Robertson Books

I had such high hopes for this book based on all the positive reviews, but I must join the other 1-star reviewers. Many of the recipes are just variations on each other, and not even interesting ones at that. Often they are under-seasoned. Sometimes the author seems to throw in ingredients that don't belong (the olives in the tamale pie are awful). Also, as mentioned by another reviewer, you generally will use 1 or 2 other pots/pans while prepping recipes. I say keep shopping and try another book.

I originally took this book out of the library to try out my new slow cooker. Thought I'd find maybe one or two recipes that would be keepers. Well, this is an amazing book. At my last count, there were over 20 recipes that I am eager to try. My first slow cooker meal was the sweet potatoes with a touch of chipotles, which I highly recommend. Although I am a vegan and my husband is a vegetarian, we both agree that meat eaters would not miss animal products in these recipes--they are hearty, creative, and incredibly satisfying. Very economical too. I highly recommend this book to anyone with a slow cooker--in fact, get one so you can try out these recipes. You won't be dissappointed.

I think this is a wonderful book! I had looked for a slow cooker recipe book that was vegetarian and my mom found this one for me. I love the variety of meals offered and also the beverages, breakfast foods, desserts, and so many others. I look forward to fall and winter to pull out the crock pot and the cook book, throw everything in the crock pot before work, and come home to dinner ready for me! I recommend this cook book to any vegetarians looking for some meatless crock pot dinners!

Too many vegatarian cookbooks are difficult using ingediants I don't have on hand. This book, so far, has been simple to use and delicious results.

This is one of my favorite cookbooks. I love it! I've made so many recipes out of it and all have turned out great. My absolute favorite is the southwest potpie with cornbread crust. We also like the mac and cheese, orange flavored beets, potpie with biscuit crust, and others. If you are interested in, or already like, crockpot cooking then this book is a good find. I really enjoy it and will be on my shelf for years to come.

I've had the first printing for some years now. Just recently ordered a couple more for some friends to do further studying about God's design in prayer and intercession. This is an excellent source of training in becoming more effective in God's Kingdom through prayer, declaring His will, and seeking Him in the midst of prayer - especially prayer for others.

Intercessory Prayer by Dutch Sheets is a resource book to keep on hand for information and encouragement. The author breaks down terminology, gives numerous examples for easy comprehension and even tackles some of the hard questions concerning long term prayers. In addition, humor is demonstrated as a necessary ingredient for balance and strength in the life of an intercessor and this book has plenty of it!

I loved this book! I have read it several times and recomended it to my friends. For any person that is seriously trying to enter into a deeper form of prayer this has to be a required reading. Dutch Sheets does what he knows best as he leads the reader to analyze Scripture going back to the word's meaning in Greek. Keep it in your shelve with your study books.

One of the most helpful books I've ever read on prayer, and I've read every book I could find on the subject for years. As I read this book, I began to realize that lack of knowledge was the reason some of my prayers had not been very effective. The Holy Spirit used this book to teach me about REAL PRAYER. My prayers are now much more focused and effective.

Dutch Sheets book, "Intercessory Prayer" is a prayer resource worthy of many reads. It is full of thought provoking statements, and will encourage young and old prayer warriors alike. It is especially encouraging for those wanting to learn more about intercession. Sheet's really connects with the reader which makes the book an easy read.This book not only instructs, it helps the reader to apply it's contents and go deeper with God.

I read this book in about a week. I really really really liked it. I don't know why most people have never heard of this author, but I am making it my personal quest in life to tell everybody about him. Read this book. It will suck you in.

If I was to live alone on a desert island and could take the works of one author, it would be Robertson Davies. He writes literature that captures human nature - we can soar like angels and crawl, sadistic murderers - Davies knows and shows us humanity at it's best and worst and often, everyman, muddling through mediocrity.
His books are literary page turners written with a unique dry humor that will make you laugh out loud often, gasp in awe or surprise and feel broken hearted at others. He shows us the human condition with compassion and humor.
Something I love the most about Davies is that his books and trilogies, (Deptford, Salterton, Cornish), are interconnected in a complex web that never fails to surprise me.

This author was trustworthy from page one. The character he created, as small as he is, has a big voice and a story worthy of telling. I was so pleasantly surprised by this book, and so mad at myself for taking so long to read it. While the story is dated, specific to a time and a place, the themes are biblical. This is one of those books where I felt compelled to read passages aloud to whoever was in the room. Bravo, a lot belatedly Mr. Davies.

I found "Fifth Business" on Amazon through one of the "if you like that, then you might like this" links and was impressed by the overwhelmingly favorable reviews from other Amazon customers. I had never heard of Robertson Davies before but on the strength of the positive reviews, thought that I would give his work a try. I purchased only the first volume in the trilogy ("Fifth Business") on the logic that if the first book wasn't good, I would not bother with the other two. About 1/3 of the way into "Fifth Business," I rushed to order the second and third volumes ("Manticore" and "World of Wonders"). I am extremely glad that I took the plunge and trusted other Amazon readers. Robertson Davies' work is very accessible and you feel as though you are reading quickly. That said, his books are very well written and are by no means simple. The story is complex as are the characters - a number of whom feel like old friends by the end of the third book, you get to know them that well. I was also very impressed by Davies' wide and detailed knowledge of topics ranging from the theatrical world, to psychoanalytical theory, to religion. Most impressive, however, was his ability to embody in words the most common (and often the most powerful) human emotions and feelings - love, hope, anger, etc. Take the plunge and order the first volume in this trilogy - I very much doubt you will regret it! Enjoy!

Fifth Business, a theatrical term actually invented by Davies for the novel, is meant to indicate the fifth of the main operatic players. The four main players' lives are entwined and influenced by the "Fifth Business" character, in a sort of subconscious synchronicity.

The main character in this first of Davies' Deptford trilogy, Dunstan Ramsay, is such a fifth business character. Without intent or effort, he shapes and defines the lives of those around him. In a beautifully woven and uniquely Canadian style that Davies made his own, Ramsay, Paul Dempster, Boy Staunton and the rest of the wonderfully believable characters capture the attention and the imagination of the reader.

This mainstay of high school English classes across Canada is well worth the read, even if you don't need to write a four-page essay on the major themes of the novel. Davies writes with humour and wit, with passion and pain. I guess I got lucky - I had to take it in grade 12 English, and then again in grade 13. Although it's a fairly short novel (under 300 pages), it's not a quick, unsatisfying read. It has substance without being too bulky, and I highly recommend it as the first introduction to Robertson Davies. It will definitely make you want to read more.

Fifth Business is beautiful. The story of Dunstan is compelling and subtly craftly. The story follows his journey for personal truth and an understanding of his own personal mythology. There are gems throughout:

"They were anxious to make men of us, by which they meant making us like themselves."

"We all forget the things we do, especially when they do not fit into the characer we have chosen for ourselves."

"...you've made a God of yourself and the insufficiency of it forced you to become an atheist."

The story, including its conclusion, is intricate and thoroughly satisfying.

The other two books, "The Manticore" and "World of Wonders", though flawed, complete the Deptford story in a very necessary way. How can a story fully convey the idea of personal truth and subjectivity without relating the story from another perspective? This is what the other two books set out to do.

The Manticore is very interesting, but not as compelling as Fifth Business. It's the pieced together narrative of Boy Staunton's son, David, as he goes through Jungian psychoanalysis. As a fan of Jung, I think the concept is brilliant, but the execution falters as David is not as endearing as Ramsay, and his narrative is uneven. At times, he is too defensive and at other times, his progress is a bit contrived.

World of Wonders tells the story of Magnus Eisengrim, and how he became the world's greatest illusionist. Another beautiful, subtly crafted story. Though slow at points and filled with a healthy dose of pretentiousness (the banter between Liesl and Magnus is a little much sometimes), it's incredibly enjoyable.

There is no doubt that Fifth Business is the masterpiece in this trilogy. The other two do not match its brilliance. However, they do serve to reinforce the underlying themes in the work and provide the reader with a more full experience of the personal mythologies that make up the Deptford history.

If you love the first, read the next two!

As usual Robertson Davies' narrative is absorbing and satisfying. If you've read others of his novels, the Deptford Trilogy is essential reading. If you haven't read any of his works, now is the time to indulge yourself. His English language usage is a constant pleasure and his literary references have set me to pursue other authors I have not enjoyed so far. Only complaint? At 800+ pages, it finished far too soon!

I enjoyed the book The Fifth Business very much. It is what I would call magical realism. Ramsay the main character of the book is not the most likable man in fiction but, he is very human. Davies characters are mythical while retaining their humanity. The study of saints that Ramsay involves himself in was my favorite part of the book. I would recommend this book to anyone.

I think that is a tragedy beyond measure that Robertson Davies was not chosen as one of the 100 Best Writers of the 20thC.

His writings are sui generis. And we will not see his like again.

If you ask me to rank each part of this trilogy seperately, i would give the Fifth Business a 5 Star, The Manticore a 2 star and World of Wonders simply one star. Davies' obsession with Jung makes Manticore rather pretencious and unbearably monotonous to read. For the case of World of Wonders, its creation and value, in my opinion, might only rest on the romantic idea of the completion of a triology, which is a thing that Davies loves to do but failes to do well.

Picked this up on a recommendation from someone who's read a lot of graphic novels. Didn't know about the "Gonzo Journalist" part till I started reading it, so that was a nice surprise.

Good stuff so far, tore through the first book. Got the next 2 on order.

Great art, a well-envisioned dystopian future, and a loathsome antihero. Who could ask for anything more?

The first volume in Warren Ellis and Darick Robertson's TRANSMETROPOLITAN is more of a set up for what is to come than a self-contained graphic novel. There is a very brief story, but mainly it focuses on introducing us to the character Spider Jerusalem. We've met Spider before. He is pretty clearly patterned on Hunter S. Thompson, albeit one on steroids. There is even some physical resemblance between them as well as similar journalistic styles and affection for guns and cigarettes. Thompson had a larger than life public image that he carefully cultivated and it isn't surprising to see someone appropriating that image for a graphic series.

There really isn't much negative to say about this first entry in the series except to say that there isn't a lot to it. The whole thing runs to barely 70 pages. Not enough to tell a rich and complex story, but at least enough to set the scene and leave the reader ready for more.

I haven't read most of the books in this series but look forward to doing so. My hope is for a series that deals to some degree with the importance of journalism in a viable society. This is extremely topical, having seen America's journalistic community fail us for several years during the Bush years (Bush was as bad his first year in office than he was when his popularity finally began to plummet, but because the press -- especially the television and radio talking heads -- failed to criticize an obviously incompetent and dishonest president, we were as a nation duped enough to elect the moron twice [though, granted, "elected" might be up for debate]). When those in positions of power, usually some combination of a military-corporate economic elite (Eisenhower's military-industrial complex), control the flow of information, the people suffer. We'll see if this is the direction the books go. The first book, even with Spider's absurd posturing, takes a nice step in this direction.

Definitely interested in working my way through all of these books.

This is a must read for any Warren Ellis fans out there. I have been reading Warren Ellis's stuff for over 6 years and i can't tell you that Transmet is his best work, but its certainly up in his top three books. Be for warned Ellis doesn't hold back at all when he speaks out society and government. He has a dark twisted view of our possible future that is more than entertaining. He is a word smith and he certainly shows it in this series.

I just recently started reading graphic novels and I've been actively searching for some of the more critically acclaimed publications. I started with Preacher and Y: The Last Man. I found both extremely enjoyable -- fantastic art, intriguing stories, and always a healthy dose of humor.

I had high hopes for the same in Transmetropolitan, but ultimately didn't get it. I can see the intelligence in the writing and potential in the central character (Spider), but the perpetual nihilism and references to strange and abstract futuristic concepts left me bored. It reminded me of the popular cyberpunk style of writing, which I never enjoyed either. So in a nutshell this one just wasn't a fit for my personal taste -- I gave up after the second volume. Three stars for the creative effort and strong artwork.

This was a WONDERFUL sequel to the first Emily book. I honestly can't decide which book was better than the other.

Parts of the book are in diary form, while others are set in regular story form, so you get an all-around view of Emily's life. I like how the author weaved the two forms together.

I loved the storyline; it seems like very simple, little things that take place, but as you reflect on it, you realize the story is actually quite deep in thought, and well plotted. Emily is allowed to attend the Shrewbury school where her friends are going. However, the rule is that she must live with grumpy, old Aunt Ruth, who seemingly has stricter rules than Aunt Elizabeth did when Emily lived with her. And Aunt Ruth is always accusing Emily of being sly, which runs down Emily's patience.

During the time that Emily lives with her Aunt Ruth, she is not allowed to write fiction, which seems to put a damper on Emily's future career of writing. Her old teacher, who has helped guide her [Mr. Carpenter] says the time away from fiction will improve Emily's writing ability. Yet still, her wild, imaginative mind can hardly fathom being separated from her beloved hobby.

I am really anticipating the third and final Emily book now, to see how her story ends!

First introduced as an orphaned ten-year-old in "Emily of New Moon," this second book takes readers through Emily's high school years in neighboring Shrewsbury. As New Moon, the family farm where Emily has lived with aunts Elizabeth and Laura, and cousin Jimmy, is too far to commute each day, Emily is now forced to lodge with Aunt Ruth, a stern middle-aged woman with very particular habits and ideas of how Emily should speak and act.

Emily might be able to suffer through her aunt's daily gripes if it weren't for the promise she made to her other aunt -- that she will not write fiction during her stay in Shrewsbury. Though Emily's mind brims with ideas that her fingers itch to write, she is determined to keep her word to Aunt Elizabeth, no matter what it takes.

In this coming-of-age story, Montgomery also shows the changing and maturing of Emily's childhood friends -- the once tomboyish Ilse, now set on drama; artistic Teddy, struggling to break free of his possessive widowed mother; and poor orphaned Perry, determined to make something of himself as a lawyer.

If you enjoy this book, make sure to check out "Emily of New Moon," which first introduces the child Emily; and "Emily's Quest," the last book of the trilogy, which takes readers through Emily's young adulthood as she struggles to establish herself as a writer. While each book could, theoretically, stand alone (there are several occasions where Montgomery mentions events of the past books, which are indicated by a footnote) it's always best to get the full picture.

Emily is growing up, and growing ever more confident in her destiny as a writer. life is good at New Moon Farm Aunt Elizabeth has grown slightly more bearable and even seems to genuinely care for Emily (at times) Aunt laura, and cousin Jimmy are as loving and supportive as ever. even the pain of her fathers death is easing, and she finds her feelings for Teddy are changing into something more. but there is a problem Ilse, Teddy, and parry are going away to High School in Shrewsbury, and Emily is not to go. No New Moon women has ever worked for a living so there is no sense in higher education (says Aunt Elizabeth) But wait, there is one way Emily must agree to stop writing. Everything and anything not related to school work. It's a high price, but Emily knows her future as a writer hangs on this chance. Emily experiences life outside of new moon with her usuall wonder and passion, making even the mundain magical. All of Emily's feelings and experiences are as real and vividly emotional as they where in EONM . Emily Climbs is a very worthy continuation in the Emily Saga

I began reading LM Montgomery at age 10, with Anne of Green Gables, as most girls do. But when I moved on to Emily, I truly fell in love. In fact, I spent my entire 10 year old savings on LM Montgomery books after reading Emily of New Moon.

Emily's school years are a difficult time, just as they are for any teenager. She has to constantly choose whether to be herself, or be who her family wants her to be. Even though the struggles may be different than those of modern girls, the theme is the same.

It breaks my heart that LM Montgomery books periodically go out of print. I encourage anyone who wants to own her books to get them when they see them, or they may have to wait a long time for them to come back into print.

"Emily Climbs" is the middle volume of the Emily trilogy written by Lucy Maud Montgomery, which tells the story of the orphaned Emily Byrd Starr, a character much closer in temperament and vocation to the author than that of Anne Shirley. After all, Emily is an aspiring writer and learning her craft is a key thread in these stories. Written in 1925, "Emily Climbs" is set at the turn of the century in "the olden years before the world turned upside down" (to wit, the First World War). In her room in the old New Moon farmhouse at Blair Water, Emily is content to write in the books given her by Cousin Jimmy. These Jimmy-books have become her diary and have replaced the letters she had written in her childhood to her dead father. Excerpts from the diary are used to link together the various events in the book.

The problem is not only that Emily is trying to develop her writing talent on her won, but that as far as her guardian Aunt Elizabeth Murray is concerned, writing is beneath a member of the Murray clan, even if Emily's last name is Starr. So when Emily, who is becoming a young woman, wants to go to the high school in Shrewsbury with the rest of her friends, Aunt Elizabeth will give permission only if Emily stops writing fiction for three years. Although Emily needs to write the way most people need to breath, she agrees and takes another step in her climb to adulthood. To add insult to injury, Emily has to stay with her Aunt Ruth while going to school, in a room that she thinks will never be anything like a home for her. Obviously this is a recurring element in Montgomery's books, where the young female protagonist has to win over the sour older person, so we know that Aunt Ruth is going to thaw sooner or later and that Emily will turn the unfriendly room into a place where she can be happy.

Much of "Emily Climbs" is devoted to what happens while Emily is away at Shrewsbury, where she has to do both with the prospects of romance and an opportunity to limb even higher on the path to her dream of being a writer. Montgomery uses Emily journal entries, which are clearly non-fiction despite their often narrative nature, to great advantage to get into Emily's psyche and her growth during these three years away at school (although I would have liked to have actually read Emily's class prophecies). The supernatural element of Emily's second sight, which had a significant impact in the first novel, "Emily of New Moon," shows up a couple of times in this novel to help save a missing child and Emily herself. Consequently, this middle volume is more of a character study and a series of life lessons for Emily than anything else, setting up the final volume where she tries to publish her first novel and to figure out her love life as well.

I purchased this book because it offered a chapter on Bread Machines. Well, it does offer a chapter on bread machines. The advice? Keep a notebook and experiment. This advice I didn't need to pay for. I'm still looking for a bread machine cookbook for home-milled grains.

Starts off with a basic recipe and branches off from there with variations and other types of bread. Very complete and comprehensive book for a person wishing to learn the art of bread making.

this book is everything i expected it to be and more.....i've only had it a month, but it looks like i've had it 2 years.....

I... ay-yay-yai. How can you be into bread baking and not own this book -- and yet, how much of it can you put up with?

The recipes are fine. The "Loaf for Learning" is a critical introduction to yeast baking with whole grains, and you should go through it before you tackle anything else in the book. It's nicely illustrated (even without photographs), with an 8-page FAQ on troubleshooting. There's plenty of good recipes for anyone who has a taste for whole grains, including an extensive section on rye breads. There's plenty of information on bread machines, and the centerpiece of the book -- the Flemish desem bread -- is worked out in just as great detail as the Loaf for Learning. Certainly if you have an interest in whole-grain baking, or bread in general, this (along with the King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking book) ought to be in your library. But...

Truthfully, the book is spoiled for me by the invocation of raw food guru Hy Lerner and macrobiotics huckster Michio Kushi as nutritional experts, as well as the rather radical anti-processed-anything attitude (Lerner may be a great baker, but the raw food movement is scientifically wrong about most of its beliefs). This book comes from the post-hippie back-to-nature movement of the 1970s, when close to 100 years of Western vegetarianism coalesced with the ascetic eco-consciousness of Frances Moore Lappé's Diet for a Small Planet. While this led to the adoption even by the American mainstream of once-exotic items such as miso and pita bread, it also led to a strong presumption that natural, in any of its forms, is better than synthetic. Rather than adopt a non-judgemental approach advising moderation in everything, Robertson et al. become evangelical about it, essentially treating refined foods as poison.

Furthermore, her centerpiece recipe, the Desem starter, is highly impractical for most bakers -- access to freshly ground organic whole-wheat flour is unreliable at best for most people, as most people simply don't own flour mills or have easy access to multiple varieties of flour-grade wheat, and grinding ten pounds of flour for the sole purpose of storing a ball of levain is extraordinarily wasteful. Whether a Desem could be started by inoculating flour with a couple of tablespoons of a liquid starter, thereby short-circuiting a long, resource-intensive, and weirdly ritualistic process, is never discussed.

So, if you bear all that in mind (and it is a lot to bear in mind), this book is a good one to have in your library. There aren't many others like it, and this is a must-have if only for historical reasons. But I wouldn't recommend drifting too far away from the recipes, as Robertson and coauthors drastically overplay their hand with whole grains. Yes, whole grains are, on the whole, better for you than processed, and as a whole we don't eat nearly enough of them in our diets (I'm certainly no exception in that regard). But neither the authors nor the authorities they cite are half the experts they think they are on the subject; Harold McGee and others provide much more solid nutritional data. I'm personally anticipating making the rye Vollkornbrot recipe myself.

This was the first bread baking book I bought after I bought my home grain mill. This book is very unique: it provides a primer for new bread bakers, is loaded with tons of recipes from old classics (French, Sourdough) to funky, cool loaves (like the orange rye that includes rose-hips, buttermilk, honey, and orange peel), and has recipes not only for yeasted loaves, but also quick breads and muffins.

My only complaints are that 1) Laurel does not always specify whether the herb ingredients are fresh or dry, so I have to guess, with unfortunate results sometimes; and 2) I always weigh my ingredients b/c I mill my own flour, which is much fluffier and more unpredictable than store bought. In this book, about 3/4 of the recipes do give both volume and weight measurements, but the other 1/4 have only volume, so I have to figure it out myself. It's a small nuisance though for an otherwise indispensable book.

I prefer the delayed-fermentation method of dough preparation as described in Peter Reinhart's Whole Grain Breads, because the quality of my loaves is far superior using Peter's method, but I still find myself returning to Laurel's book every few loaves because her recipes are so unique and her book is loaded with recipes I can't find elsewhere.

The Golden Key is a fantasy novel set in a Iberian flavored fantasy world, written by Melanie Rawn, Jennifer Roberson and Kate Elliott.

The Golden Key's universe and magic revolves around the use of art as a tool for communication, political power, and it turns out, arcane power as well. The novel is episodic, starting with the rise to power and the discovery of real power by a brilliant artist, Sario Grijalva of Tira Verte. The Grijalvas, after a tragedy years ago, have fallen from grace, power and are pitied, if not feared, by the population at large. Despite their talents with art, being a Grijalva is not an easy or particularly desirable life.

Sario, however, has ambition. This ambition leads him to the lair of a Tza'ab (stand in for Berbers or North Africans) living in the heart of the city. His secret power, combined with Sario's knowledge, leads Sario to discoveries to allow him to live in a serial fashion in other people's bodies...and to also imprison Saavendra, the cousin that he loves, in a portrait...

The novel then leapfrogs over the next centuries, as Sario's machinations in his various lives lead to a rise to power for the Grijalvas, even as political and other developments slowly change Tira Virte in ways that even Sario cannot predict and control.

Thus, in a 900 page novel, we really get a complete fantasy series, with a variety of characters strung out along the history of Tira Virte, with Sario and the portrait of Saavendra as the hooks that keep the story together. Add in the intriguing magic system (which any player in Amber would think of ideas for Trumps thereby), great characterization, and vivid writing, and mix well.

This could have been envisioned as an interminable fantasy series, but as one volume, the writing is crisp and rarely if ever flags. The three writers collaborate and write together seamlesly. The novel was a finalist for the World Fantasy Award, and after reading it, I have to wonder, just what novel managed to beat it for that prize.

I recommend it to epic fantasy fans unreservedly.

I won't rehash the plot of this excellent novel; discovering that, afterall, is half the fun. This novel is an excellent character-driven novel; a collaboration of three well-known fantasy authors. The book is broken into three parts, each seperated by several decades, allowing for each of the three authors to focus on thoer own part. This would seem to make the whole thing disjointed but not so. There are some slight differences in style among the three parts but these differences only lead to a different, appropriate focus for the section and the characters that reside there. Overall, it blends together seemlessly and the characters are woven together extremely well.

Some novels annoy me when they use "foreign" words regularly throught the text. I hate it when I have to constantly check the appendix for a glossary of terms. So I was worried when I saw the glossary included in this novel, depicting all of the "Spanish/Italian" words. But when I read the novel, I found I didn't need it. The words are easily comprehended in the context of the sentences and become part of the overall ambiance of the story.

Overall, this book, though fairly lengthy, is a fascinating piece, highly worthy of your time to read. The authors do a marvelous job with the setting and characters and the plot is driven by the characters themselves as opposed to events outside their control. If you like political intrigue, court/religious politics, revenge, etc. as well as a a truly unique magic system, then don't let this one pass you by.

Being a big fan of Melanie Rawn, I really wanted to read more of her writing. The beggining of this book dragged in places as they got the characters into place but after the story takes off(after the first act/time period), you will not be able to put the book down! Historical fiction plus sci/fi/fantasy gives readers a fun, suspenseful and intriguing story. You will not be disappointed

I was attracted to this book by Melanie Rawn's involvement, having enjoyed her Dragon Prince/Dragon Star trilogies a great deal for their dry wit, excellent characterisation and compelling plotting. I had only a vague idea of what it was about before I started reading - but once I did, I was completely entranced.
The multi-generational novel is set in a world with a strong feel of Renaissance or early modern Spain. While never leaning too much on its real-world counterpart, the inspiration permeates all levels, immeasurably enriching the book. It is glimpsed most obviously in the characters' names, fashions and the oaths that pepper their speech. More subtly, it infuses the religious practices, behaviour (there is a strong emphasis on family honour and female modesty), and recent history - the novel opens a little after a long war with a religiously-inclined nomadic people, an obvious but not overstated parallel with the Moors.

The central conceit of the novel lies in the social and administrative role of portraiture in the state of Tira Verte, where it is used to record everything from marriage contracts to wills to treaties between nations. Those whose paintings are most highly valued enjoy considerable political and personal influence, and their style becomes something to imitate by those who follow them. A few, in secret, are able to wield more than mere influence with their brushes.

The story follows the fortunes of two noble families, and the consequences of one rashly destructive act (try to ignore the synopsis on the back of the book, which gives this act away), through several generations. Throughout, not only the story but also the world progress naturally and fascinatingly, as artistic fashions change and the society develops and diversifies. It is told in three parts, with each author taking one generation of characters - respectively: Roberson, Rawn, and Elliot. Melanie Rawn's section is the stand-out, but all three are highly accomplished pieces of writing, gripping and fluent as they tackle themes as varied as the relationship between art and artist, the moral responsibility of power, and the position of women in a highly-regulated society.

Highly recommended.

I have been hooked since the "Dragon Prince" series. I found this one didn't quite live up to the steaminess of the Prince, but the newness of the concept more than makes up for it.

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE THIS BOOK! This is my favorite Anne book, hands and hooves down. I liked hearing about Anne's full transition into womanhood and the fact that she never really let her full spirit be crushed. Gilbert was a little too soppy in this story, but it is okay. And I really, really enjoyed the wedding scene. And the whole Leslie Moore story is so exciting, but sad...until she meets the sexy (by 1900's terms :-p )Owen Ford! And Captain Jim is something else...he is such an enjoyable, lovable character and the story of lost Margaret is slightly cliched (perfect love swept away, man vows never to love anyone else), but WONDERFUL.

This book is about finally finding your true love and creating a home for him. Anne's House of Dreams is fairly anticlimatic, and does not have quite the same romantic suspense as Anne of the Island. But the reader cannot help but be taken in by the turn of the century seaside setting and the dreamy quality of the narrative. Anne finds happiness with longtime friend and beau Gilbert Blythe. We see the mature Anne as a young married woman who still has adventures. She meets a host of other characters, neighbors who enrich the story. There are stories within stories, spooky nights, misty harbours, and safe shores. I was rooting for Anne as she danced along the seashore, singing to herself, taking up her skirts by the waves. And she makes friends and acquaintances along the way. A pleasant book altogether. It takes you to a place you want to go back.

Although I loved and still love all the Anne books - I discovered them as a teen-ager and am still re-reading them every now and then - I especially love to re-read Anne's House of Dreams.

There are so many elements to make a good story! There is the romantic aspect of Anne and Gilbert setting up house together, then there are some of my very favorite characters - Captain Jim and Miss Cornelia. They certainly don't make them that way anymore! Between the four of them (five including Leslie) there are so many thought provoking discussions, and we get a fascinating view of life "on the harbor" for those times.

But what really sends this book way over the five star category is definitely Miss Cornelia! This is a character that not only is living and breathing throughout the book, you wish she would pop up in your living room! Wouldn't I love to meet her! If you like strong, independent women, and you thought that they were only a character of fiction (surely a hundred years ago women were meek and timid?), well, this book was written quite some time ago, and Miss Cornelia could almost put Gloria Steinhem to shame! Miss Cornelia is the strong, independant woman that you thought did not exist in those days - she owns her own house and fields, she manages very, very well, thank you very much, will not get married because she doesn't want a man telling her what to do, and certainly does not need a man to help her self-esteem! She also thinks that men were only put on this earth to enslave women, and the world would be much better off without them "believe me!") I love her favorite phrase "isn't that just like a man", it became part of my mental thinking process.

Certainly better than anything written today!

The passionate, sexy couple in this novel aren't Gilbert and Anne, even though they are newlyweds. It's handsome Owen Ford and the beautiful Leslie Moore who are passionately in love. They are one hot, gorgeous couple--in fact, they make Anne and Gilbert seem dull, bland and boring by comparison!
Both Leslie and Owen are renegades--non-conformists who follow their own rules and live by their wits. They've both been hurt and disillusioned by the world around them. But they're also idealists who secretly desire love--and when they first met, the sexual attraction is so intense you can almost feel it through the pages of the book! This attraction grows stronger and Owen eventually decides his love for the married Leslie is wrong--so he tragically leaves town, assuming he will never see her again. By an odd twist of fate, Leslie eventually becomes a "free woman" and they reunite. The passion and desire felt between them is beautifully written--and it's extremely sensual for a book first published in 1917.
By comparison, Anne and Gilbert are the boring married couple who are settled in their ways. We are even treated to their "first fight." Lucy Maud Montgomery admired men who were creative free-thinkers and non-conformists---both Owen Ford and another favorite--Barney Snaith of "The Blue Castle"--fit this description perfectly. Unfortunately Gilbert doesn't even come close. As the tiny town's physician, he has become self-righteous and uptight. Lucy Maud stopped making Gilbert interesting after her second "Anne" book and he's basically a non-entity from there on. But you won't say that about Owen!

I'll always have a special place for the earlier books, especially 'Anne of the Island', but nothing is unmatched to 'Anne's House of Dreams'.

I always have a certain problem when reading Anne books. Although I enjoy the plot and characters, I resent the melancholy, wistful feel to it everytime Anne goes into a new chapter of her life. There was the last chapter of the first book; 'A Bend in The Road', where the simple description and mood of the scene was so heart-wrenching that I almost cried. 'Anne of Avonlea' was just as sentimental as the previous book, with Anne realizing she cannot turn back time to when she was eleven. We, as readers feel the impact too. We have come to love each and every one character in Avonlea and we cannot stand to watch the years go by and be forced accept that the people are changing. 'Anne of the Island' cured that depressing tone slightly by bringing in cheerful college life but still retained the usual Avonlea village scenes into it. A romance brewing between Gilbert and Anne also helped distract readers from getting too upset about Anne growing up and leaving her childhood days forever. But nevertheless the proposal scene at the last chapter brought up those suppressed feelings out once again and left us smiling a bittersweet smile at the closing descriptions of the book.

But in 'Anne's House of Dreams', we are introduced to a whole new atmosphere. No longer is Anne running dreamily into magical forests and delighting in fairy brooks, listening to the whispers of the trees or playacting as a Fair Maiden with her childhood friends. The fairy-tale, static forests of Avonlea are replaced with a vast sea, salty breezes and spicy scents of seagrass in the air. Whereas the previous books were stuffy and melancholic, this book is wonderfully refreshing and light. Instead of feeling that everything is going to end (growing older, beloved characters dying, leaving Green Gables and Avonlea), we find ourself anticipating Anne's new life as a married woman.

And the plot construction! I've never read an Anne series with a plot so tight and focused. The twist at the end concerning Leslie's husband was the cream of the crop, and I've also enjoyed the beautiful life-story of Captain Jim. Even Anne and Gilbert are involved into this snug plot, they are mostly the benefactors of the events: Gilbert's idea to cure Leslie's husband and Anne's idea to have Captain Jim's life-story written down.

On the other hand, I would complain that there weren't many scenes of the old characters; save Gilbert (duh) and Marilla. It's as if Anne is losing contact with her old life, which makes me a bit sad. I was dying to know more about Davy, Diana, Paul Irving, the Pyes, and even Charlie Sloane. I would love the series more if Anne remained in Avonlea and raised her family in the midst of the atmosphere that we have come to recognize and cherish. What's the use of getting us attached to the 'Lake of Shining Waters' and 'The White Way of Delight' and 'Lover's Lane' and 'Hester Gray's garden' and 'Dryad's Bubble' if Anne was going to move away and leave all those memories behind? Blame it on Gilbert. (kidding)

I finished reading this book with a heart-warmed feeling in my heart for the first time, it seemed more appropriate as a beautiful closure to the series. It should have ended here instead of dragging along until she fades away to become a secondary character in the next three upcoming books.

This is my favorite cookbook of all time; like other reviewers, I used it as my main cookbook for years, before becoming vegetarian two or three years ago. I have used most of the recipes in this book and have had great success with virtually all of them. I particularly love the polenta pie (hmm, think I'll make that for dinner) and the many soups. I think best of all I like the introductory material, which talks about the authors' attitudes towards food and cooking -- and eating. I go back often to the suggestions for how to eat, which seem sane and constructive to me, rather than dictatorial or condescending as some veggie/"health food" books can be. I feel as though I know the people who wrote this book, and have spent time with them in the kitchen, preparing food together.

My copy of this book is literally falling apart, even though my a libraian friend had her library technicians "re-bind" it (as best they could, it being a paperback) some years ago. I have requested a new copy for Christmas this year and look forward to having a solid book again. I just wish they'd do an update with more new recipes. I have cooked many meals from this book and recommended it to many friends who like cooking, and I recommend it to you.

this updated version of one of my first cookbooks many years ago is fabulous
with lots of nutritional information and updated,healthy recipes

This book is excellent. She covers all the basics and has a supern nutrition section at the back which provides information about the nutritional values of all kinds of different foods. If you have a vitamin deficiency you can just look at the back and see which foods to add.

I own one of the first Laurel's Kitchen Cook books. I have given this book to many friends who love to cook and enjoy reading about food. I think every Vegetarian would want this on their book shelf. A great book!

I own dozens of vegetarian cookbooks, old and new, but I find myself returning to this one again and again. I consider it my "vegetarian comfort food cookbook". Published long before we all developed fat phobia, this book contains rich, flavorful foods. Lots of dairy, so not the best for vegans, but meat lovers won't miss the meat.