The Magic of Provence: Pleasures of Southern France

Book Description

Yvone Lenard's look at her beloved Provence is light-hearted, fun, loving, and sensuous - celebrating its relaxed lifestyle and the abundant pleasures of its kitchens and vineyards. Her purchase of an ancient ruin of a house in a hilltop village twenty-five years ago opened up an enchanted world, which she describes with verve, wit, and sympathy -and, as a native speaker of French, with unusual depth of understanding. Provence casts its spell on the very first morning in her charmingly restored residence when a prince bearing a jug of village-produced vin ros shows up in her kitchen. The visit provides an entre into the household of the local chateau where both she and her husband encounter flirtatious advances along with djeuner. The duchess who heads the family eventually becomes a close confidante when they share a memorable evening during a bitter cold snap, drinking tea laced with rum and making soup over the embers in Lenard's fireplace. Lenard and her husband have adventures at being chicken rustlers, dispatching graveyard ghosts, and traveling to Saint-Tropez where, "breasts are everywhere." Terry, a friend from Connecticut, locates another village ruin with the help of a spirit at a sance in Lenard's basement, restores it to perfection, and establishes a profitable bed-and-breakfast and guided tour business for antique hunters. Lilian, an unhappy Los Angeles widow to whom Lenard lends her house for a desultory visit, finds a vibrant new life in the village. Others drawn to the region, whose stories are told are Vincent van Gogh, Brigitte Bardot, and Princess Caroline of Monaco. The "magic" extends to recipes for food and drinks, along with hints for entertaining in the Provenal style, temptingly placed at the ends of chapters. Like Alice you might eat a little of this and drink a little of that and be transported to the wonderland that is the South of France.

Customer Reviews:

Condescending and without charm........2007-02-20

The author's barely concealed condescention towards her Provencal neighbors is annoying enough, but her lack of any charm or distinction relaying her experiences is really a bore. Read Peter Mayle instead --or ANYONE ELSE FOR THAT MATTER,and save your money. You wouldn't want to live next door to this writer, in Provence or in Bel Air California -- her other home. Not exactly your average tourist! And oh my,the recipes! At the end of each chapter is a recipe of food vaguely mentioned in the text. Tasteless, trite recipes bound to fail since they lack any semblance of detail, even, sometimes, the baking temperature. Obviously the lady was trying to cover all bases. Too bad she struck out on all of them.

Blundering onto the pages.......2006-05-10

This west-coast American has just returned from cutting an ambitious swath through France and Spain. While in Provence we took a day trip out of Aix to sightsee a random grabbag of villages on the southern slope of the Luberon range. At one particularly handsome and substantial hill village we made our way up the usual array of steep narrow streets and steps to a grand chateau that seemed in rather good, livable condition. We passed through an arched portal, under a heavy steel lattice gate operated by chain and counterweight, and into an inner courtyard with a view that went on forever. We were in luck, for within seconds a tour of the chateau was about to begin. However, luck did not extend to local language skill needed to tag along. The gracious host suggested we could perhaps find a better use of our time. Somewhat puzzled at the exchange I stepped back out into the sunlight and the door shut behind me. Having been relieved of any effort to accomplish something touristy, my mind relaxed and drifted. And it drifted to a book I had read a couple years back that I found rather entertaining and well written. A book about the trials and pleasures of moving to Provence, but with a rather welcome deviation from the smugness of the Mayle formula. The author impressed me enough that I followed up with another one of her literary works. Could this village and these people be from that book? Standing there in the courtyard of the chateau I reviewed the evidence, pondered the possibilities, considered the coincidences. Yes, it seems that we had blundered onto the pages of one of my favorites, Yvone Lenard's Magic of Provence.

Disgusting book.......2005-07-30

I struggled quite a distance into this book because I love France, but finally I gave up. I found the author to be a poor writer, found her stories to be so farfetched that I decided that she was not being truthful, found her values to be very superficial, found her to be describing things that were not worth reading about--e.g., the car trip to St. Tropez, and her apparent fixation on sex--e.g., her negative descriptions of the way females dress and act in St. Tropez, and her imagings about her husband's indiscretions with the Prince's wife and his dalliance with the girls in the village. Who cares if it happened! Who cares what the author imagines about her husband! You might think her husband would care and the Prince and the Princess would care. I doubt that there even is a Prince and Princess. And if the picture of the author half in a shadows, on the book cover is an example of her professional photographer husband's work, forget it.

With the car trip to St. Tropez, I couldn't take anymore. I took the book back and got a refund.

A Totally Delightful Read.......2004-07-12

The author makes the colors, flavors and warmth of Provence so vivid to the reader. I have never been to Provence but will definitely make the trip. I also will refer to this book again for the great recipes that were included and also to reread and savor the many neat stories shared by Yvone Lenard. I've given my copy away to friends just returning from the regiion to enjoy and will be purchasing another for my library.

No magic........2004-02-13

Attention rich people who have the ability to buy a house in Provence: this does not make you worthy of writing about it. I found this book to not only be pretentious, but lagging and frustrating as well.

From the encounters with royalty to the nights she sleeps (heaven forbid) alone in a house without heat in winter, Mrs. Lenard comes off as boring and elitist. Although some of her encounters were vaguely charming, the overall book was hardly worth the few quick hours it took to read.

If the fact that she has a dog named Truffles, and a pet rabbit who does commercials are not enough to turn you off, you may enjoy this book; my copy has been donated to the library.

Customer Reviews:

Photos bring World War II to life in vivid black and white.......2005-06-08

Compiled and organized by Tony Hillerman, the photos drawn from the collection of Frank Kessler bring World War II to life in vivid black and white reality in Kilroy Was There: A GI's War In Photographs. Kessler was a young accountant when he was drafted and sent to war in Europe. He saved hundreds of photos at war's end and kept them in the attic until his death: his younger brother found the photos which represented another side of the war, preserved and ordered the photos, and here they document the GI's war experience for modern audiences.

Kilroy Was There A GI's War in Photographs

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Kilroy Was There A GI's War in Photographs
Hillerman Tony
Manufacturer: Kent State University
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000UF70LW

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

The Uses of Literature : Life in the Socialist Chinese Literary System

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The Uses of Literature : Life in the Socialist Chinese Literary System
Perry Link
Manufacturer: Princeton University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Chinese | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Asian | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Chinese | Classics | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0691001987

Book Description

Why do people in socialist China read and write literary works? Earlier studies in Western Sinology have approached Chinese texts from the socialist era as portraits of society, as keys to the tug-of-war of dissent, or, more recently, as pursuit of "pure art." The Uses of Literature looks broadly and empirically at these and many other "uses" of literature from the points of view of authors, editors, political authorities, and several kinds of readers. Perry Link, author of Evening Chats in Beijing, considers texts ranging from elite "misty" poetry to underground hand-copied volumes (shouchauben) and shows in concrete detail how people who were involved with literature sought to teach, learn, enjoy, explore, debate, lead, control, and resist.

Using the late 1970s and early 1980s as an entree to the workings of China's "socialist literary system," the author shows how that system held sway from 1950 until around 1990, when an encroaching market economy gradually but fundamentally changed it. In addition to providing a definitive overview of how the socialist Chinese literary system worked, Link offers comparisons to the similar system in the Soviet Union. In the final chapter, the book seeks to explain how the word "good" was used and understood when applied to literary works in such systems.

Combining aspects of cultural and literary studies, The Uses of Literature will reward anyone interested in the literature of modern China or how creativity is affected by a "socialist literary system."

The Socialist System: The Political Economy of Communism

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The Socialist System: The Political Economy of Communism
Janos Kornai
Manufacturer: Princeton University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Economic Policy & Development | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

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ASIN: 0691003939

Book Description

To understand the dramatic collapse of the socialist order and the current turmoil in the formerly communist world, this comprehensive work examines the most important common properties of all socialist societies. JNBnos Kornai brings a life-long study of the problems of the socialist system to his explanation of why inherent attributes of socialism inevitably produced in-efficiency. In his past work he has focused on the economic sphere, maintaining consistently that the weak economic performance of socialist countries resulted from the system itself, not from the personalities of top leaders or mistakes made by leading organizations and planners. This book synthesizes themes from his earlier investigations, while broadening the discussion to include the role of the political power structure and of communist ideology. Kornai distinguishes between two types, or historical phases, of socialism. The "classical socialism" of Stalin, Mao, and their followers is totalitarian and brutally repressive, but its components fit together and make up a coherent edifice. Associated with names like Tito, KNBdar, Deng-Xiaoping, and Gorbachev, "reform socialism" relaxes repression, but brings about a sharpening of inner contradictions and the eventual dissolution of the system. Kornai examines the classical system in the first half of the book, and moves on to explore the complex process of reform in the second half. The Socialist System is addressed to economists in the first place, but also to political scientists, sociologists, and historians. In addition, it will appeal to policymakers, business analysts, and government officials who need to understand either formerly or presently communist countries.

Borrowing Court Systems: The Experience Of Socialist Vietnam (London-Leiden Series on Law, Administration and Development)

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Borrowing Court Systems: The Experience Of Socialist Vietnam (London-Leiden Series on Law, Administration and Development)
Penelope Nicholson
Manufacturer: Hotei Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Comparative | Perspectives on Law | Law | Subjects | Books

Courts | Procedures & Litigation | Law | Subjects | Books

General | Law | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
ASIN: 9004156313

Alienation and the Soviet Economy: The Collapse of the Socialist Era (Independent Studies in Political Economy)

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Alienation and the Soviet Economy: The Collapse of the Socialist Era (Independent Studies in Political Economy)
Paul C. Roberts
Manufacturer: Holmes & Meier Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Popular Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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Book Description

The first edition of this seminal book in 1971 pointed out the fatal defects of Marxist theory that would lead to the collapse of the Soviet economy. In this revised edition, Paul Craig Roberts examines how reality triumphed over Marxist theory and the implications for the future of Russia and eastern Europe. In 1971, Roberts created a firestorm among professional Sovietologists by proclaiming that the economies of the USSR and its East Bloc allies were doomed because their "planned" economies were, in reality, anything but planned. Expanding on his original ideas, Roberts demonstrates in this book the fatal shortcomings of Marxist economies, ranging from misallocation of resources to ersatz capitalistic concepts grafted onto a system that calls for production without regard to profit. Roberts argues that the economies of the nations emerging from the USSR's collapse must grasp the profound truths in this book if they are to become viable.

Alternative Models of Socialist Economic Systems (Proceedings of the Conference held in March 18-22, Gyor, Hungary). Festschrift in Honour of Professor Jozsef Bognar's 70th Birthday.

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Alternative Models of Socialist Economic Systems (Proceedings of the Conference held in March 18-22, Gyor, Hungary). Festschrift in Honour of Professor Jozsef Bognar's 70th Birthday.
Kalman ed. PECSI
Manufacturer: Budapest, 1988.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000JKX7T2

Anglo-Polish Legal Essays (Studies on Socialist Legal Systems)

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Anglo-Polish Legal Essays (Studies on Socialist Legal Systems)

Manufacturer: Transnational Pub
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Law | Subjects | Books

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Basic Documents of the Soviet Legal System (Studies on socialist legal systems)

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Basic Documents of the Soviet Legal System (Studies on socialist legal systems)
W. Butler
Manufacturer: Kazi Publications
ProductGroup: Book
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Basic Documents on the Soviet Legal System (Studies on Socialist Legal Systems)

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Basic Documents on the Soviet Legal System (Studies on Socialist Legal Systems)
William Butler
Manufacturer: Oceana Pubns
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Basic Legal Documents of the Russian Federation (Studies on Socialist Legal Systems / Faculty of Laws, University College, London)

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Basic Legal Documents of the Russian Federation (Studies on Socialist Legal Systems / Faculty of Laws, University College, London)

Manufacturer: Oceana Pubns
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ASIN: 0379203081

Book Description

The recent listing of Pacific salmon under the Endangered Species Act has led to substantial interest in the scientific basis for river restoration in the Pacific Northwest. Millions of dollars in state and federal funding has been programmed for habitat restoration efforts to stem the decline of salmon populations in the region. This volume addresses the need for a solid understanding of fluvial processes and aquatic ecology in order to predict both river and salmonid response to restoration projects.

In the Pacific Northwest, as in most regions of the United States, we are still learning about the processes that create habitat and river structure, how those processes influence aquatic ecosystems, and how to gauge the response of river systems to both land-use changes and restoration efforts.

River systems are still responding to historic changes, and degraded habitat may not be restored successfully if natural conditions are not well understood, particularly if massive changes in watershed hydrology or other processes are the root cause. These issues faced in the development of regional river restoration programs are by no means unique to the Northwest, and so the initiation of a regional program of river restoration provides an opportunity to evaluate the state of river restoration in general.

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