Italy Books

This is not a bad book at all. I honestly enjoyed it for a number of reasons. First, there are not a lot of books dealing with the Italian Campaign in WWII. This book covers one man's journey from Anzio to the Italian Alps. Second it mentions a number of military units not commonly written about, such as the joint Canadian and American 1st Special Services division and the South African 6th Armored Division.

On another note, I get the feeling that while the author was very young at the time of the war, he grew up very quickly, but still had some adolescent tendencies that he struggled with. I suppose this is part of his growing up in a twisted world. The book ends abruptly, and I won't spoil it for you. But I did enjoy the fact he admitted he came back from the war, troubled, angry, addicted to cigarettes and alcohol. Probably, because I have found myself in the same shoes.

At the age of 21, Loyd M. Wells was drafted into the army and commissioned a second lieutenant after attended O.C.S. He was later promoted to first lieutenant with the First Armored Division and saw action in North Africa, Italy, and Germany, winning the Combat Infantry Badge, the Purple Heart, and the Bronze Start. In From Anzio To The Alps: An American Soldier's Story, the late Lloyd Wells (1919-2000) leaves contemporary readers with a vividly written story about the night of February 21, 1944 when American troops came up to the caves at Anzio and what happened during the last offensive in Italy when armored infantry troops found themselves on the perimeter of a major attack. But more than just an accounting of battles and front line conditions, From Anzio To The Alps is a personal story of how young soldiers found themselves transformed by one of the most widespread and lethal wars in recorded human history. Here revealed is the humor, the sadness, the terror, and the tender moments of a war which is now remembered first hand by fewer and fewer participants more than a half-century later. A terrific read, From Anzio To The Alps is a welcome addition to the growing library of World War II biographical accounts and strongly recommended for personal and community library collections.

Lloyd M. Wells' wartime memoirs, "From Anzio to the Alps: An American Soldier's Story" is a fascinating slice of personal history. First, it is worth mentioning that this is NOT a broad perspective history or even one giving a wealth of big-picture information about the action the author was personally involved in (the Italian Campaign). While Wells tries (with some success) to place action within some context, "From Anzio to the Alps" is ONE soldier's story - as the subtitle states. The prose presented is based upon Wells' personal diaries that had lane dormant for decades before he decided to tell his story. The historical viewpoint presented by Wells, with exceptions for context, is largely from wherever Wells was at the moment he originally jotted down his feelings of the period. The reader is taken on an amazing journey with Wells from his entry into the Italian campaign (he actually started, not on the coast near Anzio as the title suggests, but near Cassino - his armored infantry unit was moved to the Anzio sector after just days before engaging the enemy) to the heady days post V-E day and Wells' 'lusts/loves' of Italy and Paris.

The personal view of war, not just combat but reflection on how the war changes men, was the most compelling and recurrent theme of this book. Wells does an excellent job pouring his heart into the story while at the same time restraining himself from being self aggrandizing (as others from the Greatest Generation have fallen victim to) or sappy. Thus the reader feels many emotions as if he/she was there with Wells and his comrades in arms. One will undoubtedly walk away from this book with a greater appreciation for how very young boys left their homes (many, if not most, for the first time) for war on foreign soils as naïve and uncultured, full of honest optimism, and through the period of a few months to a couple of years grew into cynical men with more human experience than most would have desired who were older than their years and much more appreciative of their lives. Readers can't help but empathize with veterans of foreign wars for all they go through emotionally leaving and then readjusting to civilian life.

Wells' prose is solid as they come and a reader can get through this book (251 pp.) quite fast because its text construction is so well done and the story so compelling. Anyone interested in a personal story of war told with literary zeal and engaging emotion should pick up "From Anzio to the Alps". 5 star read!!!

I bought this book because my father served in North Africa and Italy and I wanted some history on those theatres of the war, which my father had not shared with me.
Instead of another historical account, filled with facts and figures, I found a very personal story of one man's experiences.
A few pages into the book, the author offers a translation of commonly used army expletives of the time. It let me know right away that this was going to be a candid and sometimes humorous memoir.
For anyone who would like to see the war through one soldier's eyes, I would recommend this book.

The book is great for kids. I especially love that all illustrations are actually paintings!

This is a charming book and beautifully illustrated. I bought it for my 2-year-old son to prepare for our trip to Venice(and because the colorful illustration of Gaspard and Piazza San Marco caught my eye). It has quickly become one of his favorites. Yesterday he pointed to a painting of the Mendocino Coast that hangs in our dining room and said "Venice?"

Gaspard is a little black dog who loves to travel and can't wait to tell us all about his family vacation in Venice. What did he do all day, every day...visit museums and more museums. Just as the family was about to enter another museum, Gaspard sees a small red kayak and while his family's not looking, takes off in it. He paddles all over Venice, having a great time and taking in the sights until he has a little boating accident. The people is that big black gondola were sure wet and angry, so Gaspard quickly paddles on until it begins to get dark and he starts to get a little scared. But never fear...the police find him in no time, his family is so relieved they aren't even mad and they all celebrate with the very best spaghetti in the world..... Ann Gutman has written a delightful story that really captures the essence of a small childs thoughts and actions and youngsters will easily identify with Gaspard has he takes off on his little adventure. Her simple gentle text has just the right combination of humor and suspense, complete with happily ever after ending. Georg Hallensleben's beautiful and lush artwork adds just the right touch and takes readers on a wonderfully scenic tour of Venice, as they read. Like its companion book, Lisa's Airplane Trip, Gaspard on Vacation is perfect for preschoolers and beginning readers.

I'm a big fan of children's picture books. Yes, I'm nearly 40! But the best picture books transcend age and can be as much a delight for adults as for kids. "Gaspard on Vacation" and "Lisa's Airplane Trip," the first two in the Misadventures of Gaspard and Lisa series, are among the best of the year so far-- colorful and delightful stories of two travelling dogs, with whimsical and hilarious painted illustrations.

Fluffy black dog Gaspard is on holiday in Venice with his entire family, and museum after museum is getting a bit too boring for adventurous Gaspard. He runs off to explore Venice's canals in a little red kayak, leading to a mishap that shows him maybe boring museums aren't so bad after all. All's well that ends well as the entire family is re-united for dinner of "the best spaghetti in the world." George Hallensleben's painted illustrations are brilliant, vibrant, and detailed, and Ann Gutman's simple but effective story is a brisk and fun read. Afficionados of Venice will even spot local landmarks in the background as Gaspard paddles along!

I highly recommend both this and "Lisa's Airplane Trip," and I'm eagerly awaiting the other Lisa and Gaspard books. Do yourself a favor as much has your kids and pick these up--they'll quickly become favorites for both young and old.

This book, actually the catelog for an exhibit of 3 of the panels, tells you everything you want to know about the panels and the doors that are one of the signature achievements of the Renaissance. It's got well written chapters on the narratives in each panel and a detailed step-by-step description of how they were made, with beautiful diagrams.

A must read if you're going to see the panels or doors...

"The Gates of Paradise" is the title Michaelangelo gave to the extraordinary bronze doors on the Baptistery in Florence created by Lorenzo Ghiberti in the mid-1400's. This book is not a "coffee-table book" for impressing friends, but is for lovers of great art or the Italian Renaissance who want to look at beautiful photos of these doors (recently restored after years of painstaking work), and to learn more about them in a serious way. The book is a collection of essays, each focusing on a different aspect of the doors; their origin (questions of authenticity, date of the work, the extent that Ghiberti [and not his apprentices] were involved; the technical aspects of casting, and then gilding, bronze in the 15th century (how Ghiberti was truly at the leading edge of his time, not just in artistry, but in technology); the difficulty and technical aspects of restoration; and more. I found this book fascinating and would recommend it highly.

The book is excellent. Each chapter is written by a different person with his or her own area of expertise. Somewhat redundant comments at the beginning of some chapters recounting the history of the doors but overall each chapter is very good. Image quality is good and text is readily understood by the average person . . not an overly technical book and is thus good reading. However, the format of the book is absolutely stupid. Who would create a book illustrating SQUARE panels such as these and then print it in a tall rectangular format. Someone wasn't thinking and it leaves the reader longing for a full page image of each panel in its entirety. All we get are vertical slices of panels and no complete image of any of them. One of the silliest mistakes in a book I have seen. Also some pages are not numbered and the numerous notes at the end of each chapter can have you jumping back and forth a bit. We went to the exhibition in Seattle and the book was a great background read. Shortcomings aside it is well worth buying. Enjoy it! By the way I have not yet purchased the other book available here at Amazon but may yet do so.

This is the luxuriously published catalogue on the occasion of the exhibition "The Gates of Paradise: Lorenzo Ghiberti's Renaissance Masterpiece", till January 13, 2008 at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York after having been on show at Atlanta's High Museum of Art and the Art Institute of Chicago. It's about the gilded bronze reliefs on the East Doors of the Baptistery of San Giovanni, Florence (Italy), made by the Florentine sculptor Lorenzo Ghiberti between 1425 and 1452. The book contains seperate quires with photographs, mostly in detail, of the three reliefs on show: the "Adam and Eve" relief, the "Jacob and Esau" relief, and the "David and Goliath" relief, which allow the spectator to see what great masterpiece indeed Ghiberti made in his reliefs, depicting intricate scenes from the Old Testament. And these photographs do capture --since but few people will be so lucky as to see these reliefs in reality-- Ghiberti's artistry and amazing craft: his originality of invention, his majesty of designs, his vivid illusion and clarity of space as well as the diversity, intensity, and meticulousness in his depiction of the figures' physical, mental, and emotional states of mind, the aforementioned being a new realm of representation in Renaissance art. For all the expressive power and convincing vitality of human figures in early Renaissance art and their seeming to be intensely alive, only rarely are their individual and distinct states of mind and sentiment indicated if not captured the way Ghiberti managed to achieve.
The book contains very readable essays on the artist Ghiberti and on the art and innovation in his amazing reliefs. In his essay, Andrew Butterfield offers scholars and students who still put their trust in Richard Krautheimer's 1956 book on Ghiberti (the 1970 hardcover and the 1983 paperback editions are still available) convincing arguments --based on the latest research-- to question Krautheimer's methods and results (in despite of their overall importance) which are largely based on Krautheimer's basic principal of the "single-point perspective". Mr. Butterfield argues that "single-point perspective" is a system intended for the projection of space on a two-dimensional surface, whereas relief sculptures are three-dimensional and have complex surfaces. It's a basic problem that figures in a relief must have real three-dimensional volume, and consequently there must be a projection at the bottom of a relief for these figures to stand on. This being rather self-evident for us now, Mr. Butterfield pursues his point by explaining the requirements of narrative and setting that Ghiberti faced, and fulfilled, among them the direct confrontation of but a few (usually two) figures in one scene of a relief, against the necessary depiction of large groups of figures in events in the biblical history of a nation or people in another scene of the same relief. All this is connected with Ghiberti's other primary concerns: legibility and a desire for clarity. Which stresses the need to look beyond the prejudicial notion that Ghiberti was in essence a Gothic and conservative artist, as advocated a.o. by J. Pope-Hennessy ("Italian Gothic Sculpture", 1986).
Gary M. Radke's essay explores the realms of collaboration Ghiberti had to enter into and looked for. In his days, most public commissions knew a high amount of interaction and Ghiberti had manipulative relations with his patrons, at the same time furthering his own best interests. Furthermore, this book explores historical documentation on the Gates of Paradise, reconsiders the creative sequence of Ghiberti's doors, documents the now almost finished restauration and examines both Ghiberti's art of chasing and casting technique of the Gates of Paradise reliefs, abundantly supplied with photographs and illustrations giving overviews and many details of each relief under survey. There also is a chronology of Ghiberti's life. See "The New York Review of Books", Vol. LIV, Nr. 17, November 8, 2007 for a more professional review of this catalogue.

For those that are 'historically challenged' this is a story of the factual events during war time. It encompases the deep devotion of family; both genetic, and chosen. Aprehensive at first to read a 'historical' book, I found myself captivated by the fast 'what-happens-next' pace. Once reading this book, which only took 2 days; I found a fonder sense of what it is to call someone family. I recomend this book to anyone interested in a tailspin story of love, fear, friendship, and heroism.

This book tells how it actually was in WW II. The fear,the human care for one another, and most of all the elite friendship creatd by this Italian family. This book should be read by the current generation to make things right once again. Tom Brokow should be in on this one. Sincerely,

Michael E De Frank

This book tells how it actually was in WW II. The fear,the human care for one another, and most of all the elite friendship creatd by this Italian family. This book should be read by the current generation to make things right once again. Tom Brokow should be in on this one. Sincerely,

Michael E De Frank

Georgio Italiano has both emotional and dramatic qualities with dashes of humor thrown in. It is truly a testament to basic humanity, the love between husband and wife, and a son's love for his father. The author, H. D. George, quickly gains your attention and keeps it throughout the book, right down to the postwar epilogue. Photographs and newspaper articles add interest as does the copy of the dreaded Telegram from the War Department. The author has taken the wartime events of his father's life and transformed it into a riveting story!

`The Glorious Soups and Stews of Italy' is the first cookbook by culinary journalist, Domenica Marchetti, published by Chronicle Books, the old San Francisco war-horse publisher of trade paperback cookbooks. The biggest problem this book faces is the fact that there are already numerous fine books, including some outstanding titles dedicated to soups. Leading the pack among recent titles is Deborah Madison's `Vegetable Soups from Deborah Madison's Kitchen' and Anne Sheasby's `The Soup Cookbook'. Even more challenging is the glut of great Italian cookbooks.

Before comparing Ms. Marchetti's effort with other books, it is important to point out her strongest feature, which is the fact that her soup recipes are divided into the four seasons, with fifteen recipes per season. Less impressive is the fact that among her 60 featured recipes, only a minority (28) are for soups. The remaining 32 recipes are nominally stews; however, many such as the Stuffed Beef Roll in Tomato Sauce and the Oven Braised Endive look a lot more like casseroles, braises, roasts with sauces, or even frittatas than they do stews.

In comparison to Ms. Marchetti's Italian 28 soup recipes, Michele Scicolone's encyclopedic `1000 Italian Recipes' has 41 soup recipes, all of which are quite certainly soups. Also, the authoritative `Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking' by Marcella Hazan has 35 soup recipes. So, you are not really getting more soup for your dollar in this book if you already own one of these other large Italian recipe cookbooks. Another caveat I have is that while Ms. Marchetti indeed covers virtually all the different varieties of Italian soups, her recipes tend toward her interpretations or variations on classic recipes, rather than the original classics themselves.

I must be clear on the fact that the book contains more than 60 recipes, in that it includes an introductory chapter with seven (7) recipes for broths, sauces, and egg pasta. It also has a chapter of accompaniments with 11 recipes for crostinis, croutons, risotto, polenta, and tarts. So we get 78 recipes with 28 soup recipes for about $20 or $0.25 per recipe. This is getting close to being pricy, so the value of the book depends a lot on how much you like soup, and how big your collection of Italian cookbooks is already.

For this price, the author also gives us 25 pages of instruction on basic kitchen skills that the average experienced home cook can easily skip over with no danger of missing anything important. On the other hand, a novice who reads this may be struck by the irony in Ms. Marchetti's statement that you don't really need many pieces of equipment, after which she reels off 26 classes of equipment needed to make soup, including a few obvious redundancies such as a potato masher and food mill, and a few unnecessary items, such as a garlic press. Her glossary of ingredients is much better, but no better than you can get from a standard text such as Senora Hazan.

All this carping should not take away from the fact that the recipes are all very well done. My principle arguments with them are with the brodo recipes, which add the vegetables in too soon, and the egg pasta recipe that does with a food processor what a good Italian Nonna would do with the classic well method. With these good recipes, organized by season, there is also an organization within season by thinner to thicker soup, which Ms. Marchetti describes in the introduction. My problem with this is that cookbook readers don't read introductions (generally), so it would have been nice to categorize each soup plainly in a header, or in a cross table of contents of soups by type.

This is a decent, respectable book. It's main problem is that it has taken on a field in which there is a lot of stiff competition, and no aspect of the book dazzled me, unlike Ms. Madison's excellent book on Vegetarian soups. If you like the concept behind this book, but your shelves are already sagging with Italian cookbooks, I suggest you try `Twelve Months of Monastery Soups' by Brother Victor-Antoine d'Avila-Latourrette' which has over 120 soups arranged by month.

Ultimately, I think this book is great for all those who really like the seasonal cooking principle, and are always on the lookout for good books based on this idea.

Ms. Marchetti has written a wonderfully clear cookbook on a topic near and dear to my heart, the cooking of Italy. She has focussed this book on soups and stews but does include a few other dishes. I have prepared a number of her recipes and have found them to be easy to follow and, most important, delicious.

The book is laid out in seasons, winter, spring, summer and fall giving the reader the opportunity to select recipes based on what is fresh. It also includes an opening chapter of useful basics on how to make stocks, tomato sauces and pasta dough.

Unlike many cookbooks, this book contains a number of recipes that I would like to use and add to my repetoire. The mushroom soup, the sausage with lentils and the Christmas calimari are among my favorites.

I have given this book along with a ladle as a wedding gift. It is accessible for the amateur cook and to the more seasoned chef as well.

The lovely photography by William Meppem really bring the food to life.

"The Glorious Soups and Stews of Italy" is a beautifully written and produced cookbook that goes beyond mere recipes. Ms. Marchetti includes numerous anecdotes that make it a pleasure to read, and Mr. Meppem's excellent photographs make one's mouth water. The recipes are written clearly and in detail. Those we have tried so far have been very good indeed. Clearly the author has an extensive background in Italian cuisine.

Highly recommended.

We are passionate cooks who went to cooking school in Tuscany two years agao, and my huge cookbook collection has its share of Italian cookbooks. This one is unusual, though, in its emphasis on traditional family-style recipes with seasonal ingredients that nonetheless are outstanding meldings of flavor. The recipes are organized by season, with excellent commentary. Although the recipes are not particularly simple, they are clear and straightforward and do not depend on exotic ingredients or unusual tools.

The first three recipes we tried were all superb, and the Zuppa di Pesce is the best we've ever had, whether at home or in a restaurant! We are eagerly waiting to try some recipes until the ingredients come in season, and we're continuing to try the winter options. Delizioso!

Have used almost all of Margo Classe travel books through out the last 5 years and love them. Not only do they have great information about budget hotels but Margo has included wonderful, very useful informtion on what pack for the trip and needed tools for finding the hotels.

This book was very useful while planning the hotels for our trip to Italy. I recommend at least looking through the options and comparing prices on the internet.

Margo loves to travel and write about her experiences. In this guide she gives useful Italian Phrases for Hotel Reservations, tells you where to find bookstores and explores centrally located hotels in 16 Italian cities. Travelers all over the world trust the Hello guides and the first part of this book is filled with wonderful letters from people who also read books by Rick Steves and Fodor. They love how Margo personalizes the experience by giving tips on where to shop for groceries, where to find Internet cafes and even where to do your laundry. She explains why less is more when thinking about luggage and I was smiling as I read about her adventures with suitcases on cobbled streets and running through the rain.

If you want to take a trip without relying on travel agents or want to make your trip more affordable, then Margo's books have a lot to offer. Even travel agents rely on her books! This is her tenth book in the series and she wrote her book about Italy while traveling with her husband. So romantic!

You can select hotels bases on the number of people or fun things like "fabulous sea view." The chapter on Florence is very entertaining. You can choose from walking tours to day trips and the list of bookstores also has the times they are open. There are amusing details about restaurants and Margo explains where to find the best sandwiches, although the owner is a little brusque. The list of "unusual things to pack" make your trip so much more comfortable and enjoyable.

The unique thing about these books is that Margo and her husband pay for all their expenses, so you get the real and honest approach and none of the hotels or restaurants have paid to be included in this book. The pictures throughout the book make this a charming guide with a wonderful personal approach and a sense of adventure.

~The Rebecca Review

Now in an updated and expanded fourth edition, Hello Italy! The Best Budget Hotels In Italy by Margo Classe showcases centrally located hotels of superior charm and elegance in sixteen Italian cities. Here is a reference to the best budget minded accommodations to be found in Rome, Venice, Florence, the Amalfi Coast, Cinque Terre, Santa Margherita, Siena, Lucca, Cortona, and elsewhere throughout the Italian peninsula. a highly portable "take along", Hello Italy! is enhanced with useful Italian phrases for making hotel reservations, provides reliable restaurant recommendations, offers hotel websites and email addresses, provides expert travel and packing tips, even recommendations for laundromats, bookstores, and sights to see. If you are planning a budget minded vacation or business trip to Italy whether for one, two, three or four people, then begin laying out your accommodations with the invaluable help of Margo Classe's Hello Italy!

This well-written memoir is an opportunity to get a first-hand peek at a whole different culture, society and way of thinking. The author is not pretenuous at all in the almost matter-of-fact style that she uses to describe a privileged life where money was always available to provide the necessities and the luxuries. Here we see a glimpse of the reaction of the privileged class to the horrors of war when it made its way to the door steps of their salons.

The best part of the book though was the insight into the author's opinions about the philosophy of writing. Here the modern middle-class American is allowed into the thoughts and opinions of one who was raised with all the advantages of tutors, exposure to the best art in the world, and variety of influential and interesting characters who sailed through her life.

The book would have been much better had the author allowed her emotions to shine through when writing about the deaths of her loved ones. This is the only flaw in the book and this failure leaves the reader with a longing to have had more opportunity to learn the complexities of this intelligent lady.

Anyone who enjoys reading about the aristocracy will enjoy this small, spare book.

I read both the Origo books many years ago and found her company delicious. One really feels honored to enjoy the refinement and intelligence of such a writer.

I turn to this memoir whenever I need perspective on what matters in life. Origo, despite her privilege and access to many of the great figures of the 20th century, never lost sight of what mattered: the people that she loved. This is how she introduces her memoir: "It has sometimes been pointed out to me that I have had a very varied and interesting life, have lived in some extremely beautiful places and have met some remarkable people. I suppose it is true, but now that I have reached `the end game', I do not find myself dwelling upon these pieces on the board. The figures that still stand out there now are the people to whom, in different ways and in different degrees, I have been bound by affection. Not only are they the people whom I most vividly remember, but I realise that it is only through them that I have learned anything about life at all. The brilliant talk that I heard at I Tatti in my youth, in Bloomsbury in the thirties, in New York and Rome in later years, has lost some of its glitter. All that is left to me of my past life that has not faded into mist has passed through the filter, not of my mind, but of my affections. What has not warmed by them is now for me as if it had never been."

This a charming and moving account of what on the surface appears to have been a very privileged life; however the author tells her story (which at times is very sad) without 'showing off' at all.

For those who have enjoyed this book, I recommend Kinta Beevor's A Tuscan Childhood and, also, although it is about an English childhood, James Lees-Milne's Another Self. Both manage to evoke the magic of childhood in the early 20th century in settings that are closer to, say the 17th century, than to today's world.

While I studied World War II and learned about the Holocaust, it was not until I read this book that I truly understood the magnitude of the atrocities of the war. Carl Steinhouse describes both individual acts of courage and the overall sentiment of the ordinary Italian citizens and clergy that contributed to the high percentage of Italian Jews that survived the war. He relates the escalation of the persecution in the years leading up to the German occupation of Italy and offers insight into the internal conflicts faced by members of the Italian government, military and police as they struggled with the choice between following orders or personal morals. As the tide of the war changes and Germany begins to retreat, we see increasing incidences of moral victory side by side with increasingly desperate attempts of the Germans to capture Jews. He also delves into the inner workings of the Vatican and the controversial papacy of Pius XII as it relates to the protection of Jews in Italy. It is a compelling and fascinating read.

This true story is a well researched and interesting book. The author has organized and set down the events in nearly a chronological order beginning in 1924 when the relationship between Hitler and Mussolini began their strange sequence of events. Hitler came to dominate the attitudes and actions in the next several years especially in regard to the fate of the Jewish people in Italy. Mussolini wanted to be a major world leader and committed the Italian army to fight with Hitler's army in Poland and Russia. The Jewish people in Italy were not a great concern of Mussolini's while Hitler was determined to eliminate all Jews in Europe.

A fascinating story is that of the Catholic Church where the highest level of Catholic leadership made a moral judgment to keep silence over the persecution of Jews in Europe. The real heroes of this book are the clergy and ordinary Catholic citizens who collaborated in creating many ways of protecting the Jewish people including many refugees from other countries. Some of these ways were false Id's, dressing Jews as priests and nuns and hiding them in convents, churches and even in the Vatican. Many were escorted to Switzerland and later behind American and British military lines. Even many common German soldiers who were Catholic cooperated in protecting the Jews. The German leaders began rounding up the Jews in Rome where over 8,000 lived but were able to find and deport to Auschwitz 1239 of them.

Steinhouse writes a compelling account of the Jewish people in Italy and the role of the Italian clergy and people who demonstrated great courage and determination in their behavior. All history students should read this book.

As an Italian American who lived in post war Italy for a year, I found this book enlightening and compelling. The author manages to draw us into the worlds of evil and good and allows us to feel the motivations, conflicts and complexity of the major characters. The brave and the cowardly stand side by side as we try to imagine what we would do if placed in a similar situation. Courageous acts by common people give us hope for humanity.

If well written and thoroughly researched, historical novels are a fascinating and painless way to learn history. Carl Steinhouse's latest effort, Improbable Heroes, is an excellent example of this. Like his previous book, Wallenberg Is Here, the documented story of Raoul Wallenberg, a Swedish diplomat who saved thousands of Hungarian Jews by using his various skills in outwitting the Nazis, especially Adolph Eichmann, Improbable Heroes delves into the lives, circumstances, and machinations of ordinary people who perform extraordinary deeds, often putting their own lives and the lives of their families and friends in peril to fight an obvious and cruel injustice. The setting is Italy and the characters range from the generally controversial and indifferent Pope Pius XII to the most humble town folk who worked toward the goal of saving thousands of Italian Jews, ultimately destined to be transported to the camps facing a certain tragic end. Mr. Steinhouse possesses a genuine talent in his ability to make his characters, almost all based upon real people, grab the reader's heart in genuine emotion. Although, at first, the lengthy list of characters seems overwhelming, as facts and events are woven into a story of strength, passion, and ultimate success, everything fits together perfectly. Sadly, what has all too often been forgotten and neglected in Holocaust history is the recognition of the numerous people all over Europe who were bravely instrumental in not only saving thousands of Jews but in giving the Jewish people the surety that there were genuinely good and caring people willing to take such risks with their own lives in answering their own kind, loving hearts. Mr. Steinhouse once again gives these Improbable Heroes the attention they so rightly deserve. And Italy itself becomes a hero in this awful struggle for survival. For as unbeliveable as it is to think of how callous and cruel some people are, it is indeed beyond inspiring to learn how so many Italian Jews virtually owed their lives to the unending endeavors of brave Italian citizens, As a result, as Mr. Steinhouse points out, "As a percentage, the rate of survival (in Italy) was among the highest in Europe." This book is not to be missed. Submitted 4/24/06 by Barbara Kenerson

Carol Field is one of my all time favorite Italian food writers. She knows what she's talking about, always finds authentic and interesting recipes and has such respect for Italian culture and tradition. The recipes are wonderful, often simple and everything I've prepared has been absolutely delicious! I can't recommend it enough. The nonna's stories are wonderful to read as well and I'm so happy that she's captured their recipes and stories and recorded them. Her book is a treasure, just like they are. Buon appetito!

This is the second of Carol Field's books that I've read (the first one I picked up was "Celebrating Italy") and her hallmarks seem to be meticulous, yet loving, research and a writing style that manages to evoke the sights, sounds, smells, textures, and flavors of Italian cooking to a mouth-watering degree.

"In Nonna's Kitchen" is a cookbook that Field researched by going to Italy and culling time-honored, taste-tested recipes from several authentic Italian grandmothers. I have not yet tried any of the recipes, but reading them feels like good eatin'. I usually dislike cookbooks that don't feature a picture of every recipe. "In Nonna's Kitchen" contains no pictures of food, but the recipes and Field's writing on Italian cuisine and culture make pictures unnecessary.

Ah, yes, culture. It's easy to see Field not so much as a food writer, but as an eager and loving student of Italian culture. She does much honor to the Italian grandmothers who contributed to this book by providing a lengthy, colorful profile of each of them. In these profiles, the "nonne" discuss how they learned to cook, what their lives have been like, how cooking has changed over the courses of their lifetimes, etc. In addition to these formal profiles, Field includes little anecdotes about several of the grandmothers within the recipes they provided.

These are not your stereotypical black-shawled, muttering Italian grandmothers, either. They range in age from 40s-90s, and a good many of them are classically beautiful, stylish women. All of them, however, are quintessentially Italian in that they place great importance on good, simple food made from the freshest local ingredients.

I plan to buy copies of "In Nonna's Kitchen" and "Celebrating Italy" for myself; they're too good not to own. Carol Field now has the distinction of being my favorite food writer!

For lovers of Italian food in particular, but for any lover of cooking and Italy, this is a must have for your collection. Every recipe is preceded by an introduction to the Nonna (Grandmother) whose speciality it is. These Nonnas run the gamut, from sophisticated Roman and Florentine women to women from small villages, still cooking as their own Nonnas did. I've tried several of the recipes and each has been spectacular. I'm buying another copy to take as a gift for a week-long 60th birthday celebration at a villa near Sienna. Ciao!

When my mother gave me this cook book, and I saw the word 'Nonna' in the title, I got a little choked up. I also whispered to myself, "this better be good." Well...'Bravo! Ti hai fatto bene!' You have done well. Yes, the recipes are wonderful, but the mood, the stories, the history of each of these Nonnas made me smile, and made me proud. Just as in my Nonna's cooking, these ladies are the best at turning leftovers into elegance. Wonderful subtle flavors - Crostini, Polpette, the Chocolate Ameretti Pudding...all we need is a deck of cards for Scopa! I made my Nonna write down her sauce recipe for me, because if I didn't, it would have died with her, recipes are verbal traditions handed down for generations...this is cooking history. Thank you. My wife thanks you too...books like this motivate husbands to cook more often.

We have used Inside-Out City Guides in the past and love them. They are compact and easy to carry, yet have a wealth of information as well as accurate and readable maps. I used our original Rome Inside-Out guide on three trips, consulting it often, before the fold out maps fell apart! Not only have I replaced that and bought several for gifts, but added the Florence City Guide to my arsenal. The Florence guide seems to equal the quality and value of the Rome guide. I'm looking forward to giving it a real workout on our trip this coming spring.

I just got back from a trip to Italy and I purchased an Inside Out book for each of the locations I was visiting (Rome, Florence, and Venice) and these books are life savers. The maps are incredibly convenient and easy to use and the listing of what to do is a great concise overview of the main sites in Florence. The way the maps pop out is seriously cool and the books are small enough that they can fit in a large pocket (like on cargo pants) or a purse. The compass ensures you always know where you are going an the pen was extremely helpful for making notes (there is a section in the back for notes).

If you want a very detailed travel guide, this book probably isn't for you, but this is the perfect book for getting a great overview of the sites, some good restaurants and some of the best hotels. I recommend this book to take around with you as you are site-seeing as a supplement to that big heavy travel book you might be thinking of.

I couldn't imagine being in Florence and not having a handy book like this one. The book has plenty of useful information on where to eat, stay, and shop. There are useful phrases and two very detailed pop-out maps. If for no other reason, the two pop-out maps make this book well worth the money. The book is small, and I was able to easily carry it in my back pocket.

I lived in Florence and this guide fills a much needed niche. It has excellent, easy to use maps, and a good selection of restaurants, hotels. Great information on shopping, especially hard to find information on the discount outlets of Gucci and others. It's a guide for the returning traveler. (There is no point system.) It's the guide to put in your pocket to consult as you walk around. If you want the best comprehensive guide, the one to buy (if you plan to be a culture vulture for a few weeks or months) is the Blue Guide. If you get this and the Blue Guide you are ready for anything.