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"Some say the soul tempered by fire--tortured true--is the better for the trial. Perhaps it is so. But I was born between the wars," writes the narrator of this collection's opening story, "The Shape of Water." "My adventures were of the survivable kind, my tragedies ambiguous and undramatic, observed as much as felt. What formed me were anecdotes--often inconclusive, generally unheroic--connected to a particular forty acres of water. An unexceptional place. I did not choose it. And yet, if I could ever open myself, I suspect I'd find its coves there, its sleeping silt, its placental water smooth with algae ... and the faces of those I'd known revealed as clearly as if mine had been that lake of legend said to reflect the human heart."
It's an extraordinary image, and one that aptly sums up the project of this dazzling debut collection. Throughout Lost Lake, Slouka invests everyday events with an almost numinous glow. Catching fish; cleaning them; practicing knots; telling stories: these actions are windows opening onto unimaginable darkness--soldiers hanged along an avenue of cherry trees, decapitated snapping turtles crawling past their own heads, a dead baby wrapped in "the warm cave" of a coat. Ostensibly, these stories take place among a small Czech community settled on the shores of New York's Lost Lake, but they ripple outward to encompass the world. No exalted feat of nature, Lost Lake is a landscape both humble and utterly human, as we discover in "Creation," in which a dreamy farmer looks out over a cow pasture and pictures the fishing hole he will make. Nonetheless, it's still privy to the most elemental of dramas, from death ("Equinox") to adulterous love ("The Exile"). The short story is a miniaturist's art, and its success depends on a writer's ability to compress everything most essential about life--memory, guilt, sorrow, love, fishing--to fit within its brief pages. Slouka is a master. Reading Lost Lake elicits the same wonder as holding water up to a microscope for the first time: there it is, life, teeming, abundant, and true. --Mary Park
Book Description
In twelve beautifully imagined stories linked by character and setting, Mark Slouka chronicles three generations of men and women under the spell of a landscape with a powerful history.
Set in a tiny Czech community on the shore’s of upstate New York’s Lost Lake, these elegiac stories explore both the quiet, complicated glory of the natural world and the mysterious motions of the human spirit. In “Genesis,” an inspired young war veteran envisions his legacy in a modest pasture. In “The Shape of Water,” a boy’s recollection of a momentous catch occasions a later reflection on the power of invented truths. In “The Exile,” a young woman struggles unsuccessfully against an adulterous passion. Through them all, Lost Lake emerges as a place of both epic significance and enduring simplicity, prompting memories both challenging and bittersweet.
Customer Reviews:
yes beautiful.......2007-03-07
Not much to add to the reviews below, aside from the fact that I agree with them completely.
Slouka's writing approaches poetry in its effect. Beautiful.
Perceptive & Poetic.......2005-01-22
Mr. Slouka is a fine writer. His words are beautifully strung together, his vision of the world elevates the mundane into poetry. For this reader, such writing is much like a fancy cake or bonbon ~ the gorgeous product of excellent talent and grand effort. Best read in small, savored bits. Recommended.
A superb collection of short stories........1999-03-07
This book brought me more reading enjoyment than any I have read in a number of years. Slouka has a talent which only some short story writers possess--the ability to pull you into the narrative with the first sentence or two. The character insights are first-rate and each story is a polished jewel.
A great read!
Beautifully written.......1998-09-08
This collection of essays and short stories is poignant. My eyes frequently teared over. It is rare, I think, to find lovely, melancholy tales that question love and sense of place and are written in a male voice from a male perspective. "Lost Lake", due to the finely crafted writing and the emotional chords it struck, has now been placed in a section of a bookcase where I safely guard two dozen books that are very important to me. Highly recommended for all readers, but particularly for men who see the world with a sensitive perspective, and who search to provide themselves with an emotional sense of time and place.
Beautiful storytelling.......1998-05-01
I was disappointed at first to see that these stories are loosely bound to a 'theme': one locale ("forty acres of water") one family (started in Czechoslavakia, emigrated to NY), and some ... fishing. I needn't have worried, because there is a world of experience and observation in these, along with masterful, thrifty use of language, attention to detail - and much love, yearning, and compassion. The voice is constant and consistent; the stories are told meticulously and with great clarity. "The Woodcarver's Tale," centered on the narrator's father, is heartbreaking. In "Equinox" Slouka combines the mundane and the tragic - seamlessly. A very satisfying collection of stories.
Customer Reviews:
Great Book.......2000-08-14
My six year old daughter loved this book. When we reached the end of one nights alotment of pages for a bedtime story, she took the book and read the next chapter to find out what would happen next.
Good.......2000-04-20
This book was a basic Wishbone Mysteries book. ALthough the plot was great, the characters were not very well described. The diary entries of Steve Talbot were very creative, and although it could be improved, it was a very nice piece of writing.
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The Edmund Fitzgerald: Lost With All Hands : A True Story for Young Readers
Robert Hertel
Manufacturer: River Road Publications
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ASIN: 0938682490 |
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The Great Meow Mystery (Cinnamon Lake Mysteries, 3)
Dandi Daley Mackall
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ASIN: 0570048834 |
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The abandoned car of Lost Lake (A Barrett mystery)
Richard Fretwell
Manufacturer: Hathaway House
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ASIN: 0912241020 |
Average customer rating:
- Historically accurate and insightful
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The Inevitable Triumph: The story of an Iowa Community
Al Oppedal
Manufacturer: BookSurge Publishing
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ASIN: 1594573212
Release Date: 2004-10-14 |
Customer Reviews:
Historically accurate and insightful.......2005-06-13
Although the book is written by a not very well known author it is astounding the amount of work that goes into it. The information presented is in such a manner that you get some insight into the characters. Being a member of one of the families presented and having visited the area numerous times it is very insightful and presents the persons in a very interesting light. Alan Oppedal has done his Homework and definitely knows the subject. This is a must read for anyone ever from a small town or sharing the names mentioned in the book. I may be biased but at least I am honest about it.
Book Description
A faceless biker gang on a Wild Hunt hurtles young Jacky Rowan into the perilous land of Faerie, where she finds herself hailed as the once-and-future trickster hero the Jack of Kinrowan. In its sequel, Drink Down the Moon, Jacky and the fair folk have been enslaved by the creature who stole the power of the Moon, and it remains to a young fiddler to save them all.
Customer Reviews:
Easy to Read and Only Sometimes Easy to Love (3 1/2 stars).......2006-04-24
Originally written an Charles De Lint's entry into the retold Fairy Tales for Adults series by Terri Windling. A series still (albeit slowly) being written today. _Jack the Giant Killer_ or Jack of Kinrown_ as it was known as in Canada (of course) took the story of "Jack and the Beanstalk" and set the story in modern day Ottawa, the book was originally released in 1986. De Lint liked the characters and world so much he went onto write a sequel to the novel entitled _Drink Down the Moon_ as unsatisfying second novel.
_Jack the Giant Killer_ follows Jacky Rowan,a thirty-something slacker whom (litterally) stumbles into faery on an emotionally charged drinking binge. After a few hurtful words said to her by her (now ex) boyfriend Will, Jacky goes off on a drinking binge. Shaken to the core by Will, her drinking binge lands her in the citys park where she witnesses something truly horrific carried out by the modern day incarnations of 'The Wild Hunt', a supernatural hunt of celtic legend that was said to include everyone from King Arthur to Odin among its midst. But you thankfully won't find ties to Camelot or Norse Mythology here (perhaps in creatures and beings only).
De Lint follows the usual Urban Fantasy idea that when man came to these shores he brought his gods and mythical beings with him in addition to those that were already here, what we have then in De Lint's world is the two courts of Faery legend, The Seelie and Unseelie courts, the Unseelie court taking dominance as our modern media influences man's belief and thus gives the dark court dominance. This is De Lint's non too subtle snap (at the time anyway) towards a media that was populated by horror movies rather then lighter hearted and fantasy movies. As Jacky becomes intangled in Faery Court politicks, she finds new motivation in life as all the things magical and dangerous that almost any child dreamed off are realized in the faery court. Litterally scared to death of the Unseelie courts, the Laird's (leader of the Seelie Courts) young daughter has been kidnapped and there remains virtually no allies to try and rescue her. So it seems the Unseelie court is destined to win. That is when Jacky Rowan stumbles in, aided by quirky friend Kate (Kate Crackernuts as she's called by the fae) and more then a bit of luck Jacky quickly becomes the Seelie courts only hope as she decends headlong into dangers, intriguing and sometimes magical adventures.
The first novel _Jack The Giant Killer_ is a fun, enteraining if simplistic read. One of the better but not the best reinterpretations of 'Jack and the Beanstalk', Jacky herself never really rises above stock standard hero fair while Kate's quirky and at times snappish and funny fierce friend act at times wears on the reader; but she remains a likeable addition. The other characters that appear in the novel; Eilian, along with Arkan and Finn pass by the reader and leave a decent but not deep enough impression on the reader. Eilian as the standard hottie-faery boy love interest for Jacky never really rises above 'hot man/faery/elf/being' standard character shoved together with Jacky because-the-author-says-so plot device. With exeption to the Gruagagh (perhaps the most intriguing character in the whole novel) the novel passes by in easy pacing and comes to a rather breathless conclusion that almost promised of a future volume which came a few years later in the form of _Drink Down the Moon_. _Jack the Giant Killer_ is a fun and easy read for those starting in Urban fantasy.
_Drink Down the Moon_ is the second novel in the _Jack of Kinrowan_ two book set set in Modern Day Faery inhabited Ottawa. Where the first novel introduces Jacky Rowan and her friend Kate to the world of faery and gives these two thirty something woman a fun and magical (and sometimes dangerous) new lease on life, this novel they are only side characters. Leaving us with rather blank and an un engaging new set of characters that pass before the readers eyes without every really leaving impresssion (nothing other then vivid pink hair and a fiddle is what this reader remembers most about the novel). The story follows Johnny Faw a handsome fiddler player with wonderous gifts that will allow him to aide the realm of Faerie in drawing power from the moon itself in an intricate dance. However dangerous powers want to see that the moons magic is never drawn for Faery and only Johnny with the aide of the beautiful and spritely Jemi Pook can stop it. With only (scattered) help from Kate and Jacky.
While De Lint's writing style is in full beautiful form here, Johnny and Jemi read more like fan created fanfiction characters brought into take attention away from the main characters of the novel. Indeed the novel never really stops reading like well written fanfiction and the novel ends quite suddenly (as the last novel did) leaving the reader closing the book slightly unsatisfied. While De Lint gives us nothing new in the way of the faery courts here, he does give us sort of fun story that doesn't end up sticking in the readers mind. _Drink Down the Moon_ is a dissapointing sequel in what could have been an interesting story with loads of potential. Instead he falls short of the task and while_Jack The Giant Killer_ is the better of the two novels here, it only recieves three stars. For being while fun not all that remarkable or never really rising above stock urban fantasy fair.
Generic Urban Faerie: Not de Lint's Best Work.......2005-05-16
These books ('Jack the Giant Killer' and its sequel 'Drink Down the Moon') introduce the young adult best friends Jacky Rowan and Kate Hazel and chronicle their adventures in the faerie realm of modern Ottawa. In the first book we learn that Jacky, a young blonde woman, is in fact "a Jack," a being blessed by luck. As such she is the only hope of the good Faerie denizens of Ottawa. With a lot of her innate luck, Jacky and Kate and her new Faerie friends kill some giants and save the day.
The books are early works by de Lint (1987 and 1990) and read like rough drafts of such amazing later novels as 'Trader' and 'Someplace to Be Flying'. Both novels together are the same size as de Lint's later single novels. The slim size means that the background and characterization of the later novels is missing here. Jacky and Kate seem to fall into Faerie, and we follow their adventures. None of the humans in these stories seem to be bothered by such mundane things as jobs, histories, families, etc. This makes the characters seem rather two dimensional and flat.
This is not to say that the books aren't good. They are, and are very fun reads, like an action-packed episode of 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' or something. But this isn't a book I'd re-read. It's light reading, nothing deep.
I also agree with the reviewer who was aggravated by the fact that it's Jacky's luck that saves the day. She doesn't work for any of her victories, they seem to just happen to her. Also, many of the horrible situations she finds herself in are ones her stupidity and idiocy get her into in the first place. It annoys me that Jacky is the hero since she's blessed by luck, and never punished for the fact she is constantly leading herself, her friends, and even the entire city, into ruin. When it comes to completely sabotaging her own life, Jacky Rowan is a veritable Gilmore Girl. This is a protagonist I'm supposed to admire and relate to? I think not.
P.S. The fact that the half-mortal Jemi Pook in 'Drink Down the Moon' has, as a result of her half-mortal/half-faerie blood, NATURAL PINK HAIR is just embarrassing. It's something a 12-year-old girl would write in a fanfiction dot net story. I don't expect such Fluffy-Bunny-Fantasy from de Lint. This is very much an early work and it shows. However, I've found that every de Lint novel/collection that isn't set in his fictional city of Newford is merely bland fantasy. He only shines when he's writing about Newford. Compare this book to 'Someplace to Be Flying' and you'll see what I mean.
A real treat -.......2004-03-01
"Jack the Giant Killer," the first of the two stand-alone stories in this book, was written for the seemingly ill-fated Fairy Tale series edited by Terri Windling. And it's wonderful, a very fresh take on the old "Jack" fairy tales, in which a puckish and courageous and strangely lucky young man slays giants and performs wonders.
The biggest, first twist is that the Jack is actually Jacky Rowan - a young woman who has just been dumped by her jerk boyfriend and is facing a crisis when she unwittingly crosses into faerie.
This is the best of Charles de Lint's fanstasy Urban Faerie work. Here the world we know lies cheek to jowl with the fantastic realm of faerie. And he makes it work so congruently, it's just great stuff. This is the writing that made his fame.
And it's a great story. Jacky and her pals are loveable, interesting people in fantastic circumstances. There are giants to be dealt with, the Unseelie court to be fought and the laird's daughter to be rescued - all against terrible odds. The pacing is very tight, signature de Lint, and it's literally a story you just can't put down until you read the last word. The second story is pretty good, too.
I'm a great fan of this author, and this is one of my all-time favorites. Five stars and a pat on the back for some excellent story-telling.
Funniest of Lint's books.......2003-01-23
Although this isn't my favorite of Lint's books, it is definitely the funniest one I've ever read as his books aren't normally what you would call a comedy-crossover. Putting together two small books in one convienent cover, this is actually the one I've wished the most for a sequel to. It's a lighter introduction to Lint's world of urban fairie when two young women find themselves catapulted into the fae world without warning. Read it, enjoy it, and then try Moonheart and Greenmantle before you give up and buy all the rest of his books. The only of Lint's books I haven't loved is the short story collections, and only because I find short stories frustratingly well, short.
Magical.......2001-11-02
"Jack the Giant Killer", the first of the two books included in _Jack of Kinrowan_, tells the story of a depressed young woman named Jacky, stunned by her recent breakup, and seeing no point or direction in her life. But one night, she stumbles drunkenly into Faery. Upon hearing that the faery princess of Ottawa has been abducted by the evil Unseelie Court, she volunteers for a rescue mission--despite the fact that every Seelie faery in the city has chickened out and called it a lost cause. She joins forces with some interesting friends, and through luck and resourcefulness, fights the Unseelie Court. Jacky and her best friend, Kate Crackernuts, are wonderful characters, and I was glad to see them in the sequel, _Drink Down the Moon_, the other novel included in this book.
Unfortunately, _Drink Down the Moon_ is a little bit of a letdown after _Jack the Giant Killer_. It's still a three- or four-star book in its own right, but it wouldn't stand very well on its own, and Jacky and Kate have too-small roles. The novel's finest moments are those in which Jacky or Kate or both are present, but in _Drink Down the Moon_, Jacky herself has become the "rescue-fodder", and center stage is taken by characters that fail to engage the reader quite as much. I had hoped to see more of Eilian as well. What I really want is for de Lint to write a third installment, in which Jacky and Kate are prominent again, and perhaps challenge the Seelie Court itself, and ask the Laird a few hard questions--like why he's always out of town when he's needed most.
Customer Reviews:
Faerie Fun.......2002-01-26
I wanted this to be "The continuing adventures of Jacky and Kate" but its not. I was a little disapointed that they were not the main characters, I'm just happy that they were in the book.
Again we are in Ottowa, only this time we meet Johnny Faw, who has just lost his Grandfather. His Grandfather has one last request: that Johnny was to play a certain song on his fiddle. That leads him to meet Jenna, a faerie. That is just the beginnig. The Faerie people need Johnny as much as they hate the idea.
I really liked the faerie background, as this is totally new. There is alot of lore and history that gets told, and that is kinda hard to follow. Again there is a lot of LOTR feelings. This story has almost the same themes as Jack the Gaint Killer: War, murder, best friends and destainy. There was alot of detail that didn't need to be there but I enjoyed the story nonetheless. De Lints writing is really entertaining which is why the story again is so easy to get into.
There is a whole bunch of new characters, which is great. Trolls, shapechangers and more. The best new character was the bad guy. He was really evil and it didn't matter if he was fighting guy or girl. He had a good reason to try and win. Some of the old characters I thought would play apart was Eilian, Bhruic, Kerevan and the Laird. Eilian was mentioned, at the most, three times. The Laird was out of town, again.
There needs to be a third book that fills in the gaps that haven't been answered, and this book helped very little. I recommend this book, a whole other point of view, and another side of Kinrowan that we get to know and enjoy!
Who says sequels cant live up to the original?.......1998-07-06
This thrilling sequel to JACK THE GIANT KILLER has all the usual thrill of de Lint, with an extra twang. Jackie's back and so is Kate in this extremely riveting blend of folklore and modern duldrums. Old friends are revisited and we meet some new ones along the way but remember, this is ottowa, and anything can happen. Even with the wild hunt off her tail and the unsealy kingdom almost in ruins, it will take more than all jackie's got to defeat her new foe, as she explores the depth of friendship and love in this explosive story. If you liked JACK THE GIANT KILLER, you'll love DRINK DOWN THE MOON.
Product Description
Two individual mass market paperbacks. "Drink Down the Moon" is a paperback original.
Average customer rating:
- Not impressed
- Not what I was hoping for
- A good novel, but not Le Guin's best
- Fine thriller just not sci fi
- This book shows a hope for oppression all over the world.
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The Eye of the Heron
Ursula K. Le Guin
Manufacturer: Harpercollins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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LeGuin, Ursula K.
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ASIN: 0060150866 |
Book Description
In Victoria on a former prison colony, two exiled groups--the farmers of Shantih and the City dwellers--live in apparent harmony. All is not as it seems, however. While the peace-loving farmers labor endlessly to provide food for the City, the City Bosses rule the Shantih with an iron fist. When a group of farmers decide to from a new settlement further away, the Bosses retaliate by threatening to crush the "rebellion."Luz understands what it means to have no choices. Her father is a Boss and he has ruled over her life with the same iron fist. Luz wonders what it might be like to make her own choices. To be free to choose her own destiny.When the crisis over the new settlement reaches a flash point, Luz will have her chance.
Customer Reviews:
Not impressed.......2006-07-25
I had to read this book for a literature class. I found the book at my local library in the teen section. The story is creative and interesting but the editor did a very poor job on this book. It was really more annoying to read than anything because I felt like I should be editing the book as I read. There were long, over descriptive sentances that I had to go back and read over again to understand. There were even sentances in the book that made no sense at all; Just a bunch of words put together. It's really frustrating to have to read such a poorly written book and it's sad because the story could have been really good.
Not what I was hoping for.......2006-04-09
I've really enjoyed some of Le Guin's other work, so I was very disappointed by this book. I didn't feel like it was particularly new material, just your standard tale of oppression and subjugated people who want to be free.
I wonder why it is that so many authors of young adult novels feel the need to dwell on depressing tales with bittersweet endings. At no time during my childhood did I enjoy stories like _Where the Red Fern Grows_ or _A Taste of Blackberries_. Now that I'm an adult, I still find a lot of pleasure reading young adult books like _Westmark_, but I have no desire to revisit the tales with some lesson to tell about how life contains so much loss and sadness.
A lot of novels include painful experiences, death, loss, hurt and suffering. That has its place, but frankly, I don't want to read a novel in which the entire point is to make the reader feel bad. All stories don't have to have happy endings, but I read for enjoyment, not depression.
Between the uninspired plot and the depressing theme, I couldn't find much to like in this book. I would have much rather read _A Wizard of Earthsea_ again.
A good novel, but not Le Guin's best.......2004-08-30
The Eye of the Heron chronicles the inhabitants of the planet Victoria, originally a prison colony of Earth. However, 'The People of Peace,' who led a non-violent movement against the great wars of Earth, were also sent to the planet be the government of a great nation. When the novel begins, the people of the prison colony enjoy great comforts in town, disdaining the People of Peace, who do their farming.
Those who live outside the city grow tired of this poor exchange, and want to go found a new city, with no oppression. The novel explores the struggle to do this, as the non-violent people question their own ideals.
This book has beautiful moments, and the characters are well-conceived. However, it lacks the depth of some of Le Guin's other novels like The Dispossesd and The Left Hand of Darkness. It is an enjoyable read, but in the end it is lighthearted rather than than deep and pondering.
Fine thriller just not sci fi.......2003-10-25
The planet Victoria was founded as a prison colony, but the original mission expired. The descendents of the prisoners and guards/wardens evolved into two prime groups: the Shantih farmers and those who live in the City. The agricultural residents of Shantih believe in independence for the individual and peaceful coexistence as a group. Bosses reign over the City and employ force to severely rule over the farmers.
Tired of tyranny, some farmers decide to begin a new colony far away from their oppressors. However, the Bosses believe that one escapee could destroy their positions of power. Luz, daughter of the Big Boss of the City, knows oppression first hand though she has lived a relatively pampered life. She decides to grasp at freedom at all costs by joining the rebellious farmers.
Ursula Le Guin's "Earthsea" books were some of my first fantasy novels so this reviewer has a special bias for one of the genre greats. THE EYE OF THE HERON is a reprint of a late 1970s tale that occurs on another world, but nothing unique really makes the reader feel that they are off-planet. Still, the key cast members, especially Luz and her father, come across as genuine, so that the audience sees the quest for independence and few societal restrictions and intrusions on two levels, that within a family and that between two castes with one enjoying the fruits of a dominant position that they refuse to cede (South Africa before Mandela). This still remains a solid work of fiction just not science fiction.
Harriet Klausner
This book shows a hope for oppression all over the world........1999-03-22
I enjoyed this book. It showed inventive ideas and was very inspirational. I hope you will also read The Word For World is Forest, because it also shows hope for oppressed peoples. I have only read three of her books, but this was by far the best.
Book Description
This classic WWII thriller from one of the world's bestselling authors, Ken Follett, has been repackaged for a new generation of intrigue seekers.
Code named, "The Needle", a brilliant, ruthless master German spy is on the run with secrets that will annihilate the Allied chances for victory. He seduces a beautiful Englishwoman into helping him escape, but her loyalty to the Allied cause may be his ultimate downfall...
Customer Reviews:
A spellbinder.......2007-08-28
Ken Follett is among the best at writing thrillers that hook you and never let you go.
In interviews, he acknowledged that "Eye of the Needle" was his breakthrough novel. It surely deserves all the praise it has received.
In 1940, the The Abwehr, (German Intelligence), has planted their finest agent in Great Britain---code name "The Needle." Using the name Henry Faber, he works as a railway clerk and attempts to be invisible.
Using his bicycle for transportation, he observes all the war preparations and anything that would be helpful for the German bombers.
As the war progresses, Faber continues his adroit undercover work---radioing the info back to The Fatherland.
Meanwhile the Allies are utilizing a disinformation campaign designed to convince the Germans that the European Invasion (D-Day) will take place at Pas de Calais. Ships and tanks that are merely rubber and timber, barracks that were a movie set, etc. were utilized to persuade the enemy that Patton had a huge Army ready to invade.
Double agents that MI5 had turned churned out radio reports furthering the deception.
If the Germans learn of the great ruse, thousands could be lost. The Needle chances upon the phony barracks and tanks and knows this info must be delivered in person to the Fuhrer.
However, he has to eliminate some Allied soldiers who spot him as he leaves the fake army base. Their discovery leads to cat and mouse chase.
His escape via U-Boat 505 off the North Sea coast is hampered by a violent squall grounding all sea and air transportation. Faber is shipwrecked on a remote rock island with four inhabitants. There he must perpetuate his counterfeit persona until the weather clears.
Meanwhile, MI5 is closing in while working on the scant clues Faber leaves in his wake. They too are hampered by the weather.
The novel moves at a measured pace that heightens the suspense with each turn of the page. Faber is great villain whose cunning keeps him a step ahead MI5. The crew from MI5 are dogged in their pursuit and thorough in the procedural methodology. It is a remarkable match up.
Using an economical cast, all the characters are fully fleshed out. You know everyone quite well.
While the last 48 hours before the weather clears are intensely gripping, the entire narrative is mesmerizing and attention grabbing. This is a breathtaking "what if" take on an important slice of history.
Since we all know how WWII turned out, the outcome may never be in doubt...but how MI5 closes the trap is a superb ride.
Sharp, smart, well written!.......2007-08-16
Intriguing and breath-taking as Ken Follett is, a great thriller, with a very charismatic and well outlined woman character, and a realistic spy whose personality unfolds as the plot proceeds. A must read.
I see why this book is on all the lists of the best suspense novels.......2007-08-05
I can certainly see why this book is on all lists of the best suspense/thrillers ever written. The pacing is amazing. and the characters are flawed and believable.
My Favorite.......2007-07-30
I have never read a better book I could not put it down. Ken Follet has a great way of pulling you in.
Love the book and movie.......2007-07-20
Ken Follett can do no wrong as far as I'm concerned. This is a terrific book and I urge you to check out the movie with Donald Sutherland.
Average customer rating:
- Easy to Use
- Some good points, some bad
- Few Recipes are Good
- Book review
- Disappointed
|
The Healthy College Cookbook: Quick. Cheap. Easy.
Alexandra Nimetz ,
Jason Stanley , and
Emeline Starr
Manufacturer: Storey Publishing, LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Quick & Easy
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
| Books
Healthy
| Special Diet
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
| Books
Natural Foods
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
| Books
Similar Items:
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The Everything College Cookbook: 300 Hassle-Free Recipes For Students On The Go (Everything: Cooking)
-
Betty Crocker's Cooking Basics: Learning to Cook with Confidence (Betty Crocker)
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The Starving Students' Cookbook
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The (Reluctant , Nervous, Lazy, Broke, Busy, Confused) College Student's Cookbook
ASIN: 1580171265 |
Book Description
In less time and for less money than it takes to order pizza, you can make it yourself! Three harried but heatlh-conscious college students compiled and tested this collection of more than 200 tasty, hearty, inexpensive recipes anyone can cook— yes, anyone! Whether you're short on cash, fearful of fat, counting your calories, or just miss home cooking,
The Healthy College Cookbook offers everything you need to make good food yourself.
Customer Reviews:
Easy to Use.......2007-09-25
This was an impulse buy that I haven't regretted. It is perfect for the beginning cook or the harried college student. My only complaint is that it doesn't lay flat but that is obvious when you buy it.
Some good points, some bad.......2007-07-28
Decent, simple recipes, reasonable variety. However, two major problems:
-No prep time. An odd exclusion considering the premise of the book...
-No serving sizes. See comment above.
Also, it makes some nonsensical suggestions like "If you don't have a microwave, blanch the vegetables." If I don't even have a microwave, how in heaven's name can I be expected to have a stove and pots?
Few Recipes are Good.......2007-07-11
I bought this book for my girlfriend for Christmas, to help each of us learn how to cook. The problem with the book is that the instructions are meant for someone that has maybe never even stepped foot in a kitchen. If you even know how to make spaghetti or hamburger helper, then this book is too simple for you. Most of the recipes turn out not to be very good, and some are just crappy. There were a few items that we have enjoyed, but we even had to modify those slightly.
Overall I would say go with a different book unless you are buying it for someone who is completely clueless. Don't listen to the reviews here. Even for a notice, the mediocre meals will only discourage you from cooking. Try something else.
Book review.......2007-06-12
Outstanding cookbook for college students or any other persons who would like to eat healthy and are cooking for one! I collect vintage cookbooks and this is one of the few current ones I own.
Highly recommend for young and old alike.
Disappointed.......2007-05-15
I was definitely fooled by the title of this book; I thought it was supposed to be something designed specifically for university students. As a university student, I can tell you one thing: WE DO NOT HAVE TIME TO COOK!!!
There are a lot of interesting recipes catering to a variety of tastes. However, the amount of time the preparations requires just cannot fit into the average college student's schedule (at least not for a serious student). For example, the time it took me to prepare a supposedly simple Orange French Toast breakfast, eat, finish the dishes and clean up afterwards lasted easily over an hour. That's just way too much time for French toast.
After jotting down a few recipes worth remembering for future use, I donated this to my local library.
Product Description
Three harried but health-concious college students compiled and tested this collection of more than 200 tasty, hearty, inexpensive recipes anyone can cook- yes, anyone!
Customer Reviews:
Easy and fast!.......2006-07-04
This book makes cooking so easy. It has NORMAL ingredients and easy, fast, tasty recipes. I highly recommend it.
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Books Index
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