, and the characters are all vaguely threatening.
All of MacDonald's novels exhibit certain basic themes--tormented families, buried secrets that fester through multiple generations, environmental destruction, and the brutal contrast between rich and poor. The key to MacDonald's long running success was Archers realism and authenticity, MacDonald's ability to craft complex yet understandable stories, his mastery of language, and his ability to generate a specific atmosphere of threatening suspense on a consistent basis.
All of the above referenced themes are present in The Drowning Pool, which I think is MacDonald's best novel, though The Underground Man is right up there as well.
MacDonald's novels aren't just mind candy-reading him is a literary experience. I believe that is why he was successful in a sort of restrained way. Escapists will not get into these books-they are too cerebral. If you want to your books affect you, MacDonald and Archer are your kind of guy's.
One of the best fifties LA noir.......2001-01-03
I'm not a big fan of detective series because they tend to become robotic in plot and characterization, but the Ross MacDonald/Lew Archer series is an exception. Crisp language, tight plots, and geat dialog make for a gripping story.
A sad sidenote. Don't rent/watch the insipid Paul Newman/Joanne Woodward movie 'loosely' based on the book. Instead of LA they set it in New Orleans and they basically rearranged all the characters into pale versions of their literary counterparts. Just thought I'd let you know.
Average customer rating:
- The setting took place where I grew up
- Drowning in Secret
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Drowning in Secret
Roger Leslie
Manufacturer: Absey & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 1888842369 |
Book Description
Dearborn Heights, Michigan. A family on the brink of discovery. Getting the first built-in pool in their neighborhood should have made the summer of '74 the happiest time of their lives. If only they weren't hiding so many secrets. The Humphrys appear to be the perfect family. Never trust appearances.
Customer Reviews:
The setting took place where I grew up.......2004-06-01
I was interested in this book because it was reviewed in our local paper a few years ago. The entire story took place where I grew up in Dearborn Heights, Michigan. It was a quick read, still not sure where the author was trying to go with this book. Could have been much more exciting. Characters were believable. I loved reading about all the places I hung out in my youth, but it almost seemed like the author knew his audience would be people from his hometown that would know where/what all the places were in the book without much explanation. For example: for anyone who grew up in Southeastern Michigan will know that Farmer Jack is a huge local grocery store chain, that info wasn't relayed in the book. Hines Park, which is also mentioned in the book, is a very interesting and unique park, but no description was given of it. I would recommend this book to anyone who grew up in the area and are familiar with all the references, they will definitely find it interesting for that reason. Outsiders may find it boring. I would be willing to read another book by this author.
Drowning in Secret.......2002-09-22
This book drew me in from the very beginning. It's an excellent family study that everyone can relate to. I was engaged throughout the book, and the ending just blew me away. This one should make it big. Hope it does.
Average customer rating:
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Drowing Pool: Sinner
Manufacturer: Warner Bros. Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Guitar
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ASIN: 0757915663 |
Book Description
Arranged for Guitar Tablature & Standard Notation with Lyrics. Heavy Metal gtoups sophmore album includes four pages of full color art of the group. Titles include: All Over Me, Bodies, Follow, I Am, Mute, Pity, Reminded, Sermon, Sinner, Tear Away, Told You So.
Book Description
With marked increases in school violence, educators have again been called upon to emphasize character education in their classrooms. While diversity of community values has rendered such efforts increasingly problematic, a more fundamental impasse to character education is cultural narcissism. Adolescents influenced by an inflated sense of grandiosity, entitlement, devaluation of others, and self-absorption often dismiss character education as irrelevant or constraining to their "me-centered" life-styles. To counter cultural narcissism, teachers need to foster character edu-cation by developing the moral system (self-understanding, social cognition, moral sentiments, and moral judgment) in each of their students. A creative use of educational tech-nology can help teachers raise moral sensitivity, while simul-taneously diluting the negative influences of cultural narcis-sism that pervades much of contemporary American life.
Customer Reviews:
Mother Knight.......2002-05-24
Over six novels, Natasha Cooper's Willow King has gone through more evolutions than the animals on the Galapogos Islands. Once a woman with a secret life -- British civil servant by day and glamorous romance novelist on the weekends -- she has since shed the bureaucracy, wedded a police officer, and opens "The Drowning Pool" by giving birth to her first child, at age 44, while her obstetrician is being unkindly murdered four doors down the hall.
Spending a week in the hospital (possible under Britain's National Health Service plan) gives her time to investigate, and soon uncovers a passel of suspects, including an administrator who had been at loggerheads with the doctor over budget cuts, the wife of a wealthy businessman the doctor was having an affair with, and a nurse whom he had fired.
The solution, however, seems marred by a motive and suspect tossed in from left field, and "The Drowning Pool" is wet-blanketed by King's worries over her responsibilities toward the baby, her relations with a husband who objects to her investigations, and the demands on once was her private and minutely controlled life. As an outrageously successful novelist who has, as a friend observed, a "stunning house, perfect and loyal housekeeper, health, brains, love, Superintendent Worth to attend to your every whim and now a baby as well," it's hard to feel sympathetic toward a woman who wonders if she is losing her identity. Most mothers I know would risk that and more to have a full-time housekeeper around to change the diapers.
Not quite mediocre.......2000-01-30
This is what I'd call a warm-fuzzy. The characters are all too nice to be believable and the mystery is lame.
I object most of all to the awkward way the author uses adjectives. In the first chapter alone we have "kindly patronage", "craggily handsome", "amazingly kind", "gloriously confidence-building" "refreshingly cool", "reassuringly unhysterical", "enormously luxurious", "achingly tired", "irresistably reminded", and "frightenly young". The whole book reads like someone told her to lengthen it by 8 pages, so she got out her list of adjectives and started plugging them in.
And how about, "Curiosity got the better of Willow's uncharacteristic yeilding to Tom's wish to protect her from herself." Please! Where was this writer's editor?
The sixth Willow King book is a good read!.......1997-03-18
At forty-four years of age, romance writer Willow King gives birth
to her first child. Her spouse, Scotland Yard Detective Tom Worth is
delighted with his new daughter, but frets about Willow's health.
Things turn nasty when Willow's obstetrician, Dr. Alexander Ringstead,
is found dead in a nearby room. Tom should not have wasted his time
worrying about his beloved wife's recovery from the complications she
suffered from while giving birth. He should have worried about her
starting a new investigation. As soon as Willow learns about the
murder, the amateur sleuth gene inside her kicks in and she begins to
investigate.
...... Willow soon finds a host of people with grudges with the deceased.
Some of the suspects work at the hospital while others were victims of
the womanizing doctor. As Willow digs deeper, she places herself and
her newborn in danger from a killer, who will resort to anything,
including murdering a new mother and her infant, to insure that the
case remains unsolved.
..... The sixth Willow King mystery is a very good entry in the series due
to the opportunity to see more into the personal lives of Willow, her
spouse, and their housekeeper. Though the who-done-it is not quite at
the level of the previous entries, it is better then most of the
current books on the market. Natasha Cooper is an excellent mystery
writer and her latest tale is quite good. However, if readers want a
taste of quite great, try one of the previous entries.
......Harriet Klausner
Average customer rating:
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The Drowning Pool
Manufacturer: Fontana
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000I25NDO |
Average customer rating:
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THE DROWNING POOL
Manufacturer: Bantam Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000GQV728 |
Book Description
Mixing the mundane with the metaphysical, the pairings of the everyday and the extraordinary in this collection of short fiction yield supernatural results—a young musician perceives another world while drinking coffee, a fairy chronicles his busy life in a sandcastle during the changing tide, a demonic 16th-century chess set shows up in a New Jersey bar, and Charon, the boatman of hell, takes a few days vacation. Storylines both conventional and outlandish reveal humdrum routines as menacing, or imaginary worlds as perfectly familiar. Allusions to authors such as Edgar Allan Poe and Jules Verne reinforce the fantasy tradition in these tales, while understated humor and moments of sadness add a quirky unpredictability. Also included is the previously unpublished novella, "Botch Town," a coming-of-age story about a boy on Long Island whose family and friends live ordinary lives under threats both real and imagined. Each story is followed by a brief afterword that details its genesis.
Customer Reviews:
frankly I couldn't get past second story.......2007-05-09
I give it 3 stars because - maybe - the rest of the stories are better. It's possible that I'll never find out.. Is this a book for children? If it is, I should give it 4 stars...
Excellent collection of lovely varied fantasy tales.......2006-09-29
Jeffrey Ford has made quite an impression in the last few years, with several fine novels including the World Fantasy Award winning The Physiognomy, The Portrait of Mrs. Charbuque, and The Girl in the Glass. But my favorite Ford works have been short fiction -- and it so happens that my personal favorites appear in this new collection, his second.
The title story, indeed, is one of my favorite stories by anyone from the last few years. My interest was immediately engaged by the Wallace Stevens reference, though Ford, in his introduction, disclaims any intention of alluding to Stevens' great poem. The story is about a man with synesthaesia. He becomes an accomplished piano player and composer, even as he perceives the notes he plays or composes as sights or smells or tastes. Somehow coffee ice cream causes a special hallucination: a young woman. As he grows older, he finds that pure coffee allows real contact with this woman, and he learns that she, too, is an artist and a synesthaesiac. The story climaxes as he tries to complete a major musical composition -- coming to a predictable but still quite satisfying and moving conclusion.
Another brilliant piece is "The Weight of Words." This suggests that the placement and appearance of words can affect their meaning in such mundane ways as subliminal advertising, or such more profound ways as causing death, love, or the appreciation of beauty. It's told by a man who has lost his wife and hopes to regain her by the use of weighted word -- instead he gains something quite different.
There is one new story in the book, a very long novella (nearly novel length): "Botch Town". This is a pitch perfect and rather sad evocation of childhood in a lower middle class New Jersey suburb. The title refers to a model town that the narrator's brother constructs in his basement -- somehow their sister, who is in some way brilliant but not very comprehensible, seems to use this town to reflect real happenings in their own town, including the whereabouts of a mysterious visitor who may be connected with the disappearance of a neighborhood boy.
There are many other jewels here. "The Annals of Eelin-Ok" is a tender, bittersweet, story of a Twilmish, a creature that colonizes a sand castle and lives only until the castle is washed away. "The Beautiful Gelreesh" is quite different in mood, a sardonic piece about a doglike creature with a rather extreme means of curing depression.
"A Night at the Tropics" concerns a cursed chess set and the bully who stumbles into possession of it. The story is framed in a very Kiplingesque manner: the narrator, named Ford, tells of his return to his childhood house, and a visit to a bar his father frequented, "The Tropics." It is there that he again encounters the bully, and hears the tale of the chess set. And, much as Kipling so often and so brilliantly managed, the frame ends up blending with and enhancing the central story. (And, to my relief after Ford's denial of the Stevens reference in "The Empire of Ice Cream," his introduction here explicitly acknowledges Kipling's influence.)
I won't mention the other stories, but I'll say that they are a varied and intriguing lot. The book itself is a lovely physical object, as we expect from Golden Gryphon. And Ford's introductions are fairly brief but very interesting, definitely significant value added. This is surely one of the best story collections of the year.
Boy, I enjoy this author's work.......2006-07-20
I'd seen a dramatic reading of "The Annals of Eelin-Ok" (one of the stories in this collection), an experience that has stuck with me much longer than most dramatic productions... Mr. Ford does not profess to be a playwright (yet), but he writes with SO much immediacy, whatever is happening in his stories is so important to his characters, that you get sucked into the stories very quickly - what is important to those characters now becomes important to you, too. I'm currently enjoying very much his earlier THE FANTASY WRITER'S ASSISTANT collection of stories, and look forward to re-visiting "The Annals of Eelin-Ok" in this volume, as well as discovering the accompanying tales. To be transported into his stories is a very gratifying experience. Who'd have thought that a dramatic reading about the sprites/spirits that inhabit sandcastles between low and high tides could become a epic tale, full of romance, action, and contemplation on life itself? And all the while having you on the edge of your seat? I've seen a lot of theatre, and wish more of it was an engaging to experience as the work of this non-playwright.
Taste the ice cream on your tongue. . ........2006-05-26
Jeffrey Ford is AMAZING. There are not many authors I could describe as such, but he is one. Buy his book; this man is an undiscovered gem. His literary fantasy is gorgeous in the way he tells it and the stories themselves. As much as I devoured this anthology, I was also really disheartened when I turned the last page.
To make myself feel better, I've been giving everyone I know copies of the book or encouraging him or her to try Mr. Ford. Let me do the same for you; you won't regret it (something I do not say lightly).
An impressively engaging collection of fourteen of the author's most evocative and best crafted short stories.......2006-05-03
The Empire Of Ice Cream by Jeffrey Ford is an impressively engaging collection of fourteen of the author's most evocative and best crafted short stories. Intertwining fantasy, reality, the straight-up peculiar, The Empire Of Ice Cream showcases: The Annals of Eelin-Ok, Jupiter's Skull, A Night in the Tropics, The Beautiful Gelreesh, Boatman's Holiday, Botch Town, A Man of Light, The Green Word, Giant Land, Coffins on the River, Summer Afternoon, The Weight of Words, The Trentino Kid, and the title piece, The Empire of Ice Cream. With a conclusive analysis and detailing of each story in the form of an author note, The Empire Of Ice Cream is confidently recommended to fantasy enthusiasts, as well as (and most particularly) to those who have not yet discovered the literary talent and storytelling style of Jeffrey Ford.
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Quick Frozen Foods International, published by E.W. Williams Publications, Inc. on April 1, 2002. The length of the article is 2706 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Scholler, Langnese roll out big guns for German ice cream wars of 2002; now part of Nestle international empire, Scholler should have the resources as well as the products for all-out battle with Unilever's Langnese. Both are playing hardball. (Mango Creme vs. Green Tea).(Brief Article)
Author: Ted Shoemaker
Publication:
Quick Frozen Foods International (Magazine/Journal)
Date: April 1, 2002
Publisher: E.W. Williams Publications, Inc.
Volume: 43
Issue: 4
Page: 82(4)
Article Type: Brief Article
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
TAKE 99 STEPS TO 100
A bestselling expert on aging and geriatric care offers a prescription for achieving longevity and preserving the quality of life. In DARE to Be 100, Walter M. Bortz II, M.D., explains how and why we should all strive to be centenarians with his unique and practical program. Supported by his lifelong research, this program is broken down into the categories of
* Diet (Take a Coffee Break; Beware of Free Radicals)
* Attitude (Be Necessary; Maintain the Creative Spark)
* Renewal (Recharge Yourself; Keep Working)
* Exercise (Keep Your Oxygen Tanks Full; Be Sexy, Be Fit)
The 99 steps in this book offer an effective plan for living long, healthy, and -- just as important -- fulfilled lives.
Customer Reviews:
My Grandfather is doing his job.......2004-10-03
Dr. Walter Bortz is indeed, my Grandfather. He and my Grandmother Ruthan Bortz (I call them Bapu and Rudi) still run marathons and such, and they are both over 70. I admire them for writing these books, and this is one of Bapu's best. I suggest everyone read it.
Limited by author's bias.......2001-06-06
The author does a good job in asserting his basic premise, that we can live longer and better by the choices and actions we make.
He uses the obvious gimmick of stating 100 steps to reaching 100, this results in a lot of filler, fluff, redundancy and repetition. The book would have been better if he simply stated his advice clearly and concisely.
His biggest failure is that he makes no mention of spirituality and religion as a factor in achieving a long life. The studies on this are conclusive, spirituality and religion aids in achieving a long and fulfilled life. The author's makes a few sneering remarks about unnecessary "metaphysics". Clearly he has let his personal anti-religious bias interfere with his work.
Despite the limitations, this books is a useful one if it gets people thinking and acting to achieve a long and productive life. To work out a specific personal game plan, look for more informative books on diet and exercise.
Wise old doc tells all.......2001-03-28
Doctor Boortz was still running an annual marathon at age 65, when this book was published. If your health habits are average or somewhat better than average, Doctor Boortz's book is for you.
He gives 99 steps for reaching age 100. Almost all of them are very good steps. Chances are that if you follow these steps, you will live to a great old age, unless you have an accident or unfortunate heredity.
If you buy this book, be sure to supplement it with "Smart Fats: How Dietary Fats and Oils Affect Mental, Physical and Emotional Intelligence" by Michael A. Schmidt. He knows more about essential fatty acids than Dr. Boortz does. And eating the right fats and fatty acids is critical to living a long life in good health.
Managing your insulin, carbohydrates and proteins is very important too, so make sure that you read one or two books by Barry Sears. He knows a great deal about essential fatty acids. Plus, he knows more about insulin, carbohydrates and proteins than Dr. Boortz. Start with Sears's "Anti-Aging Zone."
A fantastic realistic summary of what it takes to make 100........1998-11-13
As one who just turned 50 in 1997, this book only confirmed and summarized the correct approach and process of how one could live to be 100. I will try to put into place these techniques in my own life (those not already in place) to reach this goal. Being athletic and strong willed, I believe I will make it. An excellent book that everyone should try to follow!!!!
A great book that will change your thinking on aging!.......1997-11-08
This is a fantastic book that will show you how you can make a difference in the way you decide to age. Diet, Attitude, Renewal, and Exercise...are part of the DARE formula that you can control to have a more fulfilling life. For all of the "aging baby boommers" turning 50, life is just beginning!
Amazon.com
To the growing cadre of books about chocolate, add Tish Boyle and Tim Moriarty's Chocolate Passion. For it, the authors, both editors at Chocolatier and Pastry Arts and Design magazines, have collected more than 50 recipes celebrating chocolate--the world's favorite flavor, as they dub it. These include formulas for cakes, cookies, mousses, tarts, and candies. If most of the recipes involve multiple preparations, a sufficient number are simple enough to appeal to everyday cooks, and readers with any interest in the subject should enjoy the book's exploration of chocolate history and lore.
Beginning with this investigation, the book then presents information on chocolate making; ingredient, equipment, and technique definitions; tempering instructions; and other chocolate working material. The recipes, organized by chocolate type--white, milk, and dark--follow, most illustrated with color photos; included also are comprehensive notes on chocolate and other suppliers. If the recipe organization is puzzling (few would choose a chocolate recipe based on the type of chocolate it contains) and the writing often infelicitous ("Milk chocolate, America's favorite chocolate delivery system..." is an instance), the recipes are tempting and clearly presented. Among these, Chocolate Hazelnut Brownies with Milk Chocolate Frosting and Black Satin Chocolate Raspberry Cake, for example, have instant appeal. White-chocolate lovers will be happy to explore an extensive chapter devoted to the likes of White Chocolate Strawberry Mousse Cake; ambitious cooks will want to try their hand at the Gianduja Marjolaine, a chewy meringue and chocolate mousse cake layered with mocha buttercream and topped with ganache, among other full-dress recipes. In the end, the power of chocolate is such that, once under its spell, nothing will do but to have some. The book provides numerous delightful ways to make that happen. --Arthur Boehm
Book Description
Chocolatier magazine editors share their passion for chocolate, with recipes and techniques for creating spectacular chocolate desserts.
Blending passion with expertise, this book will become a chocolate lover's instant favorite. Fifty-four luscious new recipes developed and tested by editors at Chocolatier magazine celebrate chocolate at its best, including the whimsical Tahitian Vanilla Swirls, the elegant Milk Chocolate Mousse Roulade, and the smooth, sophisticated Black Satin Chocolate Raspberry Cake. With separate sections on white, milk, and dark chocolate, and gorgeous full-color photographs of techniques and finished desserts, Chocolate Passion makes it easy to learn and master the secrets of working with every type of chocolate.
Tish Boyle (New York, NY) is Food Editor and Timothy Moriarty (New York, NY) is Features Editor of Chocolatier and Pastry Art and Design magazines. They are the authors of Grand Finales: The Art of the Plated Dessert and A Modernist View of Plated Desserts.
Customer Reviews:
VERY GOOD AND EXCELLENT BOOK.......2007-04-05
The book is good and the write up is very detail. I really like the book as the recipes are easy to follow even though some of it is very time consuming. This book suit both amateur and professional.
Spectacular!.......2006-11-09
I love this book.
That pretty much sums it up. I was looking for a book to unseat Desserts by Pierre Herme as my favourite high-end, spare no expense baking book, the kind you use for dinner parties and other events to just blow your guests away. And after being disappointed with Chocolate Desserts by Pierre Herme, I thought I would remain searching...
The search is over. The desserts in this book fall into the "enthusiast" category, so don't expect the recipes to be quick or easy. Some will be irritated by the lack of mass measurements too.
But if you're willing to put in the time and have at least a medium level of experience, these recipes are going to blow you away. The white chocolate strawberry cake, for example. Visually, it's just spectacular; every time I make the thing, people are just in awe. I've even stolen the great spiral design with the chocolate triangles for other cakes, and the results have never failed to disappoint. Oh yeah, and did I mention that these cakes taste great too? Well they do. Have you tried Pierre Herme's Meringue? This is one of the most complicated and difficult recipes I have ever done, but damn was it fun to make. Even the humble white chocolate cheesecake recipe tasted sublime, and was easy to make at that!
This is the kind of book that makes me want to get up at 6:00 a.m. and just bake for 10 or 12 hours working on the elaborate masterpieces contained within. It's the kind of book that stimulates the imagination, as well as the taste buds. I cannot recommend it enough.
Mixed Review.......2005-11-08
This book is visually stunning. However, as an avid homebaker, I encountered errors in some of their instructions. Some cakes, such as the "White Chocolate Strawberry Mousse Cake," had an assembly problem. I believe they never made the cake themselves or they would have realized that all the filling doesn't fit into the springform pan the way they have indicated. I instead used a 9 inch ring on a baking sheet lined with a 9-inch cardboard round, so I would have enough room for the cake layers and fillings. But the cake itself, when done was incredibly delicious and stunning to look at. I found the "Peanut Butter Milk Chocolate Pie," contrary to another reviewer to have been an awful recipe in instructions, assembly and taste. Yuk! The "Milk Chocolate and Golden Almond Cakes," were awesome. The cover cake, "Black Satin Chocolate Raspberry Cake," is prettier to look and was uninspring in taste. I was disappointed. Most of the recipes are timeconsuming and I agree with another reviewer that they lack insight in the instructions a homebaker would need. I haven't tried any of the candy recipes and will soon be trying out the "White Chocolate Opera Cake." I will say this book allows the homebaker to dream and succeed in many recipes to create stunning preparations. I find it is unique that it gives the homebaker a chance to try some challenging recipes that are on par with those one would find in pastry shops and five-star restaurants. Most baking books I find are uninspiring, insipid and about as challenging as opening a cake mix box. I think this book is a great one to add to your collection, because there are enough keeper recipes to make it worth your while.
A Mixed Bag.......2004-09-02
One of the authors is the head recipe tester for Chocolatier Magazine, and the recipes in this cookbook are similar to the ones you will find therein; it has the same advantages and drawbacks. Specifically, it is a productive resource for the professional or the veteran amateur pastry chef. The recipes are probably too ambitious and the instructions too vague for the average home cook.
The introductory chapter is a mixed bag. The essays on types of chocolate, tempering, and tools are exemplary. On the other hand, the sections on non-chocolate ingredients and various techniques and procedures (such as whipping egg whites or proper batter folding technique) are virtually absent. It also has the obligatory and disposable information on chocolate history and manufacturing.
Interestingly, the book has three main sections, one each for milk, dark, and white chocolates. Here, you will find recipes mainly for cakes, cookies, and confections. In a rare moment of honesty, the authors admit that milk chocolate has such a weak chocolate flavor that it is easily overwhelmed in a recipe. There are slightly more than 50 recipes, and they are all listed and cross referenced in the table of contents.
The recipes themselves are problematic. The main error here is the listing of ingredients in volume (e.g. cups) with no equivalents given in weight. This is a major problem for professionals who will try to multiply the recipes, and also for any recipe that has flour. They all list prep times, but never the cooling or baking times. Many of the recipes are complicated affairs that have several components. The result is a recipe that takes up several pages, but even so the instructions are quite scant; they are sufficient for professionals, but not detailed enough for the inexperienced. There is no advice on how to coordinate the execution of a complex recipe with several different sub-recipes. Each recipe has a picture, which is a good thing, but the presentation and decorating instructions in the recipes sometimes do not match the food styling in the photos. These problems will not be a hindrance for the experienced, but will be major trouble for the average home cook.
The most interesting feature of this book is the variety of truffle recipes. Each one has detailed instructions from A to Z for using the fancy, plastic truffle molds that can be bought on the internet in a bewildering array of different types and shapes. There is also a recipe for using chocolate transfer sheets.
Not for the Home Baker..........2004-03-12
I had this book on my wishlist for almost a year and received it for Christmas. I sat down on Christmas evening and eagerly paged through the book. What a disappointment. Most of the recipes did absolutely nothing for me. Most of the recipes were time consuming and tedious. Yes, it's nice to look at, but I want to taste, not look, and this book totally put me off to trying many of the recipes. I was very disappointed. If you want truly decadent chocolate desserts, I highly recommend Chocolate Desserts by Pierre Herme. These recipes were specifically written for the home kitchen and are truly inspiring and decadent. It doesn't get any better than Chocolate Desserts. Don't waste your time/money on this book unless you want showpieces rather than decadent desserts.
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