Dunne Books

What happens when the past knocks on the door of an irreverent and disgraced Presidential Press Secretary? You get Spinning Dixie.

Jonah Eastman resigns from the job he loves, but before he even gets a chance to reflect on how he committed career suicide, a beautiful stranger delivers an envelope containing a shadowy message from his former lover, Claudine Polk. Claudine is in the fight of her life over her ancestral home, Rattle & Snap, and desperately needs his help. Jonah's past has caught up with him, unavoidably forcing him to recount how his family's ties to the Mafia brought him and Claudine together--the most confusing and scintillating woman of his life.

Spinning Dixie is a witty and delightful book that portrays colorful Mafioso characters mixing it up with families of Tennessee whose histories date back to the civil war. This odd combination makes for an entertaining story that revealed Eric Dezenhall's ability to combine insight with clever humor. As Jonah reminisces about his past, the author beautifully describes a young man's bewilderment about love and women as he reflects sage perspective on why history did not unite Jonah and Claudine.

Since reading this book, I have been recommending it to friends who are looking for a good laugh. I am looking forward to reading more books written by Eric Dezenhall. The author tells us that he started this book in the 1980 when he was 18. All these years later, he finished it--and aren't we lucky.

FYI: Rattle & Snap is a real plantation in Mt. Pleasant, Tennessee and it is listed in the National Registry of Historical Places. It was at one time owned by the Polk family in 1800, but not the Polk's he references (his characters are purely fictional).

Armchair Interviews says: Need a good laugh? Read Spinning Dixie.

Jonah Eastman has the power of a fictional wizard in his position as Presidential Press Secretary as well as being the Ivy League educated grandson of a Jewish mob boss. Career making and breaking headlines appear and disappear with one phone call from the middle aged spinmeister, the general public chases stories that Jonah creates to minimize the shortcomings of others he represents.

In Spinning Dixie, Jonah's unresolved adolescent feelings for Claudine Polk, a beauty from a prominent Southern family, become the motivator for the spin job of his life at Claudine's request. Jonah manages to turn the best of his slick Jewish and Italian South Jersey upbringing and White House connected résumé into a witty, powerful tool to help the Polk's keep control of their historic plantation.

The most impressive quality about Jonah Eastman whose zany approach towards "business" is his respect and humility for the quiet people wiser than he is and his ability to maintain composure and stability for his family unit. Dezenhall takes us for a ride of which we often don't want to get off.

In 2005 the Global War on Terrorism comes home when a suicide bomber commits kamikaze at a Philadelphia Phillies home game. This attack on American soil places President James Lee Truitt on the defensive, but his relatively new Press Secretary Jonah Eastman provides dark Jersey TURNPIKE FLAMEOUT humor that enrages everyone especially Philly fanatics. Jonah is fired for his insensitivity towards the president and his party's needs.

Before Jonah can head north from DC, his high school sweetheart (at least for one glorious summer of love), Claudine Polk arrives at his former office to ask him to help save her family's Rattle & Snap Tennessee plantation. Jonah, thinking he can relive his greatest moments in Atlantic City, agrees though he suspects his beautiful southern belle has not come to town seeking circumcised kosher hot dog. Still hoping to get lucky, he begins an out of control Godzilla spin campaign that brings into his game the president, political action committee, Civil War re-enactors, the military, and the mob to name a few, all caught in his web. A second civil war seems imminent as Operation Dixie Knish causes Truitt to approve countermeasure Operation Enough Already.

As always Jonah spins out of control leading to a zany way out domestic crisis thriller that could only be written by Eric Dezenhall. The insane story line is action-packed as it rotates between 2005 and 1980 (so Jonah was too young for the original summer of love). The cast is purposely stereotyped as war veterans, mobsters, Tennessee Volunteers from the U of T and some Vanderbilt intellects, and an assortment of politicians, all caught in the spinmiester's web. Though some of the sub-plotting never bridges back to Jonah's mission to repeat his teen conquest as a forty something male, fans of the series will enjoy his SPINNING DIXIE out of control.

Harriet Klausner

This was quite an enjoyable novel with some intriguing twists. I also found the relaxation between Webb and Alec questionable. I wondered if they could actually have remained friends through all of it. I guess I found some of it just unbelievable but it did hold my interest and wonder. I also found Pru to be strange and unreal but perhaps that just because I haven't been exposed to this genre before. All in all, I enjoyed the book and it held my interest to the end.

I have to take issue with the previous review, which is all about plot. Characters and style are what drive this novel. Wilson's style is quietly dazzling, and I found I had to read the book in one sitting because I wanted to know the truth that the characters are driven to pursue. If, like me, you appreciate New England in general and Maine in particular, you will love this book.

While traveling to Maine to attend the fourth wedding of his long time best friend painter Webb Hartley, retired literature professor Alec Thompson reflects back on his only marriage that lacked passion and was filled with abstinence until Harriet died a decade ago. At Webb's farmhouse, Alec learns that his pal suffered a heart attack and died. Webb leaves behind a grieving stunned Pru and their small daughter. He also left a request for Alec to inform his first wife Jenny Grant that he died. Alec would prefer not to as Jenny was his only true love. Decades ago in Baltimore, Alec caught Webb and Jenny in a compromising position. He fled before his roommate and his beloved could explain.

Reluctantly Alec honors Webb's wish traveling to Jenny's Santa Barbara horse ranch to break the news to her. A saddened Jenny tells Alec that he was her only love and that what he saw was his best bud consoling her following her discovery of a corpse. He will learn a lot more about their triangle and life.

Though well written, this reviewer could not understand why Alec and Webb remained friends and why if they were best buds didn't Webb force Alec to listen to the truth. Once fans accept that relationships seem unnatural, SPLENDID OMENS is an intriguing tale as each key person and several secondary players met on Alec's quest seem real and add depths to the plot. Alec the narrator is the center of the morality tale as he ponders what could have been if he handled the pivotal moment of his life differently.

Harriet Klausner

Wow this could have been a great book.

Wow this book is painfully medicore.

It should have been simple. A crazed killer set free stalking the gorgeous female attorney who set him free. Instead they muddy it up with rapidly switching viewpoints from NINE differect characters (and we're talking liek three paragraphs between viewpoints) and a totally ridiculous plot with the father of the murdered girl going psycho at the end, and by the time you're through reading you feel like you wasted time.

Don't get this book. Read a John Sandford novel instead.

Man this book could have been great..

There's not a trace of John Francis Cuddy in Jeremiah Healy's latest work. He has parted company with the Boston PI and has crafted a genuine thriller that uses courtroom scenes as backdrop, rather than the main focus. Healy also gambled on a multi-viewpoint style, but pulled it off brilliantly. We gain great insight into a wide range of characters, from Sheilah's inherently evil, serial killer client, Arthur Kesterson IV, to an obsessed trial judge Roger Hesterfield. All of the characters are real, with no stereotypes thrown in gratuitously, as happens so often in genre fiction. The Kesterson character is the most easily despised person I've run across in fiction in a long time. I will resist the temptation to talk about plot specifics, for fear of spoiling a great read for you, but the plot tangles keep coming and keep closing in on Sheilah Quinn, criminal defense lawyer. It's enough to discourage you from going to law school! Healy does his usual masterful job of dialogue and interesting and quirky minor and supporting characters. More than cops and lawyers, we get insight into Sheilah's romantic life, and how she deals with the real issues that arise between two members of a professional couple, each of whom has their own history. The romance doesn't slow down the plot, but gives us occasional breathers in the roller coaster ride that is this plot. Just when you think you know who did what and why, Healy pulls the rug out from under you.

This is one terrific read. If we're lucky, we'll get a lot more of both John Francis Cuddy and Sheilah Quinn.

While many of leading mystery novelists now have female detectives as their protagonists, Jeremiah Healy (author of the outstanding John Cuddy series) goes them one better and creates a female defense lawyer protagonist. Unlike the emerging stereotype of the female detective as Super Woman, Healy's character, Sheilah Quinn, is resourceful and much put-upon. She faces the kinds of frustrations that many women find confining -- the need to earn their own living, take care of an elderly parent, keep a social life without compromising their work, and avoid lecherous males. Although it would be nice for Sheilah if she were also Super Woman, her very real human qualities and problems make her both more interesting and appealing.

Sheilah is also not John Cuddy in drag. That's a nice surprise as well. Healy also has the talent to create a gripping story. The other characters are also very memorable, especially Arthur Ketterson IV who Sheilah Quinn successfully defends on a murder rap (date rape and murder) only to discover that he really did do it. Not only that, he wants Sheilah to be next to join the fun (from his sick perspective).

If you want to lose sleep, start reading this book in the evening. You won't be able to put it down. It's that interesting. I recommend a Saturday morning start for your reading instead.

What an amusing book. Priscilla Buckley had a spirit of adventure that propelled her to New York and a reporting career. Later that spirit took her to Paris in the 50s when it was still a magical place. I read this from begining to end in one afternoon because it's such a delight.

This little book is a classic "good read". Miss Buckley has an astounding memory for detail (one can only envy) which puts the reader quite into the thick of a busy, no, frenetic news bureau. Such a tightly written book as this leaves the reader little time to wander off as the news of World War II and later, the Cold War, erupt from the offices of the United Press. If you enjoy a look into yesterday through the eyes of someone with keen powers of observation as well as a (dare I say spiritual?) optimistic outlook on life and people everywhere, you will not be disappointed. A very fun book. You'll want to order several as gifts.

"There is an excitement about raw news that is hard to explain, but is palpable . . . ."

During World War II, so many men were in the military that women took over what had been considered "men's" jobs. You've heard of Rosie the Riveter. This book introduces you to "Pitts" Buckley (an older sister of William F. Buckley, Jr. and later managing editor for the National Review for 27 years) in 1944 as she graduates from Smith College, where she edited the newspaper. Her memoir focuses on two stints she did with United Press, the first in New York during 1944-48 and the second in Paris during 1953-56. Like many journalistic memoirs, there's lots here about learning on the job, famous colleagues, interviewing celebrities, and major news events. The permanent value of this light, well-written book is a picture of what it was like to be a female news correspondent for a wire service when that was unusual. Ms. Buckley is a very delightful person, and you will enjoy reading about her experiences. The only drawback of the book is that she fails to connect her anecdotes back to a larger context to make them more meaningful.

Ms. Buckley has a good sense of fun, and you will probably remember her humor best from the book. Here's a flavor of how she introduces the book. In explaining why she chose United Press over a competing offer at twice the wages, she says she "opted for . . . starvation wages, and a wonderful life." "We lived on what would now be called the poverty level, but didn't know it." Her first job was a a "copy boy" and "it wasn't much fun." These were really gofers and she wanted to become a "newspaperman." And she did.

If you understand French, her stories about literal translations of English into French are quite funny.

The book has several running gags. One is about constantly changing apartments and living quarters for not paying the rent. The other is about having her Hillman-Minx breakdown in the busiest intersections in Paris and helping to cause riots.

There are also interesting insights into how news is made. Ms. Buckley was pretty open about meeting new people, even when there was no obvious story. During a tour of the George V hotel in Paris, she spotted an American tattoo on a man working on the pastry in the kitchen. This became a story about how a GI switched careers and countries.

One of the best stories in the book is about the French surrender at Dien Bien Phu in Indochina in 1954. Ms. Buckley and a colleague interpreted a mysterious French dispatch correctly as being a surrender, and beat the Associated Press by 15 minutes to the story. On another occasion, she tells about how a dying composer was miraculously "resuscitated" in a second story after being incorrectly reported as deceased on the wire. There are also wonderful stories of covering obscure sports from correspondents who spoke French quickly when no one was around to help translate.

Her reports about the famous are interesting, too. Once, she was dispatched with 10,000 francs (which wasn't very much) to take Gloria Swanson to lunch, in order to give Ms. Swanson tips on how to improve her column (which was a bomb, and was later canceled). Ms. Swanson only wanted an omelet, so the budget was saved. Ms. Swanson did not follow the advice, but was very friendly and nice. Ms. Buckley also covered Jane Russell trying on Dior dresses (with difficulty), and Premier Pierre-Mendes-France's campaign to have French school children drink milk (one protested).

After you read this memoir, I suggest that you think about where taking on a role that people of your sex normally do not do could provide some fun and change of perspective. Then try it, and see what you think. Men, you could take up embroidering outdoors. Women, you could roto-till the garden for spring planting.

See the potential all around you!

In Venice the rivalry between the powerful Ziani and Soranzo clans seems over after generational feuding that hurt both families by enabling lesser adversaries to almost surpass each of them and came close to allowing the Turks to take the city. Instead the respective patriarchs Antonio Ziani and Giovanni Soranzo buried the hatchet and came together to defend Venice (see THE LION OF ST. MARK). They both believe the deadly feud is a thing of the past as the two families need each other to thwart the Turks, other city states, and new upstart Venetian clans wanting to claim the top rung from them by dividing these enemies who have become allies.

However, neither Antonio nor Giovanni understood the deep hatred they educated their offspring with. Soranzo's adopted son Enrico loathes Ziani's heir the war hero Constantine. When they compete for the affection of the daughter of a senator, Maria Mocenigo, the dispute regains momentum especially when she chooses Constantine. Outraged by her rejection and selection, Enrico hires an assassin to kill Constantine at a time that the league of Italian city states is angry with the Venetians over their peace treaty with the Turks. As the other city-states attack, the two families must come together at land and at sea or face destruction once again.

The second book of the Venetians is a fascinating Renaissance tale that provides the audience a deep look at one of the more powerful Italian city-states at a time when invaders from the Ottoman Turks and the rival city-states threaten Venice. The storyline is fast-paced and quite deep in a historical context; however, the key family rivals, Enrico and Constantine seem one dimensional especially when compared with the "greatest generation" of their fathers and for that matter Constantine in the first tale. Readers who enjoy traveling to a long ago setting will appreciate the rich historical texture of THE SWORD OF VENICE as the history comes before the cast.

Harriet Klausner

This one carries on the tale of Book One (two decades later) of Venice's history and battles, with the Turks and others closer to home, again seen through the eyes of the Ziani family, and featuring their continuing feud with the Soranzos. Antonio Ziani and wise little Seraglio are back, but the focus here is more on Antonio's son Constantine, and the brunt of the brutal feud passes to him too. There are more land battles this time, but a big nautical engagement ends the book spectacularly. As in Book One years of history, political manoeuvring and battles are made winningly digestible by being humanised and paced expertly, so emotions never take second place to dry facts. The pacey plotting keeps you happily turning pages to the end. Roll on Book Three.

If ever there was a jewel in someone's crown, it was Venice. Battles and family scheming are plentiful in this quick-moving, well-written, digestible tale based on historical facts. A good overview is at thomasquinnbooks(dot)com.

If you know about Marco Polo, you know that Venice was the center of universe as far as world-wide trade and culture were concerned - with an admirable rival in Constantinople - for many decades. Other Italian provinces - envious of 'La Serenissima' and her many advantages - as well as rulers of The Church and foreign states - had it in for her too... Venice had a carefully-governing body of counsellors, with a duke or Doge as the leader: together they rarely made a political mistake. No, Machiavelli was not a Venetian, but he probably wished he was.

This book teaches about Venice's background, her rivalries, prominent leaders, trade, and geography while throwing the reader into the middle of lusty, bloody battles: not all victorious, and not all on a battlefield.


The Hatfield's and McCoy's go Renaissance - and with billions of dubloons at stake, everyone on earth takes sides. Swashbuckling Caribbean Pirates meet Rothschilds and Bronfmans on yachts with big cannons. What more could a guy want in a history book?!

Stand by on deck for the last book in the trilogy, 'Venice Stands Alone'. Congratulations to Thomas Quinn for a thrilling old story made new again!

Domenici has written an intense action/suspense novel that entertains and intrigues. The plot revolves around the mission of a self appointed Vietnam veteran posse comitatus determined to rescue a war buddy from a threatening set of circumstances.
In the course of its mission, the Vets encounter a truly nasty "family" in a small southern Florida town and do it the "Justice" it richly deserves.In the book,the author introduces the reader to at least six very interesting and colorful characters, each of whom could sustain a novel of his own (hint, hint , author !) he displays knowledge of weaponry and military and paramilitary techniques that to this reader appear encyclopedic, and; still has the time to provide mordantly humorous and satirical comments on matters as diverse as intra-denominational religious squabbling and modern law enforcement ( ala John C. McDonald), all in less than two hundred forty pages. This book earns a five because it is fun, it is informative, it is funny, and it is well written.

This novel is a quick fun read. BRINGING BACK THE DEAD seems to be true to its central characters, rough and ready, with an understanding of the camaraderie formed from living and fighting together through a nightmare war. Though his biography doesn't indicate a military background, the author conveys the life with a grit that seems realistic to this reader. While at times I felt as if I was reading "Guns and Ammo" magazine , the plot moved quickly, filled with lots of local color to lend authenticity to the tale. BTW, the "Publishers Weekly" comparison to Rambo seems off-target to me. I look forward to the sequel I'm sure Domenici is writing.

In 1746, Venetian artist Canaletto has arrived in London seeking fresh fame and fortune. However, his arrival is not met with cheers. In fact, he deliberately singled out for assault and robbery twice. Both times he is rescued by neophyte painter Fanny Rooker. Unbeknownst to the talented landscape artist, there are many locally ambitious individuals who do not desire to have an expatriate Italian inadvertently interfere with their plans to obtain wealth by any means necessary. When his contact fails to meet him, Fanny and her sibling allow Canaletto to stay in their home.

Soon Paymaster General William Pitt asks Canaletto to look into why the construction of the Westminster Bridge is running behind schedule, has opposition that is very vocal and the project is stuck with outrageous cost overruns. Canaletto goes out to paint the bridge only find an even grimmer mystery waiting to confront him.

CANALETTO AND THE CASE OF THE WESTMINISTER BRIDGE is a great debut of a new historical mystery series by the ultra-talented Janet Lawrence, author of the highly regard Lisle culinary mysteries. Canaletto is a superb character and eighteenth century London is a wonderful setting as is an era where capitalism is fighting to gain a foothold. However, what makes Ms. Lawrence's novel a reading-gourmand's delight is the various ensemble of the people who made up Georgian London.

Harriet Klausner

For lovers of historical mysteries, Janet Laurence's "Canaletto and the Case of the Westminster Bridge" will be a welcomed addition. For readers who are looking for intriguing suspense, intense plots, clever developments, thought-provoking incidents, and multi-dimensional characters, then this book may be a disappointment. Laurence introduces us to Canaletto, the famed Venetian artist of the eighteenth century, who arrives in England with his personal fortune (he's been told that it is the correct time to make a "killing" (as it were!) by directly investing in English ventures) and his desire to "paint" London. Upon his arrival at the docks, he is nearly killed by a ruffian. Enter Fanny Rooker, who just happens to be meeting the boat. She saves his life twice early on in this book. Fanny is a rather nondescript young woman who has troubles of her own; she is an aspiring artist and is "framed" on a trumped up charge of theft. The two "down and outers" form a team that provides Laurence with her problem solving modus operandi. (Laurence does not permit this relationship to develop into anything romantic, although apparently Canaletto in reality was indeed quite the lady's man, the author hints.) Thus the plot thickens and we find Canaletto, basically, sans fortune and unlikely to find any painting commissions. His woes continue, but William Pitt gives him an offer the Italian cannot refuse--to help Pitt and the English government uncover the fraud that is keeping the newly commissioned Westminster Bridge from being completed, at least on time. Canaletto is instructed to leave no stone unturned in investigating the problems that have arisen from the quarry that provides the material for the bridge. He canvasses closely the usual suspects and with his keen eyes and excellent perspective, solves the case and, well, you get the "picture." Laurence does a very good job of providing us with a good sense of eighteenth century London. Her usage of Canaletto as a fictionalized private investigator not only is incredibly interesting but is also clever. (It does bring to question just which famous historical figure will be next: after all, other authors have already used Ben Franklin, Eleanor Roosevelt, King Tut, Jane Austen, to name a few to solve fictionalized crimes.) Included in the book are the usual duels, melodramatic romantic interests, and coincidental twists--all in keeping with period writing, of course, as she manages to capture the flair of the time, not only in writing style but in the landscape and atmosphere she portrays. Having Canaletto speak pidgin English sometimes gets in the way (Laurence should transcend the language barrier and simply have him speak naturally!) and (in what is hoped to be the beginning of a series!) developing her characters more fully will indeed enhance her story. The author is credited with "several cookbooks and is also the author of (a) successful culinary mystery series" (now that's food for thought!), according to the book's liner jacket information. Despite the above limitations, the book is heartily recommended. It is a good read; it is an absorbing read. Don't miss it!

"I'm ready when you are Mr. DeMille' So cried Norma Desmond the looney faded silent screen star in the Billy Wilder classic of 1950, "Sunset Boulevard." Old CB even appeared in a cameo in this film portraying himself as an avuncular director taking pity on Norma his erstwhile star.
In real life Mr. Cecil B. DeMille was not always a kindly chap! As the director of over 70 Hollywood films from the silents to the triumph of his remake of "The Ten Commandments" in 1959 he towered high on the Hollywood totem pole of clout, hutzpah and showbiz hoopla!
DeMille was born in Mass. in 1881, His older and more intellectual brother William would grow up to be a playwright and teacher of film. His father had worked on the Broadway stage writing plays for famed producer David Belasco. His mother was a Jew but DeMille liked to keep his Jewish heritage a secret in Anti-Semitic America.
DeMille found work as a playwright and wrote several for the Broadway stage. He and his friend Jesse Lasky went to Hollywood and were in on the ground floor of moviemaking in the early 1900s. DeMille directed 52 silent films featuring Gloria Swanson, Mabel Normand and other early film luminaries. Author Louvish asserts that silent films were the best work done by DeMille. Among them were the first "Ten Commandments"as well as the excellent "King of Kings" about the life of Christ. Other standout silent moviews must include "The Squaw Man", "The Volga Boatmen", "The Golden Bed", and others. Many of these films have been lost. Louvish says they are worth a viewing on a good DVD transfer.
DeMille's first talkie was "Dynamite." He is most known for his biblical epics such as "Samson and Delilah", "The Sign of the Cross" and his magnus opus "The Ten Commandments." DeMille won an Oscar for Best Picture for "The Greatest Show on Earth" in 1952.
DeMille presents us with an uneven body of work. His films are often filled with hokum, horrible dialgoue and clumsy acting. He did do a good deal of research on his films and they do have their moments of high drama. His seventy plus films and over six decades in the movie business have earned him a place in the ranks of outstanding directors of the twentieth century. DeMille died in 1959.
In his persona he was dictatorial, demanding, meticulous in research and planning.. He was an inveterate womanizer who was unfaithful to his good wife Beatrice. He enjoyed weekends at a ranch where orgies occurred. DeMille had several longterm mistresses event though he impressed people as the model of moral probity. He was an Episcopalian and student of the Bible. DeMille was also a right wing supporter of anti-communism in Hollywood and was anti-union. He had many flaws but produced good work from time to time. He was the host of the Lux Radio Theatre for years; enjoyed flying as a pilot and was a patriotic American. People either loved or loathed him. DeMille often shouted on the set acting like an imperious Simon Legree driving his actors to what he considered perfection. He did not entertain fools gladly.
Louvish has done a workmanlike job on the life of DeMille. The book does get tedious when he gives us a synopsis of many of the forgettable films directed by the director. One would like to know about his personal life but as Louvish notes this book is on the DeMille film more than a detailed examination of CB's life.
Any fan of DeMille or Hollywood history would enjoy this book.

Even if you have never seen one of his films, you probably recognize the name of Cecil B. DeMille as synonymous with big, epic moviemaking. It's inarguable that with a silent and a sound _The Ten Commandments_, a _Cleopatra_, or a _Samson and Delilah_, DeMille was at home with making colossal pictures. But Simon Louvish in _Cecil B. DeMille: A Life in Art_ (Thomas Dunne Books) demonstrates that there was a lot more to the director than big-scale movies. In fact, although Louvish recognizes that opinions about any movie are arguable, he finds only a few of DeMille's sound pictures really good. The great works, Louvish argues, were among the fifty-two silent films, social comedies and commentaries that were ahead of their time, and of which according to Louvish, "even the most uneven contain moments of brilliance and scenes of finely crafted technical prowess." Sadly, many of these films are gone forever (unless some trove shows up unexpectedly), and some Louvish has only been able to see within film archives, but others have been restored and put onto DVDs. If you are a movie fan, and are interested in a broader view of DeMille's output, you'll put them on your must-see list after reading this careful, big, and well-documented book. It is an unauthorized biography: "The estate of Cecil B. DeMille informed me that it could not assist me in my endeavor." That's not too surprising; DeMille was an intimidating and hypocritical man whose personal behavior was often odious, and he put his bad characteristics into service in getting his films out.

"You are here to please me," he told his crews, "Nothing else on earth matters." He dressed the part of a commander, in riding boots, puttees, slouch hat, and corduroy pants, an image of the generic director that has been caricatured ever since. He would doff his jacket and drop it, knowing a hired attendant would catch it before it hit the floor. He sat down whenever he wanted, and never had to check to see if there was a chair beneath him, because there was a chair boy hovering behind him. The other part of his drive was targeting himself: "Despite the consistent stories of DeMille's incessant bullying and the human casualties that peeled off right and left, both crew and cast of his movies could see that the boss drove himself harder than any of his satraps and minions." His films often touted conventional morality, but Charlton Heston (and Theodore Roberts before him in the silent version) did tote down tablets that included an injunction against adultery. DeMille himself had serial mistresses and plenty of female associates, which everyone referred to as his "harem". Religion and sex were mixed up in many of his films and made him hugely rich and powerful. He got the introduction to religion from his father, a staunch Episcopalian who as actor and playwright introduced him also to the stage, although he would have preferred that DeMille enter a solid trade like running a grocery. DeMille was quickly intoxicated with the huge scope that the movies could take in, far grander than what could be put on a stage, writing: "No height limit, no close fitting exits, no conserving of stage space, just the whole world open to you as a stage and a thousand people in a scene does not crowd your accommodations."

Working on the second _The Ten Commandments_, his last film, almost killed him, literally. He was shooting in Egypt and had a heart attack, but he recovered enough to resume the subsequent Hollywood shooting. He was sure that the Ten Commandments were the basis of our society, and he was a darling of the McCarthy set, proposing that members of the Screen Directors' Guild sign a non-Communist loyalty oath; John Ford himself shot him down on that one. His reactionary politics, entangled with his virulent anti-union beliefs, seem foolish now. On the right to silence, for instance, he spouted, "As an American he has the right. But he does not have the right to be silent when his silence is decisively un-American." Of course, he got to decide who was un-American. Louvish has to include these unseemly parts of an astonishing life, but naturally DeMille's politics don't matter much now. When the French film theorists praised the American directors like Walsh, Ford, and Hawks as "auteurs" who put their own personal stamp on their films, they ignored DeMille. It was a mistake to leave him out; DeMille put out seventy movies, tightly controlling every one. Louvish's entertaining biography shows that DeMille exerted the control in the small scenes as well as the epic ones.

This book offers a veritable wealth of information for hunters, campers, fishermen and others who spend recreation time in the outdoors. I've used it to identify types of fish, to know how to build a fire in the rain, and to prepare food for overnight hikes. I'd give it 5 stars if it hadn't suggested one thing I consider very poor judgement--using prairie dogs as targets for practice. As a hunter and fisherman, I NEVER would take even a prairie dog's life needlessly... try a few clay pigeons instead.

Lots of info on everything from hunting, ballistics, survival, boating, fishing to first aid. Very worthwhile buy. Wish it had more on tracking game but overall it is very complete.

Rice, in many homes is a staple and a necessity in many countries around the world. Father Orsini gives us a brief look at rice agriculture in Italy. The book starts off with recipes for beef and chicken broth, both essential according to Father "Joe". Every recipe comes with two wine recommendations so you can hardly go wrong when planning a meal. Father Orsini has also included Rice Desserts. My other reviews are on Books In Review.
Adrienne Petterson

It seems like every meal has a starch. In South Louisiana where I grew up it was rice. Consequently I never really liked Italian food because everything seemed to come with pasta. It was several years that I visited Northern Italy and behold the restaurants served rice instead. It was wonderful.

I spotted this book. The cover photograph looked an awful lot like a Spanish Paella, a favorite of mine. I started flipping through the book. I haven't found out just which dish is on the front, because I can't seem to get all the way through the book. I keep finding things that I want to cook.

First I couldn't get past the first page of the risotto section. Risotto Saporito al Gorgonzola -- Gorgonzola, a blue cheese that's one of my favorites --Pinot Grigio, a dry white wine that's one of my favorites. There's no point in going any further until you try this recipie. After you get to a recipie like this, why go any further until you've tried it.

Then, only a couple of pages later, Risotto Giallo con Peperoni -- saffron, you can never go wrong with saffron in a dish. Garlic, onion, peppers, wine again.

And Risotto alla Moda Dalamata. Lean beaf, Italian sausage, veal, cognac - need I say more.

Well, I'm going to keep working my way through the book. Maybe I'll find what's on the cover, maybe I won't. It no longer matters.