Book Description
They had met and married on perilously short acquaintance, she an American chef and food writer, he a Venetian banker. Now they were taking another audacious leap, unstitching their ties with exquisite Venice to live in a roughly renovated stable in Tuscany.
Once again, it was love at first sight. Love for the timeless countryside and the ancient village of San Casciano dei Bagni, for the local vintage and the magnificent cooking, for the Tuscan sky and the friendly church bells. Love especially for old Barlozzo, the village mago, who escorts the newcomers to Tuscany’s seasonal festivals; gives them roasted country bread drizzled with just-pressed olive oil; invites them to gather chestnuts, harvest grapes, hunt truffles; and teaches them to caress the simple pleasures of each precious day. It’s Barlozzo who guides them across the minefields of village history and into the warm and fiercely beating heart of love itself.
A Thousand Days in Tuscany is set in one of the most beautiful places on earth–and tucked into its fragrant corners are luscious recipes (including one for the only true bruschetta) directly from the author’s private collection.
Customer Reviews:
(4.5 stars) A gorgeous tribute to Tuscany and her people..........2007-09-28
A THOUSAND DAYS IN TUSCANY is Marlena de Blasi's second memoir recounting her life in Italy, after 2002's A THOUSAND DAYS IN VENICE. In the book's opening pages, she and her husband and soul mate, Fernando, have left Venice for a dilapidated farmouse deep in the Tuscan countryside. The residents of the idyllic village near their new home welcome them with a meal, which inevitably lasts for hours, ending with a dessert whose cream was just milked from a blue-eyed cow that morning. Subsequently, Marlena and Fernando are befriended by Barlozzo, one of the town's oldest residents, who is eager to share stories about the locals and to introduce them to timeless Tuscan traditions: hunting for truffles, baking bread, picking olives for olive oil, crushing grapes for wine, harvesting chestnuts... But it's not just Tuscany that Marlena and Fernando learn about during their stay in one of the world's most beautiful places; they also learn a lot about each other and about themselves, and a lot about what it means to slow down and enjoy a life free from the hustle and bustle of the modern world.
This was a beautiful, beautiful book, with some of the most stunning writing I've ever come across. De Blasi's descriptions bring Old World Tuscany utterly and completely to life; you can almost taste the olive oil, can almost feel the grapes bursting under your feet, can almost imagine yourself there, in an old Tuscan farmhouse, starting out the window at that marvelous landscape. The pictures de Blasi paints of the townspeople are insightful and vibrant, and the recipes at the end of every chapter are completely succulent, including the recipe for the "one true bruschetta" (no tomatoes, no garlic, no onion or herbs...just fresh-baked toasted bread doused in olive oil and topped with a little bit of sea salt). It's really obvious from her writing that de Blasi loves everything about Italy: her people, her food, her breathtaking vistas and her sun-drenched, relaxed way of life.
I fell in love with Marlena de Blasi's Italy, with her gorgeous writing, her delicious traditional Tuscan recipes, and her vivid portrayals of the people who live in the beauty and romance of Tuscany every day. There were moments when I felt like her writing bordered on pretentious, but mostly I just thought everything about this book was gorgeous. I haven't read A THOUSAND DAYS IN VENICE, but I'm definitely going to. You can definitely tell how much Fernando and Marlena are in love in this book, but I'm eager to learn how their love story began.
The Tuscan state of mind can best be summed up with the following passage, spoken by one of Marlena's dearest Tuscan friends: "Maybe the only thing that matters is to make our lives last as long as we do. You know, to make a life last until it ends, to make all the parts come out even, like when you rub the last piece of bread in the last drop of oil on your plate and eat it with the last sip of wine in your glass." A THOUSAND DAYS IN TUSCANY is a book for people in love, for people who long for a simpler way of life, for people who go to that idyllic Tuscan countryside every night in their dreams. I loved everything about this book!
Over to quickly!.......2007-05-07
I found myself reading slower as I got near the end of this story. I didn't want it to end. A THOUSAND DAYS IN VENICE was a delightful book but I found this one more captivating. Ms. De Blasi weaves a beautiful, true adventure as if the reader was traveling along with her each step of the way. Her descriptions and characters are so real in her words I thought I might be there. BRAVA, de Blasi!!!!!!!!!
I'm in love with De Blasi's Italy.......2007-05-06
I've read A Thousand Days in Venice, A Thousand Days in Tuscany and The Lady in the Palazzo. Once I started the first, A Thousand Days in Venice, I was hooked. These are love stories about an American woman of a certain age who fell in love with a Venetian man of a certain age, and more. De Blasi loves this blueberry eyed man with a passion not to be duplicated. She also loves the people, the food, the customs the land. She learns to live in Italy, speak the language, read and dream in Italian and she pushes the box each time she reaches out to someone, which is often. Her recipes are wonderfull. I'm trying to figure out if I can find walnut flour in Minnesota.
Read it as a travelog, as a cookbook, as a love story. Just read all of the books.
A Thousand Days in Tuscany.......2007-01-18
It is a good book but rather slow. However, I will have to say I have enjoyed reading about this woman's time living in Tuscany. The recipes that she wrote really sound good. I will be trying some.
She shows her love of Italy through her writings.......2006-11-05
I read her first book A Thousand Days in Venice and enjoyed it very much. It seemed so real like we were sitting over coffee discussing her life. It made me want to walk the same places she walked and see the same markets to bring it to life for me too.
She has a smooth way of writing that is enjoyable. And the recipes are wonderful.
She again brought Tuscany to life for me and I wanted to see the villages and cucina's there. I am looking forward to the 2007 book.
Book Description
The spiritual imagination of Ed Hays comes alive in each of the forty reflections on joyful living found in
Chasing Joy: Musing on Life in a Bittersweet World. Joyful living is our God-given right, says Hays, as he challenges readers to dig through life's miseries and darkest pains to discover the goodness God continues to promise all of humanity. Hays uses common joys and struggles of ordinary lives, blending them with some of the great wisdom figures and traditions of our world to offer a wide variety of delightful hints and spiritual exercises for cultivating deeply rooted joy.
Customer Reviews:
Grumpy Prayers, the Herescope and Other Roads to Joy.......2007-03-07
Fr. Hays describes his latest book is a headlong collision between his efforts to live joyfully while confronted with "cheerless stories of war and the horrors of torture, murder, and street violence" as well as personal difficulties and disappointments. He defines authentic joy first by ruling out the false joy of the pious, the unremitting happiness of the simple-minded, and the blissful ignorance of those who refuse to face reality. Rather, Hays explains, authentic joy encompasses feelings of the highest pleasure, delight, happiness, gladness, conviviality, and joviality. Such an experience requires a living consciousness of our birthright as children of God.
With that background, Hays offers 37 short chapters containing reflections on practicing joyful living in today's world. He imagines a "herescope" similar to a telescope but designed to focus on the present, where we will discover that we have all we need to be happy. In a chapter on grumpy prayers, he points to the woeful quality of the Hebrew psalms and offers examples of present-day complaints to God in "The Cancer Victim Psalm" and "A Lamentation for a Lost Job." Situating the art of complaining to God in his theme of authentic joy, Hays characterizes "bellyaching prayers" as the overture to prayers of joy and gratitude. He also reflects on the reason images of Jesus and Mary are never smiling and why the gospels never show Jesus laughing.
Though this book could certainly be read straight through, any of its chapters might be used for daily reflection or as a discussion starter for a faith sharing group.
Average customer rating:
- Powerful story with a clear message
- God's Grace at It's Finest
- Bad Turn Out
- Angel for heroine
- Addictive like bittersweet chocolate
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Bittersweet
Cathy Marie Hake
Manufacturer: Bethany House
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ASIN: 0764201662
Release Date: 2007-04-01 |
Book Description
Laney McCain has unabashedly had her sights set on Galen O’Sullivan for years. And though Galen has treated her as nothing more than his best friend’s pesky tag-along sister, Laney dares hope that now is the time he will open his eyes and truly recognize the woman she’s become. But the arrival of Ishmael and Ivy Grubb, squatters on the O’Sullivans’ land, diverts Galen’s attention. Though the Grubbs are crass and uneducated, Galen shows mercy and allows them to stay in exchange for help around the farm. But it becomes a decision he lives to regret…. Sometimes the Journey to Love Is Truly Bittersweet
Customer Reviews:
Powerful story with a clear message.......2007-09-05
This is such a wonderful book. It made me laugh and cry. This is a great sequel to Letter Perfect. Laney, one of the main characters in this story, blooms from a pesky neighbor girl into a woman in Galen's eyes. You wait and wait for them to vocal their love and then it happens! Their lives are turned upside down.
Cathy uses these characters to show us how to love the unlovable and to do the "Eleventh" commandment and that is to love others the way God loves us. Laney loves on the one that hurts her the most and shows the readers that we can all do the same.
Cathy also has a great way with words and brings this story to life. You can't go wrong with this book!
God's Grace at It's Finest.......2007-06-27
This book is # 2 in the series and it is so very good! It leads us along the path where sometimes God doesn't allow us to get what we want and be happy when we think we deserve it. His grace doesn't always make us happy. But we also learn that, by that same grace, He gives us what we need to stay in His will. It shows us that sometimes we must bend our will to God's and He will take care of us no matter the situation. This is an excellent book!
Bad Turn Out.......2007-06-24
This started out with fine characters and it seemed it would have a decent plot. But as soon as the conflict began it felt like the author didn't really have a plan and was just throwing stuff out there when it came into her head. Maybe this isn't true but it sure felt that way. The reactions and decisions of the main characters were very unrealistic and actually very cheesy. There was no connection with the main character. I guess women who have nothing to do and don't really like to think about what their reading would like this. Total brain candy, and I believe I had to brush many times to get the plague off from this book. The ending felt rushed (I will say this but the book felt years long) and not very satisfying... sorry I wish I could give it a better review. So if you plan on reading this book (which is perfectly fine) make sure you get a book which you have already read and love, so you can have something to revive your brain after this read.
Angel for heroine.......2007-06-16
I loved Laney, although she was a much better person than what I could ever see myself as being. Her true love couldn't see her true worth without conflicts first. I thought the ending was easy to see coming but overall a great book.
Addictive like bittersweet chocolate.......2007-06-01
Reviewed by Olivera Baumgartner-Jackson for Reader Views (5/07)
Cathy Marie Hake's "Bittersweet" is just like a bar of really good bittersweet chocolate. Sure, there are plenty of foods out there that are supposed to be "better-for-you," but very few that are more enjoyable. And once you take the first bite, you will finish the bar in one sitting for sure...
"Bittersweet" is set in California in 1860s. A young woman, Laney, is determined to marry her brother's best friend and their neighbor, Galen. Galen never looks at her; and if he does, he only sees his friend's kid sister. But Laney does not give up hope and is convinced that one day Galen will return her feelings. Things seem to start going in that direction, but then Galen lets a couple of squatters stay on his land after the untimely demise of their father. The squatters, Ishmael and Ivy, are pretty tactless and lack all social graces, but they are extremely hard workers. Galen could certainly use their help on the farm.
Yet that very merciful and most Christian decision threatens the life Galen and Laney are starting to envision for themselves. The Grubbs accuse Galen of a very dishonorable deed; so he cannot marry Laney who he has already started to love deeply. How is Galen going to deal with this? Will Laney keep her faith in Galen?
The story in "Bittersweet" is fluid and keeps moving at a quite rapid pace. While I enjoyed it greatly and was quite surprised by the twist in it, I have to admit that after the twist I quickly realized that there was only one possible solution for Galen's predicament - if the author wanted to stay true to her set of values and morals. This slightly spoiled my enjoyment. I do not want to give the plot away here, so let me just add that I found it slightly hard to accept that nobody would believe such an exemplary, upstanding member of the community like Galen. This was just a bit hard to swallow.
With the exception of those two points, I found "Bittersweet" a worthy and pleasant book, filled with believable, likeable and interesting characters. I particularly enjoyed the descriptions of the everyday life on the farm and in the little town. I would recommend this book to any female who loves a story with lots of morals and practically no violence.
Average customer rating:
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Faculty of Color in Academe: Bittersweet Success
Caroline Sotello Viernes Turner , and
Samuel L. Myers
Manufacturer: Pearson Education
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ASIN: 0205278493 |
Book Description
Key Benefits: Faculty of Color in Academe focuses on inequities based on racial and ethnic differences within the professional workplace in higher education. This book draws on a comprehensive study of African American, Asian, Pacific American, American Indian, and Latino faculty in eight mid-western states. By using both narrative and statistical data, this book provides an in-depth view of the issues surrounding the successful recruitment, retention, and development of faculty of color.
Key Topics: The authors attempt to capture and describe some of the similarities and differences experienced by faculty among each of the above mentioned racial/ethnic groups. Includes a comprehensive discussion of what needs to be done in order to achieve diversity in the teaching profession.
Market: Scholars, practitioners, and decision-makers will benefit from the information provided in this book.
Book Description
Award-winning author Nevada Barr reveals another side to her remarkable storytelling prowess with this heart-wrenching yet tender tale of two women whose boundless devotion to each other is continually challenged in nineteenth century America.
Customer Reviews:
Possibly Nevada Barr's best book..........2007-04-15
This is NOT a mystery, this is NOT one of the Anna Pidgeon series. It's a lesbian love story, set in the Old West. The people are real, their world is real. Again, very well-written. I didn't want it to end.
Slow, clunky and overwrought.......2007-03-17
I realized late that this was Nevada Barr's FIRST novel, not her LATEST. Thank goodness she has learned better plot development since Bittersweet, which she wrote in 1984.
The trite title gives it all away. While the characters are well thought-out, consistent and potentially interesting, the plot is graceless and overly contrived. While I wouldn't expect a story about two women becoming lovers in the nineteenth century to be full of rainbows and butterflies, the story focuses primarily on their challenges and tragedies.
Unfortunately the two primary characters are also unlikeable. One is a perpetual victim and weakling, and the other is a sexual predator and a liar. Instead of being moved by their struggle and pathos, I just wanted to smack them.
Bittersweet smells like Roses!.......2006-04-14
I bought Bittersweet because I love Barr's style of writing, and I was waiting for the next mystery. I was wondering how I would like Ms. Barr's writing a different style than her Anna Pigeon mysteries.
Once again, Nevada Barr writes a compelling story! This one takes place in the old west and is basically a beautiful love story between two people, and the trials and tribulations they go through to be able to be together. As usual, Barr weaves the main characters intimately to the environment they find themselves in, as well as with characters that come and go in their lives.
This book is definitely for those souls, of any gender, who appreciate a wonderful love story that, like real life, may smell like roses along the way, but in the end, is truly bittersweet.
Bittersweet Captures Feelings and History.......2006-01-06
As a long-term fan of Barr's Anna Pigeon mysteries, I was delighted to find this departure equally as entertaining, if not more so. She manages to capture both the time and setting down to the most minute details and moves us in to live in the characters' lives. It is somewhat reminiscent of the historical parts of her book Flashback, but with more detail. It also presents a subject I had never read or thought about before, how gay women were treated in the 19th Century. Fascinating book.
HUH? Please...........2005-11-02
Guess I was expecting too much. I've enjoyed other Nevada Barr works but this one is a stinker. I only regret the time I lost trudging through it. I was sure it was going to get better...It didn't. I was loathe to give it one star. Yuck.
Amazon.com
In Bittersweet, Alice Medrich continues her mouthwatering crusade to educate chocoholics everywhere about her passion. With 30 years experience, first at her famous Berkeley bakery, Cocolat, and then as an award-winning cookbook author, there is little Medrich doesn't know about chocolate. And what sets this book apart from all others is her willingness to share what's she's learned.
As the American palate has changed, and we've learned to appreciate better quality chocolate, more and more of it is has become available to us. These premium chocolates come labeled with their percentage of cocoa solids. This delectable book is made practically foolproof thanks to the "chocolate notes" that follow any recipe where the percentage would affect the outcome. In them, Medrich provides equivalencies which allow you to use your favorite chocolate, and tweak the recipe to make it work. She's brutally honest, too, so when she says you can't mess up the rich and magnificent Queen of Sheba cake, or the Cold Creamy Truffles that started her love affair with chocolate, believe her. And when she warns that there are possible pitfalls for novices when attempting Extra Bittersweet Ganache Truffles, read carefully. The vast majority of her recipes, mostly sweet, some savory, are quite simple; her instructions are painstaking and reassuring; and the tales with which she introduces each chapter are enchanting. So dive into Warm Bittersweet Mousse, White Chocolate Ice Cream, Raspberry-Laced Chocolate Cake, or Chocolate-Flecked Cocoa Soufflés, because doing the dirty work has never been so delicious! --Leora Y. Bloom
Book Description
It is hard, today, to imagine a time when the word bittersweet was rarely spoken, when 70 percent of the chocolate purchased by Americans was milk chocolate. Today's world of chocolate is a much larger universe, where not only is the quality better and variety wider, but the very composition of the chocolate has changed.
To do justice to these new chocolates, which contain more pure chocolate and less sugar, we need a fresh approach to chocolate desserts—a new kind of recipe—and someone to crack the code for substituting one chocolate for another in both new and classic recipes. Alice Medrich, the "First Lady of Chocolate," delivers.
With nearly 150 recipes—each delicious and foolproof, no matter your level of expertise—
BitterSweet answers every chocolate question, teaches every technique, confides every secret, satisfies every craving. You'll marvel that recipes as basic as brownies and chocolate cake, mint chocolate chip ice cream and chocolate mousse, can still surprise and excite you, and that soufflés, chocolate panna cotta, even pasta sauces can be so dramatically flavorful.
For the last thirty years, Alice Medrich has been learning, teaching, and sharing what she loves and understands about chocolate.
BitterSweet is the culmination of her life in chocolate thus far: revolutionary recipes, profound knowledge, and charming tales of a chocolate life.
Customer Reviews:
Great!!.......2007-09-02
I have used many recipes in this recipe book COUNTLESS times already. My family especially loves the bittersweet chocolate ice cream recipe and i have made that one alone many many times!!! The freezer is now the local gathering to see if more ice cream has been made.
A really great book; i enjoyed reading about her early history in the chocolate world and i HIGHLY recommend this book to EVERYONE!!
Jessica
The best chocolate dessert book.......2007-08-25
I love this book - great recipes with lots of options - especially if you are lactose intolerant like me. Favorites are the mousse and marquis - brownies and peanut butter chocolate torte are winners too. I've also had success substituting sugar-free chocolate and splenda to make near zero carb versions of the mousse and marquis and tortes.
Three Recipes I Use The Most Come From This Book.......2007-07-18
It's one thing to collect cookbooks-I own hundreds and use most for inspiration only. Some simply are entertaining with gorgeously appetizing photos-as one of my friends refers to as "Food Porn"!
However, I have surprisingly discovered in this cookbook some recipes that I rely on frequently. Alice Medrich's recipes have become a part of my everyday 'go-to' repetoire.
I get consistent results and find her directions clear, her suggestions helpful and sound. The recipes for brownies, cheesecake and formula for ganache are excellent.
As someone who definitely prefers darker chocolate, I find this book to be a tremendous asset in my culinary library!
Surprisingly mediocre.......2007-05-25
I bought this book about a year ago and have made some of the recipes and even too a pastry class with a friend that utilized some of the recipes from the book. We were both surprised at how mediocre and overly sweetened the items all were. The brownies were just okay. The meringue was too sweet. The truffles were about average in tersm of tast and texture. I've had much better at Godiva. A very disappointing book. I feel let down as I had heard great things. The pictures are beautiful and inspiring, but I would recommend looking elsewhere for good chocolate recipes.
greatest chocolate book .......2007-05-13
I am a professional pastry chef and this book is the one I use when it comes to the basics of chocolate. I have only made a few actual recipes from the book; they both came out perfect (the chocolate grappa/current/pine nut cake & the chocolate wafers). I like this book mainly because she explains everything I need to know about the intricacies of chocolate itself. I read a ton of dessert cookbooks and I was very impressed by this one.
Average customer rating:
- Not very convinving
- Very Good Story!
- How is mauling a woman romantic?
- Brown you are the best!
- Dated but enjoyable
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Bittersweet Rain
Sandra Brown
Manufacturer: Grand Central Publishing
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Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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philosophy hope in a jar daily moisturizer
ASIN: 0446603090 |
Customer Reviews:
Not very convinving.......2007-05-12
Characters didn't seem real and the sex invoved is too much like her other novels. Seems formulaic.
Very Good Story!.......2006-10-26
I am always looking for stories that have a bit of a twist and this one does.Good character and plot development. I enjoyed reading it.
How is mauling a woman romantic?.......2006-08-30
I could accept the premise of star-crossed lovers seperated, only to be brought back together by unhappy circumstance. Even if the circumstance was the marriage of the heroine to the hero's father. Okay, so the father was evil was orchestrated everything. He was cruel and used the heroine, verbally abusing her as well as being physically rough with her.
So how is the son different from the father? When he gets angry with her (which is most of the time), he grabs her, mauls her, tells her she's trash, while she fights to get away from him. How is it we're supposed to believe she loves him? Their summer romance was when she was 15, and this is some 12 years later. He certainly doesn't rekindle any romantic feelings by being kind.
The sex scenes are embarassing with their euphemisms and overall lameness.
The book wasn't a horrible premise. It was just horribly done. A hero should be likeable and it should be obvious why the heroine wants to be with him.
Brown you are the best!.......2006-04-21
After my last book 'tiger prince' by Mrs Brown i was a bit disappointed in her but this book renewed my faith in her again.
In her romances the hero and herione are not perfect but you love them inspite of their flaws. In this book, Rink first knew caroline when she was of tender age of fifteen. they fell in love but because of some circumstances they were kept apart.Without any explanation from Rink for his running away Caroline found it hard to wait for him forever and took the chance of having respect and money that she always craved for by marrying a rich but older man. Well till now it isn't so bad, is it? But as it happened that older man was Rink's father and Caroline knew it. Now how is that for feeling antipathy for a woman who married the father of the man she loved? And i don't really blame Rink for being angry with her again and again for what she had done.
Caroline wasn't a saint and i don't think any person in her shoes can afford to be anyway. Who knows what i would do if i happened to be in her place? So i wouldn't judge her and would advice other readers to not judge her too.
Both the times Rink came in contact with Caroline she was forbidden for him. That part of this romance was best. Their summer romance so many years back was very sweet. Rink's conscience and desire were in fight with each other. i like this in a romance and i like the build of sexual tension in Sandra brown's novel.
She really is the best!
Dated but enjoyable.......2005-07-15
What would you do if the person you hated most in the world took everything from you, including your mother and the love of your life? And still he was not satisfied.
On his deathbed, Roscoe Lancaster requests that his long absent son come home so that he can see him one last time. His wife complies and the prodigal son is summoned. Of course not on is Rink her stepson, he is also her first (and only) love. Of course Roscoe's motivations for a reunion are not all out of compassion for the son he lost; it is just one more chance to one up him by flaunting his relationship with wife Caroline in Rink's face. Roscoe was the main antagonist who drove the two apart when they were engaging in an elicit relationship (Caroline was 15; Rink was 22 - kinda icky).
Rink cannot help himself and his still intense feelings for Caroline. A stolen kiss here; a grope there. But underlying in his thoughts is that his father made love to her first. Can Rink ever get over his pride and declare his love for Caroline?
"Bittersweet Rain" is a melodramatic love story set against the machinations of a truly evil and desperate man, who loves no one, least of all himself. His contempt for the less than perfect daughter (who loves him unconditionally) makes you want to punch him. There is a lot of chemistry between the two leads; but clunky, dated love scenes (his "maleness"; her "feminine core"). One of the most endearing qualities of the book is the emerging relationship between Rink's sister Laura Jane, and the disabled ranch hand, Steve.
Though a little dated (it was originally written in 1984; re-released in 2000), it was an enjoyable and romantic romp.
Average customer rating:
- Carson is an inspired guide
- From the Classics
- A fascinating, exciting exploration of the nature of desire
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Eros the Bittersweet
Anne Carson
Manufacturer: Dalkey Archive Press
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Decreation
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Grief Lessons: Four Plays by Euripides (New York Review Books Classics)
ASIN: 1564781887 |
Book Description
A book about love as seen by the ancients, Eros is Anne Carson's exploration of the concept of "eros" in both classical philosophy and literature. Beginning with: "It was Sappho who first called eros 'bittersweet.' No one who has been in love disputes her. What does the word mean?", Carson examines her subject from numerous points of view and styles, transcending the constraints of the scholarly exercise for an evocative and lyrical meditation in the tradition of William Carlos William's Spring and All and William H. Gass's On Being Blue.
Epigrammatic, witty, ironic, and endlessly interesting, Eros is an utterly original book by an author whose acclaim has been steadily growing since the book was first published in 1986 by Johns Hopkins.
Customer Reviews:
Carson is an inspired guide.......2005-09-06
Carson is an inspired guide through the tangled and fragmentary corpus of Greek lyric love poetry. She has a whirlwind mind and a gift for pithy expression, though once in a while she slips into a kind of gauzy equivocating that weakens her arguments. Still, this idiosyncratic take on ancient eros has moments of great insight and deserves the attention of classical scholars and non-specialists who are interested in the topic.
From the Classics.......2002-02-07
The Greeks did not cover everything but they made a pretty good start. Anne Carson has always been the queen of fitting classical allusions to the evident. The book could be described as an extended exploration of `Odi et amo: quare id faciam, fortase requiris/ nescio, sed fieri sentio et excrucior.'- Catullus. (I hate and I love/ Why do I, you ask ?/ I don't know, but it's happening/ and it hurts.)A splendid place to mine for obscure quotes: `We aren't shutting you out of the revel, but we aren't inviting you either/ For you're a pain when you're present, and beloved when you are away'- Theognis
A fascinating, exciting exploration of the nature of desire.......2001-03-13
Eros contains a series of short essays on the ancient Greek notion of desire. Using Sappho's poetry as a touchstone, Carson explores Sappho's term "glukupikron"(literally, "sweetbitter"). She touches upon a myriad of ancient texts; the second half of the book draws largely from Plato's Phaedrus. Most exciting for me was her explanation of the similarities between the edges of erotic desire and the edges of the alphabet. This culminates in a wonderful series of chapters in which she relates erotic desire with the desire for knowledge. It was exhilarating!! What's more, I found the book extremely accessible. A must read!
Average customer rating:
- An Insightful Look at the Improvisational Process
- On the road again, just can't wait to get on the road again
- Absolutely Fantastic Work!
- Marsalis' words are profound and poetic
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Jazz in the Bittersweet Blues of Life
Wynton Marsalis , and
Carl Vigeland
Manufacturer: Da Capo Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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Similar Items:
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Sweet Swing Blues on the Road
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To a Young Jazz Musician: Letters from the Road
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Marsalis on Music
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Wynton Marsalis: Skain's Domain : A Biography
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Wynton Marsalis - Blues & Swing
ASIN: 0306810336
Release Date: 2001-06-05 |
Book Description
Travel into the creative heart of the world's most famous jazz musician.
Experience the inspiration and joy of creation and performance in Jazz in the Bittersweet Blues of Life, an intimate portrait of a unique artist and his audience. Set in the studio, on the stage, and in great cities and small towns across the country, this book captures life on the road for Marsalis and his musicians, evoking its ritual and renewal, energy and spirituality. Describing the art of improvisation, the book's two voices mirror the interplay at the heart of jazz-both among the musicians, and between them and the people they meet in their travels. "On the road and on the bandstand," Wynton writes, "something great may happen at any moment, something that might even change your life." Alternately luminous and boisterous, often poignant, and always passionate, Marsalis and Vigeland's extraordinary dialogue is a must for fans, musicians, and anyone curious about America's only indigenous art form.
Customer Reviews:
An Insightful Look at the Improvisational Process.......2004-01-02
Jazz, America's music, is an improvisational art. In Bittersweet Blues Marsalis and Vigeland do a lot do educate the reader just how this works. Not just on the bandstand but also on the road and in the life of jazz' leading spokesman. The book helps you see how musicians must comminucate, must hold each other with respect, must listen with an ear for creativity and must withhold judgement.
The book alternates between Vigeland's discussion of the events in life of Marsalis' Septet and Wynton's discussions of what it means to be a jazz musician. This interplay is what gives the book it's beautiful tone and variety. In a sense, you see the two authors improvising around each other's styles. What amazed me the most was the pace of Marsalis' life and the breadth of his associations. I enjoyed learning more about the creative process behind some of my favorite music as well.
I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in road stories, jazz or how artists create the ir art.
On the road again, just can't wait to get on the road again.......2001-10-20
You can't just say those words without putting music to the most famous road anthem by Willie Nelson. That's what this book is about: life on the road with jazz musicians.
Co-author Carl Vigeland was invited to travel the country and Europe with jazz superstar Wynton Marsalis and his band.
This is about the music of jazz, the blues and the road. Vigeland and Marsalis make numerous references to the book's title "Jazz In The Bittersweet Blues of Life. Vigeland covers personal observations of life with its rigors of the road, the overwhelming passion to produce quality performances. You don't get too much of the personal life of Marsalis, he shares little about his two older boys living in New York.
Brother Branford splits for a rock band
We also get very little info on tenor saxophone Branford Marsalis along with member Kenny Kirkland who left the band in the early 80's to play with rock superstar Sting. Branford also did a short stint as band leader for Jay Leno's "Tonight Show." In the book, we DON'T' get a clear understanding about the departure of his brother Branford and member Kenny Kirkland. Little is known here about Branford's departure, only mentioned here is "that others have thought that it may have been hurtful to have your brother leave for a rock musician." This book doesn't discuss that a rift was occurring and the finality was the departure. But I believe now, all is well with the brothers.
Marsalis, on the other hand, shares keen insight into the world of jazz, his composition style, and rhythm including his relationship with the trumpet. About the trumpet, he says "you can never force the trumpet, you got to baby it, treat it gently, coax it. It's always there when you need a high note, or something very loud. If you don't handle up on it, it won't respect you"
He teaches us about playing the songs and how the members produce an evening's show. We learn about his amiable personality and he exudes the passion to please his audience.
Observations from the Jazz man
Just from this book alone, we get the impression that Wynton Marsalis is cool and collected, caring of young children, family man and friend. His insights into life are fascinating. Of people who hang out at bars, discos, etc., he says are the unhappiest and lonliest blankety blanks in the whole world. He says, "If you want to be happy, go inside. Inside yourself, inside the people you love, inside your art. Inside seems much lonlier than outside, don't be fooled, you go far enough, it's always warm and good."
But most of all, Wynton gives us an idea how he works, how he composes; it's incredible. It may be no surprise that he is also an accredited author with his books by "Marsalis on Music" and "Sweet Swing Blues on the Road." Wonderful read....MzRizz
Absolutely Fantastic Work!.......2001-06-28
Picked up Marsalis + Vigeland's work and just couldn't put it down! From descriptions of events, to understanding the personal struggles of band members, Jazz in the bittersweet blues of life fully expresses the goings on of the Wynton Marsalis Septet. Above all, I found Marsalis's commentaries on life, love, and music striking chords within my soul, and left me pleading for more.
Marsalis' words are profound and poetic.......2001-06-07
Jazz in the Bittersweet Blues of Life is a chronicle of one artist's ten year journey as he shares his gift and talent with the world. Marsalis' words, which appear in italics throughout the book are both profound and poetic. As you read, you can hear him speak, but most of all you feel the passion he has for his craft. He poses the question early in the book when explaining that everyone is an artist, "...how do you want to make me feel with your art, and what insights do you have that distinguish your ideas from someone else's?" A rhetorical question for every artist.
You get a sense of the daily experiences of Wynton and the other musicians in the Septet, from composing on the road, to the daily pick-up basketball games, to the lectures in schools across the country to the musicians ironing their clothing before each performance. It is a demanding, yet rewarding life. Throughout the book (and his travels) Marsalis not only meets and encourages young musicians, but he keeps in contact with them through periodic phone calls, updating himself on their growth as musicians. Some of the young musicians he met early in his career became members of the septet.
Jazz in the Bittersweet Blues of Life, has shaped me as both an artist and author. I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Marsalis at Book Expo America. He is as personable, down-to-earth and charming as he appears in this book.
Book Description
-- A brand-new wardrobe from Saks
-- A private jet to Holland to select the perfect tulip
-- A guest list that rivals red-carpet after-parties
-- And a birthday bash that blows all others completely out of the water
Okay, it's not your average birthday wish list, but Whitney Blake and Sophie Mitchum are anything but average.
I'm Laura Finnegan -- thrift-store junkie and scholarship student at Tate, our posh all-girls high school in Manhattan. Needless to say, I'm not like Whit and Soph -- gorgeous, popular, and filthy rich -- but that doesn't stop us from being BFFs. Sophomore year was going great, until they started tuning in to the all-Sweet Sixteen, all-the-time channel. Now tempers are flaring, Prada bags are flying, and guys are being tossed around in vicious tug-of-war battles. All this, just to see whose Sweet Sixteen reigns supreme?
Customer Reviews:
Loved This!.......2007-08-28
This is classified as a teen read, but I think adult women can definitely appreciate it too. I definitely got caught up in the story of how teenage girls can turn against each other. Carrie Karasyov writes about believable characters and I always enjoy her writing style. Plus, it is always entertaining to read about the super-rich--in this case, their lavish Sweet 16 parties.
Cute and charming.......2007-08-17
Laura and Whitney have been friends for years, despite the fact that they couldn't be more opposite: Laura is the daughter of two NYU professors and is on scholarship to Tate; while Whitney is a blue-blooded Upper East Sider, raised in the lap of luxury. Enter Sophie, the daughter of a well-known movie director, who fights with Whitney to be the "queen bee" of their exclusive private girls' school. Everyone is obsessed with having the biggest and most over-the-top Sweet Sixteen Party. Although Laura goes along with her friends' materialistic behavior, she's still able to remain objective about her life.
The outcome is predictable when Whitney and Sophie, friends at first, begin fighting over a boy both of them like and figting over who will have the biggest and most expensive Sweet Sixteen Party. The authors do a wonderful job of depicting teenage angst in the voice of a teenager who isn't quite as self-absorbed as her friends are. I found it remarkable, though that Laura never feels resentment towards her friends for having more than she does. She's able to realize that, even though her parents don't have very much money, she still has a great life. This was a great one-sitting read that kept me hooked until the end.
Bittersweet Sixteen.......2007-04-16
Bittersweet Sixteen
Bittersweet Sixteen, a novel by Carrie Karasyov and Jill Kargman, takes place in the upper east side of Manhattan at Tate, a private high school. Laura Finnegan, even being a scholarship student without the must-haves of the season, doesn't feel as out of place as you might think. That's because her long time best friend, Miss Whitney Blake, happens to be queen bee of the school. Everything changes though, when Sophie Mitchum, a former queen bee from her old high school in LA, moves to Tate and squeezes her way into their exclusive clique. Sophie being exuberantly rich and having the same birthday as Whitney has her taken to like a fish out of water. They soon become best friends, leaving Laura out of the mix when combining their sweet sixteens into one fabulous party. But as could have been predicted by their superficial bond, it all comes crashing down over a major fight leaving the school with two queen bees, two sweet sixteens, and Laura stuck smack dab in the middle.
One of my favorite scenes in the book is when both Sophie and Whitney come crawling back to Laura after demanding she choose between them. When she doesn't answer right away, they both drop her like a hot potato and deem her invisible. Laura after telling them off, demands that they make up if they want her forgiveness. This scene made me feel like cheering Laura on because they had been out right nasty towards her.
All in all, I'd give this book four stars. I'd have to say though that while it may look as if the over all theme of Bittersweet Sixteen is friendship it ands up being the same theme as those corny self books, just without the corniness. Be true to your self, and you'll be rewarded.
Unexpected.......2007-02-06
I have to be honest with you, this was a story that I expected to be read then forgotten , meaning I was just thinking that i would read it as something to do and then get over it. But, when I read it it was unexpectedly talently written and overly funny.
It was mostly about three teen girls . Their lives are filled with designer clothes , money, and catfights AND one particular celebration that in their world goes down in history... Their Sweet Sixteen.
All the girls are competeing to throw the best party.
Everyone expects Whiteny , theee most popular girl ever in the School of Tate , to win it easily. Then everything is mixed up when fresh and unique Sophie moves into school. Sophie and Whitney go at it. It is so funny! And Laura (normal , pennyless , designing her own clothes, alian of Tate and best friend of Whiteny) is stuck in the middle.
You will love how it turns out! I suggest it to anyone 13-17 years old. Do NOT judge a book by its cheesy cover.
Chick Lit at It's Finest.......2007-01-31
Take one part Cinderella and three parts "Mean Girls", stir until boiling and you get Bittersweet Sixteen. This sassy chick lit novel combines the stresses of birthdays, boys, and best friends in the high class society of Manhattan at one of the most exclusive private schools. Laura Finnegan's life was great until little Miss Sophie Mitchum enters her school. With this new friend the entire social standing of Tate Academy is completely turned upside-down. You will laugh, cry, and rejoice with Laura's terrors and triumphs. This is a great read for anyone.
Books:
- Adolphe Appia: Theatre Artist (Directors in Perspective)
- Alexej Von Jawlensky: Catalogue Raisonne of the Oil Paintings: Volume Three 1934-1937
- Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (Unabridged Classics)
- All's Well That Ends Well and the Merry Wives of Windsor Notes (Cliffs Notes)
- An Unlikely Heroine: Esther Cailingold's Fight for Jerusalem
- Ancestry and Narrative in Nineteenth-Century British Literature: Blood Relations from Edgeworth to Hardy (Cambridge Studies in Nineteenth-Century Literature and Culture)
- Beauty's Release: The Conclusion of the Classic Erotic Trilogy of Sleeping Beauty
- Beloved
- Benedict XVI: Way of the Cross
- Bernadette Speaks: A Life of St. Bernadette Soubirous in Her Own Words
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