Where Nests the Water Hen

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Where Nests the Water Hen
G. Roy
Manufacturer: Harcourt Brace
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000GKO8A2

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Where Nests the Water Hen
G. Roy
Manufacturer: McCelland & Stewart
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000URBY4Y

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There aren't enough books like this one

Where Nests the Water Hen
Gabrielle Roy
Manufacturer: New Canadian Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Classics | French Canadian | Canadian | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Roy, Gabrielle | ( R ) | Authors, A-Z | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0771091257
Release Date: 1988-09-19

Book Description

The story of Where Nests the Water Hen is as pure as the lives of the people in it – and as unforgettable. Set in the remote wilderness of northern Manitoba, this sunny, tender idyll of daily frontier life captures, as few novels ever have, the spirit and the surroundings of the pioneers – not the adventurers and trailblazers who make the headlines, but rather the humble folk who follow after and remain, living out their lives in obscurity to keep the trails open.

Where Nests the Water Hen, Gabrielle Roy’s second novel, is a sensitive and sympathetic tale that captures both the innocence and the vitality of a sparsely populated frontier.

Customer Reviews:

There aren't enough books like this one.......2005-01-01

I read this novel when it turned up in a batch of old books someone passed along to us many years ago. It shares the quality of some of A. J. Cronin's novels, of seeming to be only a quiet story about obscure people, but lingering in the memory by virtue of the interest we feel in the characters. I'm delighted to see that it has been reissued.

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Where Nests the Water Hen.
Gabrielle Roy
Manufacturer: Maclelland and Stewart 1961. (New Canadian Library)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Where Nests The Water Hen
Gabrielle Roy
Manufacturer: New Canadian Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

Average customer rating:

Australian SF Reader

Not good.. not good at all

Hard to rate...

Story line hard to find but worth the hunt

Snooze Alert
The Ill-Made Mute (The Bitterbynde, Book 1)
Cecilia Dart-Thornton
Manufacturer: Aspect
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Contemporary | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
General | Series | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

The Lady of the Sorrows: The Bitterbynde Book II (The Bitterbynde, Book 2)

The Battle of Evernight (Bitterbynde Trilogy 3)

The Iron Tree: Book One of The Crowthistle Chronicles

Weatherwitch: Book Three of The Crowthistle Chronicles

The Well of Tears: Book Two of The Crowthistle Chronicles

ASIN: 0446610801

Amazon.com's Best of 2001

This first novel by Australian writer Cecilia Dart-Thornton begins the Bitterbynde series, the saga of a young woman's search for her past as well as her destiny. An orphaned refugee taken in as a servant of powerful Isse Tower, a prominent Relay Station in the world's communications network, the main character is a nameless, badly scarred mute with little hope for better--until he escapes by stowing away on a magical Windship and is befriended by cheerful Sianadh, a self-professed madman and adventurer. Sianadh gives his companion two precious gifts: a name, Imrhien, and the knowledge that he is really she, raised as a boy to protect her from even worse treatment. Together, the two journey into the deep green heart of a great forest, defeat the tricky magics of various eldritch wights, and discover a vast treasure that will change their lives forever. When Imrhien learns of Maeve One-Eye, a healer who may be able to repair her scars and restore her memory, the girl is determined to seek her out. On the dangerous trip west, Imrhien meets and falls in love with the Dainnan ranger Thorn, but doubts he could ever return her affections. While this novel doesn't stand well alone, readers who crave long and detailed journeys through fantastic lands filled with magical creatures will enjoy Imrhien's travels. Dart-Thornton's world takes many traditional elements of epic fantasy and manages to stir them into something charming and new. --Charlene Brusso

Book Description

This first novel by Australian writer Cecilia Dart-Thornton begins the Bitterbynde series, the saga of a young woman's search for her past as well as her destiny. An orphaned refugee taken in as a servant of powerful Isse Tower, a prominent Relay Station in the world's communications network, the main character is a nameless, badly scarred mute with little hope for better--until he escapes by stowing away on a magical Windship and is befriended by cheerful Sianadh, a self-professed madman and adventurer. Sianadh gives his companion two precious gifts: a name, Imrhien, and the knowledge that he is really she, raised as a boy to protect her from even worse treatment.Together, the two journey into the deep green heart of a great forest, defeat the tricky magics of various eldritch wights, and discover a vast treasure that will change their lives forever.When Imrhien learns of Maeve One-Eye, a healer who may be able to repair her scars and restore her memory, the girl is determined to seek her out.On the dangerous trip west, Imrhien meets and falls in love with the Dainnan ranger Thorn, but doubts he could ever return her affections.While this novel doesn't stand well alone, readers who crave long and detailed journeys through fantastic lands filled with magical creatures will enjoy Imrhien's travels.Dart-Thornton's world takes many traditional elements of epic fantasy and manages to stir them into something charming and new. --Charlene Brusso

Download Description

The Stormriders land their splendid winged stallions on the airy battlements of Isse Tower. Far below, the superstitious servants who dwell in the fortress's lower depths tell ghastly tales of evil creatures inhabiting the world outside, a world they have only glimpsed. Yet it is the least of the lowly--a mute, scarred, and utterly despised foundling--who dares to scale the Tower, sneak aboard a Windship, and then dive from the sky. The fugitive is rescued by a kindhearted adventurer who gives it a name, the gift of communicating by handspeak, and an amazing truth it had never guessed. Now the girl Imrhien begins a journey to distant Caermelor, to seek a wise woman whose skills may change her life. Along the way, Imrhien must survive a wilderness of endless danger. For the hearthside tales are all true. The unhuman wights are real in all their legions. They haunt every pool, every turn in the road, and threaten and torment all travelers. Lost and pursued by these monsters, Imrhien is saved by Thorn, a mysterious Dainnan ranger whose gallantry and courage are matched only by his martial skills. He becomes the girl's constant protector, steadfast and unstoppable. But, unknown to them, a deadly plot is unfolding, as a dark force summons the malignant hordes of Unseelie, and foul things amass in the night. And as the journey grows longer, as the challenges grow more deadly, Imrhien discovers something more terrifying than all the evil eldritch wights combined: The girl with an angel's soul and a gargoyle's face is falling in love with Thorn.

Customer Reviews:

Australian SF Reader.......2007-08-01

I could not make myself finish this. Horribly twee, with too much forced floweryness. You could give it a rating of 5 florids out of 5, perhaps! Anyway, it is possible younger girls may enjoy this, but for a fantasy of kid hidden away, must escape and do great things after being a servant, then it is pretty easy to find dozens of more worthwhile books, whether for young people or adults.

Not good.. not good at all.......2007-06-20

I am shaking my head in bewilderment at all the rave reviews here. I have never had such a hard time reading a book. I felt like I was forcing myself through never-ending sludge. The author certainly proves she has an expansive vocabulary and a wild imagination, but her style is anything but engrossing. After 100 pages I couldn't care less about the characters or storyline. I do not recommend buying this book. It was not what I expected at all.

Hard to rate..........2007-05-21

The Ill-Made Mute is the first book in the Bitterbynde trilogy (before The Lady of Sorrows and The Battle of Evernight).

The story starts on the lower floors of Isse Tower, the huge, black relay fortress of the Stormriders and their winged steeds. Down in the servants' quarters, an ugly, deformed and mute foundling is raised by an old crone.

Hearing terrifying stories about the evil creatures that dwell in the outside world, but constantly bullied not only by the lordly inhabitants of the upper levels but even by the other menials, the child one day scales the walls of the tower and escapes aboard a Windship.

Soon the flying vessel is attacked by pirates though, and crashes in the forest. The youth is rescued by and Ertishman called Sianadh, taught hand-speak and given a name: "Imrhien". Together they start a journey through the woods, and face the attacks of numerous monsters, one looking for treasure, the other for a wise woman who could heal those disfiguring scars.

This book is actually hard to rate... Cecilia Dart-Thorton's style is elaborate, alas sometimes to such an extent as to be difficult to read. Her use of clever words, mostly for the purpose of lovely alliterations, is somewhat hindering (at least for an non-native English speaker like me).

Same thing about the plot... The first chapters in Isse Tower have descriptions that can really make your head spin from vertigo. Then the story seems to stall: the companions meet so many wights, often grostesque or simply annoying, in the forest, they barely make any progress (those familiar with the Final Fantasy game franchise probably know what I mean). Thankfully, the story eventually picks up again in the last chapters, when Imrhien and Sianadh's nephew, Diarmid, meet a Dainnan warrior, Thorn. Now I'm eager to go on with the next book!

Story line hard to find but worth the hunt.......2007-03-09

If you're looking for a different twist on your run of the mill fantasy than you'll want to read this book. WARNING, do not read the book summary, it completely spoils a couple of the best plot twists! Ok first of all, as many others have said, there's a lot of crap to drudge through but the story line is so amazing that it's definately worth it. You know how JRR Tolkien can go on and on for pages about what seems like every tree in the forest? Well Cecilia is like that with rooms. She'll tell you all kinds of stuff that you don't really care about and has nothing to do with the storyline. Sometimes I don't think she's satified until she's told you what every item in the room is, where it is, what it looks like, what it contains, how long it's been there, what it's used for, and let's not forget how it's feeling at the moment. Also Cecilia has a tendency to go on quite a few simile rampages. In reading this book it quickly become obvious that Cecilia's vocabulary is absolutey immense; so why she chooses to drastically over use "like" and "as" is beyond me.

Now after all this you may wonder why I gave it [....] Well like I said before the story line is worth it. Plus it's really not so bad once you've mastered the fine art of skipping past long unnecessary descriptions. Although, do read all the folk tales being told at the beginning. They seem pointless and aren't overly interesting, but they are important to the story line later on, especially if you continue reading the series.

Snooze Alert.......2006-10-21

I was unable to finish this book. I trudged through the first 120 pages,
then, which I have never done with a book before, threw it aside and never looked back at it again.

I understand it takes time to get a story set-up and rolling, and it looked like it was in the very beginning. It seemed somewhat intriguing, but then it suddenly stopped, and aside from 2 actual incidents of something happening, the rest was a bunch of people telling tales of folklore, which are old stories we have heard before, told just slightly different.

I have read Robert Jordan's Wheel Of Time series, and as long winded and sometimes boring as it gets, it had nothing to compare to this.

In all fairness, I should have been fore-warned by the title...The Ill-made Mute pretty much tells you the main character has no voice, and though the author uses many words, has no actual voice either.

The Ill-Made Mute (The Bitterbynde Series Book 1)

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The Ill-Made Mute (The Bitterbynde Series Book 1)
Cecilia Dart-Thornton
Manufacturer: Books In Motion
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

Product Description

The Ill-made Mute (The Bitterbynde Trilogy)

Average customer rating:

Start of a weirdly beautiful trilogy

The Ill-made Mute (The Bitterbynde Trilogy)
Cecilia Dart-Thornton
Manufacturer: Tor
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

ASIN: 0330489550

Customer Reviews:

Start of a weirdly beautiful trilogy.......2005-11-07

Cecilia Dart-Thornton's Bitterbynde trilogy reminds me of "The Worm Oroborous" by ER Eddison or "The King of Elfland's Daughter" by Lord Dunsany, in its power to describe a new and dream-like world. Reading "The Ill-Made Mute" was like looking through a series of Aubrey Beardsley drawings---the detail was minute, intense and unforgettable. There was so much description, it almost overwhelmed the plot.

In fact, there isn't much plot. This is a story of a mute, facially-scarred amnesiac who sets out on a journey to find someone with the right kind of magic to heal her. The plot is the journey, or the journey is the plot. Along the way, the ill-made mute interacts with flying horses, flying galleons, an Irishman straight out of a Mike and Pat joke, a treasure cave, unstorms, pirates, King's rangers, and eldritch wights. There is plenty of drama, and wondrous sights to see along the way. Read slowly and savor the rich text. Journey's end is only partially satisfying, but a wonderful sequel has already been published--"The Lady of the Sorrows"---I've already read it and it's even better than "The Ill-Made Mute." The third book of the trilogy, "The Battle of Evernight," came out in April, 2003 and wasn't quite as good as the first two, but you should still read it for the rather puzzling climax to the series.

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The Ill Made Mute: Bitterbyde Book 1
Cecilia Dart-Thornton
Manufacturer: Tor
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0330363719

Average customer rating:

A Beautiful Story

Ill-Made Mute
Cecilia Dart-Thornton
Manufacturer: MacMillan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Customer Reviews:

A Beautiful Story.......2004-02-21

The editorial review doesn't do the book justice. It is a beautiful tale. Parts made me teary and others made me smile. I really enjoyed it and am looking forward to reading the sequel.

The Ill-Made Mute - The Bitterbynde Book 1

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The Ill-Made Mute - The Bitterbynde Book 1
Cecilia Dart-Thornton
Manufacturer: Pan Books / Macmillan Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0732910978

The Ill-Made Mute: The Bitterbynde, Book 1 (Unabridged)

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The Ill-Made Mute: The Bitterbynde, Book 1 (Unabridged)
Cecilia Dart-Thornton
Manufacturer: audible.com
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Download
ASIN: B000VMRMGC

Book Description

One of the greatest imaginative feats of the twentieth century: Gormenghast is the vast, crumbling castle to which Earl Titus Groan is lord and heir. Titus must contend with treachery, manipulation and murder as well as his own longing for a life beyond the castle walls.

Customer Reviews:

THE PEAKE OF CREATIVITY.......2007-08-04

I have been reading some of the more negative reviews of these books and decided it was time to update my remarks. Let me put it this way: Gormenghast, (like the Magic Theater in Hesse's STEPPENWOLF) is NOT for everybody. It is, indeed, just as great as others (including myself) have said. But! If you're a big fan of action--you won't find that here. If your particular bane is a lot of descriptive passages---flee these books as you would the Bird Flu.

HOWEVER: If you're in the mood for a slower read that inundates you with the wonderful power of the English language---then these books are for YOU!!! In THAT sense, this trilogy is perfect. This is the way the Masters USED to do it. Peake uses English the way Virgil used Latin...in other words, he had the vocabulary DOWN, man, and he shows it and there are a lot of loverly sounding (and emotionally evocative) words that we rarely encounter in the works of more modern writers that are, nevertheless, part of our heritage...and you will find a great many of THOSE here.
But, as I say, it isn't for everybody. It's for madmen only.Titus Groan (Gormenghast Trilogy)

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Titus Alone (Gormenghast Trilogy, 3)

Manufacturer: Ballantine
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
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TITUS GROAN - VOLUME 1 OF THE GORMENGHAST TRILOGY

ASIN: 0345730097

Product Description

First printing of Ballantine's "revised, illustrated" edition, with cover by Pepper and line drawings by the author (who was himself a highly-regarded illustrator).

THE GORMENGHAST TRILOGY (The Titus Books) Book (1) One: Titus Groan; Book (2) Two: Gormenghast; Book (3) Three: Titus Alone

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THE GORMENGHAST TRILOGY (The Titus Books) Book (1) One: Titus Groan; Book (2) Two: Gormenghast; Book (3) Three: Titus Alone
Mervyn (introduction by Anthony Burgess) Peake
Manufacturer: Methuen; Mandarin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000ML43OQ

THE GORMENGHAST TRILOGY (The Titus Books) Book (1) One: Titus Groan; Book (2) Two: Gormenghast; Book (3) Three: Titus Alone (Ballantine Adult Fantasy Series)

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THE GORMENGHAST TRILOGY (The Titus Books) Book (1) One: Titus Groan; Book (2) Two: Gormenghast; Book (3) Three: Titus Alone (Ballantine Adult Fantasy Series)
Mervyn Peake
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000NPCTGK

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Gormenghast Trilogy Titus Groan, Gormenghast, Titus Alone Boxed Set

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Gormenghast Trilogy Titus Groan, Gormenghast, Titus Alone Boxed Set
Mervyn Peake
Manufacturer: Penguin Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000TC6I9Q

Product Description

3 volume set, Titus Groan contains 8 illustrations by the author.

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The coming of age of the Earl of Gormenghast

The Gormenghast Trilogy: Titus Alone
Mervyn Laurence Peake
Manufacturer: David Mckay Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

Customer Reviews:

The coming of age of the Earl of Gormenghast.......2000-06-03

Titus has fled Gormenghast and adventured out into the world. I won't tell you about what happens to him out their, but I will tell you this: Titus's conflict between his pride in his linege and his desire to be free breaks out into all out war. He desires to be home with the people he loves but the person he love's most, Fuchsia his sister, is dead and he loathes the mind numbing ritual and arbitary laws of Gormenghast. As he travels out he finds oppression everywhere, a police force that holds terror in the population of the unnamed land he visits, a thug who tortures and oppresses a refuge woman. Titus makes and looses friends, enemies, and lovers. His sanity is questioned (Peake was falling pray to hereditary insanity when he wrote this). After much pain and grief, he finally comes to terms with himself and his heritage and finds independence. This is the story of Titus's growth to manhood. In the end we are shown what makes us who we are.

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Gormenghast, Titus Groan; Titus Alone

Manufacturer: Folio Society
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000HZGP0M

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TITUS ALONE

Manufacturer: Ballantine
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000FMK22O

Average customer rating:

Gormenghast trilogy - could it be read better by anyone else?
Frustrating.
Barely related to the first 2 books
Awesome Virtuosity
A new beginning rather than an ending

Titus Alone
Mervyn Peake
Manufacturer: Overlook TP
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Epic | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 1585679925
Release Date: 2008-02-26

Book Description

With Overlook's new single-volume republication of Mervyn Peake's timeless Gormenghast novels in individual volumes, readers everywhere have embraced Titus Groan all over again. Peake's trilogy is an undisputed classic of epic fantasy, and finally Titus Alone, the final volume in the series, is available again.

As the novel opens, Titus, lord of Castle Gormenghast, has abdicated his throne. Born and brought to the edge of manhood in the huge, rotting castle, Titus rebels against the age-old ritual of which he is both lord and prisoner and rushes headlong into the world. From that moment forward, he is thrust into a stormy land of a dark imagination, where figures and landscapes loom up with force and vividness of a dream--or a nightmare.

This final installment in the Gormenghast trilogy is a fantastic triumph--a conquest awash in imagination, terror, and charm.

Customer Reviews:

Gormenghast trilogy - could it be read better by anyone else?.......2005-11-12

I began to fall for the wonders of the world of Titus and Gormenghast after reading Titus Groan. The complexity and intensity of the language at times feels more like poetry than prose. For more info on the trilogy itself read the editorial review at http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0879516283/103-7360864-2418208?v=glance&n=283155&v=glance. If you can imagine Dickens writing gothic fantasy with the linguistic range of a poet then you are close. After buying the Audiobook trilogy by Michael Williams I can't recommend it highly enough. His voice is as rich as the characters that he is required to give life to. By turns crackling, humorous, bitter, angry, pathetic, depressed, ludicrous: Michael Williams voice catches the many moods and characters of these world's inhabitants and manages to convey the spidery, rasping, cloistered, dark and gothic atmosphere. If Amazon don't have it ask them to stock it! Also don't be put off by what some people say about the third book the third book is a classic if only for the character of Muzzlehatch.

Frustrating........2004-06-07

This is the third and last volume of the Gormenghast trilogy (after Titus Groan, and Gormenghast).

In this book, we follow Titus, now almost twenty, as he escapes from the Castle, flees its oppressive Ritual, and becomes lost in a sandstorm. Helped by the owner of a travelling zoo, Muzzlehatch, and his ex-lover Juno, he ends up in a big city. Of course, no one there has ever heard of Gormenghast, and the general opinion is that the boy is deranged, and with no paper, he's soon arrested for vagrancy.

Hopefully, there are a few people who believe in his story, or at least who are intrigued by it, and they try to help him. And now Titus, the deserter, the traitor, longs for his home, and looks for it all the time to prove, if only to himself, that Gormenghast is truly real.

I don't know how closely Titus Alone actually follows Mervyn Peake's intentions before mental illness struck him, but this final volume is indeed chaotic. Its characters and style, its setting and atmosphere have little to do with both previous books. Or maybe it's just me who didn't understand anything, but nevertheless, all I felt was bitter frustration.

Barely related to the first 2 books.......2002-06-22

This is supposed to be part 3 of the trilogy, but it has VERY little to do with the first 2 books (both of which I loved, BTW). The only thing in common with the first books is the character of Titus (who was a baby in the first book, so was really only a character in the second book). The first 2 books spend much (most) of their time in a rather enchanting world that is confined to a castle and the immediate area around it, yet none of this book takes place there. Much more disturbing, however, is this volume takes place in a VERY different time period than the first two books. The first 2 take place in a castle that is lit by candles and has no visible technology (the only thing that is described that was invented in the last 800 years is a reference to "guns", but they are never used and it is unknown how primitive the "guns" would be). In this book they have cars, airplanes(!), and tiny self propelled spy devices that don't even exist today! (Not to mention helmets that give you superhuman strength, and other fantastic future things - it goes from medieval castle straight to comic-book future). It is not even internally consistant - one woman flys an airplane to visit a ruin she last saw during a failed expedition to explore the unknown in one direction, an expedition that had to quit because of an unpenatratable LINE OF TREES (were the trees so tall they could stop the airplanes?). At "plot" is barely in existance, and has lots of people doing things for no rational or decernable reason (really a stark contrast to the first 2 stories, which went to some length to give you insight into the characters).
Read the first two, then skip this one - it is not only not in their league, it will actually diminish your remembered enjoyment of the first two.

Awesome Virtuosity.......2000-06-03

To my knowlege, the only thing ever written in the English language that even comes close is Shakespeare's latter plays. For characterization, plot, description, humor, pathos and sheer gothic intensity and wonder, Peake's Gormenghast trilogy may be without parallel in all of human literature.

Read it and find out what the English language is capable of.

A new beginning rather than an ending.......1999-10-30

I enjoyed this book very much but it IS rather different from the preceding novels (Titus Groan, Gormenghast), which are really complete as a pair. Though related it is not necessary to have read them in order to follow the action of this story.

Young Titus Groan, Lord of Gormenghast after his Father's assassination and the death of the villainous Steerforth, decides to set out to see something of the world beyond the eccentric traditions of his decayed and moribund realm. He finds a decaying and eccentric city, where he makes some allies as he becomes a nine-days wonder.

Peake excelled at depiction of a monstrous and decaying world filled with wierd eccentrics. If you like that kind of thing, you'll love this book!

Average customer rating:

A real gem.

Great soup!

A great cookbook

Best Soup Cookbook....here's why

Best cookbook purchase I've ever made

Saved By Soup: More Than 100 Delicious Low-Fat Soups To Eat And Enjoy Every Day
Judith Barrett
Manufacturer: William Morrow Cookbooks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Baking | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
Soups & Stews | Meals | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
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Tanita BC533 Glass Innerscan Body Composition Monitor

ASIN: 0688153003

Amazon.com

Soup seems to revive the spirit even as it contents the stomach. In Judith Barrett's case, it also helped her lose 10 pounds. These low-fat and reasonably low-calorie soups, she claims, provided filling comfort as she cut back on calories and on the overall quantity she ate, helping her lose weight and keep it off.

The 100-plus recipes in Saved by Soup contain, at maximum, three grams of fat per three-quarter-cup portion. (Most of us eat more than that, and in restaurants a serving is at least a full cup.)

Barrett explains how to de-fat homemade stocks and store-bought broth. Her recipes start with a light, clear consommé graced with angel hair pasta and fine strips of fresh spinach, then progress to hefty Pasta e Fagioli, a section on chowders, chicken soups both thick and thin--including one with fluffy matzoh balls--and verdant spring soups like Creamy Watercress. There are rustic Italian minestre and chilled soups for summer. Perhaps best of all are chili-spiked Racy Red Lentil and clever, chunky Summer Fruit "Minestrone," a melange of fruit cut up in mint-perfumed orange juice.

The nutritional analysis provided for each recipe proves Barrett's point--that soups can be both lean and flavorful. Glorious color photos show that they can also be eye filling. --Dana Jacobi

Book Description

There is no better way to tap into today's soup craze than with this glorious cookbook, filled with more than 100 deliciously low-fat soup recipes. Author Judith Barrett lost pounds and inches using these mouthwatering recipes, each of which contains less than three grams of fat per serving. And cutting the fat posed no bar to creating soups with incredible flavor -- Black Mushroom and Spinach Wonton Soup and Creamy Fennel Soup with Shrimp both contain only one gram of fat.

Barrett offers soups to be savored for every season. In the fall, Creamy Carrot Soup or Roasted Beet Borscht will delight you. Winter Squash Soup with Thyme or Real Gumbo with Okra and Chicken is sure to take the edge off the cold during the snowy months. Come springtime, there is Vidalia Onion Soup or Arugula Vichyssoise, and to beat the summertime heat, make a batch of Cool Cucumber and Yogurt Soup or Creamy Tomato Bisque with Shallots and Tarragon. You have a veritable calendar full of soup's pleasures at your fingertips. Soups "from the sea," like Mediterranean Fish Stew and New York Red Clam Chowder, will leave a briny tingle on your palate. If it's legumes you crave, try one of the unbeatable bean soups: Lentil and Portobello Mushroom Soup, Miami Black Bean Soup, Lemony Chickpea and Escarole Soup. Or experiment with the variety of international soup recipes that are offered, from Japanese Dashi with Soba and Scallions to Chinese Cabbage Soup with Cellophane Noodles to Italian Minestra of Swiss Chard and Rice.

Customer Reviews:

A real gem........2006-10-29

Even though I almost never cook, the soups in this book are *so* simple and *so* tasty that I use it regularly. The format of the book is wonderful and the recipes extremely easy to understand and follow. Oh, and did I mention that they are delicious?! Do yourself a favor and make double quantities and freeze what you can't use right away. That way you can have tasty soup at hand through the winter.

Great soup!.......2006-02-23

I have already tried a few of the soups in this book, and they are delicious. Easy to make -- even a beginner can master these! A wonderful purchase for a cold winter day.

A great cookbook.......2004-12-06

I've never written a review or a fan letter before, but we just had the Zuppa of Farro with Tomatoes and Spinach for dinner, and I felt compelled to do something. It was wonderful, as was almost every soup we've had from the book. The only one that wasn't exquisite was at least very good - at least as good as you'd get in most good restaurants. We've used twelve of the recipies. Eleven were exquisite and one very good. We would have had more, but it's hard not to want the same ones over and over.

This is a great cookbook.

Best Soup Cookbook....here's why.......2004-10-09

If you want to make healthy, high-flavor soups that meet or beat soups found in the best restaurants, try the recipes in this book. They are no-fail, easy, and most of the 106 recipes use items people stock in their kitchen. My favorite soups from this book have become staples of my cooking repertoire and I've served them for everyday meals and for dinner parties. Before I married my soup-loving husband 18 months ago, I searched many cookbooks for soup recipes (and still do), and Saved By Soup is the best collection I've found. When a friend gave us a box of fresh, home-grown tomatoes last month, I made the Creamy Tomato Bisque with Shallots and Tarragon. It tasted like something you'd be served in a good bistro. My husband loved it. The Old-Fashioned Split Pea Soup, The Comfort Chicken Soup with Rice and Spinach (go easy on the cumin and nutmeg), Old-Fashinoned Chicken Noodle Soup and Pasta E Fagioli are all winners. The liquid from the Tropical Fruit Soup has become my standard fruit salad dressing and the Pear and Red Wine Soup makes a great dessert. Buy the book and an immersible stick blender and you are ready to go. If you want a second soup cookbook, I recommend Williams-Sonoma "Soup" and try the Puree of Vegetable Soup. Enjoy.

Best cookbook purchase I've ever made.......2004-01-23

This is by far my favorite cookbook. I am actually not much of a cook (though I have lots of cookbooks-go figure!) but I use this one all the time. I've made about a dozen of the soups and I've loved them all. The recipes are easy, delicious and simple to follow.

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