Thomas Wolfe's Look Homeward Angel and of Time and the River

Customer Reviews:

one of the english language's top ten!.......1997-02-12

this book will really make you think about yourself as an american man. i am a 25 year old man who lives just 6 blocks from the "Dixieland" of Thomas Wolfe's childhood and his work can truly be a remarkable thing to read while you are sitting in the surroundings of the novels "Look Homeward, Angel" and "Of Time and the River". It is very surreal because his prose is like poetry which perfectly captures this little spot of america. i love mr. wolfe and will be reading him when i drop dead!!

This is THE great American Novel.......1996-08-28

Thomas Wolfe, never at a loss for words; in fact in he has used the entire English language to evoke what is now the lost soul of The American Male. Melancholia bathes the pages and streams into the heart of the reader, urging one on to find the forgotten spirit which blessed America before this country succumbed to its death of Soul in the latter half of the twentieth century. This is The novel, and Thomas Wolfe The writer of America's heart and soul

Angel Lust : An Erotic Novel of Time Travel

Average customer rating:

Eroticsm! Time Travel! Beautiful Angels!
YAWN
IF I COULD GIVE LESS THAN 1 STAR I WOULD
Angel Lust
I really liked it!

Angel Lust : An Erotic Novel of Time Travel
Perry Brass
Manufacturer: Belhue Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

The Harvest: A Novel
The Substance of God: A Spiritual Thriller
Warlock: A Novel of Possession
The Price of Temptation
Razor Burn: A Romentics Novel (Romentics Novels)

ASIN: 1892149001

Book Description

Angel Lust combines the mystical atmosphere we see in Ann Rice's classics of dark eroticism with Brass's more open, full-throttle gay sexuality. What makes this book different from other gay "erotic" novels of fantasy is that the characters are totally real. Despite being angels, despite the element of Time travel, Bert and Tommy, the two angels who have been together since eternity, could be your neighbors. They worry about making a living, about their landlord throwing them out, and about the day-to-day struggles that all humans have. Although they have powers far beyond most of us (for instance, they can revive the dead), they understand that their human side can get them into trouble, both with the law and their own deeper feelings, just like anyone else.

The book begins with a white-hot erotic encounter between Tommy and Niko, a handsome Greek factory worker in Brooklyn. Niko, who has not at all come to terms with his homosexual feelings (divorced, he now lives with his parents and his three-year-old son, Paul), can not understand how Tommy knows so much about him. Tommy, the handsome young angel who has been looking for Niko, seems to be able to read him like a book. What Niko is not aware of is that this "book" was written almost a thousand years ago, when Tommy, then in an earlier incarnation as Thomas Jebson, a young blond serf youth, had met another handsome Greek man, who had taken his heart away. In the Law of Angels, Time is elastic. It can bend. You can ride it like a wave or cross it like a bridge. It is as negotiable as three-dimensional space. The only problem is, once there, what do you do?

Even angels (who must be reincarnated on earth) know that the past can destroy them, just as the problems of the present can.

Under the power of ecstatic sex, Tommy Angelo is able to cross the bridge of Time and return to the England of 1077, where as Thomas Jebson he met Sir Bertrand, the impetuous knight from the Land at the End of the Mountain. One night alone, the two met under a bright moon and there Sir Bertrand promised to love and protect young Thomas forever.

Thomas had been searching for a nobleman to offer him protection-this is medieval England, where that was the key to survival-but never did he believe that such a handsome young nobleman would love him sincerely as well. What young Jebson did not know was that Sir Bertrand was already an angel, and that he, too, had been searching, but had to keep his own search a secret.

Thomas and Sir Bertrand became linked with one another through a series of quests and adventures. Thomas was able to kill an evil knight out to murder Sir Bertrand, and Sir Bertrand introduced Thomas to the amazing way of knights. Many knights are secret followers of "forest love," the secret love of men practiced by the wild men who still roamed the forests of England, in Robin Hood fashion, as they had done for centuries before the Norman invasion. These men were often despised by the Church and corrupt nobles, yet they formed a secret band dedicated to real honesty and goodness.

At the behest of Sir Garet du Fontayne, Sir Bertrand's noble friend and once his secret lover, Thomas and Sir Bertrand follow a quest to kill the corrupt Baron Odred de Campe, whose gaze is like ice and who terrorizes the very land on which Thomas's parents are bound serfs. With Richard Smart, a bearded, very "hot" bear of a man who leads a forest band nearby, Thomas and Sir Bertrand sneak into the Baron Odred's fortified castle. They are given work in the Baron's filthy stables. At night, Sir Bertrand, who has heard strange rumors about the Baron, sends young Thomas out to seak out the Baron in his private chambers. Thomas is all fear, but soon learns that the rumors are true. The Baron's dark castle is a stronghold of every sort of vice and sexual excess, including services to the Demon of the Night, whom the Baron faithfully worships.

Seesawing between the New York of the Third Millennium and the violent England of the Norman conquests at the dawn of the Second, the two angels soon discover that the Baron Odred also has an incarnation: a demon in the form of Alan Hubris, the icy gay businessman who, with the help of the sleazy Mayor of New York, is trying to corner the market on all the gay real estate in the City.

Like his earlier incarnation the Baron, Hubris is all greed and insatiable desire. He now runs a gay nightclub on the East Side of Manhattan, where gorgeous boys dance almost naked and offer private "dance lessons" to wealthy customers. All of this goes on with the Mayor's blessing, despite the fact that the Mayor has closed down most gay clubs that offer sexual entertainment to men with less cash. As Hubris says: "The Mayor loves gays, especially gays with money."

Although this is a relatively short book, it offers an array of plot devices to keep you guessing, and some of the most erotic scenes ever written. Brass never uses sex gratuitously, but always to advance to plot. If you are looking for an erotic novel at least one full millennium beyond the usual "here-we-go-again" material, this is the book for you. If this is your first Perry Brass book, you'll want to go back and read his other novels, especially his science fiction trilogy. But if you are already a fan of his work, then you know what kind of thrilling ride you have in store, and you'll want to stick with it until you turn the last page.

Customer Reviews:

Eroticsm! Time Travel! Beautiful Angels!.......2007-05-08

An amazing story of two angels who have travelled down through the ages together. I loved that they were so kind, understanding and gentle with each other. Never harsh words. Only love and making love. Tommy Angelo is so innocent and pure even in his work as a [...]. People see and love Tommy and I loved this character. Especially when he gave his service and love unconditionally to Bertrand in the 11th Century,having never met him - and in return Bertrand promised that he would always protect Tommy. I loved that even though Tommy's innocence & purity of charcter still got him into got him into trouble, Bert was always there for him.Bert was there, literally, with his arms open for Tommy.I loved that Niko came down through the ages and Tommy found him. The flashback scenes to the 11th Century were never boring. Very authentic. Just added to the flavour of this most unusual novel.This was one of the most captivating and touching love stories that still combined a lot of eroticsm and graphic scenes. So beautiful, so erotic.

YAWN.......2005-12-15

I felt the eroticism was trivial and dull. The storyline is scattered. Angels that are hustlers? Give me a break! Was it suppose to shock. How long did this book take to write? One night, maybe two. Was a template used? I couldn't even feel anything for the characters. This story doesn't acheive anything. Really! Not even a fair fantasy. I would even go so far as to say it is an over-the-hill reminesence of days-gone-by.

IF I COULD GIVE LESS THAN 1 STAR I WOULD.......2002-10-30

Angel lust might possibly be the worst book I have ever had the displeasure of reading. It is poorly written with flimsy, plasic characters that offer absolutely nothing and is little more than cheap tawdry porn. If you're looking for a novel don't bother, and if you are looking for erotica you could find better material in a bathroom stall.

Angel Lust.......2001-12-20

Excellent book, a little challenging at first but once you become accustom to switching centuries, it really holds your attention. It would be a great book to begin a series with about Tom & Bert.

I really liked it!.......2001-07-10

After reading a lot of serious non-fiction this book was a great break from it all. I like the way Perry blows out the Judeo-Christian concept of angels and God being all goody-goody and making them real living beings. It's a fun, sexy, fantasy, adventure. I really enjoyed it. 4 stars because I didn't like the ending...

Average customer rating:

Clichéd drivel
Lost in a Good Book
Unusual Book
Fuzzy
Evocative poetry

A Time of Angels: A Novel (P.S.)
Patricia Schonstein
Manufacturer: Harper Perennial
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Literary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0060562439
Release Date: 2005-11-29

Book Description

Primo Verona is born with a gift of clairvoyance so strong that he is able to predict his own mother's death while still in her womb. Brought up on a rich diet of astronomy, philosophy, and storytelling, Primo accurately reads the futures of the local community who pay him in honey cake, tiramisu, and other delicacies. Pasquale Benvenuto is the owner of a beloved wine bar and delicatessen whose culinary reputation rests on recipes for the fruited breads and salamis his father taught him to make.

Together Primo and Pasquale form an easy friendship triangle with the beautiful Beatrice, Primo's wife and Pasquale's former girlfriend. But when Beatrice leaves her husband for her old love, Primo is devastated. He casts spells to spoil Pasquale's creations and to win back Beatrice -- but inadvertently conjures up an unexpected visitor.

Customer Reviews:

Clichéd drivel.......2006-07-27

This is one of the emptiest, most two dimensional books I have ever read. Schonstein repeats words such as philosophy, astronomy and "stories" ad nauseum without ever once furnishing the reader with a single description. Her idea of a deep philisophical argument is "is there a god?". Thoroughtly unoriginal and pretentious.

Lost in a Good Book.......2006-06-05

This book creates one of the bests milieus I have had the honor of stepping into. I was instantly caught up in a world of love, magic, mysticism, pain, and suffering. Though Schonstein takes time to introduce us to some interesting characters, the story, for me, is more interesting for the view of this South African community; a world where prostitutes, bakers, and various Angels walk casually into each others lives. I was grateful to have this book on a 12 hour plane ride.

Unusual Book.......2006-02-18

To tell the truth, I have never read a book quite like this. It is an excellent introduction to South African culture, an interesting examination of food, and an intriguing series of slightly vignette-style stories. While the ending was a bit unclear to me, with appearences of the supernatural, I loved the background stories about Primo and Pasquale's families. They wove an enchanting story of culture in South Africa and insight into the way people act. While this book is not one of my favorites, it deserves 3&1/2 star rating, for its excellent descriptions.

Fuzzy.......2005-02-16

Patricia Schonstein's novel is certainly interesting. It blends a bit of reality with appearances of the Madonna & Lucifer. The story was a bit confusing to me since there were so many characters from the past whose stories zigzagged back & forth with the present. The main love triangle is Beatrice who marries Primo when rejected by her lover Pasquale, only to have Pasquale 20 years later decide he wants her back. And she goes. The sequences in the Nazi era of WWII are compelling. From his father, Pasquale learns how to cook salami & fruited bread and becomes a great chef in Cape Town, only to have Primo place a spell on him that turns his salami blue & bitter. Trying to reverse the spell, Primo accidentally summons the devil, who is really a good angel taking care of God's dirty work. (Who knew!?!) Then Primo falls in love with the devil & takes him to a costume ball. The cosmic conclusion leads Primo back to where he began. Schonstein deals with some very interesting themes. However, with a rather short novel that ping-pongs back & forth between present & past, between the worldly & the supernatural, in the end it's a bit fuzzy as a reading experience. The Afrikaans references & glossary at the back help this to be an interesting international reading experience. Enjoy!

Evocative poetry.......2005-02-04

This book is written in the most captivating, moving way. I was stuck into it from page one and had to start all over again when i reached the end. The intertwined lives of the characters are wonderful and each is interesting and touching. I was really impressed with this novel! Pure poetry

Average customer rating:

Time Trip on a Moebius Strip
D, Richard Lewis
Manufacturer: Infinity Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Adventure | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 074143797X
Release Date: 2007-02-02

Product Description

Time Trip on a Moebius Strip is a science fiction mystery novel about sixteen famous people of history who disappeared and are presumed dead. In the novel they all find themselves lost in another dimension. The main character is a marine biologist who enters this other dimension by way of a vehicle riding upon a Moebius strip inside of a giant nautilus shell. On meeting all of these lost people he learns each of them have been brought to this timeless domain by a cloud. Fourteen of them have also seen an angel in their lives.

4 Novels: Remember & Kiss & Uh-oh & Guardian Angel

Average customer rating:

4 Novels: Remember & Kiss & Uh-oh & Guardian Angel
Time Life
Manufacturer: Time Life Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000JFF8VM

Average customer rating:

Angel Lust : An Erotic Novel of Time Travel
Perry; Laine, Tom (editor) Brass
Manufacturer: Belhue Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000JOIMW0

In a Time of Combat for the Angel: Three Short Novels (Five Fingers Press Book Series, No 4)

Average customer rating:

In a Time of Combat for the Angel

In a Time of Combat for the Angel: Three Short Novels (Five Fingers Press Book Series, No 4)
Peter Weltner
Manufacturer: Five Fingers Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Book Description

fiction

Customer Reviews:

In a Time of Combat for the Angel.......2007-02-20

contains the three short stories: "Dying", "Summers", and "Backswimmers".

Reflection, Time and the Novel (The International library of phenomenology and moral sciences)

Average customer rating:

Reflection, Time and the Novel (The International library of phenomenology and moral sciences)
Angel Medina
Manufacturer: Routledge
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Foreign Languages | Reference | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0710002734

Average customer rating:

The time of the Angels, a novel
Iris Murdoch
Manufacturer: Viking Press / NY
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OYKN5Y

V.I. Warshawski Series: Indemnity Only, Deadlock, Killing Orders, Bitter Medicine, Blood Shot, Burn Marks, Guardian Angel, Tunnel Vision, Windy City Blues, Hard Time, Total Recall, Blacklist, Fire Sale (Set of 12 Mystery Novels)

Average customer rating:

V.I. Warshawski Series: Indemnity Only, Deadlock, Killing Orders, Bitter Medicine, Blood Shot, Burn Marks, Guardian Angel, Tunnel Vision, Windy City Blues, Hard Time, Total Recall, Blacklist, Fire Sale (Set of 12 Mystery Novels)
Sara Paretsky
Manufacturer: Dell
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000R0E7IE

Book Description

Evil will not give up without a fight. . . .

Without the Sword of Shannara, the evil Warlock Lord cannot be defeated. Yet the quest for the mysterious talisman lies in ruins. The intrepid company of warriors assembled by the Druid Allanon to recover the magic Sword has been shattered, dispersed by the Dark Lord’s power. And young half-elf Shea Ohmsford, the last, best hope of all the races, is missing, perhaps captured . . . or worse.

The Warlock’s fearsome armies are on the march. Tens of thousands of bloodthirsty Gnomes and Trolls are poised to sweep down upon the border kingdom of Callahorn, gateway to the peaceful Southland. In mankind’s darkest hour, as Allanon desperately scours the war-ravaged countryside for a sign of the missing Shea, an extraordinary drama of hardship and courage unfolds on the desolate Streleheim Plains. There, his only companions a brash highwayman and a renegade Troll, Shea will find the Sword of Shannara tantalizingly close–and death terrifyingly near. . . .

The Sword of Shannara Part 2: The Druids’ Keep is the newest addition to the Del Rey Imagine program, which offers the best in classic fantasy and science fiction for readers 12 and up.

Customer Reviews:

serialized form of a good novel.......2007-09-17

ok, if you're following Terry Brooks's current work, you might spot the trend here. his newest trilogies have all been short works that lack resolution at the end of each individual novel until you reach the final installment.

these are all single books that have been hacked into thirds, either by the publisher or by the author, in order to make more money.

and now i'm disgusted to see that they have now split his original novel, the sword of shannara, originally published back in the 70's, in order to make even more money. seriously, this is such a blatant rip-off i'm considering a boycott of all del-ray books; too bad it wouldn't work.

Big Time Scam - ZERO ZERO Stars.......2006-09-18

This is unbelievable. It's also unfortunate since some will get duped into buying this. Shame on the publisher and shame on Amazon. Why not break into 5 books for 7 bucks a pop.....don't just be greedy, get really hoggish!

Flim Flam Scam!.......2006-07-17

5 stars for the complete Sword of Shannara novel. Great stuff. And the first of many great Shannara novels. But with this particular book offered here the money trawling publishing company is selling you only one third of the original novel. They split it into three books which cost individually the same as if you bought the Sword of Shannara novel as one book in its complete form. Did that make sense? What they are doing surely does not make sense...except to their profits! Buy the original Sword of Shannara novel and enjoy.

What is this?.......2006-06-22

Sword of Shannara is a fine book. Why'd they split it in two? What kind of peson decides that the best thing to do is split up a perfectly good story into seperate books? At least they only divided it in half (I think) instead of thirds. Seriosly, who has the idiocy to chop up a story to make it easier to sell? (In case I haven't been clear, I'm refering to Lord of the Rings)

Average customer rating:

The Sword of Shannara Druid's Keep
Terry Brooks
Manufacturer: Time Warner Books Uk
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Escape From Kathmandu
Average customer rating:

a little light reading

Adventurous unique buddy book

Some great stuff here -- and some not so great

a good fun read

One of the funniest books ever

Escape From Kathmandu
Kim Stanley Robinson
Manufacturer: Orb Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Robinson, Kim Stanley | ( R ) | Authors, A-Z | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Icehenge

Fifty Degrees Below

The Gold Coast: Three Californias (Wild Shore Triptych)

Pacific Edge: Three Californias (Wild Shore Triptych)

Sixty Days and Counting

ASIN: 0312874995

Book Description

George Fergusson works as a trek guide leading groups of tourists into the back country and occasionally assisting on serious climbs. George Freds Fredericks is anothera tall, easy-going North American who visited Nepal one year and never went home. The adventures start when George and Freds get together for a scientific expedition in search of the Yeti.

Customer Reviews:

a little light reading.......2007-01-25

This is Nepal as it was in the 80's A throwaway novel, when compared to his masterworks like the Mars Trilogy, this entertaining read is highly recommended for anyone who has trekked [or dreams of trekking] in Nepal. He evokes the Kathmandu of the late 70s and 80s perfectly - from named restaurants and hippie highpoints to the bustle, muck and medieval layers of Kathmandu and its environs. Descriptions of the town and trekking the nearby mountains ring true, although the plot itself is too thin to support much examination. It's a fun book, in the style of The Ascent of Rum Doodle.

Adventurous unique buddy book.......2006-12-12

Very imaginative, very creative. But there's definitely a young male adult audience feel to the thing. Which is fine if you like that thing, which I don't. I kept waiting for the big lesson in there, or some big meaningful connection between the stories. The second one where they climb mount everest was my favorite. The last two were my least favorite. They got too weird and dark and I've no idea where the author was going with them.
I read this on vacation. I don't think I would have finished it half-way through the Shambhala story otherwise. It would be a good idea for a TV movie for young adults.

Some great stuff here -- and some not so great.......2005-01-02

The book actually contains four novellas, with linked characters. The first two are really good. The "intercepted letter" is a standard plot technique, but Robinson pulls it off in the first novella as good as anyone ever has. And the rest of the story is just as good. Unfortunately, it is all downhill from there. The second story is almost as good, and then the third and fourth devolve into shambles. Robinson starts getting into his spiritual quest for the perfect form of society (eg. Mars trilogy, Antarctica, Years Of Rice And Salt, et al.). And it just doesn't work, especially with these characters.

But read the book for the first two stories. And who knows, the second two might fit your fancy better than they fit mine.

a good fun read.......2004-11-11

"Escape from Kathmandu" is a lively and entertaining book. It is laugh out loud funny in places as its two main protagonists engage in some way out adventures.

Beneath the far fetched plot lines there are actually many accurate and interesting insights into life in Nepal. Corruption in the government, widespread poverty, the inefficient beauracracy are all touched on in a sensitive and intelligent manner. Although if you don't know much about Nepal you might find it difficult to distinguish where the fantasy ends and reality begins in places.

All in all it is a worthy book, a great combination of comedy, adventure and travel writing.

One of the funniest books ever.......2004-11-07

I will never forget the first time I picked up this book. I was wandering through the shelves of my local bookstore and, seeing the title (which was uncannily similar to the title of a heinously bad '80s movie), I decided to glance through it.

The last thing I expected was one of the funniest, cleverest, most absorbing books I'd read in ages. I have to say that this and Connie Willis' To Say Nothing of the Dog vie for supremacy in my mind for the funniest work of speculative fiction. The second story, especially, made me laugh so hard I had to put the book down and take deep breaths. The characters are marvelous, and the situations they find themselves in are deliciously outlandish.

Go out and buy this book! I promise you won't be disappointed, as long as you leave your expectations for the genre at the door. Escape from Kathmandu is nothing if not unconventional.

Average customer rating:

Escape From Kathmandu
Kim Stanley Robinson
Manufacturer: Easton Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Leather Bound
ASIN: B000S9GP7K

Average customer rating:

Escape from Kathmandu

Manufacturer: Easton Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Leather Bound
ASIN: B000GGQ3M2

Average customer rating:

Escape from Kathmandu.

Manufacturer: Tor
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000HYZXDI

Escape from Kathmandu/Two Views of a Cave Painting

Average customer rating:

Escape from Kathmandu/Two Views of a Cave Painting

Manufacturer: Axolotl Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0939879204

Two Views of a Cave Painting/Escape From Kathmandu

Average customer rating:

Two Views of a Cave Painting/Escape From Kathmandu

Manufacturer: Axolotl
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000I86YJA

ASIMOV'S SCIENCE FICTION - Volume 10, number 10 - September Sept 1986: Escape from Kathmandu; The Glass Flower; The News from D Street; Without Belief; Landscape with Giant Bison; Down Behind Cuba Lake; Leviathan

Average customer rating:

ASIMOV'S SCIENCE FICTION - Volume 10, number 10 - September Sept 1986: Escape from Kathmandu; The Glass Flower; The News from D Street; Without Belief; Landscape with Giant Bison; Down Behind Cuba Lake; Leviathan
Gardner (editor) (George R. R. Martin; Andrew Weiner; Sally Damowsky; Avram Davidson; Nancy Kress; Bill Crenshaw) Dozois
Manufacturer: Davis Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000KDM76M

Average customer rating:

ESCAPE FROM KATHMANDU
Kim Stanley [cover art by Wayne Barlowe] Robinson
Manufacturer: Tor Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OTKBWO

Average customer rating:

Escape From Kathmandu
Kim Stanley Robinson
Manufacturer: Orb Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OTQZXI

Average customer rating:

Escape from Kathmandu
Kim Stanley Robinson
Manufacturer: Tor Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000ORCJGC

Average customer rating:

Cooking Japanese Food Made Easy

A very useful and informative book

Washoku: Recipes From The Japanese Home Kitchen

A Truly Wonderful Book

Beautiful and accessible

Washoku: Recipes From The Japanese Home Kitchen
Elizabeth Andoh
Manufacturer: Ten Speed Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
Japanese | Asian | Regional & International | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Harumi's Japanese Cooking: More than 75 Authentic and Contemporary Recipes from Japan's Most PopularCooking Expert

Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art

Bento Boxes: Japanese Meals on the Go

Mangoes & Curry Leaves: Culinary Travels Through the Great Subcontinent

Japanese Women Don't Get Old or Fat: Secrets of My Mother's Tokyo Kitchen

ASIN: 1580085199

Amazon.com

If the food of a culture has a pulse, in Japan that pulse would be called washoku. It's a set of principles in fives that takes into account color, taste, ways of preparing food, the diner's senses, and the outlook brought to bear on both the cooking and the dining experience. The result? Meals that are balanced, pleasing, invigorating, healing, and satisfying--all in ways that seep deep into the soul. It's the great good luck of the West that Elizabeth Andoh chose a life in Japan and a focus on food. Her expertise has brought forth the award-winning An Ocean of Flavor as well as countless newspaper and magazine pieces.

With Washoku Andoh takes the reader into the heart of the Japanese home kitchen. She explains the guiding philosophy then brings it into practical terms with a section on the essential washoku pantry. Her section on the washoku kitchen begins with cutting and ends with shaping and molding. Recipes are found in chapters on Stocks and Condiments; Soups; Rice; Noodles; Vegetables; Fish, Meat and Poultry; Tofu and Eggs; and Desserts.

You might never prepare an entire Japanese meal from beginning to end (though with this book in hand you certainly could), but there's no reason not to believe you wouldn't begin to include some of these recipes in an expanding foodway. The sauces and condiments are particularly exciting. As is the underlying thinking that goes into how you are cooking and why you are cooking--the washoku of it all. Not a bad lesson to learn from an exemplary teacher. --Schuyler Ingle

Book Description

"Elizabeth Andoh's groundbreaking cookbook introduces Western audiences to the age-old concept of washoku, the art of creating nutritional and aesthetic harmony at the table, one that transforms our thinking about Japanese cuisine and culture. Composed with deep scholarship and loving craftsmanship, Washoku is filled with authentic recipes and personal stories that place the Japanese cooking and dining experience in a much needed cultural perspective only an insider could share." --Grace Young, author of The Breath of a Wok

"For American cooks, Elizabeth Andoh is THE guru of Japanese cuisine. It seems there's nothing she doesn't know, her language is clear and understandable, and her recipes work. What more could you want?"

--Mark Bittman, author of How to Cook Everything

"We cook from the heart (kokoro) and express our feelings with our dishes. In this book, Elizabeth Andoh conveys the way of the Japanese kokoro through cooking to people around the world."

-- Nobu Matsuhisa

"Elizabeth Andoh's beautiful new book is not just a cookbook filled with enticing recipes, but a fascinating treatise explaining the philosophy behind Japanese home cooking and Japanese cuisine as a whole. Washoku confirms Elizabeth's stellar reputation as one of the most knowledgeable authorities on Japanese food and culture."

--Nina Simonds, author of A Spoonful of Ginger

In 1975, Gourmet magazine published a series on traditional Japanese food —the first of its kind in a major American food magazine — written by a graduate of the prestigious Yanagihara School of classical cuisine in Tokyo. Today, the author of that groundbreaking series, Elizabeth Andoh, is recognized as the leading English-language authority on the subject. She shares her knowledge and passion for the food culture of Japan in WASHOKU, an authoritative, deeply personal tribute to one of the world 's most distinctive culinary traditions. Andoh begins by setting forth the ethos of washoku (traditional Japanese food), exploring its nuanced approach to balancing flavor, applying technique, and considering aesthetics hand-in-hand with nutrition. With detailed descriptions of ingredients complemented by stunning full-color photography, the book's comprehensive chapter on the Japanese pantry is practically a book unto itself. The recipes for soups, rice dishes and noodles, meat and poultry, seafood, and desserts are models of clarity and precision, and the rich cultural context and practical notes that Andoh provides help readers master the rhythm and flow of the washoku kitchen. Much more than just a collection of recipes, WASHOKU is a journey through a cuisine that is rich in history and as handsome as it is healthful.

Customer Reviews:

Cooking Japanese Food Made Easy.......2007-07-14

Very pleased with the addition of this book to my collection. Ordering was perfect, arrival was perfect, and the happiness I have now at being able to cook for my daughter-in-law is awesome. Everything went smoothly and I am so pleased. Highest rating to a great service.

A very useful and informative book.......2007-07-12

This book is one that I would usually put in the "coffee table" genre. It is full of informative photographs, has sections on ingredients, tableware, service, recipes..... and it is beautiful have out for looks or information. It is well worth the price and that is something that is hard to find in the world of Japanese cookbooks in general. This is a huge book that is bursting with color and instructions. This is a book to add to your collection whether you cook, need a focal point for that special spot in your living room or actually want to cram your head with facts about Japanese cuisine and service.

Washoku: Recipes From The Japanese Home Kitchen.......2007-04-11

Others may better explain the concept of Washoku and its five harmonies applied when making a meal(harmony in color, palate, cooking method, senses and outlook). For me the value of this book has been its wonderfully thourough (almost encyclopedic) description of japanese ingredients, its illustrations, what a Japanese pantry would include (the essentials), instructions on how to prepare, tools needed, how to store, what to expect from foods (e.g. smells that we might not recognize and mistake for spoilage). I constantly refer to it as I use other Japanese cookbooks.

A Truly Wonderful Book.......2007-03-12

For a country so obsessed with food, why is it that we never take the time to really think about the way we eat the particular foods on our table. Do we ever consider the texture and color when preparing a meal? Is it at all important that the items on our plate achieve a certain harmony with each other? What do we know about our methods of food preparation in spiritual terms? And why is it that we only think about our stomachs at mealtime and not our metaphysical hunger? Because we just don't. It has no place in our culture of Fast Food and microwave-ready dinners.

It's only when you pick up Elizabeth Andoh's book, Washoku: Recipes From The Japanese Home Kitchen, that you begin to see how simple it is to think in these terms. Andoh talks about discovering the art and science of the food of her adopted country, her monther-in-law's Japanese home kitchen and lengths she went in preparing not only healthy meals but truly fulfilling dishes made with order and harmony.

Washoku explains the philosophy of thinking about the balance of color, taste, texture, technique, and ingredients in a meal. Andoh, In short, teaches you how and why each meal should feature five colors, five flavors, five cooking techniques and engage all five senses. The fifth principle, based in Buddhist practices, urges cook and diner to be mindful of the work that went into the meal, to be grateful, to put aside ill feelings, to eat for spiritual as well as physical well-being.

It is a truly wonder book. I couldn't wait to add it to my kitchen bookshelf.

Beautiful and accessible.......2007-03-11

After using a library copy of this book for several weeks, I am definitely purchasing my own copy. It's a beautiful book, yes, but more important, the recipes are easy to use and produce a fairly authentic flavor with little fuss and bother. I have one slight suggestion for future volumes by Andoh and other Japanese cookbook authors. It would be extremely helpful if the names for ingredients (in the ingredient glossary) would be given in both romaji and Japanese characters. When shopping, I often find products that are made in Japan and labeled only in Japanese. Since my reading knowledge of Japanese is extremely limited, it's difficult to figure out what the item is exactly. With hiragana and/or kanji labels in the book, one could compare to the product label and shopping would be far easier!

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books